Third Son's a Charm (Survivors, #1)

by Shana Galen

Ewan Mostyn thinks a job as a duke's daughter's bodyguard will be easy—but Lady Lorraine has a few tricks up her sleeve that spark an undeniable passion.
"I know we aren't suited. You are silent, and I speak all the time. You're a younger son with no fortune or title, and I'm the daughter of a duke. You are a brave war hero, and I've never done anything of any note. But I cannot seem to help how I feel when we are together. You are the only true thing in my life. Don't you see? Everything else is a diversion."
Fiercely loyal to the survivor's club that make up his friends and comrades, Ewan Mostyn is the toughest in a group of younger sons of nobility who met as soldiers and are now trying desperately to settle back into peaceful Society. Ewan trusts his brawn more than his brains, but when he's offered a job watching the Duke of Ridlington's stubbornly independent daughter, he finds both are challenged.
Lady Lorraine wants none of her father's high-handed ways, and she'll do everything in her power to avoid her distressingly attractive bodyguard—until she lands herself in real trouble. Lorraine begins to see Ewan's protectiveness in a new light, and she can only hope that her stoic guardian will do for her what he's always done—fight for what he wants.
Praise for Shana Galen's Regency Romance Third Son's a Charm:
"Shana Galen's deliciously brooding hero and delightfully quirky heroine turn this tale of adventure into an endearing love story that kept me up all hours reading… Wonderful!"—SABRINA JEFFRIES, New York Times bestselling author
"Shana Galen delivers again!… A sharp, poignant battle of wills between a wonderful wounded hero and the only heroine brave enough to get past his defenses. Don't miss it!"—EILEEN DREYER, New York Times bestselling author
"Galen charms readers with poignant and unforgettable characters, humor, and a passionate page-turning tale that's impossible to put down"—LORRAINE HEATH, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author

• ISBN10: 1492657034
• ISBN13: 9781492657033
• Publish Date: 7 November 2017
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Sourcebooks Casablanca
• Format: Paperback (US Mass Market)
• Pages: 416
• Language: English

Reviews

[Berls]

4.5 stars
I loved the characters in this so much! Lady Lorraine is such a modern woman and is facing all the problems that come with being a modern woman in her time period. She wants independence, freedom, and love. They would have considered her wanton back then, if they knew all she desired, and I loved that about her. She has no problem saying that it's wrong that men are expected to be lusty and that women are expected to have no interest in love and sex. *high five* She's a little naive though and maybe she wants it bad enough that she's in danger of making some really bad choices. Thankfully, she has people looking out for her.

Including Ewan! Gah, what a great hero! He's hired to be her "body guard" although his main job is to keep her from eloping from his HORRIBLE, NO GOOD cousin. I loved that he's the third son and, if that weren't enough he has a learning disability (we would call it dyslexia now) that made his family cast him off as dumb. It's sad, but I love the way he's made a life for himself anyway. He has a great reputation from his time as a soldier and I love the relationships he has with his men.

Seeing the way Ewan and Lorraine fall in love -- it's the natural consequence of time spent together, not some immediate lust -- was really enjoyable. Their interactions were great and they pretty much went from a hate (at least on her part) to love scenario. A favorite trope of mine.

And we've got a smaller, yet really enjoyable, second chance romance happening between Lady Lorraine's parents. They drifted and took lovers (or let people think they did) and now they're trying to fall back in love. A nice little addition.

Once again a real win from Shana Galen. I listened to the audiobook and the narration was great - I really felt the characters and the voices brought them to life for me. I was able to listen at 2x speed no problem! The action and romance carried me away and I read Third Son's a Charm pretty quick. Definitely will read more in the series... I hope!

[stacey_is_sassy]

I'm glad I went back...

I started reading this series with book number two, loved it so much that I decided to go back to book one. I'm so glad that I did. The Survivors are a group of men who fought in the war and lived. They're scarred, fight nightmares and struggle at times to return to their normal lives. What makes these men and this series fantastic is seeing such loyalty and dedication to each other. No questions asked, they have each other's back.

The love story was great and I loved seeing the talkative Lorrie bring the quiet giant out of his shell. This was a steamy story with a heroine who has an awakening passion she wants to share.

The storyline was interesting with a little intrigue, a secret exposed and a rescue mission that needs The Survivors to put on their dancing shoes. I was thoroughly entertained from start to finish.

This series is quickly becoming a favourite and I can't wait for more.

This fell a bit flat for me. Lorraine was kind of dumb. It was fairly obvious she didn't love Francis and she knew that, she just insisted on ignoring it which was dumb. I really didn't like how she was such a rude spoiled brat at the beginning when Ewan saved her from being killed. She didn't even bother to thank him and barely even acknowledged him. It didn't endear me to her.

Ewan not being able to read (he's dyslexic) was an interesting storyline, I particularly liked that Lorraine was the one to come up with a solution to the financial problems. There were some funny lines when Ewan got together with Neil and Jasper and I liked the storyline of the parents, but overall I just didn't feel the connection to the characters.