One Night of Scandal (Farleigh Sisters, Book Two): Teresa Medeiros UPDATED

 "Proper decorum has never come easy for Carlotta Anne Farleigh -- not even on the night of her debut.  As she waits to make her entrance, she's drawn to the darkened house next door, the supposedly abandoned home of Hayden St. Clair, the man society has dubbed the 'Murderous Marquess.'  This latest adventure thoroughly compromises Carlotta's reputation, leaving her betrothed to the handsome, mysterious marquess and on her way to the wilds of Cornwall to be married.






"Despite the circumstances of her betrothal, Lottie sees something thrilling and surprisingly tender about her dark, unreachable groom.  But before she'll surrender to the yearnings in her heart, she must unlock the secrets of Hayden's past, no matter how scandalous -- or perilous -- they might be."

My (very old) original review for this book can be found HERE.  I read it a decade ago, almost to the month, which is pretty neat.  I'm quite enjoying seeing how my tastes have changed over the years, as well as my reviewing style.  Clearly, I've become a more developed, advanced writer and a more analytical reader.  I suppose this makes me a convert to re-reading books, whereas before I was staunchly opposed to reading any book -- no matter the material -- more than once.

I'm nearly halfway through this book and, having recently read A Kiss to Remember, it's nice that the characters are still so fresh in my mind's eye.  For a character so young, Lottie made a rather large impact (pun only partially intended) in the first book.  Knowing this book took place about a decade later and that Lottie would be its female lead, I was looking forward to really seeing her character develop.  She hasn't lost her wit, cunning, nor her attitude -- despite what I suspect to be Sterling's best attempts at gently shaping her to society's dictates without breaking her spirit.  Indeed, she's still extremely high-spirited and, were she not, I don't think she'd be enough of a challenge for Hayden to take an interest.  I appreciate that what finally made him agree to wed her were not the usual attributes held by a lady of the gentry, but her mind and the learning most women did not usually possess.

Hayden is a very mysterious character.  We see a good deal from his point of view in the very beginning of the story (when Lottie has her little adventure and winds up mucking up all of her family's grand plans for her), but less as the chapters go on and they near his imposing estate in Cornwall.  Normally, I might complain that I don't feel as connected to the male lead because of this; however, in Hayden's case, I appreciate the way in which the situations are written because it maintains his mysterious nature and his very troubled, tortured, lonely past.  We still get important glimpses into his mind and point of view; therefore, he remains a prominent character rather than being overshadowed by Lottie's rather formidable presence and perspective.




It's a pleasure to see how all of the characters have aged and changed over the decade between this book and A Kiss to Remember.  George is all grown up.  Sterling and Laura are still happily married and now have children of their own; they're still very much over-the-moon in love.  Sterling hasn't lost any of his quick temper, nor has Laura lost any of her motherly kindness and inclinations toward her siblings.  Even Cookie makes appearances, though I've only read mentions of Dower thus far.


Because it has been so long since I originally read this book, I am looking forward to seeing the twists and turns that come.  I love re-exploring the mysteries and surprises Medeiros has in store, as well as seeing the tension between Lottie and her new husband really come to a head.




***


Well I finished off this book fairly quickly.  Medeiros is always a fun, entertaining read; this book was no different.  Her characters are always extremely lively -- especially her more entertaining female leads.

Lottie fits rather nicely into that category.  I think her character stayed very true to the little hellion we’re introduced to in A Kiss to Remember.  She’s very unconventional, but this turns out to be exactly what she needs in order to win over her new husband and find her place in his secluded life/world.  Her passion for writing is extremely relatable to those of us who have writing in our veins.  I particularly liked how she applied her talents to her life as Hayden’s wife.

I know I mentioned earlier how the sparseness of Hayden’s perspective maintained the mysteriousness of his character.  While this remained true throughout the rest of the book (though we did get more glimpses once we were privy to some of the secrets he’d been keeping), I did wind up wanting a tad bit more from him.  He was tortured and complex; there is no denying that he suffered a great deal in his life (and was pretty much the quintessential Gothic male lead -- at least, in appearance) and all of this served to create a well-rounded male lead, but I wanted to experience him falling in love with Lottie just a little bit more (this isn’t really a spoiler…it IS a romance novel, after all).  This didn’t reach the point of detracting from the story; it’s just a personal opinion.

