No Regrets by Ann Lethbridge
September 15, 2017
Published September 2017, Beyond the Page Publishing, 399 pages
"Carolyn Torrington’s romantic dreams of her childhood friend Lucas Rivers are shattered when the wily lord offers her a marriage of convenience to gain his inheritance. While it breaks her heart to say yes to the arrangement with a man she’s always loved, it’s the only way to secure her sisters’ futures.
To the world, Lucas, Lord Foxhaven, is an irrepressible rogue, and wedded bliss is the furthest thing from his mind. But he’s been forced up to the mark by his father, and he’s certain the demure Carolyn won’t give him an iota of trouble—if only her voluptuous body weren’t driving him to distraction.
As Carolyn struggles to keep her true feelings hidden, Lucas is drawn ever more powerfully by thoughts of unbridled passion, and he’s stunned by his burgeoning feelings for a woman he’s always seen as a friend. When a scheming Parisian relative threatens to take her from him for good, Lucas realizes he must stand up and be the man Carolyn always knew he could be—even as he suddenly comes to know he wants their marriage in name only to become quite real..."
I will be honest, it took me a while to get into this one. I just felt like I could not connect with Carolyn or Lucas and I wasn't convinced of their prior relationship by their history or interactions. But as I pushed on, I began to understand and piece together the histories they experienced together and apart.
Lucas felt like the most real "boyish man" character I've read in a while. He was an interesting mix of humorous and sweet while also infuriatingly obtuse to how to deal with women. I loved the way his character progressed through the novel, especially once we learned about his true passions and motivations regarding music, children, and education.
Similarly, I thought Carolyn was a fun and stubborn woman to follow in this romance. I was annoyed with how often she talked about her weight or proportions - I swear it was every other page. I didn't feel like how often it was discussed was really necessary (but honestly a bit refreshing to have some physical diversity in our historical fiction ladies :D ).
Additionally, I felt that initially the chemistry and interaction between Lucas and Carolyn wasn't particularly developed or structured to make it a convincing love story until about 75% in. But then the action, dialogue, and romantic writing was delicious!
Overall, I thought this was a unique read and would ultimately recommend it to fellow historical fiction romance fans.
Lucas felt like the most real "boyish man" character I've read in a while. He was an interesting mix of humorous and sweet while also infuriatingly obtuse to how to deal with women. I loved the way his character progressed through the novel, especially once we learned about his true passions and motivations regarding music, children, and education.
Similarly, I thought Carolyn was a fun and stubborn woman to follow in this romance. I was annoyed with how often she talked about her weight or proportions - I swear it was every other page. I didn't feel like how often it was discussed was really necessary (but honestly a bit refreshing to have some physical diversity in our historical fiction ladies :D ).
Additionally, I felt that initially the chemistry and interaction between Lucas and Carolyn wasn't particularly developed or structured to make it a convincing love story until about 75% in. But then the action, dialogue, and romantic writing was delicious!
Overall, I thought this was a unique read and would ultimately recommend it to fellow historical fiction romance fans.
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