'She could not have said what drew her attention, only that it was drawn, almost as if she were compelled to look at him. He was dressed somberly, in a black coat and trousers, black shoes. His hair was cut short. Deep auburn, it was burnished by the silver-yellow rays of the setting sun filtered through the darkening clouds, giving him the look of a fallen angel.'

Plot

Lady Cordelia Armstrong, the youngest of the Armstrong sisters, has returned home after eloping nearly ten years ago. It isn't long before her controlling father is planning a betrothal for her, to none other than her former lover Iain Hunter.

Although furious at her father, she agrees to go along with Iain's proposition of a temporary fake engagement, in order to travel with him to Arabia and be reunited with her sisters. Although the betrothal is false, there is no escaping the burning desire between them. Can either of them really walk away when the deal is done?

My thoughts

This is the fifth book in the Armstrong Sister's series by Margeurite Kaye. Including this book, I've now read Cressie, Caro, and Cordelia's stories, and I'm looking forward to getting stuck into the first two of the series.

I've thoroughly enjoyed the Armstrong Sisters stories so far, as I always admire their strong female characters. However, their father, Lord Armstrong, always has a large part to play in these books, and I have to say that I'm disliking him more and more with each book I read. However, he gets his comeuppance in this book, and I'm not ashamed to admit that I had a good chuckle at his expense.

Cordelia is the youngest of the Armstrong sisters, and as such, has seen her older sisters grow up and fly the nest. All of her sisters have found happiness and married the men that they love, despite their father's wishes, and Cordelia is the only one unmarried. This of course sparks her father to try and marry her off as soon as she returns from her long absence. He knows how much she wants to see her family again, so he uses this against her in order to get her to bend to his will. He didn't count on Cordelia already being familiar with his business associate Iain Hunter, and the pair strike up a deal that benefits them both.

The story is told through alternating points of view, between Cordelia an Iain. I always enjoy stories that are told in this way, as I find it interesting to see into both of their minds and to also see how they interpret each situation differently. It also gave me an opportunity to learn more about Iain's character, and his mysterious family. I loved watching their feelings for each other growing, as they spent more time together. They try so hard to deny the feelings exist, but there are some feelings that just won't go away.

I'd like to thank the author Marguerite Kaye for providing me with a free copy of her book to read and review. Once again I've loved every page of the story and struggled to put it down. It's the type of book that you can curl up and relax with, and before you know it, you've read half of it! I highly recommend this book to lovers of Historical Romance with strong female characters.

( )

This wasn't a bad read, I read it a while ago and remember wondering what had gone before with the heroine's sisters and then I remembered how much I dislike the arabian prince trope and the moment passed.

Lady Cordelia Armstrong is pretending to be a widow as this keeps some of the questions at bay and is convinced by her father to go on a business trip to deal with some of his business in the Arab states with Iain Hunter, a former lover.

It's interesting and not a bad read but not really my thing. I did think that the characters had worked out a lot of their issues and had come to a place where they wanted their relationship to succeed. ( )

*I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Unwed and Unrepentant is the fifth book in a series from which I've only read the previous book but, like I mentioned in my opinion of that book, each story is independent enough to allow for an isolated reading.

The protagonist is Cordelia, the last of the Armstrong sisters to have her story told. In the previous book the author had already hinted at the fact that Cordelia had run away from home and no one knew her whereabouts. Now, nine years later, Cordelia returns to her father's house with the purpose of reconciling and resuming her relationship with her sisters. Contrary to what her father might have thought, though, Cordelia didn't come running with her tail between her legs, she doesn't need him for she has her own means of subsistence. But even so, her father manages to complicate things for her by telling her she'll only be a part of the family again if she marries the man he has chosen for her: Iain Hunter. The man she spent a night with a year ago.

Cordelia won't even consider her father's proposal until Iain comes up with the idea of a fake engagement so they'll both get what they want. Because, you see, Iain is a member of the bourgeoisie, he owns a shipyard and he wants to get a contract with Cordelia's brother-in-law, the sheikh to whom Celia has married, to build ships in Arabia. But Cordelia's father will only give him the business if he allies himself with Cordelia. And that's exactly what he does, although not exactly in the way Lord Armstrong thinks...

The attraction they felt for each other a year ago is as strong or even stronger than it was back then so, even though it's a fake engagement, it doesn't mean it can't be consummated, right?

Even more than the story, it were the characters that enchanted me in this book, and that made me give it a five star classification. Cordelia is an independent woman who has decided, long ago, that she was never going to get married and subject herself to the will of any man. Besides that, she is also a woman ahead of her time, comfortable with her sexuality and shameless about having sexual relations with strangers something that, at the time, was a male exclusive. I loved Cordelia because she is faithful to her principles till the end and she doesn't turn into a silly woman just because she fell in love.

And Iain is also lovely... Being a member of the bourgeoisie, he has always had to work and fight for what he has and that's maybe why he can understand Cordelia's reasons. And even though he is always trying to seduce her, never once does he try to change her, he accepts her as she is and likes her that way. And he is always truthful to her, and that was another thing I enjoyed immensely, the sincerity of their relationship. They talk things through and they clarify situations and positions, always with mutual respect.

A romance I sincerely recommend, different from the others I have read, and probably with the most functional relationship I have ever read. And that leaves nothing to desire in terms of sensuality and romance. Oh, I did I mention that Iain is Scottish, and sometimes talks with an accent? ( )