Tempering the Viscount’s Envy

Viscount William Chattsworth is invited to come to London by his cousin, the Duke of Wyndmere. When William gets to London, he meets Lady Calliope Harrington. William feels attraction to Calliope, but discovering she is poor he ignores it. When William asks the duke for money to help save his home, the duke refuses because he lied about his situation. William leaves almost knocking Calliope down the stairs but is able to save her instead. Unfortunately, William’s good deed forces him to marry Calliope. In order to make amends, William must work for the duke while Calliope is sent to William’s home. As William works, he discovers things about himself, his missing father and his growing love for Calliope. Calliope in turns remains faithful while waiting for William to come home.

Ms. Admirand writes an emotionally somber tale filled with tragedy yet is still able to find peace. Visually, the story portrays all locations quite succinctly and easily. Sadly, there is much going on that it is a bit overwhelming. Calliope, the delicate heroine, seems weak and never loses that fragile demeanor making it difficult to see a strong resilient woman. William spends almost the entire novel upset, angry and resentful of everything, so he never quite wins the reader over. The romance between William and Calliope is also unbelievable since they spend the majority of their time apart from each other. Calliope develops more of a closeness to her guard so it would have been better if both of them ended up together instead. This book is really an intriguing historical with slight romantic aspects and real conflicted familial drama!

Roslynn Ernst