The Deserted Heart by Mary Lancaster
Unmarriageable? Or simply unusual?
There can only be one reason for the proud Duke of Alvan’s proposed visit to Audley Park. He means to offer for Lord Overton’s beautiful daughter, Thomasina, thus saving the family’s waning fortune. In the midst of the hectic preparations for his arrival, Overton’s least marriageable daughter Charlotte remembers to collect her young brothers from school for the holidays.
When fog forces them to spend the night at the Hart Inn, they are astonished to find the house deserted, save for one other enigmatic traveler who deals most capably with armed intruders. Drawn to their unconventional new friend, Charlotte enlists his help to solve the mystery.
Amidst the upheaval of the duke’s visit, to say nothing of the chaos caused by Charlotte’s unmanageable pet terrier, the Hart becomes the focus of nefarious doings, kidnappings, and romantic entanglements. For Charlotte is unwise enough to fall hopelessly in love with her sister’s intended husband, and the duke hides too many secrets of his own.
Will they find their happily ever after with each other?
- File Name:the-deserted-heart-by-mary-lancaster.epub
- Original Title:The Deserted Heart: Unmarriageable Series (Unmarriagable Series Book 1)
- Creator:Mary Lancaster
- Language:en
- Identifier:MOBI-ASIN:B07L6P8PD8
- Publisher:Dragonblade Publishing, Inc.
- Date:2018-12-05T16:00:00+00:00
- Subject:Medieval,Fiction,Romance
- File Size:273.819 KB
Table of Content
- 1. Title Page
- 2. Copyright Page
- 3. Books from Dragonblade Publishing
- 4. Table of Contents
- 5. Chapter One
- 6. Chapter Two
- 7. Chapter Three
- 8. Chapter Four
- 9. Chapter Five
- 10. Chapter Six
- 11. Chapter Seven
- 12. Chapter Eight
- 13. Chapter Nine
- 14. Chapter Ten
- 15. Chapter Eleven
- 16. Chapter Twelve
- 17. Chapter Thirteen
- 18. Chapter Fourteen
- 19. Chapter Fifteen
- 20. Chapter Sixteen
- 21. Chapter Seventeen
- 22. Chapter Eighteen
- 23. Chapter Nineteen
- 24. Chapter Twenty
- 25. Chapter Twenty-One
- 26. Chapter Twenty-Two
The Deserted Heart, Book 1 of the Unmarriageable series, was about His Grace Alexander Moore, the Duke of Alvan, and Miss Charlotte "Charlie" Maybury, considered to be the "unmarriageable daughter" of Lord Overton. In preparation for the arrival of the Duke of Alvan, who was expected to propose to Thomasina "Tommie", the, supposedly, more beautiful eldest daughter of Lord Overton, Charlie was sent to retrieve her three brothers from school. While returning home with her charges, the entourage was waylaid by a thick fog and had to take refuge at the Hart Inn. However, when they sought rooms and food for the night, they found the inn completely devoid of anyone except for themselves. Alexander, on his way to the home of Lord Overton, also found himself stopped by the impassible fog and made his way to the same inn. After introductions were made where no one revealed their last names to the other, both Alexander and Charlie found themselves intrigued with each other. But when morning came, they went their separate ways. When the Duke finally arrived at the home of Lord Overton and Charlie realized who he was, things did not go well. When they both acknowledged to her parents and Thomasina that they had already met, Charlie's sister was not too happy about it. Thomasina's character seemed entirely too selfish and self-absorbed, using Charlie to the point of making her a servant in her own home. Tommie definitely made it clear to Charlie that she was unhappy any time the Duke showed her any attention, and yet, Tommie was vain enough to only ever want just enough attention from the Duke for others to notice that he had an interest in her. The attraction between Alex and Charlie was intense, though neither of them acted on it. The Duke spent a good deal of time talking with Thomasina, though he did not ignore Charlie or her other siblings in any way. The whole story was a bit...dry and dull. It went at a snail's pace and there really wasn't much romance or passion until the last few chapters of the story, and then it was hit or miss. Angst, drama, and intrigue seemed to be the main emotions that ruled the book, with a touch of humor sprayed throughout to lighten the mood from time to time. There were too many distractions away from the two main characters to say this was a romance novel and, once certain things took place, the book went askew very fast and it took a long time to meander back to the supposed "romance" between Alex and Charlie. Too many characters had input and too many POVs distracted from the main point of the storyline. All in all, it was quite chaotic and could easily have ended almost fifteen chapters before it did. There were aspects of the story that made little to no sense and the author didn't see fit to lift the fog for the reader to see the intentions set before them. It was almost as if the mist that had settled over the book's beginning had infiltrated the entire story and never quite dissipated. There were redeeming qualities to the book, though. Some eye-opening changes to some characters who desperately needed it, and others who got their just desserts. While it ended well, there were enough troublesome spots with the book to prevent it from earning a five-star rating. Still...it was well worth reading.