Format Read: e-ARC provided by the author
Number of Pages: 352 pages
Release Date: May 3rd 2011
Publisher: Zebra
Formats Available: Ebook, Paperback, Kindle
Purchasing Info: Author website, Goodreads, Amazon
Book Blurb:
She is difficult, demanding, and at times, quite fierce. And Dr. John Blackmore can’t take his eyes off her. The Countess of Randolph is the most striking woman he has ever seen…and the most infuriating patient he has ever tended.
Mired in responsibility, Bathsheba doesn’t have time to convalesce in the country. She should be in London, hunting for a wealthy new lover to pay off her late husband’s vast debts, not dallying with a devastatingly handsome doctor.
But it is only a matter of time until the good doctor and the obstinate countess will have to contend with the sparks that fly between them. And once their bodies surrender, their hearts may follow. . .
My Thoughts:
My Favorite Countess was a difficult book to review for me. When I started re-reading the notes I took while reading the book, I started wondering if I was dealing with 2 different books. The first half of my notes were mostly rants about how I hated the Hero and the Heroine, the second half of my notes were about how amazing they were and how I loved the story. LOL see what I mean? Alright, let’s start from the beginning…
When we meet Bathsheba she is in a dire situation. She has responsibilities towards her family and their estate and she is under a lot of stress. She would do anything, that is…go to London and find a rich husband to pay their debts. Bathsheba is a widow and getting married again was NOT in her plans. She didn’t want to suffer again at the hands of a husband.
The thing is when we meet Bathsheba it’s really really hard to like her, she’s viper-tongued and she can be very nasty when she wants to. I felt bad for all the other characters when she was around. She’s mean and it’s hard to see past that, but her flaws make her human in the end. Then there’s the hero, Doctor John Blackmore, seriously at the beginning of the book I really disliked him too… but for different reasons. John seemed so full of himself, he’s sure he’s always right. He thinks he can see through her from the start. And he’s certain he’s going to bed her. The result is that I wanted to slap them both silly. They are both so stubborn and they cling to their beliefs. So the first few chapters I just disliked, then hated the 2 main characters.
BUT, I’m not sure how but at some point everything changes. By chapter 7, I started loving them! I’ve never read a book where the author made me change my mind so drastically about 2 characters. I went from hate to love in just a few chapters. John is a doctor and it was a nice change from the usual aristocratic hero. John is a working man, he’s a doctor who deals with midwifery. When you start learning about him and his beliefs, you can’t help but love him. He is a humanist, he believes every woman rich or poor should be able to get the best treatment when delivering a baby. He wants change and he wants to do everything he can to help pregnant women.
At some point I started liking Bathsheba, we learn more about her past and the trauma she suffered from her previous marriage. Her late husband was very jealous and thought she was cheating on him. He made her look like a whore in the eyes of everyone else. His family hates her because they think she’s responsible for his death. Anyway, I can’t say much more but the story gets very interesting. There’s intrigue, mystery and lots of suspense. I had a hard time closing the book. I didn’t see the end coming and the cute HEA at the end made this book a very pleasant read.
Now I must address the smex topic…this is something I found a bit weird in the book. When I read it, it struck me as odd how the smexing scenes were written differently from the rest of the book. I mean the book flows pretty easily, then when you get to a love scene the writing gets very flowery. It’s hard to miss. But apart from that I have to say I really enjoyed the love scenes between those 2. John knows how to ‘play doctor’ and he knows exactly what he’s doing in bed. John was very very sexy and intense. I also loved that Bathsheba is not afraid of loving smex. There is chemistry between them and it was always hot hot hot!
So as you can see, this book started a bit rocky for me but by the end I just couldn’t stop reading. This is a great story, with lots of twist and turns and enough suspense to surprise you in the end. I’m glad I kept reading even when I hated the h/h, it’s definitely worth the wait to get to the good parts!
I give My Favorite Countess 4 Bookies
***FTC Disclaimer: Most books reviewed on this site have been provided free of charge by the publisher, author or publicist. Some books we have purchased with our own money and will be noted as such. Any links to places to purchase books are provided as a convenience, and do not serve as an endorsement by this blog. All reviews are the true and honest opinion of the blogger reviewing the book. The method of acquiring the book does not have a bearing on the content of the review.
About Caro The HEA Lover
Caroline is a HEA loving, yarn addicted French who's desperately hoping to get a HEA of her own. If she's not reading then she can be found knitting while listening to Audiobooks or watching Tv shows. Her secret addiction is reading websites that make fun at other people's expense (DYAC, Failbook)! Caroline also blogs at the Secret HEA Society with Susi.
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That does sound like two different books, weird notes 😉
Well, this is a different type of review for you, Caro. I look forward to reading the book and "comparing notes." Thanks.
@Blodeuedd Yep when I reread my notes I realized how weird it was. In the book it was gradual though, so it wasn't THAT weird. 😉
@LSUReader LOL yes indeed. 😉 I wonder if you'll have the same reaction to the characters' behavior as I did. *g*