The Cad

O My God. This is absolutely the best book ive ever read. i fell in love with Ewen completely. Its guaranteed that you will never come across a hero such as Ewen. He is one the best, most sensual, most romantic of hero's i've ever read about... The heroine Bridget is amazing/ vulnerable, yet strong and with such sadness that only Ewen could complete her and make her happy. I loved both these characters so much and was sooooo sad to turn that last page. Granted there seperation in the middle of the book was a little too long, nevertheless i still enjoyed these two characters immensely. They were two halves of a whole and i couldn't get enough of them. This book... is not to be missed!!!!

I'm so glad I started reading Edith Layton's novels! This is the first longer one I've read, and I enjoyed it so much. I'm really looking forward to the rest of this series!Bridget is the archtypal 'poor relation', passed around from family to family among her many relations. At present she is acting as companion to her beautiful cousin Cecily; she was considered suitable, her aunt tells her, because of the contrast between her and her cousin. Because Bridget, though beautiful in profile, has a very visible flaw once she turns to look at someone properly: she has a deep, jagged two-inch scar on her face, just beside her mouth. She's very conscious of the scar, and is deliberately self-effecing as a result, hating to be stared at.But one evening, at a ball, someone does stare at her, and she makes the mistake of staring back. He is Ewen, Viscount Sinclair, a known rake. And, living up to his reputation, he follows her, gets her alone and offers her carte blanche. She refuses, but he engineers another time alone with her and offers again. When she refuses this time, he offers marriage.Her relatives assure her that he couldn't possibly have meant it, that he might pretend to want to marry her but will simply seduce her instead. And since she refuses to believe them, they throw her out. With nowhere to go, she flees to Ewen, putting her trust in him.We're told bits and pieces about Ewen along the way: that he has been married before but hates to talk about it, that he spent many years spying for the British government on the Continent, and that he used the cover of rakish activities in order to fulfill his missions. And he certainly has been a rake; the expectation of his friends on meeting Bridget is that she is his latest mistress. But he marries her.Then, not long after the wedding, he abandons her in the country house he'd taken her to - and where he also used to take his mistresses - and goes back to London. It is at this point that the question of whether he is a cad or not comes about. Has he, as Bridget wants to believe, been honest with her about everything - including the fact of their marriage? Or has he been playing a game with her and has now abandoned her, as the servants, Ewan's cousin Drummond and the knowing street-urchin Gilly would have her believe?Find out for yourself in this very touching, poignant love story!

I just fell in love with this book after reading this. Wonderfully written with unforgettable characters. This is the type of romantic story that will enjoy by everyone.

I fell in love with Edith Layton's books when I read "The Duke's Wager." I'm still in love. It's good to see some things stay constant in this changing world. Bridget has a defect -- a scar, an insurmountable handicap in many people's Regency Whirl. But Edith knows that what people often most love about us are our very faults and she reminds us of this. Her characters jump off the page and into our room. They're right there, behind us, just over our shoulder, if we could ever take our eyes off our book long enough to look. "I have a confession," he said. "Sometimes I yearn to kiss that scar, did you know that? Yes, look shocked. I've wanted to put my lips on it -- trace it with my tongue, even -- to acknowledge it for you and for me. I've been tempted to do that so many times but was afraid of what you'd think. It's not because I'm perverse -- or that perverse." He grinned. "Or because I feel sorry for you, or because I'm trying to heal the hurt, or any of that muck. But because if it weren't for that scar, we'd never have met. Have you ever thought of that?""No!" she said, tilting her head to the side as she considered it. "That's the nicest compliment you've ever paid me, I think.""Then I'll have to do better in the future," he said, and went back to his beef."Thank you, Edith, for giving just the nicest flavor to my daily beef, too. You not only entertain, you make me think. What a gift!Paula Kosinski

I recently read THE CAD by Edith Layton and fell head over heels in love with both the hero and the book. Being a Layton fan, I am always in awe of the way she crafts language and her keen use of humor, but in addition, THE CAD has completely original, fascinating, and three dimensional characters drawn so vividly that they spring to life after a few lines of reading. THE CAD is chock full of unexpected plot thrills and chills that had me in a constant state of surprise and delight. I am a Layton fan, but I'd have to say that this is definitely one of my favorites!