A scarred lord. A beautiful lady Will they ever find peace or will fear drive them apart?Kimberley Clemens wrote a letter to her aunt. It was slightly bawdy and very bold.But she didn’t care. It wasn’t as though her aunt read her letters anyway.Yet someone read it.James Hayden IV, the Marquess of Denhallow has never read anyone else’s mail, but life in exile has made him desperate for company. … exile has made him desperate for company.
His face had been horribly disfigured.
And… thus he locked himself away from the world.
Needing a connection, he reads Kim’s letter… and dares to respond.
One letter after another changes their lives forever.
Friendship turns into a marriage of convenience.
And forces James from exile and back into the eyes of Society.
But danger not only lurks in the ballrooms of the Ton, but on the streets of London.
Can James and Kim’s fragile marriage survive the opinions of Society?
Or will James’ scars make him run, not only from the world, but from the woman who holds his heart?
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Lord Denhallow was shallow and selfish until a tragic event left him brutally scarred. This has caused him to withdraw from society. He befriends a young woman through a letter he stole from her aunt and ends up marrying her to save her from a loveless marriage. Then the Curbains find out what he has done and he discovers that he has a family who loves and adores him and his new wife.
The Valiant love series is a wonderful read. Every book is a mystery to open and explore and has a fresh story to offer. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a good clean book with passion and a look into the vulnerability of the character
What a great, humorous, heart-warming book and the characters are ones you will fall in love with instantly! There are some editing issues that hopefully, will be fixed but I didn’t let it get in the way of this romantic tale.
Kimberly Clemens has been writing her Aunt, who paid for her education, bawdy and bold letters but she knows it doesn’t matter because her Aunt will not read them anyway. However; someone has found and read the letter.
Her Aunt’s neighbor and friend, James Hayden IV, the Marquess of Denhallow’s face has been horribly disfigured by a knife and he has been staying at his house in the country with no contact of friends or society. The only person he now calls his friend is his neighbor, Kim’s aunt.
Denhallow knows his friend is not reading her niece’s letter and he has never read mail not addressed to him but he is so desperate for company that he reads Kim’s letter. Her letter and it’s bawdy, suggestive remarks has him first smiling and then laughing out loud! James needs this humor and decides to answer the letter. – little does he know this will change his and Kim’s lives forever.
The letters go back and forth and their friendship ends in a marriage of convenience and forces James back into society’s grasp. If the scrutiny of the Ton wasn’t enough, Kim & James are threatened from the streets of London. Can they survive the threats around them, will James win over the Ton or will he run from society and the woman who has captured his heart?
I highly recommend this book and the series – they can be read as stand alone but it is nice to revisit some of the characters from previous books and know the background of their story! You will love James and Kim and will “sigh” with the romance and especially “the letters”!
Kimberly Clemens is a 25 year old lady in danger of being married off by her brother and mother to a man she can’t stand. James Hayden IV, the Marquess of Denhallow, scarred from an episodes of captivity and torture, has receded from society, only venturing friendship with an elderly neighbor. How can these 2 lonely people be brought together and given a chance at happiness? That is the problem faced by Kimberley’s Aunt Macy, who happens to be Jame’s only social connection. Her unique scheme works, and off we go on a wild adventure, watching as 2 scarred people heal by falling in love with each other.
This story builds on a character we met in a prior novel, one of the “Lost Gentlemen”, whose face suffered destruction at the hands of his captor. We also see the consequences of the captivity on the other 4 men, all of whom suffer in various ways. While this is going on, the tenuous romance between James and Kimberley tries to grow, but is stopped at every turn by Jame’s fear of rejection due to his extensive scarring. Before he can allow Kimberly into his heart, he must first learn to accept himself.
This is a good story, although a bit melodramatic at times. Marital relations are referred to, but not exposed. A criminal is found, and a HEA ending is obtained for our H & h.
Part of The Valiant Love Regency Romance series a well written story that just goes to prove looks are not everything and the heart will find a way to love. A beautiful story that once I started reading I was not putting down. I want to read more in this series.
Out of a horrific incident, one that left James, the Marquess of Denhallow, irreparably disfigured, came a friendship that started the healing of his wounded soul and battered ego. Miss Kimberley Clemens’ irreverent letters to her great aunt are rescued from the trash by James, who finds in them a delightful humour and intriguing mind. Through his correspondence with her, James begins to look beyond the borders of his property, even if it is only through his correspondence with Kim. When Kim finds herself in a desperate situation, there is only one person she can reach out to and James discovers that he cannot ignore her plea, forcing him out of his reclusive state to race to her side. A marriage of convenience ensues, one with regulations for everything, but with it comes a deepening of the friendship that had already started through their letter writing. This warm-hearted Beauty and the Beast type romance not only touches the heart but is well written and has so much humour that the reader is entertained throughout the book. I loved the main characters in this story and their interaction. The secondary family members reflect the mores of the time, one where nothing less than perfection was acceptable, regardless of the people they wounded in the process. Although this novel is part of a series and characters from previous books appear in this one too, it is nevertheless a standalone and I was delighted that both James and Kim found their special place in each other’s lives.
So I got this last night and started reading before bed. Something light and sweet before going to sleep. When I looked up from the page it was 2:30am and I was done the book. It was that good. It has a wonderful, and realistic, beauty and the beast feel. A man who when beautiful was hideous on the inside and once scarred he learned and grew as a person.
I loved James. He was broken and alone, scared of himself even more than others feared his scars but Kim smoothed his rough edges. She sees deep inside past the scars, past the man he used to be, and makes him realize how many people in this world care for him.
Kim was my hero. She was kind, and she was honest. Which is ironic because she thinks often how much she has lied to her family. But she is honest inside. She gives James a part of herself no one has ever seen, the reality of who she is.
Their meeting was far more amusing than any other historical romance meet cute. A bawdy (and stolen) letter and a bored and lonely Marquess begins the journey to true love. Before even knowing how the other looks both start to fall in love. The honesty of their letters is a powerful thing.
I also enjoyed the subplot of the lost lords and I hope we get books on each of them. As much as I loved Jame’s friends from before his attack and would like to hear their stories I so very much wish to learn more of the lost lords. I think their stories would be far more interesting.
As a closing argument to read this book, if this has not persuaded you, is this one sentence. Well played aunt May, well played.
I have grown to love all of her books and read them as soon as they become available. The characters and story were wonderful. What starts out as answering a letter he shouldn’t have read, turns into a pen pal relationship that then becomes everything it should – with twist and turns of course/
Eyes of the Beholder
Having started my reading life with regency books I still enjoy them today. This book is no exception. So glad the author decided to write about one of the “Lost Lord’s”.
Kimberly is a lady with a secret so she does not mingle with society but her family believes that she just prefers country living and the local society.
James is back home a changed man after being kidnapped over five years ago and has become a recluse not wanting his old friends to visit.
This story had some light moments along with a few dark ones which kept this story interesting till the end.
When I first met Denhallow earlier in this series, I really didn’t care for him. Then he grew on me as the series continued. By the end of book 4, I was so sad all the Curbain siblings had found their HEAs, and the series would end, but I felt so bad for James that I hoped he would get his own. When I heard there was a book 5, I was thrilled, and hoped it was his! And I was not let down at all!!!
I truly hope that there are several more books now in this series, as there are more friends in need of an HEA now!