Liviania’s review of The Smuggler and the Society Bride (Regency Silk and Scandal, Book 3) by Julia Justiss
Historical romance released by Harlequin Historical 1 August 2010

Sometimes, reading historical romances, it seems like getting caught in a compromising position is just how people proposed two hundred years ago in England.  Therefore I found the premise of The Smuggler and the Society Bride intriguing because Lady Honoria Carlow did not marry the man who was caught compromising her.  They weren’t already in love or fell in love after their quick marriage.  They were just two people caught up in someone else’s revenge.  No, she was thoroughly ruined and fled to her aunt’s home in Cornwall.

Lady Honoria Carlow now goes by Marie Foxe.  She is adjusting well to life in Cornwall, though she is a bit put off by the region’s reliance on smuggling.  Yet when she tries to save a man from drowning, she meets the dashing Captain Gabriel Hawksworth.  Gabriel is a military man and a member of the Irish gentry, but he’s captaining a smuggling ship for a set amount of time as a favor to an army buddy.

Julia Justiss creates a wonderful sense of place and society.  Justiss even uses terms whose meanings have changed, like sensibility, correctly.  The history is integrated into the story instead of simply providing a colorful setting.  Sennlack, the Cornish village, is well fleshed out.  The villagers have a variety of motives, personalities, and beliefs.  Honoria feels out of place at first, since she used to be a Diamond of the Ton, but she quickly discovers ways in which she can fit into Cornish life and use her high society connections to help the poor girls of the village make their own money.

Gabriel is willing to think the best of Honoria once he realizes she was involved in a scandal.  In fact, he sets out to clear her name.  Even when he discovers she has a false name, he’s willing to give her a chance.  A hero who doesn’t automatically assume the worst about the heroine is always a plus.  In addition to showing off his loyalty to Honoria, the search for the man who framed her also allows Gabriel to show off his intelligence.

Gabriel and Honoria are both empathetic characters.  Their relationship is sweet and refreshing, though Justiss throws in some darker elements to keep The Smuggler and the Society Bride from becoming too fluffy.  (At the end of the day, The Smuggler and the Society Bride’s biggest problem may be that the hero and heroine are too good.)

I’m definitely going to read some more of Justiss’s books, and I may pick up some of the other novels in the Silk & Scandal miniseries.  As a side note, I know that they have silly costuming, but I really like the photo-with-bright-background cover style that has appeared on many of the recent Harlequin Historicals.  They’re eye-catching and attractive.

Grade: A-

Summary:
Lady Honoria Carlow, leading Diamond of the Ton, is in disgrace. Her spirited nature has led her too far this time and she is, in reputation at least, ruined.Indifferent to polite London society, Captain Gabriel Hawksworth is a gentleman in bandit’s clothing. On the storm-tossed coast of Cornwall, this smuggler is reckless, sexy and sinfully tempting….

Gabriel is luring Honoria right back to what she’s escaping—trouble! Only this time her impropriety won’t be quite so innocent…
Read an excerpt here.

Other books in the series: