Review: Shattered Dreams by Laura Landon

Title: Shattered Dreams

Author: Laura Landon

Genre: Historical Romance
Publisher: Prairie Muse
Pub. Date: Nov. 1, 2010
Overall Rating: 4/5
Heat Rating: 2/5

~*~Book Blurb~*~

Brentan Montgomery, Earl of Charfield has one love - his stable of Arabian horses. When he is offered breeding rights to the Marquess of Fellingsdown’s prize Arabian, El Solidar, if for two weeks he acts as companion to Fellingsdown’s sister, he doesn’t care if the reclusive Lady Elyssa has three chins and a dozen hairy moles, the prize at the end is worth anything he has to endure. But when he meets the elusive Lady Elyssa Prescott, all thoughts of gaining a prize Arabian colt disappear. He realizes he’s met the woman of his dreams - if only he can keep her from discovering the deceit that brought them together and convince her that her imperfections don’t matter to him.

Lady Elyssa Prescott knows what it’s like to be ridiculed and shunned. But when Brent Montgomery lets her glimpse a world where her limitations aren’t important, she believes it’s possible for her dreams to become a reality. Until she discovers the man with whom she’s fallen in love was ‘hired’ to offer her everything she’s always dreamed of having.

The cruel reality of a love built on deceit shatters both their dreams and threatens to destroy their lives forever.

If you're looking for a sweet historical romance with a clear theme, great characters, and a mini-side story (complete with sub-plot) tucked into the main plot, then this may be what you're looking for.

The blurb offers a good overview of what this sweet Regency romance is about. Brent Montgomery, Earl of Charfield, is near "perfect", on every matchmaking mama's most desirable list, and has a negative image of marriage (thanks to his parents horrible and embarrassing marriage), and additionally because he has yet to find someone to love. However, one beautiful, and hiding-out woman may just be the one who changes his views on love and his outlook on his titled position and future.

Elyssa Prescott has willingly hidden herself away in the country, away from the ridiculing ton, and with her family that would do anything and everything for her. When she meets Brent, she's immediately swept away by England's must eligible bachelor, with his good looks, charming attitude, and high intelligence. But, despite Elyssa's own beauty and intelligence, she feels inadequate, ugly, and unworthy towards ever capturing the likes of someone like Brent. Brent, however, refuses to let her physical disability get in the way towards how he feels toward her or convincing her that her place is at his side as his wife and future mother of his children.

I thoroughly enjoyed the characters! I loved how Brent treated Elyssa. He was a formidable strength for her, treated her as if she could do everything, and never once treated her like an "cripple". Elyssa herself was strong, intellegent, and determined. Her only major fault was her own image at being someone's wife, or even lover, leaving herself feeling unworthy of every being wanted or desired by anyone, especially someone like Brent who seemed to have it all, including all the attention of Society -- something Elyssa tried desparetly to hide from ever since her extremely painful debut years prior.

The biggest problem that shadowed the relationship development of the hero and heroine was the fact that Brent and Ellysa's meeting was contrived by her brothers to cover the mistake of her sisters of creating a false admirer for Elyssa. This made for the greatest external conflict and my biggest complaints of the resolution. It really bothered me that Brent received all of Ellysa's ire and not her brothers or sisters for concocting the ridiculous plan. I also wished that Ellysa could have realized just how much Brent truly loved her, gave herself a little more credit, as well as not wait as long to admit her own love towards Brent.

Additionally, I enjoyed author Laura Landon's writing style. She did a great job at depicting the emotions of the characters and creating enjoyable secondary characters as well.

Included in this story as part of a sub-plot was the relationship between Harrison,  Marquess of Fellingsdown, Elyssa's oldest brother, and Lady Cassy Lathamton. It was a heartfelt, slightly mysterious unraveling of the plot inclusion, but I almost felt as though it could have had it's own separate book with additional development.  

Overall, this was a good, sweet, Regency romance that included a great message, unique circumstances with a rocky, yet romantic relationship between the heroine with a physical disability and the near perfect sexy hero, and an enjoyable writing style.
 

Shattered Dreams is currently $0.99 at Amazon.com.