Rushed to the Altar (The Blackwater Brides)

I loved the action in this book. I appreciate the history. It was the first time an author I've read has gone into detail about the Baby Farms for unwanted children. So sad. It was very well done. Great plot. and of course, a happy ending. It kept me wanting to know what happened next from beginning to end. Quite a good read! I can't wait to read the other 2 in this series.

The title is a bit misleading, they don't actually make it to the altar but it is a good read. I made a cup of tea Saturday morning and opened the book before starting my chores, well I never did get to the chores I read the whole book on Saturday. Beautiful heroine, masterful handsome titled hero, requisite evil selfish guardian, a hidden heir and a plot to murder all combine to make for a good read. The heroine does not wait to be rescued or to have help in rescuing her endangered little brother. Perhaps not great literature but it is an entertaining book and kept my interest.

The basic plot of the story is this: Clarissa Astley must find her ten year old brother before he dies of infection or neglect brought on by their uncle, and in the process of searching runs into Jasper, Earl of Blackwater. He, intrigued by her beauty, makes her an offer which she takes in order to provide her brother and herself protection and a place to hide from her evil uncle who needs them dead to inherit their fortune. Pretty simple, with some added stuff to flesh it out: a big inheritance for Blackwater if he redeems a prostitute through marriage, a massive web of lies to keep Clarissa's real identity a secret, and some pretty fun set up for another couple books based on Blackwater's brothers. The characters do not stand out much, in fact are almost bland, though Clarissa is both smart and willing to do whatever it takes to protect her brother, including physical violence. She is competent enough to rescue herself if necessary, a nice change from the more typical damsel in distress plot found in other romances. Blackwater is an odd mixture of overbearing alpha male impatient and relentless in his pursuit of Clarissa in the first half of the book and patient, considerate lover willing to wait for her to trust him enough to tell him her secrets in the second half, making his character fairly uneven as has been noted in other reviews. Both, however, have a decent chemistry together and their attachment doesn't feel forced or too fake. The secondary characters are all as flat as cardboard, but it's charmingly decorated cardboard at least. Overall it's pretty standard, pretty well written for what it is, and a fairly standard romance. I give it an extra star for the heroine's willingness to take an active role in rescuing herself and her brother, which in my experience is a fairly rare occurrence in the historical romance genre. Not bad for a weekend read or brain candy, but like most romance not exactly deep.

Jane Feather has a very intriguing premise (three brothers must all marry and redeem "fallen" women to inherit a vast fortune, which they desperately need) and a clever, resourceful heroine in Clarissa, but although I liked the hero, Jasper (the Earl of Blackwater) his "voice" was uneven. At times he was the suave, debonair man-about-town, up to every trick and trap. At others, he's supposedly a strong, caring man falling in love, against his better judgment, with a woman he starts out thinking is an avaricious prostitute--despite her perfect drawing room manners, ladylike way of speaking and demure clothing. It is only his hurt feelings at her lack of trust in him that keep him from continuing to press her to confide in him, as she frantically searches London of the late 1700's (beautiful clothing descriptions) for her 10-year old brother, Francis. The little boy had been taken from their quiet country home by his guardian, the wicked uncle, and then abandoned in London's notorious East End to die from neglect and deprivation, so the uncle could inherit the boy's fortune. The descriptions of the City of London were very colorful and detailed, greatly adding to my enjoyment of the story. There are also a host of lively secondary characters to add even more color, including the brothel madame who rented innocence Clarissa a room, the evil uncle's henchman who always insisted on being paid first before he'd follow orders, and lastly (but far from least) Clarissa's little brother, though he was unevenly drawn at times, too. First he kept the faith that his big sister would find and rescue him, but then he completely despairs when they're both imperiled, only to suddenly tackle a grown man who threatens to harm his sister. Overall, though, it was an delightful, action-packed story. I am definitely looking forward to reading (soon, I hope) about what happened with Jasper's twin younger brothers, Sebastian and Peregrine. While staunchly loyal to their older brother, they are two strong and independent men, who look alike but have very different personalities as evident from their first scene. Teasingly, there are intriguing hints scattered throughout Jasper and Clarissa's story about how the younger brothers' searches for qualified "fallen" women to marry are progressing. Can't wait to read more about both.