COURTING THE COUNTESS

Author: Barbara Pierce ISBN: 031298622X 11/2004 HISTORICAL Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Time Period: 1810 Cornwall and London

A scoundrel whose fame as an artist, libertine, and notorious seducer of beautiful women is ongoing fodder for the ton, Mallory Claeg has a secret obsession-Brook Meylan, Lady A'Court, a beautiful widow who abandoned London two years earlier, deliberately severing all ties to her past. Under the pretense of his interest in the primitive landscape of the Cornish coast, Mallory watches her, fascinated and utterly mesmerized by her beauty... Brook tried to escape the gilded cage of the ton's merciless gossip, the memory of a cruel husband, and the pity of well meaning friends. But meddling relatives and unwanted suitors shatter her peace. At first, Mallory Claeg was another intrusion. Yet his sinfully handsome face and irresistible charm bring both temptation and torment. Now Brook must choose between opening her heart-or sealing it off forever...

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

Ok, Barbara Pierce. You definitely have my attention with these Bedegrayne family tales. The newest one, COURTING THE COUNTESS, cements the fact that you create the most complex and memorable characters. If only they weren't so heartwrenching!

The hero in this case, Mallory Claeg, has so many women I don't think that he can keep track of where he has been. It's like that saying "I bet you have to beat them off with a stick." This guy really does. Some men might think all that attention is a good thing, but poor Mallory is absolutely hounded by old flames and prospective new ones. Being the artist lover known for scandal and disposable lovers isn't exactly endearing him to the woman he really wants, Brook Meylan. Seriously, it would be tough to have a relationship with a man everyone wants or has already had!

As if Mallory's harem isn't bad enough, he has a past that is so heartbreaking that when the whole truth is revealed, my mouth hung open in shock. I didn't see it coming, truly I didn't. But, when a man marries his mistress and lives on the fringes of society, the unexpected has to happen.

And Lady Brook...Geesh, what a life! She is a widow with some seriously haunting memories courtesy of her deceased husband, Lyon. I do believe she could have easily taken up drinking, or at least she should have. However, this is one tough lady. I think had I endured half of what she does, I would have locked myself up in the nut house.

This family, the Bedegraynes, created by Barbara Pierce, has the damndest luck. They live such awful lives or have horrible secrets until they finally meet the one that helps them to heal. All of the stories are gutwrenching tearjerkers in some manner, and are impossible to put down. I find that I devour the book simply so the hard part is over quickly and I can move on to the happy ending. Thank goodness there always seems to be one!

Someone that can evoke such powerful emotions in a reader isn't just a good writer, but a truly exceptional storyteller.

Shannon Johnson