HER LADYSHIP'S COMPANION

Author: Evangeline Collins ISBN: 9780425228203 5/2009 HISTORICAL Publisher: BERKLEY SENSATION
Time Period: 1816 Scotland

His job was to please her. Not to steal her heart. In the Scottish countryside of Selkirk, Lady Isabella Stirling resides at Bowhill Park, serving penance for a sin that nearly ruined her family. For five years she has been condemned to a loveless marriage and confined to the estate where she does little more than tend her rose garden. With her husband absent for months at a time and few visitors, Bella lives a lonely existence, denying the passions that burn within her very soul. Then her cousin comes for a visit and makes an outrageous suggestion: what Bella needs is a lover. A hired lover. Despite her need, Bella says no. But soon Mr. Gideon Rosedale arrives—and he is at her service for two weeks. Indulging in what she intends to be a harmless flirtation, Bella is overcome by Gideon's intoxicating presence. And when she at last permits him to satisfy her desires, she discovers she's done the unthinkable—she's fallen in love.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

Well, this book is the first of its kind that I have ever heard of, and I admit, I am pleasantly surprised by it. Rest assured, this is no ordinary romantic work with your average hero and heroine. It's unconventional in every sense of the word, and that is definitely the reason to read it.

To be honest, I'm not completely in love with the cast. The heroine is supposed to be passionate and impulsive but, other than in the bedroom, she is quite wimpy. Although I guess I understand that a bit, she did not quite change into someone I admire and honestly, should have more sense. Her brothers' antics and lack of sense themselves boggles my mind, but I guess that is just their role in the story. Despite my lack of love for them, the hero is the reason I like this one.

While I was prepared not to like the story once I figured out just exactly what I was reading, I am happy Collins opened my eyes and changed my mind about such a romantic work. Honestly, she has breathed fresh air into the staleness that can accompany a historical read. And while I have read similar things involving ladies, never have I read anything about gentlemen dabbling in the world's oldest profession. So, kudos to Collins for making something so out of the realm of "normal" historical romantic fiction, and turning it into something quite fascinating.

Shannon Johnson