Handsome Justin Deverill, the new Earl of Strafford must marry his cousin Arabella, or gain nothing but an empty title. It is her dead father's order that she marry Justin, but when they do, their relationship seems fraught with resentment and strife. Justin believes that Arabella has betrayed him before their wedding, and is determined to find out the identity of his wife's lover. The earl is convinced that he must be the young and charming Comte de Trecassis, a relative visiting from France. Justin wants to kill Trecassis, but restrains himself as he knows the young man came to England for a reason, and he is determined to find out why, sure that he's up to no good.
The Heir (Coulter Historical Romance)
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Please read the back cover -- Dear Reader
All I ask is 30 seconds of your time. In my Dear Reader I will always tell you exactly what I've done -- if the novel is a simple reprint, I will tell you. If I have changed the title, I will tell you. If I've rewritten the novel, I will tell you exactly what I've done. For example: in the Dear Reader for Evening Star I told you when the novel originally came out and that its title had been changed from Sweet Surrender. So, thirty seconds of your time, please -- I try to help all my emptors to caveat. Thank --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
All I ask is 30 seconds of your time. In my Dear Reader I will always tell you exactly what I've done -- if the novel is a simple reprint, I will tell you. If I have changed the title, I will tell you. If I've rewritten the novel, I will tell you exactly what I've done. For example: in the Dear Reader for Evening Star I told you when the novel originally came out and that its title had been changed from Sweet Surrender. So, thirty seconds of your time, please -- I try to help all my emptors to caveat. Thank --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
About the Author
Catherine Coulter is the bestselling author of numerous historical romances as well as several highly acclaimed contemporary novels. She lives in Northern California with her husband, Anton, and her cat, Gilley.
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Magdaline lay within herself again, waiting, waiting for the opium to shroud the ravaging pain. Read the first page
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Magdaline lay within herself again, waiting, waiting for the opium to shroud the ravaging pain. Read the first page
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By Helen Hancox
TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:Mass Market Paperback
I wanted to like this book. The flyleaf made it sound interesting – young lady’s father dies and she has to marry his heir, the new earl, who is her second cousin; a strange French relative appears on the scene with unusual consequences. All sounded reasonably positive and I settled down to read a good yarn.
I didn’t get it. What I got was a very disappointing, abrupt story supposedly about miscommunications being resolved and some lost emeralds and a possible murder. It started off well with our heroine, Arabella, meeting Justin who she thinks is one of her father’s bastards, not realising he is actually her second cousin and the new Earl (her father had withheld from her that there was any surviving male in his family). Arabella is a feisty, tomboyish young girl of eighteen and she’s great fun.
From this first major scene it all goes downhill. Arabella and the earl marry according to her father’s wishes but he decides she has slept with the French comte staying with them and he virtually rapes her on their wedding night. No matter how much she protests her innocence he doesn’t believe her. What seemed like it might be a light, delicate book ends up discussing sodomy and with incest taking place too. Decidedly uncharming.
Arabella is very hard to understand. Her new husband treats her appallingly yet she falls in love with him. He seems an incredibly un-rounded character – perfect in every way except that he believes his wife has previously been unfaithful, and is semi-violent and threatens to strangle her. Why is he so thickheaded about that? It doesn’t fit at all.
The sub-plot of Arabella’s half-sister Elsbeth and her fling with the comte (who turns out to be her half-brother, thus the incest) doesn’t work too well. There’s another romance, between Arabella’s mother and the local doctor, which DOES work – although Ann (the mother) seems to recover remarkably quickly from an 18 year dreadful marriage.
The dialogue between the characters is very strange. It’s all done in short sentences. Nobody says anything complex. They all want to strangle each other. Or kill the comte. Even Arabella. The earl threatens to strangle Arabella. She doesn’t seem to mind. Do you get the picture?
Overall this book was a missed opportunity. The whodunnit aspect wasn’t even very gripping and by the end of it I was just glad it was all over. The expectation that they would all live happily ever after seemed distinctly unlikely to me.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Mass Market Paperback
The story was OK. I found the the characters rather unexciting. I think there was actually more passion between Arabella's mom and the doctor. It needed more heat!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Mass Market Paperback
Go read some of her more recent stuff it' far far better- this one had little action, very very little. It was mostly talking heads. CC can write but there was so little plot and it was all so predictable that I wish I could get my money back and but something worthwhile.
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2.8 out of 5 stars
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
2.0 out of 5 stars
Very Disappointing
I have been a fan of Catherine Coulter's work but this book was disappointing.
I couldn't really get to grips with the heroine as one minute she was acting like a small whingy... Read more
I couldn't really get to grips with the heroine as one minute she was acting like a small whingy... Read more
Published on 20 July 2003 by Kofo Jegede
5.0 out of 5 stars
HER BEST BOOK EVER
C.C. has outdone herself with this book, it is funny, suspensful, and romantic. The Dashing Justin Deverill, and Beautiful Arabella set off fireworks in this historical romance. Read more
Published on 31 May 1999
2.0 out of 5 stars
Dissappointing
I've read quite a lot of Catherine Coulter's novels and I usually enjoy them very much. This one wasn't as good as I had expected, the heroine had a very silly behaviour from the... Read more
Published on 4 May 1999
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