The Charmer (Get Connected Romances)
by Madeline Hunter
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Book Summary Information
Author: Madeline HunterEdition: Mass Market Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2003-12-02
ISBN: 0553585916
Number of pages: 400
Publisher: Bantam
Product features:
- ISBN13: 9780553585919
- Condition: New
- Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!
Book Reviews of The Charmer (Get Connected Romances)
Book Review: Excellent, excellent book - some small reservations...
Summary: 4 Stars
In THE CHARMER, Madeline Hunter has honed her writing skills - I found this book to be exceptionally well written, the writing alone would be worth five stars, plus. But there were some aspects of this story that grated on me, which is why I bumped my rating down to four stars.
Sophia has run away to Paris to escape the ghosts of her past. She has created a life for herself there of sorts until her father died and she inherited the dukedom. She is compelled to return to England to accept the title of Duchess, and the duties that would be inherent in the title, as her father's sole remaining heir. Actually, Sophia does not feel at all compelled to return on her own, so that the Duke of Wellington sends his messenger - Adrian Burchard - to bring her back to England, and Mr. Burchard does it the old-fashioned way - by picking her up and carrying her there! Now Sophia can no longer run away and hide, she has to confront her ghosts, ghosts both from the past and ghosts that are very much there in the present, including her growing attraction to Adrian which opens a Pandora box of its own... and from which she tries to run away from as well.
This story is well done. The characters in this story are very real, the book is well-plotted, and Ms. Hunter has set this story in a time (1832) where the historical detail is very much a part of the plot of this story. It happens that I have read many books set between 1750-1850, and many books that feature dukes, and not once has it even been hinted that dukes have any kind of power, or votes, not one book that I have read had explored the House of Commons/House of Lord relationship, and how the nobility feature in the world of politics at all. (Truthfully, I still have a sketchy understanding of English politics, but this novel has piqued my interest enough that I will now do some research on this subject). Very, very well done, Ms. Hunter!
I also found that Adrian's parentage was very nicely done, and very well explored, in a realistic way. It IS discussed, and it is also one of the central plot themes, too. Also, it was realistic that one brother was kind to him and one brother wasn't - and the fact that Colin was decent about everything is not a question mark to me - they were at the very least half-brothers - they shared a mother after all, they should have had a strong kinship, they shared blood after all.
My favorite part of the book was when they are both exploring why their respective families - Sophia's and Adrian's - rejected them - and Adrian very calmly explains - I didn't mind it so much because I knew there was a reason behind their behavior - but it must have been much harder for you because they simply rejected you for no reason. Well done, Ms. Hunter!
There were some parts of the story that I really did not like, however. First: Much of the story centers on Sophia's emotional weaknesses, and Adrian's manipulation of her, and ultimately "fixing" her. Sophia comes across as a very needy, emotional woman, and Adrian comes across as the all-knowing, all-seeing savior - of the variety of "I always know what's best for you, even if you don't, and I will force you to do what's best for you". Some people may like that kind of a plot, but it's just not for me. More unsettling is the constant use of physical force - while the first time he picked her up - physically - and carried her where she had to go, it made sense, and flowed with the storyline, by the third (was there a fourth time?) I felt that it was just too, too much.
I was trying to think about what I didn't like this aspect of the story, and the word "emotionally controlling" came to mind. Adrian is constantly telling Sophia what to do, how to fix herself, etc. He may have been right, but even so, I feel it is simply too much for one human being to have so much power over another human being, to the extent that it happens in this story. Like I said, some people may go for this plot theme, I didn't. I like my heroines to "fix" themselves (okay, with a little help from the hero), but still, it would have been nice to see Sophia have done a *tiny drop* on her own. But, that's just MHO. For what it's worth.
Another thing that was unrealistic to me was the way they fell so deeply, so overwhelmingly in love so early in the story. Besides for the fact that I had no idea what Adrian saw in Sophia (pity?? Her title??), it was just too quick for them to have fallen so deeply in love - so quickly, and so completely, on such a deep, emotional level, it usually takes couples years to develop that kind of a connection. Unrealistic or not, it did make for some very emotionally satisfying reading, though.
I also could not understand what exactly kept these two apart for the entire book, and why it was assumed by both of them that they could not marry, and suddenly, the book is at the end, and we are told - of course it doesn't matter to Sophia about his past, or about the fact that polite society will ostracize them. If it doesn't matter at that point - then why couldn't it have not mattered a little earlier in the book? What was keeping them from getting married earlier?
Another thing - while the characters in this story were very real, and they both came very much alive to the reader (that part was well done), on the other hand I felt that they were forced into a mold to do and say things that their characters the way I perceived them to be would not have said and done. In other words, the characters were very well portrayed, and while sometimes they said and did things that were realistic (indeed, very realistic), at other times it felt forced and contrived. Such as when Adrian is talking to Sophia, helping her understand her past and her reaction to it - it felt more like a therapy session than a spontaneous conversation between lovers. Adrian is always very careful in how he says things - he always says the right thing, always does the right thing - it it possible? Perhaps it *is* possible, but not very probable, or realistic.
This book has a lot going for it - it is well written, well plotted, emotionally complex, with a lot of historical background and information. It also has strong characters, and a very interesting and varied plot-line, which is very well wrapped up by the end of the book.
This is only the second book that I have read by Madeline Hunter, but I do seem to sense a pattern here - extremely well-crafted and emotionally deep characters, along with a realistic sense of the time period. In this book, the writing was exceptional, as well.
You will probably enjoy this story more, though, if you are looking for a top-of-the-line plus very emotional and beautiful read and don't mind a weak heroine/strong hero combination - so while this was indeed a very, very good book, this was not a keeper for me.
Summary of The Charmer (Get Connected Romances)
Filled with suspense, seduction, mystery, and passionate love, the unforgettable romance novels of Madeline Hunter have earned critical accolades and captivated readers. Now, in The Charmer, the nationally bestselling author weaves a spellbinding tale of an exiled duchess, a charismatic aristocrat, and a once-in-a-lifetime seduction worth risking everything for...The Charmer
He?d found her in another man?s arms, the very picture of sophisticated debauchery. But Sophia Raughley knew very well that the truth was much different from appearances. What should she make, however, of this commandingly handsome man who?d burst into her Parisian salon demanding that she return with him to England by authority of the king himself? Adrian Burchard had no idea of the painful memories that had driven the beautiful duchess into a self-imposed exile across the sea, but he was clearly not going to take no for an answer. Yet this devastatingly seductive man had a tormenting secret past of his own?and powerful enemies in England that they both shared. As Sophia falls under the spell of his erotic charms, and Adrian finds himself unable to resist her passionate response, they embark together on an irresistibly dangerous affair that will either destroy them both?or prove the one thing that can save them.
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