My Lady Gisborne

ABOUT Charlotte Hawkins

Charlotte Hawkins
I'm a romantic and a nature lover. I live in a quiet country town and I live to write. I'm known by my pen name, Charlotte Hawkins, under which I write romance novels, and also by my real name, Sarah Pawley, under which I write my literary novels. Thanks for reading!

Description

Lady Evelyn Gisborne desires to be a proper young noble-woman, but independence runs strong in her blood. She follows her heart as well as her head, and temptation soon beckons her in the form of a handsome rogue. René Jean-Bastien is clever, bold...and forbidden, for she has been promised to another. Simon Jean Carré, Marquis of Laroque, is a born soldier. His life is commited to the pursuit of battle and the honor of the knight's code. When he journies to the Gisborne estate, his only intention is to meet his promised bride. But he soon finds himself entwined in the life of a most unusual family...and falling in love with the woman he has sworn to keep at a distance. Evelyn is torn between two loves. Will she choose the man to whom she is promised...or the dashing thief who has stolen her heart?
When I heard there was a sequel to Charlotte Hawkins book "The Tempest," I jumped at the chance to read it. THAT story was hot and spicy. It was all about the passionate physical relationship between the two main characters, which is what I like in my romance novels. This new story has a much softer tone to it, but I still enjoyed it.

In "My Lady Gisborne," the love scenes are few, but there was plenty of sexual tension and loads of romance. It's a sweet story, and what makes it great are the characters. There are a lot of names to remember, but I didn't get lost because the author gives each character a unique personality, and they all play off of each other perfectly. There is a lot of humor and conflict exchanged, and it's wonderful.

The heroine, Evelyn, is the typical "Good girl." Some readers might accuse her of being a Mary-Sue type, but I liked her. She's only fifteen, which might seem a little shocking to some. But this is a story set in the 13th century, so it's right for the time. Evelyn is betrothed, like other women of her time. Her intended is a Marquis named Simon, and I have to say, it took me a while to warm up to him. He's a soldier, and good-looking of course. (What kind of hero isn't good-loooking, right?) But he's kind of cold at the start. His life is the knighthood. That's what he does. A warrior can't be all smiles and hugs, right? But of course, there's another side to him...

Enter...Rene, the third part of the love triangle. Rene was by far my favorite character. I love a rogue, especially one as delightful as Rene Jean-Bastien. He's naughty, he's charming, he's clever. Sometimes, I wanted to slap him silly. But I couldn't help but adore him, despite his sometimes bad behavior. I won't give anything away, but I'll just note that not every rogue can be entirely reformed.