The Bridal Contract
by Sandra Sookoo
Darrington Family, #3
Publication Date: September 16, 2014
Synopsis
When a bridal contract is struck, either parental outrage will void the arrangement or the love of a child will sweeten the deal.
Oliver Darrington—Viscount Tralsburg—wants nothing more than to hide out at the family property in Brighton until he can secure a sea-worthy ship and return to adventuring the world. However, being handed his former mistress’ child isn’t part of that plan. Neither is the sudden longing for his pretty Italian neighbor.
Eloisa Hawthorne is in dire straits. Her older brother has gambled away her sister’s hand to a horrible man. In order to save her sister’s virtue and her future, Eloisa needs a fast fortune—or someone who can immediately cover the debt. When her handsome neighbor offers a temporary engagement contract, she accepts with alacrity. Too bad she fell in love with his dark-haired offspring. How scandalous!
When the two attend his mother’s London dinner party, Oliver wishes the union wasn’t merely a lark. Eloisa fears for the adorable child’s upbringing in heathen locales, but what can she do? The contract is only for a month, and love was never an option. Something must be done to throw over convention before the moment is lost and matters of the heart are sacrificed.
REVIEW:
Reviewed for Hooked On Books Forever
3.5 Stars
While historical romance is far from my norm when it comes to reading, The Bridal Contract by Sandra Sookoo blends enough humor into the history that it doesn't feel too stuck up or contrived.
We start this journey with Oliver, a sea loving captain struggling with his family's wants for him to be wed and have children. He prefers bedding mistresses and sailing the sea, but his whole world is rattled when a four year old little girl is dropped on his doorstep. Though he's certain she's not his, can learn to love her and accept her?
We meet Eloisa, a woman who has given her heart to a man who lost his life to the war. She knows no man will marry her, so she tends to her family and maintains a quiet life. She is struggling to figure out how to stop her brother from selling her sister's hand in marriage to a horrible man whom he lost to while gambling.
Eloisa and Oliver meet, and draw up a Bridal Contract, but after 30 days will they be able to leave each other, or will they maybe fall in love?
This book actually dragged a bit for me, I wanted it to speed up, get to the point, as you knew the conclusion. I guess that's the biggest problem for me with The Bridal Contract, is its expected. There is nothing shockingly different about this story then any other romance novel. The saving grace for this story was Daniela. I loved the developing relationship between Daniela and both Oliver and Eloisa. There was also a fair amount of humor that helped to set off the stuck up nature of this book. If you're looking for a historical romance with a slight twist, this is for you, just don't any except major plot twists or differences from other stories...
About the Author
Sandra is a writer of romantic fiction. In the past couple of years she’s concentrated on funny contemporary romance as well as Regency-era romance, but she will, on occasion, write paranormal or sci-fi. Whether you like sweet or erotic heat levels, there’s something for everyone to fall in love with. She’s also a hybrid author, choosing to publish both with small presses and doing the indie thing.
Offered representation in February 2014 by Scott Eagan at Greyhaus Literary Agency for Victorian-era historical romances, Sandra’s been hard at work researching, planning and writing a new series. When not immersed in creating new worlds and engaging characters, Sandra likes to read, bake, taste new teas, watch The Big Bang Theory and Psych as well as Finding Bigfoot, and travel. Her favorite place to spend vacation hours is Walt Disney World: it’s where dreams come true and the soul can play. When she’s not writing or inventing new recipes, she spends time with her husband—goofing off and making moments count. Life’s too short to be serious all the time.
Sandra loves to hear from her readers. You can write to her at sandrasookoo@yahoo.com, visit her website at www.sandrasookoo.com, or look her up on Facebook and Twitter.
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