I’ve been
playing a fun game this week called “Let’s See How Many Cat Sebastian Books I
Can Read”. I’m winning. I re-read The
Ruin of a Rake. Then started The Soldier’s Scoundrel. Finished that in less than a day and then
immediately downloaded, started, and finished The Lawrence Browne Affair. I’m
in love.
I do believe
that this might be the first romance novel I’ve ever read where the main
character suffers from a very evident psychological disorder—in this case a
strong anxiety disorder. It’s
undiagnosed, given the time, and unfortunately everyone writes the strange Earl
off as a mad recluse. Becoming a madman
is exactly what Lawrence Browne is afraid of, it runs in the family after
all. He spends all his time working on
complicated inventions, is completely intolerant of other people, and relies on
his loyal canine to get him through frequent bouts of anxiety. And yet, beneath all that terrifying and
mysterious exterior is a man with ragged self-esteem and no confidence in
himself. It was so terribly sad to watch
Lawrence doubt himself time and time again.
Enter
Georgie. Georgie is a swindler through
and through who has inserted himself in Lawrence’s life for two reasons. First, the job opening for a secretary gives
him the perfect excuse to leave London and escape the gang that’s hunting him
down. Second, the mad Earl is the
perfect mark for yet another scheme of his.
When Georgie arrives at the ramshackle castle he expects to find a mad
man, but is surprised to find a lonely, scatterbrained, brilliant—albeit misunderstood—man. Georgie knows he isn’t going man, Lawrence is
simply different. But Lawrence doesn’t
see it that way and he’s convinced that he must push others away in order to
save them. As Georgie learns more about
Lawrence he begins to question whether he can actually go through with his plan
to fleece the man.
Together
Georgie and Lawrence explore one another tentatively and emotionally. Lawrence is convinced that his feelings for
men are shameful and sinful, but slowly Georgie’s love and attentiveness
convinces him that he has nothing to feel ashamed about. It was an absolute pleasure to watch Lawrence
be accepted for who he was rather than looked down upon for his differences. Their love was full of a tenderness that absolutely
cannot be compared to any other relationship out there. Brief respites of love for a man who spent
his life receiving very little of it.
Every scene
with Georgie and Lawrence left me feeling drugged and bothered. However, there was plenty of excitement in
the subplots to dampen some of my disappointment in the scenes not directly
related to Lawrence and Georgie.
Smugglers, angry townspeople, Lawrence’s estranged son, and a rakish
uncle will keep the readers more than occupied.
I was positively thrilled to uncover the mysteries the lay around the
decrepit castle in Penkellis.
I’m telling
you. There was nothing about this book
that I didn’t love with my whole heart.
It was some of the best writing combined with some of the best
characters and those two combined equaled a book that I will read and reread time
and again. My heart explodes every time
I pick up one of Cat Sebastian’s novels, whether it be the first of the
fourteenth time. Her books will never
bore you. They’re the sort of books you’ll
think about late at night when you’re trying to fall asleep and early in the
morning when you’ve just woken up.
Reading this books make you feel like you’re a part of something amazing
and if you don’t buy them all up you’ll be missing out on something special and
unique.
View Cat's Amazon page here.
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