Backlog #13
These are old books by LLG. Although it's harsh to say "old" but they're from '10s and it's more than a decade ago. Wedding of the Season is a first book in a series called "Abandoned at the Altar", which is an interesting concept. With upcoming book by LLG she actually returns to this trope.
I am reading these for the first time? I'm just not sure which from the two series of American Heiress and Abandoned I've read and which I did not.
Thing is I got to know LLG when I bought a book in my native language. But the problem with licensing and publishing of western historical romances is that not always they translate the series, they might as well just pick a book from a series and I'm not sure if publishers are aware of the fact. But they pick what they deem interesting and translate the book they want instead of translating entre series just because it is a series in original.
(oh good old Avon covers, I miss them, I feel sorry for Avon to basically being swallowed, but life is life)
Abandoned at the altar...Lady Beatrix Danbury had always known she would marry William Mallory. She'd loved him forever, and she'd never doubted he loved her, too. But when she made him choose between their life together or his lifelong dream, Will chose the latter...and left two weeks before their wedding.Return of the duke...Will has no illusions that Beatrix would welcome him back with open arms, but six years did not dim his love or desire for her. The only problem is, she's about to marry someone else. Someone safe and predictable...the complete opposite of Will. But can he stop the wedding of the season and win Beatrix back, or is it just too late?
Abandoned at the Altar. Book 1
The main conflict of this book is that our Duke wanted to travel to Egypt in the search of tomb of Tut. But Beatrix wasn't ready for such a sacrifice.
And it's not that she's a bad person, but actually I wish LLG would dive deeper into her controlled childhood. We basically should read between the lines how her own father controlled her so she would always stay the closest to him, Will even suspected that he allowed the two of them have such an extensive relationship because they were neighbors and her father expected Will to stay close. Only because Beatrix's mother eloped for love to Paris, to paint and be with her lover (she had some unknown devastatingly sad ending in poverty and infamy). This is why Beatrix's father did instil many of the things in her head throughout the years. And this is why when it came to choosing she couldn't choose her lover, because otherwise she would leave her father behind (almost like her mother).
Years later Will returns to England in the need of a sponsor and the one he thinks will help him is none other than Lord Marlowe (here we actually meet our beloved Lord Marlowe from "And then he kissed her", but he has no extensive role and I was not sure how old he was in this, but they had three kids and the youngest daughter wasn't even properly walking). But he also knows that right now his ex-fiancee Beatrix is going to marry another man, more stable, someone good.
He thought that years might have dulled the passion and love but he was wrong. They kinda loved each other but also wore spikes of disappointment that the other person did not choose them.
The lively exchange sparked and the feelings were boiling.
Because they knew each other for so long, were inlove for so long and were so passionate about each other. But when it came to making a choice it felt like one person must sacrifice for the other person completely. And if they did who knows how their lived would have turned out.
Beatrix may not be everyone's cup of tea, she is the epitome of a lady, she wants a quiet life and she wants kids, she loves her life (or so she thinks).
But you can see that she has a streak for some adventure, when her father was gone she followed her relative to "relax" and actually started driving an automobile. Started to feel alive again.
She also met her fiance, felt that they might not really have feelings for each other but they can have enough affection to make this marriage work.
And then Will came back and all those plans flew out the window.
Along the way the engagement was cancelled, but Beatrix still didn't want to leave the shores of England and follow Will, no matter how Will tried to remind her that she had so much passion for things they talked about many years ago, not just because she tried to carry on the conversation, but that she wanted to go on a journey herself.
But I'd say I liked the last scene, the thrilling ride to catch up with the leaving train was fine, finally choosing the man she loves even if the way they're going will drop a shadow of scandal. And Will actually stayed behind. Like two close souls that decided to choose a person instead of everything else.
Note: Interestingly the second book is about the ex-fiance 😁 and her relative who taught her driving (who is actually in the middle of very unhappy marriage right now) yet to read that one.
RATE: 3,75/5.
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