Review: Too Wanton to Wed (Gothic Love Stories, #4) by Erica Ridley

                                                  

Print Length: 386 pages

Publisher: Erica Ridley (August 23, 2019)

From Goodreads.com:  

TRAPPED IN DARKNESS

Violet Whitechapel committed an unspeakable crime to save a child. To escape the hangman’s noose, she takes refuge in a crumbling abbey with secrets darker than her own. When its master offers her a temporary post, Violet cannot say no. Just as she begins to see him in a new light, her past catches up to her and endangers them all…

THEIR PASSION BURNS BRIGHT

Alistair Waldegrave keeps his daughter imprisoned in the black heart of his Gothic abbey. As he searches for a cure to the disease the villagers call demonic, his new governess brings much needed light into their lives. But how can the passion between them survive the darkness encroaching from outside their sheltered walls?

  

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My Rating: 2 stars out of 5

This book still has me sitting here wondering what the heck it was that I just read. Normally I am a fan of this author's work, in fact my usual complaint is that her stories are too short. However, I think the problem with this one (among other things) was that it was too long. 

I mean I get it. Whenever you have a longer length novel, you need words to fill the pages. Sadly, in this case there were a lot of un-needed words. First you have Violet who is on the run due to something that happened where she used to live, and although at first she's more than a little apprehensive about agreeing to stay at the abbey (I mean who in their right mind would want to live in a dreary, cold abbey where all of the windows are boarded up tight), she realizes that it is her best course of action being that people don't come there. So she agrees to become the governess to Alistair's daughter, and let's just say the child doesn't make the best first impression on readers. But Violet sees something in the girl, and within no time has earned her trust. Their friendship was something I truly enjoyed (although there were times such as when Violet tried to do something nice for Lily only have have her hard work thrown back in her face) that I wished Violet would have taken a firmer tone instead of shutting down. I understand why Lily acted out, and could even sympathize to an extent (Lily has a severe reaction to being in sunlight that causes blistering in seconds), but she also got away with far too much for far too long. 

When it comes to Alistair and Violet however? Well that is a whole different story. Oh it's obvious that they are attracted to each other. Just as it's obvious that Alistair is grateful that she came into their lives, as he can see the change in his child (plus it gives him more time to devote to his studies). However... two other things are just as obvious. One, Alistair holds her to a very high standard, repeatedly referring to her as an angel sent to help them. And two, not only does he still harbor feelings for his dead wife, but he also considers himself a gentleman. Yet, time and again he crosses certain lines with Violet taking liberties that she freely gives, and then becomes horrified by his actions and pulls away. And yet, each and every time Violet either instigates or participates. Once they actually take that final step and sleep together, Alistair realizes that Violet is not virgin, and somehow that ruins his entire image of her? In his "righteous fury" he says some pretty horrible things to her, but of course she ends up forgiving him after they are tricked into having a picnic in the library by Lily. 

One would say that is enough angst for one story (and for me it really was), but of course, we still had the plotline of what happened that sent Violet running in the first place that still needs to be resolved. And it was, although not in a way that I either expected, nor that made any sense. Good. Now we can get on with the happily ever after right? Wrong. Now we have Violet finding out that this entire time, Alistair has been keeping a secret from her. One that she deems is so terrible that she packs her things and runs off, despite her likeness being plastered all over wanted posters in the town. She manages to find shelter in an inn (which I'm surprised the owner did turn her in for the reward money), but then if I suppose she had done that, the drama couldn't have continued. Now Lily, somehow assuming that Violet would be at the inn, heads there herself in the dead of night, only to be horribly burned then next morning when the sun comes up due to Violet not closing the drapes in the room. 

Of course Alistair is summoned, and he immediately blames Violet for what happened because she didn't close the drapes. He doesn't blame himself for being the reason she left in the first place, nor does he place any blame on his child who despite being young, still should have known better. At no point does he place the blame on himself, even though a missive was sent to his house the night prior that had he not been getting drunk (something completely out of character for him), he would have seen and been able to go and rescue his child home before morning. 

Surely, that is enough drama for anyone right? Apparently not for this author as just as Alistair and Violet are about to reconnect (again) and declare their love for one another, we now have villagers burning the abbey down (although having stone walls I'm confused how this was possible), forcing Alistair and his daughter to make a run for it. There is some tension, some angst, but eventually all's well and we jump to the epilogue. 

Which while incredibly sweet as we see them in wedded bliss gives us no answers about Lily's future. Is there any hope of her sickness being cured so that she can live a normal life? Or is she destined to always live in the shadows along with her father and step-mother? And what happens if they have children of their own down the line, are they to be raised the same way? I wish we would have gotten a little less of the drama and a little more answers to those kinds of questions instead of being left to wonder about them. 

I do still have the last book in this series to read, which is apparently also about vampires (what the villagers originally thought Alistair was), so hopefully that one is better.