Viscount in Love by Eloisa James
Two eccentric orphans bring together a grumpy viscount and the free-spirited heroine who steals his heart in the first novel in Eloisa James’s new Accidental Brides series, in which haughty aristocrats find themselves married to the wrong women.
He wants a nanny, not a bride…
Suddenly guardian to twins, Viscount Dominic Kelbourne is luckily betrothed to a suitable lady – until she elopes. With no time to woo, Dominic decides to marry his fiancée’s unconventional sister. Torie isn’t perfect, but their kisses are so passionate that society thinks he’s actually chosen her.
She wants to marry for love…
Torie has never been able to make sense of words on a page, so she has turned her talents to art. She longs for a man who values her as she is… but marries for the sake of the twins. She doubts Dominic is capable of love, let alone respect, but as their heated debates turn into something more, Torie begins to imagine a life as a wife, not a nanny.
But when the arrogant viscount finds that his viscountess has stolen his heart, he’ll have to give all he has to win her love.
by Naomi
There are quite a few things to love about Viscount in Love: Torie’s total personality, Dominic’s character development, Valentine and Florence as wonderfully developed child characters who are not just there to advance the plot but actual individuals. As always with Eloisa James, this book is very well written, and I read through it in a breeze.
There are some great emotional beats, but most of all I love Torie’s characterization. She is super clever and loves people, learning and playing. She has a learning disability (probably dyslexia) – which is excellently portrayed – although society and even her own family view her as ridiculous and frivolous and dumb because of it. She isn’t, of course, and Torie is determined to maintain her self-worth and pursue her passion—painting. She is her own biggest supporter, which I couldn’t agree with more.
Dominic is, honestly, a very hot man. Torie agrees, since she has always been very attracted to his physical appearance, even though she thinks he is uptight (which he is). He marries Torie because he needs a guardian for his niece and nephew and wants some stability in his life.
What starts out as a marriage of convenience predictably doesn’t stay that way as Dominic comes to realize that Torie has an astute mind and a fresh and unique way of looking at the world. He falls head over heels for her, although it takes him quite some time to realize it. They’re both headstrong, stubborn people, which makes for very entertaining reading.
While Dominic is indeed uptight and definitely has some preconceived notions about Torie and his wards Valentine and Florence, he grows as a person as his romantic feelings for Torie take root. Their romantic relationship helps both of them truly come into their own, and I loved the progression of their relationship and feelings for each other.
