Bride of Trouville

The prequel, of sorts, to The Highland Wife, taking place when Rob is a child. Rob's widowed mother, Anne, is forced to marry the French Comte de Trouville. She resists him, not only because she has been traumatized by her abusive first husband, but because she is afraid that if Trouville discovers Rob is deaf, he will be disinherited. So she tries to hide Rob's deafness from him. Unlike most "big misunderstanding" plots, this is a legitimate fear: Trouville really does not intend to allow Rob to inherit the estate, and it's up to Anne to prove to him that her son could be a competent lord. The descriptions of Anne raising Rob and teaching him to speak and use a made-up sign language are compelling, and clearly based on the author's own experiences. It's not quite as good as The Highland Wife, but, the writing is engaging, and the characters are interesting.

Bride of Trouville was a refreshing change from the usual romance drivel. No purple prose here! The characters think and act realistically; I liked the way the story unfolded naturally, there seemed to be no gratuitous scenes. If I had any criticsm it would only be that I would have liked the loves scenes to be more detailed. That is the only reason I didn't give this book 5 stars. However, it is a minor quibble in view of how much I liked this book. I definitely recommend it.

Perfectionist Edouard Gillet has angered King Phillip so hedecides to lay low for a while in Scotland. He takes his young sonwith him who needs a mother figure to teach him the more genteel facets of life. Anne is for from perfect and she has a son many would view as 'the son of the devil' because he is deaf. Through a series of events they are married and fall in love, with Edouard admitting his love early and Anne holding off because she hasn't told him her son is deaf. Its nice to read a story where the hero and heroine are not the usual young and naive. Anne is in her late 20's and Edwouard is a little older. Of course both have their secrets and each is hurt when they discover that the other has been holding back on the other.

Edouard Gillett, the Comte of Trouville, is leaving France before King Philip decides to take more than his lands away. He is going to Scotland. Dairmid Hume is travelling with him, and while on the journey sells Edouard on the idea of taking a bride. Hume has a widowed niece holding an estate in trust for her ten-year-old son. He agrees to meet her, but will not marry her unless it is what she desires. She doesn't want to marry any man, but when Hume threatens to take away her son Robert, if she doesn't marry Trouville, she agrees. She'll simply have to hide Robert's deafness from Edouard. Anne soon finds her heart stolen by Edouard, but each time she decides to tell him about her son, the comte acts in a way that reveals that he dislikes imperfection. Lyn Stone has written a wonderful tale of love, trust and acceptance. The story is not predictable in the least and is full of lots of twists and turns. Don't miss this winner!