Medeiros went to great lengths to set up the perfect setting and scenes for Lottie’s new life and adventure in Cornwall.  As usual, her descriptions are vivid and you feel as if you’re watching a film or even there beside the characters.  Her writing has a way of enveloping you in the drama and beauty of the world in which her characters live.  Her books truly are an escape.

All this being said, I think Medeiros managed to touch on some very powerful themes and messages in this book.  It was rather darker than others I’ve read by her, but don’t let this deter you.  It retains its sense of lightheartedness (thank you Lottie) which gives it its characteristic Medeiros charm.  There’s a touch of the supernatural, which really usually isn’t my cup of tea in a book such as this (I tend to like my supernatural in blatantly supernatural worlds and realms – like vampire novels or whole underworlds crafted by their authors).  I think it was handled well and remained subtle until the very last moment that it could not remain so any longer.  Overall, the characters were touching, the backstories were moving, and it’s always a pleasure to see recurring characters.  I reiterate that I’m discovering that I’m more of a fan of her more recent works than I am of her older ones, but Medeiros remains a powerful, talented voice in this genre.

While I really enjoyed this book the first time around, I think I appreciated the Gothic influences a great deal more this time.  If Gothic literature is your cup of tea, then you'll absolutely adore this book.  If not, then it's still a gem of a romance novel.

A Kiss to Remember (Farleigh Sisters, Book One): Teresa Medeiros

"Laura Farleigh is playing with fire.  With only three weeks in which to marry in order to gain the title to Arden Manor, the house she and her younger siblings are living in, the penniless beauty has no time for romantic dreams.  She must seize any opportunity for matrimony -- before she loses her chance to keep her benefactor's prodigal son, the notorious Duke of Devonbrooke, from taking possession of her home.  When fate presents her with an amnesic Adonis in the woods nearby, Laura is determined to convince the injured stranger that he is, in fact, her loving fiancé and hurry him to the altar.  She's chilled to discover that the nameless man is in fact the dreaded duke, who will not be pleased to learn that he's been played for a fool -- even by a beautiful captor who has fallen in love with him in the process.  Laura has only one chance to secure her future happiness.  Somehow, before their rapidly approaching wedding night, she must with the heart of this rake who has a reputation to rival the Devil himself.  Teresa Medeiros, whose love stories so often have more than a touch of magic about them, has created a delightfully original version of the classic romantic tale of Sleeping Beauty in A Kiss to Remember." *Taken from FantasticFiction.com

"At the tender age of seven, Sterling Harlow, the seventh duke of Devonbrooke, was virtually sold to his coldhearted uncle to pay off his own father's gambling debts.  Sterling won his uncle's title in the bargain--but lost the playful spirit of his youth.  Dubbed 'the Devil of Devonbrooke,' Sterling's exploits have earned him a reputation as a notorious rake.  And when his mother dies, he is determined to take possession of her home--even if he must remove his mother's ward, Laura Farleigh, to do it.  But while he is returning to Arden Manor, a riding accident knocks Sterling unconscious--and when he awakens, his memory is gone.

"Laura Farleigh has turned down more marriage proposals than she can count--for no man can compare to the noble and handsome man of her dreams.  But when her benefactor dies, Laura learns that the woman's prodigal son, the infamous due of Devonbrooke, plans to return to Arden Manor.  Laura has never laid eyes on the duke, but his reputation precedes him--and Laura is determined to keep him from casting her and her young siblings into the streets.  Her only hope is a stipulation in the will that says if Laura marries by her twenty-first birthday--a mere three weeks away--the house will be hers.






"Laura prays for a miracle--prayers that seem answered when a morning walk yields a remarkable discovery:  a mystery man with the face of an angel and the body of Adam.  Best of all, he seems to have no memory of who he is--or more important, who he's not!  Desperate, Laura does the unthinkable.  She lies.  Not only does she tell the mystery man that he's her fiancé; she convinces him that he possesses all of the qualities of the man of her dreams!  As she nurses her 'betrothed' back to health, Laura thinks her problems are solved.  That is, until she realizes that her handsome stranger and the duke of Devonbrooke are one and the same--and that the man she has convinced to act like a pussycat is really a dangerous panther.






