Marsha's Reviews > The Bachelor

Generic, boring title aside, this novel is one of surprises. The cover itself is unusual, showing a woman dressed in the Regency style holding a bow and arrow. She’s looking over her shoulder at an almost bare-chested man. While his expression can be described as smoldering, hers is slightly playful as if she wishes to tease him about something. Why is she holding weapons reminiscent of the goddess Artemis? Well, that would be telling, dear reader.

The heroine is a duke’s daughter but her bloodline and lineage are more than a little convoluted. It turns out her mother married three times, giving Lady Gwyn a fair share of half-siblings. She’s no unknowing virgin although she’s managed to hide her non-virginal state from her brother—rather surprising, considering he’s her twin.

The gentleman is a groundskeeper wounded in the Marines and with very progressive ideas about affairs between men and women. However, Joshua refuses to teach Gwyn how to shoot, insisting that it’s a man’s place to take care of a woman and protect her. (That stuck in my craw a bit, since the men are usually protecting the women from other men.) He’s also related to Gwyn, being the son of one of her mother’s brothers-in-law from her third marriage. That makes him a cousin, albeit not by blood. (I told you it was convoluted.)

The power dynamic is a bit remarkable for a romance novel. While her wealth is considerably greater than his, that’s not necessarily the obstacle standing in the way of their happiness. Both Gwyn and Joshua are cherishing wounds, spiritual and physical, and their love affair is doomed if they can’t get past their individual shames about their injuries. They’re also holding on to secrets that could tear apart their fledgling amour.

Throw in a sordid past love affair, a blackmailer, plots to sell state plans to the French, attempted kidnapping and matchmaking relatives and you’ve got a truly corking good romance, one that has its share of twists and turns. The stubbornness of the two romantic protagonists only lends spice to the plot.