Always been a fan, but this book was "impossible" to like.: (2010-07-31) 
**SPOILERS** I've loved Brenda Joyce for years, but her recent books have left me very disappointed. I forced myself to finish this book. The heroine, Alexandra, was such a doormat. I found the opening scene so ridiculous...why spurn the man she loved and who loved her in order to care for her family??? In this era, couldn't she do more for them as a woman married to a kind and generous man who understood her devotion to her family, than she could as a single woman sewing clothes for a living, for Pete's sake??? Ludicrous. Her relationship with her father was downright dysfunctional. Look up "enabler" and you'll see her pic. I liked her sisters more than I liked her, and I'm hopeful that maybe they'll reappear in future novels.

Where to even start with Clarewood? He's an angry, immature, pompous snob. His repeated accusations toward Alexandra, constantly suspecting her of being a scheming opportunist...it grew tiresome. So many of their interactions revolve around Clarewood throwing accusations at her, and Alexandra offering such wimpy defense that I really grew to dislike them both by the end of the book. I found myself wishing she'd take off with Owen, at the very least!

This story was just unlikeable to me. From start to finish, I felt frustrated with the behavior of the main characters, and found their fairy-tale ending to be abrupt and incredibly unlikely, given their personalities throughout the entire book. This one isn't a keeper.

Wonderful: (2010-05-19) 
I really loved this book.

Except for one problem: Alexandra didn't know how to defend herself real well. And why did she take so long to tell Stephen that Owen was not her lover? While I admit she did cry a lot, Stephen was a bit harsh a few times with her. But I'm guessing this fear of being defensive comes from her drunk abusive father.

Besides that, I absolutely adored this story, and can't wait to read more Victorian stories from Brenda. The first book I read from her was The Third Heiress and it was terrible.

HORRIBLE!!!!: (2010-05-04) 
This is probably the worst book I have ever read. The heroine is insipid, weak, pathetic and a bore. The hero is one dimensional and also a bore. What a waste of money!!! DO NOT BOTHER WITH IT. IT IS A WASTE OF TIME AND MONEY!!!!! I would give it a negative rating if it was possible.

Not bad: (2010-05-01) 
Most of the reviews bashed this book, but I actually liked it! My below review is paraphrased...

Our heroine Alexandra Bolton made a death bed pact with her dying mother that she would take care of her father and 2 younger sisters, Olivia and Corey. Alexandra took this pact to heart and ended her engagement to Owen the boy she was engaged to at the time. Owen told Alexandra that he would wait for her and give her time to mourn but would never give up on her...he did eventually.

Years later the Bolton sisters along with their father are destitute...Alex sews to make money for the family but they are still hopelessly broke and downtrodden. Alexandra's father Edgemont is a drunk and a gambler who lost all of the family money and the Bolton family name is in disgrace with no hope of ever being able to be once again among polite society. Edgemont tells the girls that the only way he can keep them all is if Alex marries (she is 26 yrs old) Alex being on the shelf, destitute and working to make a living figures no one will want her. But alas someone does...A squire named Denney whose deceased wife Alex sewed gowns for when she was still alive. Denney is out of mourning and looking for a wife and wants Alex to be his wife...he is much older than Alex but she considers it a boon and was ready to take him up on his offer of marriage to save her family from total ruin. Olivia and Corey are against her marrying the squire because he is so much older than her and feels that she deserves to have a marriage based on love.

Our hero Stephen Mowbray is the Duke of Clarewood he is the bastard son of Sir Rex from (The Perfect Bride) this being said the former Duke was not a good father to Stephen. Stephen because of his bastard status was brought up in a home with a lot of bickering between his mother and Tom the former Duke...this caused Stephen to have little faith in marriage, he also does not believe in love of any kind especially for himself...since the Duke never showed him any affection. Stephen meets Alexandra at a ball for his half sister Sara and is instantly smitten with her...he wants her not knowing anything about her, Alex also feels the pull of attraction as well, but in being courted by Squire Denney so what is a girl to do...

Stephen relentlessly pursues Alex despite Squire Denney because he wants her and he being "The Duke" always gets what he wants...and Alex is who he wants. During the ball a lot of malicious women talked bad about Alex due to the fact she sews their clothes and have the gall to attend a gathering with her "betters" the nerve of her! Stephen hates unfairness of any kind and decides he admires Alex for the fact that she took a stand to support her family by herself. Things progress fast Squire Denney proposes to Alex she accepts but her feelings for Stephen are in the way...Alex knows that Stephen only wants her to be his mistress and Squire Denney wants her to be his wife, but her attraction to Stephen is what finally tips the scale and she decides to be his mistress.

I really enjoyed this book and felt that it got bashed unfairly the book was not the greatest in literature but it was an enjoyable read. I feel that Alex did not know much about Stephen other than what she heard through gossip, and the attraction she felt for him. Her fear of his anger was understandable at first she was still getting to know him. The few times she came into contact with the women whom she sewed for she took their abuse and did not defend herself, but again it was explained that if she got upset and told them off...how was she to make money to support her family she did not take the bait that many of them threw at her because her lively hood was at stake. Clarewood's mistress was the worst in her treatment of Alex due to her jealousy, but again if Alex had mouthed off she would have lost all of them as customers, so I understood her reasons for not telling them off...it made sense even though it pi**ed me off at times. I did not find Alex to be weak or meek, she had backbone to have put up with all she went through, her good name and reputation was in shreds but she kept going and did not take accept help from Stephen's family when they offered her a way out, she stuck it out and supported herself even though it was hard at times. The book had a few bumps but I enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone to read. I know my review is pretty long but felt I had to delve into it in order for you to understand the situation and why I liked it so much, so happy reading!

Mixed Emotions: (2010-04-17) 
This story was different than most of Ms. Joyce's De Warenne novels. The damsel was just that, very weak and even though she was "proud" she just would give in a lot to Stephen. Stephen I wanted to like but he was a jerk through pretty much the whole book. He talked about how he wanted Alexandra to stay faithful to him but whenever he got mad at her he got himself a woman for the night. Yet if she would of done the same to him he would of been ticked. Alexandra was only upset once or twice when she thought he was going out to see another woman but then when he actually did go see other women she never addressed it and it wasn't brought to her attention other than the part with Lady Witte. I would have expected Rex's son to be a little different (nicer) even if he was raised by another. Even in the end I didn't like that he sent his half brother to pretty much apologize for what he did and also to pretty much ask her to be his wife. I at the same token had liked parts and cried when Alexandra was going through so much and finally he decided to be nice and save the day after all the horrible things that happened to her. It was mixed feelings for me for this book but it was still a ok read so I gave it 3 stars.