The Truth about Lord Stonevilleby Sabrina Jeffriesreviewed by Cheryl SneedFebruary 2010, 416 pages, Publisher: Pocket, ISBN: 1439167516 Back Cover Blurb: In the two decades since a tragic "accident" took the lives of his parents, Oliver Sharpe, the Marquess of Stoneville, has survived the scandal surrounding that fateful night by living as an unrepentant rakehell. And with his grandmother vowing to disinherit him if he doesn't settle down and wed, he plans to fulfill the bargain in true Sharpe style -- by bringing home a fake fiancée from a brothel! But his scheme is derailed when he rescues an American beauty in a dire predicament instead. Maria Butterfield came to London to track down her groom-to-be, who's gone missing, but her engagement won't stop Oliver from getting what he wants: her, in his bed. His rebellious masquerade may call his grandmother's bluff, but it's soon made all too real -- by a love that tempts him to be a hellion no more.
With The Truth about Lord Stoneville, Sabrina Jeffries begins a new series about five siblings, dubbed “The Hellions of Halstead Hall” for their wild and unconventional ways. Their grandmother is tired of their wicked ways - the most wicked of which is, apparently, not giving her great-grandchildren - and threatens to cut them all off without a cent if they are not all married in one year's time. First up: Oliver Sharpe, the Marquess of Stoneville.
The Sharpes have become hellions in reaction to a family scandal - it is widely believed that their mother murdered their father and then killed herself. And that's the most generous explanation as to how the senior Sharpes came to be found dead in the estate's hunting lodge. The scandal was enormous and the children all grew up under its shadow and followed by whispers and rumors. As a result, they have learned to thumb their collective noses at society and gone their own ways.
Oliver, however, holds himself responsible for the deaths and has refused to marry all these years because he believes he doesn't deserve to be happy. And he's certainly not going to let his grandmother coerce everyone into unwanted marriages. He vows to find a bride so objectionable that his grandmother will be forced to drop her demands. Enter Maria Butterworth.
Maria is an American in England searching for her fiancé who came over on business and then disappeared. It is imperative that she find Nathan, for her father has died and nothing connected to the will or family shipping business can be settled without him. She traces him to a brothel where she causes a near-riot only to be saved from arrest by Oliver who offers her a deal: He will fix her little problem and help to locate Nathan in return for her agreeing to pose as his fiancée for a time. The bargain is struck and all repair to Halstead Hall.
Sabrina Jeffries is an accomplished writer and her prowess is evident in The Truth about Lord Stoneville. The action moves along at a brisk clip, there are some funny moments along with the emotional ones, but I never really felt engaged in the romance, which felt contrived and formulaic. I've read these characters and these love scenes before. In fact, this must be the third or fourth book by Jeffries where the hero and heroine are manually getting each other off within hours of meeting each other. Not as sexy as intended, for all I can think is, “Hold your horses there, buddy!” There's just such a been-there-done-that feel to the book. So, while the writing is smooth, I was not truly engaged.
Reviewed by Cheryl Sneed, March 8, 2010
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