The Reluctant Countess A Novel

Wendy Vella — 2013

From rising romance star Wendy Vella comes a Cinderella story of whirlwind passion between a dashing earl and a beautiful countess—and the secret that threatens to tear them apart. Regal, poised, and elegant, Sophie, Countess of Monmouth, is everything that a highborn lady should be. But Sophie is hiding a past that is far from royal. When Patrick, Earl of Coulter, realizes that her story doesn’t add up, he resolves to find out the truth of what Sophie and her sister-in-law are concealing. Although Sophie has every reason to avoid him, the handsome and charismatic Patrick awakens something wicked deep within her soul . . . a powerful need that Sophie must stifle in order to protect her place in society. Despite Sophie’s humble background, the raven-haired beauty has won Patrick’s heart. But what Sophie needs now is an ally. Viscount Myles Dumbly, the disgruntled former heir of Monmouth, is determined to expose Sophie as a fraud to recapture his lost inheritance. Soon Patrick is drawn into a fight for both their lives. Somehow he must find a way not only to rescue Sophie from poverty once and for all, but to keep her in his arms forever. Includes an excerpt from another Loveswept title.

Reviews

Angela Guilherme@landslide

Mar 24, 2022

*I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review* "The Reluctant Countess" is a fun and sweet regency romance. It tells us the love story between Sophie, Countess of Monmouth, and Patrick, Earl of Coulter. From the start it looks different because they're from the same social class, so the classic story of the noble man that falls for the peasant does not apply here. I mean, it doesn't and it does, because Sophie became a countess by marriage, and Patrick met with the deceased Earl of Monmouth a few days before he passed and he didn't learn of any wife. Which makes Patrick very suspicious and obsessed with the countess. Well, that and the fact he cannot take his eyes off her when they are together and take her out of his mind when they are apart... Sophie has a secret that, if revealed, will not only destroy her life, but also the life of those she loves. So she's very careful in her role as the impenetrable widow, cause it's the only way to avoid a fatal slip. The only problem is the annoying Earl of Coulter who seems to have picked on her and that stirs her in a way that makes it impossible for Sophie to stay on character near him. I really liked the relationship between Sophie and Patrick and the way it developded from mutually picking on each other, to irresistable atraction, to grand love. But I confess the story seemed to drag a little after the wedding. I loved the fact that the author included a secondary love story, but I would have prefered to see them have their own book. So much was left undisclosed after all... There was a detail that really annoyed me and made me want to violently slap Patrick. I wont reveal what it was cause I dont want to spoil it, but for those who read it, I'm refering to the scene between Patrick and Sophie on the carriage. That imbecil was suspicious of Sophie from the start, she almost let it slip before and he seemed to catch it then, and he goes and does that brutality? The knee in the nuts she gave him later seemed like light punishment to me...