Review: Vows to Save Her Reputation by Christine Merrill
Print Length: 288 pages
Publisher: Harlequin Historical (July 21, 2020)
From Goodreads.com: His ring will rescue her
And she’ll save him from his solitudeIt’s best if Sir Robert Gascoyne remains alone. That way he protects others from the curse that has plagued his family for generations. But when an injury results in Emma Harris spending a scandalous stay at his manor, wedding bells are inevitable! After losing his first wife to childbirth, Robert won’t risk exposing Emma to the same fate. Yet resisting his stunning new bride is much harder than he’d expected…
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My Rating: 3 stars out of 5
I liked Emma. She was everything young ladies in these types of stories are not. She's too tall, too clumsy, and too athletic; seriously she has the uncanny ability to immediately pick up and be good at any sport, but can barely make it through dinner without spilling her wine. Oh and she's also very good at either having things happen to her (like when a footman spilled punch on her), or doing the most ridiculous thing she can think of (like throwing her shoe at a bird even if it was an effective means of dealing with the problem).
Robert was a bit harder to like in that he so stubbornly clung to the thought of there being a "curse" on himself that he looked at everything as being a direct result of that. He also came across as a bit too misogynistic at the beginning (for example telling her "I am the master of this house and I do not wish you to entertain. That should be reason enough" and just a few lines later reiterating his boorish opinion (because she had the audacity to question him) by stating "You do not need to understand me to obey". Thankfully, while these attitudes don't last much past this, the way that he continues to toy with her emotions by offering kisses and caresses one minute and denying them the next casts him in an unfavorable light most of the book.
For the most part, when these two were together (and when you overlook the aforementioned toying of Emma's emotions), they had a lot of really sweet interactions. I enjoyed the way she challenged him and his beliefs about the curse, from getting him to accept invitations from their neighbors to the way she helped to bring an end to his estrangement from his brother. I especially enjoyed the way she learned how to stand up to him where the curse pertained showing him that it could just as easily have been something else entirely. It was also a lot of fun watching the way Robert also brought Emma out of her comfort zone teaching her archery and encouraging her to ride astride.
I do feel like the ending was a bit rushed and it felt like it ended rather abruptly - I feel an epilogue showing them a few months down the road, or even a few years down the road really would have brought about a better sense of closure than the way the author chose to end things.
Overall, this was a quick and entertaining read perfect for a day at the beach (or in my case a rainy day indoors). I would read more from this author.
DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.
I liked Emma. She was everything young ladies in these types of stories are not. She's too tall, too clumsy, and too athletic; seriously she has the uncanny ability to immediately pick up and be good at any sport, but can barely make it through dinner without spilling her wine. Oh and she's also very good at either having things happen to her (like when a footman spilled punch on her), or doing the most ridiculous thing she can think of (like throwing her shoe at a bird even if it was an effective means of dealing with the problem).
Robert was a bit harder to like in that he so stubbornly clung to the thought of there being a "curse" on himself that he looked at everything as being a direct result of that. He also came across as a bit too misogynistic at the beginning (for example telling her "I am the master of this house and I do not wish you to entertain. That should be reason enough" and just a few lines later reiterating his boorish opinion (because she had the audacity to question him) by stating "You do not need to understand me to obey". Thankfully, while these attitudes don't last much past this, the way that he continues to toy with her emotions by offering kisses and caresses one minute and denying them the next casts him in an unfavorable light most of the book.
For the most part, when these two were together (and when you overlook the aforementioned toying of Emma's emotions), they had a lot of really sweet interactions. I enjoyed the way she challenged him and his beliefs about the curse, from getting him to accept invitations from their neighbors to the way she helped to bring an end to his estrangement from his brother. I especially enjoyed the way she learned how to stand up to him where the curse pertained showing him that it could just as easily have been something else entirely. It was also a lot of fun watching the way Robert also brought Emma out of her comfort zone teaching her archery and encouraging her to ride astride.
I do feel like the ending was a bit rushed and it felt like it ended rather abruptly - I feel an epilogue showing them a few months down the road, or even a few years down the road really would have brought about a better sense of closure than the way the author chose to end things.
Overall, this was a quick and entertaining read perfect for a day at the beach (or in my case a rainy day indoors). I would read more from this author.
DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.
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Vows to Save Her Reputation is available from Amazon.com
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