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Diane Gaston’s latest work turns the Beauty and the Beast trope on its head. In A Marriage of Notoriety, the hero is the beauty and the heroine is the beast. It is a decent read by one of my go-to authors, and I am glad I read it, but it nonetheless fell just a little flat in the relationship department and the storyline.
Phillipa Westleigh is the bane of her mother’s existence. Because of a childhood accident, Phillipa has a very noticeable and ugly scar on her face and how will she EVER get married if she refuses to leave the house? The taunts and whispers Phillipa has been subjected to has made her very unwilling to go out into society. Then her mother throws a ball that requires her participation and who should show up but “the Adonis,” a man who is so handsome ladies swoon at his feet. Xavier Campion is the Adonis and is also Phillipa’s childhood friend. They have not seen each other for years, but each has fond memories of their childhood summers spent in Brighton. Phillipa is ecstatic when Xavier asks her to dance and for once she has a good time at a ball. Then she overhears a “friend” stating that the only reason Xavier asked Phillipa to dance was that her mother made him ask.
Phillipa’s one shining moment at a society gathering is ruined. From that point on, she retreats entirely into her music and abandons society entirely. It is only when her father and two brothers disappear that Phillipa comes out of her self-imposed fog to find out what is happening with her family. Her mother refuses to tell her, so she seeks out her illegitimate half-brother Rhys to find out what is going on. When she knocks on Rhys’ door, first she is shocked to see Xavier Campion answer and then even more shocked to find out her brother runs a gaming club.
Xavier Campion is the fourth son of an earl with devastatingly good looks. Throughout his life, he has constantly been told that due to his birth and looks, he will never have to stir himself to accomplish anything. It will just be handed to him on a silver platter. Xavier has always been very irritated that no one can see beyond his looks to the man within: A man of courage, honor and ambition. There was one woman in his life that liked him for himself and that was Phillipa Westleigh. After dancing with her at her mother’s ball several years prior, Xavier has not seen or heard about Phillipa. So he is shocked when she shows up at the Masquerade Club demanding to see Rhys. John “Rhys” Rhysdale is not in the city, so Xavier takes it upon himself to fill Phillipa in on where her father and brothers have disappeared to and why (this action took place in this first book in this series, A Reputation for Notoriety).
In the midst of this discussion, Phillipa discovers that Rhys’ residence is a gambling hall where ladies can gamble if wearing a mask. This intrigues the housebound Phillipa and she decides to sneak into the gaming hall in disguise. Xavier recognizes her at once and allows her to stay as long as he can keep an eye on her. When Phillipa discovers the unused pianoforte in the establishment, she cannot keep herself from playing. So for the next several weeks, Phillipa becomes the musical entertainment for her half-brother’s gambling hall. As Phillipa begins to fall for Xavier, she has competition in a devastatingly beautiful widow who is determined to bring Xavier to heel.
I liked that Diane Gaston turned the tables on the Beauty and the Beast story, and I really liked Xavier. I just did not really believe in him. He was TOO perfect, so perfect that sainthood was definitely an option. He was a war hero, a successful entrepreneur, the salvation for soldiers starving on the streets and never once had superficial beauty turn his head. He was patient, chose the perfect gifts and always had Phillipa’s best interests at heart. That man does not exist in any world. He fell in love with Phillipa and I had a hard time understanding why. She was caustic at times and insecure. That a childhood friendship could lead to mature love is definitely believable, but Gaston provided no bridge between that long ago time and the two adults that time and circumstances had changed. Phillipa’s relationship with her mother was complex, but again the resolution to their problems just did not pass the smell test.
While Diane Gaston will remain one of my auto-buy authors, this book will not make my keeper shelf. However, she writes well enough though that even with a flawed story and unbelievable characters, she still gets an above average grade from me.
Grade: C+
Book Type: European Historical Romance
Sensuality: Warm
Review Date: 04/04/14
Publication Date: 2013/12
I am from Alabama where I live with my husband of over 30 years in our now empty nest. Our three adult children have flown the coop and my husband and I are getting ready to build that retirement house in the next few years when I hope to have even more time for reading. I am a lifelong reader and while I read primarily romance, I enjoy most genres. If an author can tell a good story, I will read it.
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Recent Comments …
Yep
This sounds delightful! I’m grabbing it, thanks
excellent book: interesting, funny dialogs, deep understanding of each character, interesting secondary characters, and also sexy.
I don’t think anyone expects you to post UK prices – it’s just a shame that such a great sale…
I’m sorry about that. We don’t have any way to post British prices as an American based site.
I have several of her books on my TBR and after reading this am moving them up the pile.