Keeper's Book Reviews: Early Review: A Kiss of Lies (The Disgraced Lords #1) by Bronwen Evans

Desperate to escape her abusive past, Sarah Cooper disguises herself as a governess in the employ of Christian Trent, Earl of Markham, the man who, long ago, she fantasized about marrying. Despite the battle scars that mar his face, Sarah finds being near Christian rekindles her infatuation. A governess, however, has no business in the arms of an earl, and as she accompanies Christian on his voyage home, Sarah must resist her intense desires—or risk revealing her dangerous secrets.

One of the renowned Libertine Scholars, Christian Trent once enjoyed the company of any woman he chose. But that was before the horrors of Waterloo, his wrongful conviction of a hideous crime, and his forcible removal from England. Far from home and the resources he once had, Christian believes the life he knew—and any chance of happiness—is over . . . until his ward’s governess sparks his heart back to life, and makes him remember the man he used to be. Now Christian is determined to return to England, regain his honor, and win the heart of the woman he has come to love.

~A copy was provided by Loveswept for review~

After reading this and several other Loveswept novels, I have come to the conclusion that for an author, getting a book published by Loveswept is similar to getting accepted into Harvard, or even Princeton. I'm not a stranger to Loveswept, and I have yet to find a bad Loveswept romance. To tell the truth, I don't think I ever will. This story reminded me a lot of Loving the Earl by Sharon Cullen (you can find the review here). Not because the plots were in any way similar, but because both the women featured in these novels have an abusive past. Though their ex-husbands were creepazoids, that view helps make the romance more intense, and the plot more interesting. The difference between Christian and Nathan from the other book is that the latter has more of a "bad boy" streak in him;)

There was not a moment of this book I didn't love. It actually took me almost two nights to read, but not because I wasn't eager to finish it. Lady Serena, erm, I mean Sarah Cooper, was a really well-developed character. She didn't let an abusive husband permanently take away her happiness, and she would have chosen to kill her husband rather than sin for him. Both are qualities that make me adore and respect the woman. One thought I kept repeating to myself throughout the book is the abuse that Serena was forced to endure is exactly what people today partake in under the name of BDSM. Whipping, having sex with someone while others watch, pain. I know the difference is in the consent of the two people, but geez, that was a creepy connection. Another difference is that Serena's ex-husband, Dennett, really was an evil load of garbage. Why is it always the handsome ones who are despicable?

Christian was actually a very nice rake, who at times pitied himself for the burns on his face. The former adjective was fine, but the pitying was just a teeny bit annoying. Anyone who had half a brain would have looked beneath the scars and the burns to the real man inside. And it's not like he still didn't look like a Greek God (Serena's thoughts, not mine) even with the imperfections. I mean, it's not like you can burn off a 6-pack *snicker*. Another specific moment Christian deemed to annoy me was when he was listing the...advantages, so to say, of Serena, before he knew who she really was. On his list (this is all in his head, mind you) were the words "she came from good breeding stock." C'mon, really? Really?? I thought you were better than this Christian. How would you like it if I said you're from bad breeding stock, huh? Idiot.

Usually, a historical romance is just that, a basic "we both ~~like~~ obsessively love each other" followed by a marriage, which takes place in sometimes that's before the present, usually during the period of balls and Seasons. This specific historical romance was slightly different. Not only was there the history and romance, but also scandal, murder, a framing of rape, a mystery, a "dead" husband, several seduction attempts, shooting, duels, a cute, little ward, and an evil, all-encompassing, female manipulator. What's not to love, right? I absolutely can't wait to read Sebastian's story in the next book! I knew it would be about him as soon as I finished the novel. The excerpt of the next book also helped ;D