The last two books I have read have shared the
idea of a titled man having to marry a fortune and of the marriage of
convenience turning into a love match. While both historical romances in
worlds of horses and carriages, large family estates and more,
only one of these books is a good read - and unfortunately it wasn't
this one. To Be Seduced isn't a bad book, just middling. It suffers from a lack of direction in its feel; events trundle along and the
characters never really come fully to life. Its characters also have a distinct
whiff of modernity about them, particularly our heroine,
Bethany Dallison, who despite living in the 1660s has
remarkably modern ideas at times.
When Bethany is kidnapped by her neighbor Lord Richard Harcourt, who
is
crushed by debt, she knows that she will have to marry him to save her
reputation. He only wants her because she's an heiress, of course, but
she sees the opportunity to gain a small amount of control over her own
fortune - and takes the chance.
In order for this book to work, it needs a baddie (who comes in rather
suddenly and whose motives seem distinctly unconvincing) and a Big
Misunderstanding and all the normal aspects of books like this, and it
has them. Somehow, however, it doesn't quite tie together. The romance is
difficult to believe - neither hero nor heroine is
particularly nice to the other - as is the jeopardy
of Richard at the end of the book, nor that his wife would be able to
sway the people before whom she speaks (which surely wouldn't be allowed
anyway). There are many books like this, and this one -
unlike the other on this theme I've recently read, Rose Lerner's excellent In for a Penny, is sadly just middling.