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The fairy tale courtship did not turn into a happily ever after…
Not until her husband dropped dead, that is. He had been horrible enough to Christiana during their short marriage, and she was not going to allow the traditional period of mourning to ruin her sisters’ debuts as well. So Christiana decides to put him on ice and go on as if nothing’s happened…
Until the real earl appears. Richard Fairgrave had every intention of confronting his villainous twin who robbed him of his name and title…only to discover that he’d died. Quietly assuming his identity, Richard must now deal with a maddening desire for his ravishing inherited “wife”—certainly a gold digger and possibly a murderess. And Christiana must deal with an unwanted new “husband”…and they both must figure out what to do before the ice melts!
I must admit - from what I've read of Lyndsay Sands' historical romance, I didn't expect a lot from The Countess. I was primarily drawn to the premise of its blurb (as I always am with Lyndsay Sand's novels) and, although this is certainly one of the better ones in her book list, it's not necessarily one of the good ones I've read.
Christiana is a lovely character. Oppressed by her husband Richard or "Dicky", the Earl of Fairgrave, she has lost all confidence in herself. What she did not know - is that her husband is actually George Fairgrave, twin of the real Earl of Fairgrave! When Dicky drops dead however, it seems like a blessing - until the real Richard appears at a ball. Victimised by his own twin's greed, Richard returns to claim his right, but finds instead a wife who he cannot control his lust for. With a great cast of supporting characters, there is an abundance of hilarity and affection in this novel. Christiana's lack of self-confidence takes centre-stage in the plot, as is Richard's need to trust his new-found partner.
Often times I wish for more than just a romantic plot in Lyndsay Sand books, but this one did have a murder-mystery to spice up the plot, but lacks the most fundamental element of a romance novel - the romance per se! There was a heavy focus on the murder-mystery and although the romance has its foundation on Christina and Richard getting to know each other, I was surprised at its speed. I also did not prefer the way their romance was heavily based on lust - although I suppose some might say that cannot be helped. And speaking of, The Countess is actually a really sexy novel (as compared to the rest of her historical romances) and I think this new series is definitely going to be sexier! I must admit, despite me not liking the romance angle between Christiana and Richard very much - their chemistry is superb together.
In the end, I was not wholly satisfied by how the murder-mystery turned out - but, if you're looking for a historical rom-com slash mystery to entertain, this will do its part.
Three Stars.
* E-book copy courtesy of Net galley.
