Early Review of Marrying Winterborne (The Ravenels #2) by Lisa Kleypas

Title: Marrying Winterborne
Classification: Adult Fiction
Genre: Historical Romance
Format: Paperback; 544 pages
Publisher: HarperLuxe; Lgr edition (May 31, 2016)
ISBN-10: 0062467387
ISBN-13: 978-0062467386
Author's Website: http://www.lisakleypas.com/
Notes: I bought this one.

Once upon a time a sheltered, bookish young lady agreed to marry a beast...

Rhys Winterborne is a self made man. He's a little rough--okay, extremely rough to the point of being jagged--around the edges, but is a good man at heart. He's had to fight his way to the top, and his marrying Lady Helen Ravenel will be seen by most as a maneuver to work his way into polite society. He's the kind of man who once he sets his mind on something tends to be unstoppable.

Ever since the last time she's seen him, Helen Ravenel has been haunted by thoughts of the strikingly handsome, sophisticated, and keenly intelligent man with a hint of danger smoldering beneath the surface. When she finds out her sister-in-law, Kathleen, has ended her engagement to Rhys, she decides to take matters into her own hands and do the unthinkable. She walks into a lion's den unescorted.

"You've read the fairy tales. you know what happens to little girls who visit wolves."

Helen turned in his arms. "I do indeed," she whispered, and lifted her smiling lips to his.

 

I had no idea (but was looking forward to seeing) how Ms. Kleypas would make me go from despising Rhys to being okay with him marrying Helen. One thing she did, which I thought was a brilliant move, was not to return to the nasty scene in 'Cold-Hearted Rake' where he acted so atrociously. I was glad the scene wasn't fresh in my mind as I read or it may have been a little harder to like the man. Rhys is used to going on the defense and, when needed, being ruthless in his dealings with people. Intimidation is his tool of choice and he doesn't always think before wielding it. So explains the scene with Kathleen which led to the dissolution of the original engagement between Rhys and Helen. He verbally lashed out in a very ungentlemanly manner.

One of the things I liked about this couple is that Rhys seems to bring out the best in Helen without holding her back. At one point she wisely states, "I've spent my entire life reading about the lives other people are having," she continued, "My world has been...very small. No one believes I would thrive if I weren't kept secluded and protected. Like a flower in a glass house. If I marry one of my kind, as you put it, no one will ever see me as I am. Only what I'm supposed to be."  After spending the better part of a month getting to know one another as Rhys recuperated from the train accident, Helen had a good feel for how things would be with him. I was rather hoping Ms. Kleypas would revisit that period of time in this book, but alas, it didn't happen. Perhaps she'll write a short story of the two getting to know one another in the future? I would so love that and am crossing my fingers.

As I'm writing this review, it would seem that I've given a lot away, but I really haven't. All that I mentioned above happened either before or in the first quarter of this book. Rhys and Helen still have a lot to learn about each other and, in true Lisa Kleypas fashion, a hurdle to overcome. In this case, one that neither knows anything about at the start of the novel.

Some of my favorite quotes/moments:

- "I went uninvited to the store yesterday and demanded to see Mr. Winterborne. I told him that I still wanted to marry him (...) and then I--I had my way with him. She paused realizing how that sounded. "Not in the store, of course."

  Straight-faced, Kathleen said, "Dear me, I hope he didn't put up a struggle."

- "Every hair on your head. Every part of you was made to be loved by me."

- "Love me for who I am...just as I love you for who you are...and our bond will last until the stars lose their shining."

Overall, I gave this one 4 1/2 out of 5 roses. It was a charming, sexy (yes, Ms. Kleypas upped the heat level a bit in this one), and humorous read. It reminded me a touch of Beauty and the Beast as well as Little Red Riding Hood with the big, bad wolf. Additionally, the image and metaphor, "and the Lion will lie down with the Lamb" came to mind as I was reading. Rhys definitely has a hard outer shell, but once you cracked the exterior he was a yummy marshmallow (okay, maybe marshmallow is a little over doing it, but you get what I mean) on the inside. I admit, however, I love when an author can change my opinion of a character as drastically as Ms. Kleypas did with this one. She is truly a talented one of a kind author. On the Lisarenee Romance Rating Scale, this one earned a STEAM rating (too hot for a fan, but you still have a handle on things. You should use extreme caution when reading a book with this rating in public. People may inquire as to why you looked flustered and flushed.) bordering on a SHOWER rating (a cold shower is necessary (need I say more?). Some books should come with a warning - make sure your significant other is handy or your shower is in working order. lol)

Order of the series: