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Book Review-The Elusive Lord Everhart by Vivienne Lorett

by | Apr 6, 2015 | Book Reviews | 1 comment

Book Review-The Elusive Lord Everhart by Vivienne LorettThe Elusive Lord Everhart by Vivienne Lorret
Series: The Rakes of Fallow Hall, #1
Published by Avon Impulse on March 24th 2015
Genres: Historical Romance, Regency Era
Pages: 336
Format: eBook
Source: Self Purchased
Goodreads
four-stars

Vivienne Lorret, the USA Today bestselling author of Winning Miss Wakefield, returns with a new series featuring the three roguish bachelors of Fallow Hall.
Gabriel Ludlow, Viscount Everhart, will never marry, and thus is sure to win the bachelors' wager amongst his friends. Assuming, of course, that his deepest secret—a certain letter containing a marriage proposal made in a moment of passion—doesn't surface. After all, without Calliope Croft to tempt him, there's no danger of losing. Or of falling in love.
Calliope wants revenge. Five years ago, an anonymous love letter stole her heart and ultimately broke it. Now Casanova has struck again, and Calliope vows to unmask the scoundrel, stopping him from breaking any more hearts. Yet, time and again, Gabriel distracts her from her task, until she can no longer deny that something about him calls to her…
Gabriel was a fool to ignore the depth of his feelings for Calliope, but the threat that kept him from her five years ago remains. Now he must choose between two paths: break her heart all over again or finally succumb to loving her… at the risk of losing everything.

Summary 

Calliope, received a letter that made her fall in love with the man who wrote it, but when she learns that he wrote six other letters, to six different women, she decided that she would find his true identity and reveal him, and ruin him just as he has ruined her. Gabriel Ludlow, knows that there is one woman he is drawn to more than any other, a woman he can never have. He made a foolish mistake, a mistake so that she could find some happiness in her life and move on from him, but to this day he still hasn’t forgotten her. While residing at a country house, with a group of his buddies, they make a wager, a wager to see who can stay unmarried the longest, and those that do marry must forfeit a large sum of money. Gabriel never imagined that his friends, would see how much he cares for Calliiope and try to play “matchmakers” at every golden opportunity. Calliope is confused, because Gabriel is a man who could make her fall in love again, he stirs a passion in her she never imagined, so will her plan for revenge win out or will her love for Gabriel overcome any obstacle facing them?

The Hero 

Gabriel Ludlow, is the Viscount of Everhart. But has shirked his responsibilities, due to his mother’s death, seeing how her death practically destroyed his father, Gabriel refuses to risk opening his heart to someone, only to lose her and become a shell-like his father has been. Gabriel has a bit of wander lust, loves traveling, but his love of travel has given him purpose, until he meets Calliope. Gabriel is a hero that is torn between what his brain tells him and what his heart is urging him to do. Gabriel at first is afraid to trust in love, or the woman who has always held his heart. but then he sees that she needs him just as much as he needs her. Gabriel is a hero to sigh over. He is outrageous at times, stubborn to the point of extreme, but what a sexy man he is..he is deliciously wicked.

The Heroine 

Calliope, is a woman scorned and refuses to back down. She has had her heart tied to a man she has never met, but feels like she has known forever. But then she ends up in the same household as Gabriel, and sparks fly. She can’t resist the desire she feels or what his kisses do to her, but she also wants more than just a few kisses and touches. She wants the whole package. But she is also on a mission, a mission she refuses to give up on. Calliope I had mixed feelings about. She is tenacious and passionate, too stubborn for her own good, but she tended to not have the type of backbone I would have liked in a heroine in this situation, at first I didn’t know what to think of her, I thought her “mission” a bit too drastic at times, but it is what made the story a bit more interesting. I started to really like her, she is opinionated, and stands on her own two feet, and I loved how she interacted with Gabriel.

Plot and Story Line 

The Elusive Lord Everhart is a wonderful story, and this is my first of this author, so I found it to be very enjoyable and had that feeling to it that makes you feel captured by the story. I loved the set up of the story, it seemed to be very flirty and engaging, and the characters were quite endearing to this reader. I think what I adored most about this story, was the wager, and see Gabriel and Calliiope muddle through a few conflicts before they even got close to their HEA. It’s not a insta love story right away, you see how it goes much deeper than that. I loved the way the this story unraveled in ways you didn’t expect. The side characters were a hoot, boy do I love his friends, they are so silly at times, and a bit outrageous in certain scenes, but that is what made the story have a bit of flair to it. We also see the bit of mystery on finding out the real author of the letter (which we suspect from the beginning) but I definitely was on edge a bit, wondering when our heroine would figure it out and how that would come about. I loved the intimate scenes between Gabriel and Calliiope, they were sensual and warm and got my attention, but not to hot that I felt uncomfortable. It seemed that the author stroke a balance between the physical and the emotional side of the relationship. We see the way that these two slowly fall in love, that it begins as an unsteady friendship and then turns into something deeper. I didn’t care for the cousin of Calliope, at all, she tended to be spoiled and a brat, but I adored Gabriel’s grandmother..she was utterly delightful. This is a story that any romance lover will enjoy.

The Cover 

Now I will say this might be one of my favorite historical romance covers this author. I love the whole reclining on the bed or sofa pose, I love her spilling on the side, and those muscles….where can I find him??? I want to keep him. LOL

Overall View 

The Elusive Lord Everhart is a splendid romance that blends together a delicious love story, a wager between buddies, some misunderstandings, a feisty grandmother, and a tale of broken hearts and passionate love.

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1 Comment

  1. Michele H

    I’m newish to Vivienne Lorett as well (I’ve read two books so far) but I really do find her stories charming, with well-developed characters. If for nothing else I would check this book out for the ‘old school’ type cover. Look at that! *swoon* LOL

    Reply

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