The Viscount's Kissby Margaret Moorereviewed by Cheryl SneedAugust 2009, 288 pages, Publisher: Harlequin, ISBN: 037329557X Back Cover Blurb: Lord Bromwell is used to breaking the Ton's rules but even he is shocked when he meets the beautiful but guarded "Lady Eleanor Springford" and they share a soul-searing kiss! Bromwell has a strong sense of duty and when he realizes she's fleeing a desperate situation, the only honorable thing he can do is offer her refuge at his country estate. Except he has no idea Eleanor is really plain Nell Springley, an impoverished lady's companion on the run, and their fledgling relationship is a scandal-in-the-making….
Lord Bromwell is a naturalist, just returned from a perilous South Seas trip. He has written a book about his experiences, The Spider's Web, and finds himself reluctantly more famous for having survived shipwreck and cannibals than for his treatises on exotic flora and fauna - especially his pet interest, spiders, which has earned him the nickname "Buggy" from his friends. He is returning home to visit his parents when the mail coach he is in has an accident, leaving him and the other occupant in a bind.
The other passenger is Nell Springley, fleeing her position as a companion after being attacked by her employer's husband who, she fears, has sent the bailiffs after her for thievery. Luckily, they are close to Bromwell's home and Nell passes herself off as "Lady Eleanor Springford," with whom Nell went to school and who is conveniently out of the country. She spins a tale about running away from a coerced betrothal, and it is unfortunate that Bromwell's family know of the Springfords and insist upon her remaining with them until the matter is cleared up.
Bromwell's studies are disparaged by his father who wishes him to remain at home and marry rather than hare off on another expedition. He finds a sympathetic spirit in Nell and the two quickly fall in love. Bromwell's father, the earl, would be happy for him to marry "Lady Eleanor" and Bromwell himself is warming up to the idea, but he refuses to marry anyone whom he would then have to leave, for of course, his expeditions are too dangerous for a wife. And then there's the matter that Nell is not who she says she is though, to her credit, she doesn't let too much time pass before telling Bromwell the truth. But that still leaves her the daughter of nobody special and on the run from her employer and the law. Not a fit bride for a viscount.
The word that best sums up my opinion about The Viscount's Kiss is "eh." The writing is fine, though not very compelling, and the same could be said of the characters and the conflict. It was all so run-of-the-mill. No real highs, no real lows, just your basic romance which quickly made for dull reading. It's really too bad, for I love me a geeky hero, but The Viscount's Kiss just fell flat for me.
Reviewed by Cheryl Sneed, September 22, 2009
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