The Dishonourable Lord

The Dishonorable Lord was a fun, clean, easy read.
Charlotte Munroe, our heroine, is an attractive, clever, kind woman. However, she is somewhat eclipsed by her sister, at least to her family. She is the eldest but her more vibrant and devious sister has married first. Charlotte is in no hurry to marry as she wants to marry for love, not profit. Her mother though, is pushing Charlotte towards any and every marriageable man on the market. Her mother pushes her right into the path of Lord Bromwell. Bromwell has not a good reputation but Charlotte does not think he is all that bad. And, she enjoys his attentions. However…….things occur between them that makes Charlotte question his honor.
Captain Patrick Fitzroy is an old acquaintance of Charlotte and her family. They both found each other interesting and attractive at the time but nothing came of it as she was young and he went off to war. They had not seen each other in many years. Patrick was an officer on the Peninsula and is now home. The war left him with terrible nightmares and he is trying to find where he belongs.
All three people meet at a house party of a mutual friend. What will happen? Who is dishonorable? Will Charlotte find someone to marry? Will Patrick come to terms with the horrible events of the war? Will Lord Bromwell come up to scratch?

I enjoyed this story quite a bit. I liked how Charlotte was quiet but not browbeaten by her mother and family. I liked how even when she was unsure of herself, she kept to her moral code.
I also thought the author did a fantastic job with Patrick’s PTSD. She did not make him a pitiful character. Rather, she made him someone who was strong and open to finding a better way to handle his trauma and nightmares. I liked how she had another man who had gone through the war have the same issues so Patrick was able to commiserate and realize he was not alone. That was tactfully and deftly handled.

All in all, an intriguing and interesting book.

The Dishonorable Lord is a sweet, clean, Regency romance with a dash of intrigue. The characters are interesting and well developed. Charlotte’s mother is pushing her to choose a fiance before she is cast aside as an old maid. Charlotte thinks the rumors about Arthur Howe, Viscount of Bromwell, might well be exaggerated. She finds him agreeable – at first. Yet she is increasingly drawn to Patrick Fitzroy, a recently returned to England officer. I will not provide any spoilers but will just say that this is a well written story that lovers of Regency stories should enjoy.

A well-written clean classic Regency story that I enjoyed reading. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

With a quick glance around her bedroom, Lady Charlotte Munro rushed downstairs for the waiting carriage. Her mother reminded her that her sister, Dorothea, was happily married to an Earl. Of course, Charlotte knew the reason for that was that Dorothea had spread horrible gossip about her competition so that the young man’s mother would not accept any of the other ladies for her son, Percy Gillet, heir to the Earl of Wythorpe. But now, her mother reminded her that she should likewise find a husband early in the Season, especially since this was her Third Season and she was the eldest daughter of the Earl of Fallworth. When she suggested she might attract one of her sister’s cast-off’s from last Season, tears filled her eyes and she looked away.

Captain Patrick Fitzroy was out for his early morning ride when Joseph Wilmington caught up to him. Having recently returned from war, Patrick was grateful that he had been invited to stay at Reesford while he rested and adjusted. When he first got home, his father had taken him to White’s, the most exclusive gentlemen’s club in London. But everyone wanted to hear tales of the battles on the Peninsula, and he found that extremely uncomfortable. But he met Lieutenant Wilmington there, also recently returned, and invited him to Reesford to rest and get used to being home again. It had taken Wilmington two weeks before he stopped hearing cannon fire in his dreams, so he fully understood Patrick’s need.

Charlotte stepped out of the carriage at their destination and her cousin Honora raced out of Reesford’s front door calling her name. The two went for a walk in the garden and Charlotte repeated what her mother had said about her chances of finding a husband. Honora decided to help her find one. Patrick was also in the garden – Charlotte had not seen him for years but he came over when he saw them. He had known her when she was a young girl. Now she was a lovely woman. He had thought of avoiding the house party, but perhaps it might be much more enjoyable than he had first thought!

As excited as Charlotte first was, her mother ruined it by again lecturing her on finding a husband. She did not want to compete for Dorothea’s rejected suitors! When Nora suggested Patrick, she quickly said no because he would see her only as a young girl. They finally agreed that Arthur Howe, the Viscount of Bromwell might be a good choice since he had not participated in the last two Seasons. Patrick saw him dancing with Charlotte and went to the garden instead. When he walked back toward the house, he saw Charlotte in the doorway leading to the garden and they had a very pleasant chat. Then he went to meet Joseph in the Library for a drink.

Charlotte’s mother was delighted that Lord Bromwell was paying attention to Charlotte and had sat next to her at dinner. No one knew of Lord Bromwell’s arrogant attitude toward others he thought were of a lower class. Even his father was getting irritated with his attitude and threatened to reduce his finances substantially. Unfortunately, Patrick was called to London to deal with an accident and would not be there to distract or protect Charlotte. Would Charlotte let her mother pressure her into seeing Lord Bromwell, not knowing his circumstances may change? Would Charlotte realize Lord Bromwell’s true nature, especially as he treated Lady Eleanor so brusquely – almost rudely — about needing to sit at another card table? And more importantly, would Charlotte realize that Patrick has taken a strong interest in her and that she has feelings for him as well, if she gives them a chance?

What makes this book so enjoyable to me is strong, compelling characters combined with the intriguing story line, comfortably paced for the reader. A slight feeling of tension appeared throughout the story and kept the reader deeply involved in the outcome. The character development allowed the main characters to clearly show the kind of people they are. Giving them challenges allowed their attributes to show forth, whether for good or bad! I truly enjoyed this book and definitely recommend it.