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A review by emmelnie
Adrift With the Viscount by Sandra Sookoo
4.0
The story of Val and Phoebe in Adrift with the Viscount reminded me a bit of that O. Henry story, The Gift of the Magi. Val and Phoebe let their fears and insecurities drive them into questionable decisions, and they don’t share those fears and insecurities with one another and must face the consequences of doing that. The latter is understandable; Val and Phoebe wed so she can gain security, and they do so in decidedly rapid fashion as Val is going to sea. That means they really don’t know one another, and the trust needed to share weaknesses has to be gained first. But Val has secrets and dangers facing him that force him, and then Phoebe, to make some foolhardy decisions.
I liked both Val and Phoebe as fundamentally good people with overriding factors that shape their lives and their insecurities. Val is tormented by his half-life as a merman, driven to be in the sea and yet hating the way the merpeople live. While Val’s insecurity is hidden, Phoebe’s is overt—she has a large port-wine mark on her face and chest that has led to fatal consequences for her reputation and how she views herself.
There’s a fair amount of insta-love in Adrift by the Viscount; after consistently saying they’re marrying for convenience only with no carnal relations expected, Val and Phoebe fall into bed and love pretty darned fast. And there are some slight imbalances in tone that threw me off a bit. At first, Phoebe hints at men having damaged her, but when her story is told, it wasn’t half as extensive as I expected from the hints, and she’s able to deal with Val’s physical appeal with a bit too much ease. There are also dangling threads like Phoebe asking to be called Catherine, Val doing it once, and then it disappears. Why things like that are in the book was a mystery to me.
But I loved that Sookoo is writing a fantasy Regency series, and the fundamental decency of Val and Phoebe was inherently appealing. Everybody loves a bit of fairy tale magic in their lives, and Adrift with the Viscount is a fun example of that.
I liked both Val and Phoebe as fundamentally good people with overriding factors that shape their lives and their insecurities. Val is tormented by his half-life as a merman, driven to be in the sea and yet hating the way the merpeople live. While Val’s insecurity is hidden, Phoebe’s is overt—she has a large port-wine mark on her face and chest that has led to fatal consequences for her reputation and how she views herself.
There’s a fair amount of insta-love in Adrift by the Viscount; after consistently saying they’re marrying for convenience only with no carnal relations expected, Val and Phoebe fall into bed and love pretty darned fast. And there are some slight imbalances in tone that threw me off a bit. At first, Phoebe hints at men having damaged her, but when her story is told, it wasn’t half as extensive as I expected from the hints, and she’s able to deal with Val’s physical appeal with a bit too much ease. There are also dangling threads like Phoebe asking to be called Catherine, Val doing it once, and then it disappears. Why things like that are in the book was a mystery to me.
But I loved that Sookoo is writing a fantasy Regency series, and the fundamental decency of Val and Phoebe was inherently appealing. Everybody loves a bit of fairy tale magic in their lives, and Adrift with the Viscount is a fun example of that.