LynneC’s review of The Price of Honor by Emilie Rose
Contemporary Romance published by Harlequin Desire 1 Nov 11
This is a difficult book to like, because of the hero and what he does. But Emilie Rose’s smooth writing style and her skill in depicting characters, together with the heroine, make this a worthwhile read.
I appreciate when a writer, especially a category romance writer, steps outside the box and tries something a little different. While the plot is familiar, the treatment of it and the characters make this an interesting read
Megan has been with Xavier for some time, until the morning she reads about his engagement in a newspaper. She thinks it’s a joke, but Xavier confirms it. He is to marry. He explains to Megan that it’s a marriage of convenience for his business, so he can regain what his father lost, and says there’s no reason they can’t be together until his marriage in twelve months’ time.
Not surprisingly, Megan is hurt, upset, and angry. Xavier doesn’t understand it and is angry when Megan leaves France to go to work with her cousin and friend in the States.
Megan is an equestrienne, and Xavier, who owns a perfume company, is funding her, but she won’t take anything from him, won’t accept him even when she discovers she’s pregnant. But this is no secret baby book. She tells Xavier at the urging of her friend, who comes up with some very cogent arguments. Even then Xavier won’t marry her, but he decides to sue for full custody, since his bride-to-be isn’t keen on having babies.
So far Xavier sounds like a dick. He is, no mistake. At this point we want Megan to kick him into touch. He’s not worth it. But Megan loves Xavier, despite his treatment of her and, while she won’t accept second best, she decides to get him back.
I like Megan. She doesn’t feel sorry for herself, she accepts that she could lose, and she wants to do her best for her baby, but she’s not convinced that, even though Xavier is rich, letting her child be brought up by two busy people is the best for the child. She puts her baby first. Fantastic. Megan is also building a life for herself, and she knows she’ll manage, but it will be a struggle at first. And while she wants Xavier back, it’s on her own terms. An exclusive commitment.
Xavier is hard to understand, until you realize—he’s French. Practical to a fault, with a coldness and a ruthless eye for business. Don’t forget, at the funeral of President Mitterrand, his wife and his mistress with their children walked side by side in the cortege. And the French kings would appoint official mistresses. Although Madame de Pompadour held that title until her death, she probably didn’t have sex with the King for at least the last ten years of her life. The French do things differently.
Emilie Rose has done a good job of depicting the way Xavier thinks. He just doesn’t understand why Megan would be upset. He’s prepared to look after her—even take the child off her hands and raise it as his own, as his heir, and doesn’t see his marriage as an impediment to that. While the conventions of the romance novel would insist that he’s faithful, sometimes a marriage of expedience held that kind of compromise. He’s doesn’t understand the nature of love and the demands it makes, and this is what he has to learn during the course of the book.
The equestrian background is also done very well. I know little about this field, but the story has the confidence and the feel of authenticity. While I can’t say I like Xavier, I could understand him, and that goes a long way towards the fact that I read this book all the way through. Some people will hate it, and even DNF it, because, in American terms, the hero is the definition of a jerk, but maybe it’s not too much of a spoiler to say that the grovel is pretty good, and while it doesn’t make up for some of his behavior, it goes some way towards it.
Read the book for Megan, who is a strong, believable character thrust into a nightmare situation, who copes with it with dignity and independence. She wants Xavier, but if she can’t have him, she’s prepared to accept the consequences and to work towards a future for herself and her child. Without being a martyr. She has a job, she can make it work, but before she dumps his sorry ass, she’s going to have a good try at making him see why his actions are wrong and getting him back.
Grade: B-
Summary:
Aristocratic billionaire Xavier Alexandre had nearly everything: wealth, fame and the love of the beautiful American equestrienne Megan Sutherland. But he also had a secret—a mistake he was honor-bound to reverse.
Megan has her own secrets, but her plans for the future are no match for the Alexandre heritage. When her dashing lover reveals what he must do to safeguard his family name, she knows their destiny is to part. Unless Xavier can win her back. But to do so he must sacrifice all he has been taught to hold dear.
Read an excerpt. (scroll down)
