Hero marries heroine who is treated like dirt by her family. A secret from his path shows while he is away and threatens their marriage (he has a reputation as a cad - who does she trust - the very present secret or her very absent husband?).

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I enjoyed this book so much that it sent me on a hunt to find the rest of the books in the series. The twist in the first marriage and it's repercussions was very intriguing. I have enjoyed almost all of the books that I have found so far. Ms. Layton's passing has left a void in the historical romance genre.

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Bridget Cooke is a pass-around relative that was a staple of early English families. Generally, the young woman was unmarried, without a male relative to care for her, without a dowery or other means of support. It was a demeaning position for the young woman involved because there was little Christian charity (the gentry saw it differently; they saw themselves keeping the relative out of the workhouse or worse).

Bridget has been taking care of members of the family for several years. This posting is better because she finally gets to see London and all its amusements. However, she must remain as a piece of the wallpaper, unnoticed and inconspicuous. However, Brigid is not inconspicuous because she has a 2-inch scar across her cheek. She catches the eye of Lord Ewan Sinclair.

And then the most unusual story begins. To be honest, I never knew where this story was headed; it wasn't meandering, it just didn't seem that I could figure out what was the goal. When it all fell into place, aah, Ewan Sinclair was a bit of a cad. This was definitely a unique story. Overall score = VG+.

Cad
** 1. The Cad (1998)
2. The Choice (1999)
3. The Challenge (2000)
4. The Chance (2000)
5. The Conquest (2001)
6. To Wed a Stranger (2003)
7. ToTempt a Bride (2003)

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