A review by lisajo85
A Most Scandalous Engagement by Gayle Callen
3.0
This wasn't a bad book, but I had higher expectations for this story. Which lead it to be a disappointment for me.
I was so excited Peter was the hero of the story...I was so thankful his character would be redeemed after his rocky ending in Never Marry A Stranger. Then, I read this book. I don't know what was really going on with him. I was charmed by the fact that he was after Elizabeth from chapter one, but Callen did a horrible job explaining Peter's feelings! It was like a broken record of "we need to be together." I was hoping his inner dialogue would reveal a "I've loved you for years" theme but his thoughts very carefully stayed away from that kind of declaration. You could assume he loved her, and I guess if you did so it would have been a lot more enjoyable. But I didn't feel he was motivated by love in the beginning. So I was really confused by his motivation. Did he just find her desirable now because of the painting? On top of that, there are vague hints he's been living the life of a scoundrel since his fiasco in Never Marry A Stranger. Really that's about all you get are vague hints...so basically he's slept with a lot of woman and made money in the railroad.
Elizabeth...oh dear Elizabeth. She is a mess. She seems a bit clueless and self-centered. Basically a typical lady of the ton. There really wasn't anything unique or special about her. Peter constantly talks about how he wants the old Elizabeth back...the daring, impulsive girl that took risks. I don't know who that girl is, but I didn't really meet her. She seemed like a little girl with a crush on another man and willing to do anything to get her way...including using her best friend to make the man she desired jealous. She was using Peter, her friend, is the most unflattering way possible. She must have understood what Peter was doing for her when he accepted her "fake engagement" - the repercussions for him personally when this fake engagement was over would be disastrous because of the differences in their stations. Yet it seemed to blindside her when she realized it near the end of the book. She felt horrible, and she should have...and at that point in time, she nearly refused to fix it.
There are things in it's favor. Despite all my grievances with Peter, his devotion and conviction of winning Elizabeth's heart was incredibly romantic. The little things that he did for her were really amazing. That, and the need to get to Susanna and Leo's story is what pushed me to finish this. It was a decent read, don't get me wrong. Maybe if I had picked this up and treated it as a stand alone novel I might have enjoyed it more. But I was really wanted more. The secondary story with Mary Anne, Peter's sister, really confused me at first. It seemed so out of place. By the end it was a cute secondary romance that we have no idea how it ends!
I liked it, but I can't say I loved it...and I can't say I have any desire to ever read it again.
I was so excited Peter was the hero of the story...I was so thankful his character would be redeemed after his rocky ending in Never Marry A Stranger. Then, I read this book. I don't know what was really going on with him. I was charmed by the fact that he was after Elizabeth from chapter one, but Callen did a horrible job explaining Peter's feelings! It was like a broken record of "we need to be together." I was hoping his inner dialogue would reveal a "I've loved you for years" theme but his thoughts very carefully stayed away from that kind of declaration. You could assume he loved her, and I guess if you did so it would have been a lot more enjoyable. But I didn't feel he was motivated by love in the beginning. So I was really confused by his motivation. Did he just find her desirable now because of the painting? On top of that, there are vague hints he's been living the life of a scoundrel since his fiasco in Never Marry A Stranger. Really that's about all you get are vague hints...so basically he's slept with a lot of woman and made money in the railroad.
Elizabeth...oh dear Elizabeth. She is a mess. She seems a bit clueless and self-centered. Basically a typical lady of the ton. There really wasn't anything unique or special about her. Peter constantly talks about how he wants the old Elizabeth back...the daring, impulsive girl that took risks. I don't know who that girl is, but I didn't really meet her. She seemed like a little girl with a crush on another man and willing to do anything to get her way...including using her best friend to make the man she desired jealous. She was using Peter, her friend, is the most unflattering way possible. She must have understood what Peter was doing for her when he accepted her "fake engagement" - the repercussions for him personally when this fake engagement was over would be disastrous because of the differences in their stations. Yet it seemed to blindside her when she realized it near the end of the book. She felt horrible, and she should have...and at that point in time, she nearly refused to fix it.
There are things in it's favor. Despite all my grievances with Peter, his devotion and conviction of winning Elizabeth's heart was incredibly romantic. The little things that he did for her were really amazing. That, and the need to get to Susanna and Leo's story is what pushed me to finish this. It was a decent read, don't get me wrong. Maybe if I had picked this up and treated it as a stand alone novel I might have enjoyed it more. But I was really wanted more. The secondary story with Mary Anne, Peter's sister, really confused me at first. It seemed so out of place. By the end it was a cute secondary romance that we have no idea how it ends!
I liked it, but I can't say I loved it...and I can't say I have any desire to ever read it again.