This is my first Isobel Carr book and I really liked it a lot better than I expected to. The whole premise of this league of second sons seemed silly, and I didn't like the opening chapter, where the hero made a bet about being able to bed the heroine.
Here are the ways it worked for me:
1)The Georgian era setting, different and original
2)Good historical details and atmosphere, the author did her research homework
3)The hot love scenes
4)The secondary love story with the heroine's father and the hero's older sister-could have been icky but it was actually great, I loved Margo and Lord Arlington and was happy to see them get their HEA
5)The lovely supportive relationships between the hero and his siblings(sister and older brother)
6)The male friendships among the League of Second Sons, and the subplot where they rescue the fiancee of another of the members.
What didn't make a whole lot of sense was the heroine's reason for forcing a fake betrothal-it's a corny plot device. But it did serve the purpose of giving the H&h a reason to spend a lot of time together, so I ignored the illogic.
Olivia was involved in a bigamous marriage due to no fault of her own. The husband is dead and her reputation in tatters. She rusticates in the country for a year until her father forces her to London for the season. Roland is a member of the League of Second Sons and in a drunken stupor bets his friends he can bed Olivia and sends her a letter basically asking her to go to bed with him. Olivia uses this letter to brilliantly blackmail Roland into posing as her fiancé for the season to head off inappropriate offers and when she cries off at the end the scandal will force her father to leave her in the country which is where she wants to be.
The premise pulled me in. I loved how Olivia blackmailed Roland and adored his embarrassment about the situation. This takes us through the first 20 pages or so. Then the book slides down the hill of idiocy and never turns back. First I had problems with the writing style. The book was very choppy, much of it seemed to be short scenes thrown together. Many a scene cuts off long before it should and does not flow into the next chapter.
Roland is a second son who doesnt do anything. He drinks heavily and gambles. Thats about it. This League of Second Sons is ridiculous. As far as I could see it has no organization and the members get together to drink and bet. There is a silly story about them saving an underage girl from being forced away from her beloved by her evil older brother but that was shallow and likely thrown in to try and give Roland some purpose or dignity. It doesnt.
After Roland is blackmailed, he realizes it is a great opportunity to get Olivia into bed and win his bet. Seriously. So a big chuck of the book is Roland trying to get Olivia into bed. The story doesnt even bother to stick with the reason Olivia wanted him to begin with. At the first party they attend, Roland is with her in the beginning then his sister pulls her away to clean her dress and he spends most of the rest of time in the card room. The rest of the time it doesnt come up.
It must have been clear Roland and Olivias story did not have enough to make a full story so we also have the story of Rolands sister Margo and her affair with Olivias dad. Not only was that uncomfortably weird, it took up a third if not more of the book.
Then there is Henry, Olivias cousin and her fathers heir. He has his sights set on Olivia. That situation is awkward and is there simply to force the BIG MISUNDERSTANDING at the end of the book. And this misunderstanding is stupid. A two minute discussion would have taken care of it, instead Olivia heads back to the country and Roland and Margo leave the country.
Pointless plot, forgettable characters. Not a series I will continue.
