Other reviewers at this site have liked Julia London’s novels, so I was looking forward to reading this one. This is an unfortunate example of what different tastes we reviewers have.

Adrian Spence kills one of his best friends at the opening of this novel. He and his remaining two friends, a group known as the Rogues of Regent Street, take off in different directions to try to recover. Adrian ends up at his father’s house, where he ends up being disinherited by his father in favor of his spineless younger brother. For revenge, Adrian marries Lilliana Dashell, the woman his brother loves and whose land his father will gain when they marry. Lilliana agrees because she’s always loved Adrian and believes he remembers her. The result is a marriage that puts both people through hell during most of the novel.

Adrian is supposed to be a rogue. When I hear that used to describe a man in a historical novel, I think of a charming bad boy. I admit it’s a stereotype, but it’s what I expect. Adrian is the total opposite. Morose after his friend’s death, he acts like he hates women and he’s very cold to Lilliana – except in the bedroom.

This novel is one Big Misunderstanding. Adrian and Lilliana are together at night, but apart during the day. They might as well spend the novel apart. While the story is written in such a way that it gives the reader an opportunity to know individual characters, it does not allow the reader to see them developing feelings for one another. There is also the initial issue of distrust to contend with as Adrian suspects Lilliana of having an affair with his brother. However, when a major accident results in his injury, Adrian has to let Lilliana take care of him. As a result, they grow closer.

This is where I began to have hope. Lilliana and Adrian began to be a sweet couple when they were together at this point. I actually enjoyed them – for a while. Then, wham – another Big Misunderstanding! This is where I lost all hope. And, even though there’s a nice twist at the end surrounding Adrian’s father’s hatred toward him, the fact that his father and brother are so thoroughly unlikable did nothing to improve this book.

Despite glimmers of hope in the lead characters, I ultimately found them too irritating to enjoy. I couldn’t connect with either major character, and despite the controversy between father and son, it is a mostly character-driven novel. Adrian does a wonderful grovel at the end, but it’s not enough to redeem him in this reviewer’s eyes.