Saturday, November 24, 2012

TOUCH OF A SCOUNDREL (Touch Of Seduction #3) by Mia Marlowe + GIVEAWAY






Paperback, 310 pages
Published August 1st 2012 by Brava
Genre: historical romance novel, Victorian England
Rating: 4.5 stars

London, 1860. 
Griffin (known as "Devon"), thirty year old Earl of Devonwood,  has a gift. He is a seer, a person endowed with the ability to glimpse the future by touching inanimate objects, a birthright inherited from his mother "just as directly as his raven hair and storm gray eyes". For the last sixteen years he's been tormented by guilt:  Devon blames himself and the inaccuracy of one of his visions for the accidental death of his father. Since that day, "Griffin's boyhood slipped away forever", on his narrow shoulders the heavy responsibilities of an earldom, a mother and two younger siblings. 
Emmaline Farnsworth, fresh American beauty and upstart commoner, is the daughter of a scholar and egyptologist. She may not be the most suitable match for the brother of an earl, and Devon will do whatever he can as head of the family to prevent such an ill-suited engagement. But Devon's younger sibling, Theodore, thinks himself in love with her and ready to propose: in Emma's capable and self-assertive personality Theo, who grew up in the  shadow of his brooding older brother, has found  the perfect match for his own feckless and  amiable personality; in Emma's father (Monty Farnsworth) he has met a great mentor and a surrogate father figure capable to bestow knowledge without overshadowing his yielding personality. 
Sadly, and with a good amount of guilt on her part, Emma doesn't return Theo's feelings and yet she hasn't done much to discourage his courtship: to complicate the matter, after a first encounter with his older brother Devon, and judging from the visceral reaction that affects both of them, it's clear where the romance will blossom...against their better judgment. 
There's more to Emma and his scholar father than meets the eye, in fact: they're not who they claim to be. With the aid of a fake Egyptian artifact, this  couple of skilful con artists plans to swindle Theo into funding an Egyptian expedition, flee with the money and settle in a sanatorium on the German Alps where Emma's father will hopefully restore his rapidly deteriorating health. Consumption is killing him and this scheme may be the last good opportunity they have to provide Monty with the proper therapy for his unforgiving ailment. Not to mention the effects their vagabond life-style and lack of stability is having on Emma, wearing her soul as quickly as lines and illness are marking Monty's face at every turn of the seasons. More than the riches, the luxury of permanence calls to her. 
It will be a fortuitous "touch" between Devon and Emma to unveil, through allegorical and accurate visions of sizzling passion, occult enemies, and lurking dangers, how deeply and inevitably connected their destinies are.
I really liked this historical romance novel, with all its emotional complexity. I am not a big fan of love triangles, but the plot, enriched by a light paranormal twist, was original and captivating. I loved Mia Marlowe's writing style, her prose always elegant and eloquent, her descriptions exquisitely vivid, the sensuality incandescent and yet tasteful. Being the heroine a confidence artist, I didn't necessarily admire her, but the author managed to portray her as a sympathetic character with the depths, the lights and the  shadows of a young woman who was born an orphan, raised in foster care and whose only family is an adoptive father who deceits wealthy and gullible victims for a living. With her genuine feelings of guilt and gratitude for Theo and her deeply passionate love for Devon, she eventually redeems herself. The suspenseful element, the references to occultist practices and the supernatural qualities of the male protagonist are not heavily exploited and they are packed mainly in the final chapters of the novel. What really defines the storyline is the emotional conflict playing between Devon, Emma and Theo; Devon's visions act more as windows on the ineluctability of their love and perfect narrative devices to advance the plot and reveal the most basic truth about human relationships: laws of attraction are hard to defy. Absolutely delectable!

*Complimentary copy graciously provided by the publisher in exchange for an unbiased opinion. 


**********************GIVEAWAY****************************

The publisher would like to offer a copy of TOUCH OF A THIEF ( book #1 in the Touch Of Seduction series) to a lucky commenter. Drop a comment about this review or any of Mia Marlowe's novels and kindly include your email address  for a chance to win. Contest open only to US and Canada residents.  




TOUCH OF A THIEF ( Touch Of Seduction #1) by Mia Marlowe

Paperback, 274 pages
Published May 1st 2011 by Brava 
Genre: historical romance novel
Blurb
Lady Viola Preston is careful to wear gloves when she steals jewels. When she touches a gemstone with her bare skin, it speaks to her, sending disturbing visions. Still more disturbing is the handsome rogue who catches her red-handed.


18 comments:

  1. love touch of a thief and i won touch of a scounder but until now i have not got it yet, so sad, hope the publisher will check what's wrong with the delivery

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  2. Eli, sorry to hear that. My advice would be to double check with the blog that hosted the giveaway and see if they can forward your details to the publisher once again. I have hosted other giveaways sponsored by Kensington and all the winners have received their prizes within 4 weeks, a pretty fair amount of time. Good luck. If you wish to be included in the TOUCH OF A THIEF contest, please let me have your email address so that I can easily contact you in case you win :)

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  3. Sounds like a great book! :) Looking forward to reading it!

    maybe31 at yahoo.com

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  4. Thank you for stopping by, May! Best of luck with the giveaway =)

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  5. Very nice review, especially about the characters.

    bn100candg(at)hotmail(dot)com

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    1. Thank you bn100. I am glad you enjoyed it.

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  6. I haven't read many historical romance novels, but if it has romance and paranormal, I know I will love it. Both Touch of Seduction books sound great. I must get my hands on them. Mina, thanks for the awesome giveaway!
    mj(dot)emma64(at)gmail(dot)com

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  7. I haven't read many historical romance novels, but if it has romance and paranormal, I know I will love it. Both Touch of Seduction books sound great. I must get my hands on them. Mina, thanks for the awesome giveaway!
    mj(dot)emma64(at)gmail(dot)com

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    1. You are welcome, Emma! The paranormal touch makes this series even more original. And the romance sizzles ;) thank you for stopping by!

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  8. You are welcome, Emma! The paranormal touch makes this series even more original. And the romance sizzles ;) thank you for stopping by!

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  9. This time of year I tend to stick with my beloved historicals and this book sounds wonderful! Love the review and already added this book to my TBR pile. Thank you Mina for the chance to win :)

    Emilytardy(AT)Yahoo(DOT)com

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    1. Emily, I feel exactly the same way!!! December will be HRN galore for me too. You'll love Ms. Marlowe's books :)Good luck!

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  11. I have not read any of Mia's books but the cover of Touch of a Scoundrel has me wanting to know more! Thanks for the chance to win!
    ehaney578 at aol dot com

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    1. Great cover artworks indeed! Thank you for your comment, Elizabeth. I wish you good luck :)

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  12. I am a big fan of Mia's writing. I am one of her RPT alums and value her advice and prose as well. Once you start this series, you won't be able to stop. Book #1 has one of the best hooks. Be ready.

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  13. I haven't read these yet. The Touch of a Thief and The Touch of a Scoundrel sound just like books I would enjoy.

    Ann(dot)sheiring(at)gmail(dot)com

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    1. And I do hope you will get a chance to read them, maybe even win one of them! Good luck Ann =)

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