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

by Shana Galen

[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!