"As the wedding night approaches, there's only one way for Laura to atone for her deception--she must with the heart of the Devil himself to save both their souls...."




This is another re-read of a book I read quite some time ago; the very short original review can be found HERE.  On that review, this is listed as Book Three in the Fairy Tale Series, but FantasticFiction.com lists it as Book One of the Farleigh Sisters series.  I may research the proper reading order because this annoys me...




I seemed to really like this book the first time around and I enjoyed it this time as well.  I didn't love it, though.  It simply was not my favorite book by Teresa Medeiros.  If I am entirely honest, I think it's because Laura was simply SO pious and, yet, her selfishness in believing the handsome, unconscious stranger was sent just for her irked me.  I know Medeiros is religious, herself, so I can understand the tones in this book and can respect them for what they are, but I found Laura to be pretty hypocritical.  I can't tell if this was intentional or unintentional.  I've just never found a (steamy) romance novel where piety and religiousness really suit the characters well.  There's just something about the belief system that doesn't quite go.  This is, of course, just my personal opinion.  I'm sure some out there won't mind it as much as I did.  That being said, I still liked the book.  The characters were vivid and lively, especially Laura's siblings, George and Lottie.  Diana, Sterling's cousin, and Thane, Sterling's best friend and Diana's ex-betrothed, had a particularly amusing dynamic.  This time around, I've quickly realized that one of this author's trademarks is creating stories within her main story; accomplishing this with well-rounded secondary characters.  Medeiros doesn't seem content with creating one love story, but she usually seems to create undertones for another -- either writing one directly into the book (like this one), or creating the foundations for another in a sequel story.  It takes a lot of craftsmanship to write this way and not lose any of the magic from the true main characters.


As a male lead, Sterling had a complicated backstory.  While so many characters believed the world to be very cut and dry, he is evidence that this is not necessarily the case.  His past and the events that made him into the man who would be the Duke of Devonbrooke.  The explanations of how any why he became so cold and removed were believable and poignant.  I will say, however, that I liked him a great deal more when he was Nicholas, Laura's imaginary fiancé.  His personality was rich and multifaceted; we get a glimmer of the man he probably would have become had he not been sold off to his uncle.  This, I thought, was probably my favorite part of his character.


Laura was a decent female lead.  I've already voiced my opinions on the contrariness of her character and her religion, so I won't go over this again.  I loved what a romantic she was at heart.  This lent her character an air of believability and realism without which she would have fallen rather flat.  It made the fact that she turned down so many proposals more realistic than snobbish.  I liked her interactions with her siblings quite a bit.  They're such close-knit family that it made it easy to believe how and why she was willing to stay with the Devil of Devonbrooke, even after she finally realized his true identity.


The tension between Sterling and his mother was a poignant undercurrent.  Though his mother wasn't physically present for a vast majority of the story, she felt very alive and real.  I thought the excerpts from her letters at the start of each of the chapters was a very nice touch.  When Sterling is finally forced to face his feelings about his mother and his sense of abandonment...boy did I get choked up.  It was raw and painful and beautiful all at the same time.


Arden Manor was a wonderful setting; so much so, in fact, that I actually enjoyed that bit of the book much more than when the setting shifted to London.  This was a great bit of writing by Medeiros because I, too, felt as if I'd left "home" when we abandoned Arden Manor for the cold London mansion.


As far as the "retelling of the Sleeping Beauty story" goes, I found this one quite successful.  Having the maiden wake the prince made for a nice twist; Sterling's amnesia was well-written, and the story (as usual) had a touch of magic.  It's a fun variation that I can appreciate, especially because it's far from blatant.


I do recommend this book even though it was not one of my favorites by Medeiros.  I still enjoyed the lively characters and the fun, unique plot.  There were aspects that I didn't love, but that didn't prevent me from liking the overall story.