When an author takes a character from a previous book, who is hateful and pretentious and then transforms her into a loveable heroine with such finesse, this is a story worth reading from an author who should be on your must read list. Such is the case with TO WED HIS CHRISTMAS LADY by Christi Caldwell.
As the story begins, Lady Cara Falcot awaits at her finishing school for her father's carriage to retrieve her on the cusp of the Christmas holidays. But that carriage never comes and the lady who has already built a wall of ice around her heart, continues on. Lady Cara's father once again has put yet another ache in her already tender heart.When she takes a carriage borrowed from another family, she ends up in a snow storm, stranded at an inn with people she would normally never consort with.
William Hargrove, the Marquess of Grafton has spent the last eight years shirking his familial duty. Betrothed to a woman he holds in dislike has him escaping England to live before he is tied down in an unhappy marriage. His sojourn is up and upon his return to England, Will winds up caught in the snowstorm and seeking refuge at an inn. William is already present when a difficult young lady comes to the inn an causes upheaval immediately. Will finds the lady to be a nuisance, but of course there is always a story behind the facade.
Neither William nor Cara realize that they are betrothed to one another, each keeping their identities to themselves. During their stay at the inn, the pair aggravate one another while they become acquainted with one another and the realization that underneath the cool exteriors they present, is a person worth knowing. But William knows he has a bride waiting for him and Cara's fiance awaits her as well, so there is little or no future for the couple who soon find themselves with deep feelings for one another. William helps open Cara's heart that has been hidden by years of disappointment but will opening that heart only lead to it breaking when she loses Will?
I have to tell you that Lady Cara was truly a despicable character in Christi Caldwell's TO LOVE A LORD. The challenge of taking that despicable character and making the reader actually come to like her is one this author achieved with this wonderfully told story. There is definitely a lesson to be learned. Sometimes the facade presented hides the truth and with a little care and understanding that facade melts away leaving a wonder to be beheld. Such is the tale of William and Cara.
~KIMBERLY~
I think I may need to read this series out of order. If I disliked her in the previous book, I would probably not want to read her as a heroine!
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