Sandy M’s review of The Husband Hunt (Madison Sisters, Book 3) by Lynsay Sands
Historical Romance published by Avon 28 Feb 12
I’m not sure what happened between me and this trilogy. It started wonderfully, I loved the first book. Then things just kinda went…by the wayside.
Richard’s and Christiana’s story in The Countess was a fun comedy of errors, and while I wasn’t bowled over by Daniel’s and Suzette’s book, The Heiress, mostly because they didn’t get much of a story of their own, I still enjoyed that couple tremendously. Using the same timeline in that second book was a good idea, it just didn’t come out exactly as I had hoped. That leaves us here in this moment with The Husband Hunt.
First off, I think what’s needed is some type of encounter between Robert and Lisa in one of the previous books to pique the reader’s interest a tad more. I don’t find this couple as engaging as the others. Lisa has been in love with Robert for years. He’s a family friend and has been around the Madison sisters to help out whenever possible, especially after the recent passing of their father. However, he still looks upon Lisa as that little girl who adoringly followed him wherever he went. She’s decided things have to change, especially after her recent abduction by a local madam to sell Lisa to the Suitor, a nameless villain who wants to play dangerous and painful sexual games.
So the hunt is on for the Suitor, and Robert is taking on the role of Lisa’s protector, which only brings them into more and more contact with one another, causing sparks to fly – all in the wrong direction, as far as they’re concerned. If Robert won’t see her for the woman she now is, well, she’ll have to find someone who will. Thus begins another hunt, this one for a husband, Lisa scouring balls to find someone who may not cause desire and passion to course through her veins, but maybe a decent man who will bring a little pleasure to the marriage bed. And she’s not without a number of suitors, one of which is Charles Findlay, the front runner for Lisa. I have to say I do like the idea of Robert having to play bodyguard each and every time Lisa and Findlay go on a picnic or some such “date.” Especially once he begins to change his attitude in how he views Lisa. Suddenly she’s grown up and Robert is sweating it out when he thinks of some other man in possession of those curves and other womanly delights.
But Robert still refuses to give in. See, he has to contend with the Langley curse. Both his father and his grandfather were victims of the curse, their wives being unfaithful no matter how well they were cared for. Therefore, Robert just knows any woman he chooses will do the same to him. Even Lisa. He just has to sit back and wait for it to happen. As you can imagine, Lisa finds this horribly insulting and wants nothing to do with a man who won’t trust her before they even get started. Thinking the only way to make him come ’round is to marry him and show him how wrong he is, Lisa, with the help of her sisters, is set on a course to seduce Robert and eventually be caught in the act, thus forcing their union. However, when it comes right down to it, Lisa realizes she also doesn’t want a man who doesn’t come to her willingly. So her quandary continues.
In between all of this, there is still the Suitor to look out for, and he does strike again. And it’s this event, along with some sage advice from Richard, that makes Robert see how foolish he’s been. Now if he can only rescue Lisa before it’s too late. I kind of had an inkling about the villain early on, but I was never quite sure if I was right. You’re taken in a roundabout misdirection here and there so you don’t guess too soon. It’s chilling how quickly and how ugly the man turns when faced with a defiant Lisa.
While I did enjoy this book, along with Robert and Lisa – and I really like how Ms. Sands brings in the previous characters throughout the book without sacrificing the romance – I don’t feel the same about them as I do Richard and Christiana and even Daniel and Suzette. I wasn’t as intrigued by them, there wasn’t anything in the previous books to snag my interest as totally as it did with the others. I also don’t like all that much the Lisa we first meet in this story. She wants Robert to see her as a woman, but she still has the affect of a young girl. Now, she does realize that herself eventually and she takes steps to get rid of that image, and that’s when she becomes a more attractive character for me. It also takes a bit for Robert to grow on the reader. I think his hiding behind the family curse goes on too long and that irritated me for a while. But they both end up right where they should be, of course.
No one is more surprised than me at my only liking this trilogy and not loving it as I have every other Lynsay Sands book I’ve read. But it’s still enjoyable, and if you’ve not read it, by all means do.
Grade: B-
Summary:
Let the hunt begin…
Lisa Madison wants a husband, and she has just the candidate in mind: Robert Langley. Trouble is, the infuriating man insists on seeing her as the impish girl she once was—even as every other gentleman in London has taken notice of her womanly…charms. When her beauty lands her in danger, it’s Robert who comes to the rescue…only to announce his affections are not of the romantic variety!
Robert saw enough sorrow in his parents’ union to know he wants nothing to do with marriage, which is exactly what he’ll be trapped into if he acts on his desire for the irksome siren. And then Lisa does what Robert least expects: gives up on him! As feigned indifference gives way, blistering passion burns at last. But just before the pair can give in to hard-won bliss, an enemy with unfinished business lurks threatening to destroy them both.
Read an excerpt.
Other books in this series:
