ARC Review: Nicholas by Grace Burrowes
Author: Grace Burrowes
Title: Nicholas
Release: May 7, 2013
Series: Lonely Lords #2
Reviewer: Mona Leigh
Source: Publisher/NetGalley
Purchase: | Book DepositoryNicholas Haddonfield has something to hide…
After a wild youth, Nicholas Haddonfield, Viscount Reston, has promised his ailing father he’ll finally take a bride, though doing so will force Nick to make impossible choices and face old, painful wounds.
Leah Lindsey is glad to find refuge from her own desperate situation in a marriage of convenience with the gallant viscount. But soon convenience is not enough, and Leah can’t understand why Nick remains so distant. What is he hiding, and will he never allow her into his heart?
An extraordinary and passionate tale of courage tested and fears overcome. Once you enter the lush Regency world of award-winning New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Grace Burrowes, you’ll never want to leave.
Wow. Just … wow. I read a lot of historical novels, but I have to say this one had more action, more subplots, and more emotion than many. From the very first page, Burrowes takes the reader on a fast-paced journey into the lives of Nicholas and Leah, and it only gets better with every chapter.
Because of some unfortunate misunderstandings, Nicholas conducts his life in a regimented manner, but it’s those same incidents that shape him into the kind, caring, gentle man he is. I’d love to tell you what they are, but they guide his entire story long before you’re aware of them, and revealing them would ruin the experience for you.
Leah’s life is as miserable as her father can make it, and that’s pretty bad. She, too, is operating under misinformation, but her father is the instigator of that action and maneuvers her life to suit his own financial needs. Nevertheless, she tolerates far more sadness, humiliation, and pain than any woman should have to endure.
By coincidence, Nicholas and Leah escape the festivities of a ball to hide in the same darkened room, and that’s where they first meet and commiserate – under cover of darkness. Later, Nick can’t get her out of his mind even though he never got to see her face. After a chance meeting brings them together, he makes it a point to help her evade her father’s strategies. As her father becomes more savage toward her, she finds herself drawn to Nick’s goodness and strength.
Both main characters endure trials and heartache at the hands of others that would warp even the heartiest soul. Somehow, despite a lifetime of heartache and misfortune, they’re drawn to the goodness they find in each other, and that forms the basis of a deeper, more profound relationship.
One thing that touched me about this story was the sense of outrage Leah felt at how women were treated. They were little more than chattel used to barter for position and wealth. Their opinions didn’t count, because no one valued them. It angered her, yet she knew there was nothing she could do to change things.
Honestly, Nicholas contains so many rich layers that it’s kind of like a sumptuous chocolate cake. The story is captivating and memorable because of them, and I found myself thinking of the characters long after I finished the book. Absolutely stunning period piece.
Mona Leigh
