The Lawrence Browne Affair

This review was copied from my romance novel review blog: romanticallyinclinedreviews.blogspot.com I’ve been playing a fun game this week called “Let’s See How Many Cat Sebastian Books I Can Read”. I’m winning. I re-read The Ruin of a Rake. Then started The Soldier’s Scoundrel. Finished that in less than a day and then immediately downloaded, started, and finished The Lawrence Browne Affair. I’m in love. I do believe that this might be the first romance novel I’ve ever read where the main character suffers from a very evident psychological disorder—in this case a strong anxiety disorder. It’s undiagnosed, given the time, and unfortunately everyone writes the strange Earl off as a mad recluse. Becoming a madman is exactly what Lawrence Browne is afraid of, it runs in the family after all. He spends all his time working on complicated inventions, is completely intolerant of other people, and relies on his loyal canine to get him through frequent bouts of anxiety. And yet, beneath all that terrifying and mysterious exterior is a man with ragged self-esteem and no confidence in himself. It was so terribly sad to watch Lawrence doubt himself time and time again. Enter Georgie. Georgie is a swindler through and through who has inserted himself in Lawrence’s life for two reasons. First, the job opening for a secretary gives him the perfect excuse to leave London and escape the gang that’s hunting him down. Second, the mad Earl is the perfect mark for yet another scheme of his.…

--What are the Issues-- Georgie is a con artist and a thief and that life has served him well up to this point -- until he gets soft over a mark. When he can't follow through on his con he gets into hot water with the local "gang" leader Mattie Brewster, and he must find a safe place to hide out. Georgie has never let personal connections or love be a part of his life outside his siblings and he doesn't know how he can live an honest life. Lawrence doesn't want a new secretary but there are concerns from family members that he's not fit to care for the estate or his son. Lawrence doesn't care either way, he just wants to work on his experiments and be left alone. He suffers from anxiety whenever away from home or when there are too many people or loud noises around. He believes he has the same madness his brother and father suffered from. --What I Liked and Didn’t Liked-- Writing, Pace, Voice -- Once again the writing was great on this one and I truly enjoy reading Cat Sebastian's writing. It's a great pace and I feel myself getting sucked into the story really well. There was a fair amount of stuff going on in this book but I felt that Sebastian balances it all well and keeps the story going without getting bogged down in any one story line. Plot and Series Elements -- I enjoyed this one but I liked the plot of the previous book, The Soldier's Scoundrel a little bit more. Maybe it's because Jack Turner was trying to live a more honest life while Georgie is perfectly…

Georgie Turner has gotten himself into a heap of trouble by not going along with with a recent con to defraud an elderly woman after an attack of conscience gets the better of him. When his brother Jack suggests sending him off to Cornwall to assist in assessing the mental health state of the ‘mad’ Earl of Radnor, he readily agrees, hoping to figure out a way to solve the predicament he’s put his family in. Arriving at Penkellis, the disrepair and general shoddiness of the manor seem to indicate that something is definitely amiss. Lawrence, the Earl of Radnor, worries that the madness that afflicted his father, and then his brother is lying in wait to claim him too. Anxiety attacks are common reactions for him when things are out of the ordinary. To combat this, he immerses himself in experiments, working on the science behind a machine that would enable messages to be sent long distances with wires. With only a cook and housekeeper left after the departure of all the other servants, the appearance of Georgie, purporting to be a secretary sent by his vicar is a shock to his system – in more ways than one. Not only is he not used to company, he’s not used to the feelings that get under his skin around the man himself. Lawrence and Georgie slowly establish an odd sort of friendship, that creates trust between them, and soon enough something more. But with Georgie’s past criminal behavior catching up to him, will the happiness they’ve found together be all for naught? What a…

What use is love to a man doomed to go mad? What use is romance to a man doomed to crime or death? Lawrence Browne, the Earl of Radnor, and Georgie Turner, a confidence man and swindler, are both trapped by the circumstances of their births and their own imposed limitations on their lives. Neither man has any expectations that their lives will be happy or that love is in the stars for them. And yet, when they meet, their chemistry and compatibility cannot be denied. Although society deems both of these men imperfect and unsavory, together they are the perfect fit. Cat Sebastian is a beautiful writer. Her prose is gorgeous, her dialogue flows, and the plot streams forward at a steady pace – neither lagging nor feeling rushed. The characters she creates are so full of depth and layers, they are as complex creations that feel so real I expect to find their portraits hanging in an art gallery somewhere. These characters are not perfect, and their faults and complexities are portrayed very well. There’s nothing cheesy or corny about this historical romance. Although there is drama, it’s not overdone nor melodramatic. The drama is thrilling -- not eye-rolling cliché. I loved the first book in this series, and I highly suggest that book is read first before reading this one, although this book can stand on its own if it must. This is definitely my favorite book of the series so far, and I will be reading the next book immediately. I can’t recommend this book highly enough.

Ever put off reading a book because the cover just was annoying or super hokey? That is what happened with me and reading the first book in this series, A Soldier's Scoundrel. But I kept going back to it and rereading the reviews and finally decided to try it. The reviews got it right. Good story line. Characters that were real in their rough edges and weaknesses and strengths... I can say the same for this book. The angst was a bit overboard at certain points with Georgie, but that's a pretty minor issue overall. The writing is solid. The characters fleshed out and again real. Enjoyable, funny at times, a bit sad at others. The story revolves around getting to know the characters as they get to know each other. The sexual interactions are not superfluous but instead a natural progression and not overly used so that you don't feel like all you are reading is one sex scene after another. Recommend this as a good, non-sticky romance that leaves you pretty satisfied in the end.