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Writer's pictureCaitlyn Lynch

Blog Tour and Book Review: The Scoundrel's Bartered Bride by Virginia Heath


The Scoundrel’s Bartered Bride

Marriage…To the highest bidder

Lady Lydia Barton cannot seem to avoid Owen Wolfe since he returned after being wrongly transported for stealing her family’s jewels! But Lydia has more pressing problems―like her impending arranged marriage. Until Owen makes her father a counter-offer for her hand. Is Owen purely after her society connections? Or does Lydia dare hope that the charming stable boy she once loved is still within her ruthless, wealthy new husband?


My Review:

Lady Lydia Barton is getting married… to the highest bidder for her hand. Her father is desperate for a quick influx of cash to pay his debts, and his daughter’s hand in marriage is a valuable asset. Lydia’s opinion on the matter is not sought. The front runner is an old, piggish Marquess who horrifies her, but he’s pipped at the post by a man who might be worse, Owen Wolfe. Owen and Lydia have a history of the worst sort… she was sixteen and he eighteen when he was caught stealing her mother’s jewels, convicted and shipped off to Australia. Now he’s back, inexplicably successful and wealthy, running an exclusive gentlemen’s club.

Owen does come across, at times, a bit too good to be true. Considering the horrors he’s endured, he’s really astoundingly chill about getting his revenge. I know I’d be holding a grudge, but he doesn’t really seem all that worried about anything except Lydia knowing he was innocent. There was a vast class divide them back then which is now bridged by his having money and her father needing it, but there’s a bit of a frustrating lack of explanation as to just how Owen managed to learn to move pretty seamlessly in high society. I really enjoyed his friendship with Randolph, a major side character who has dwarfism. Married to a normal woman and with 3 (later 4) kids, Randolph is a charming breath of fresh air, and it’s nice to see a dwarf character portrayed as a romantic hero in his own right, even as a side story.

Although this book looks as though the conflict is going to be internal between the protagonists, it’s actually the external forces which threaten their happiness the most, and the exploration of these makes for an intriguing story. I admit I saw the villain reveal coming a mile off, but then there were a very limited number of potential candidates, and it still carried a big emotional impact for Lydia when she discovered the depth of betrayal.

This is a thoroughly enjoyable read from a top-notch author who really knows how to do her research. The description of the prison hulks and the life of a convict in Port Jackson, while not dwelled on, were gut-wrenching, and one can only imagine the horrors that so many endured. I very much enjoyed this and I’m happy to give it five stars.


Disclaimer: I received a review copy of this title via Rachel’s Random Resources.


Author Bio – When Virginia Heath was a little girl it took her ages to fall asleep, so she made up stories in her head to help pass the time while she was staring at the ceiling. As she got older, the stories became more complicated, sometimes taking weeks to get to the happy ending. Then one day, she decided to embrace the insomnia and start writing them down. Despite that, it still takes her forever to fall asleep.


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Giveaway to Win 2 x e-copies of The Scoundrel’s Bartered Bride (Open INT

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*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome. Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below. The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.



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