Review: Shattered Rainbows

Shattered Rainbows by Mary Jo Putney
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This flits back and forth a little and goes back in time for a large portion of the book which I found a bit odd.

Lord Michael Kenyon first encounters Mrs Catherine Melbourne when he lays wounded, perhaps dying after being injured in the Napoleonic Wars. She fed him water (is that right?) and he lay there listening to her comfort a young dying soldier who wanted his mum.

Fast forward a few years, Napoleon has escaped from prison and is rallying the French behind him. Michael re-enlists and is appointed to help the Duke of Wellington in Brussels, someone suggests that Michael should secure accommodation at a boarding house run by Mrs Melbourne, whose husband is a captain in the cavalry, and another army wife.

I don't believe I've read any of the previous four books in this series, but apparently Michael fell in love with the wife of one of his best friends who turned out to be a scheming, nasty woman and nearly broke their friendship forever. having thought he had learned his lesson, Michael is troubled to discover that he has yet again fallen for a married woman. This time however he is determined to do what is right, even if he can see that her husband is cheating on her every chance he gets.

Fast forward again, it is some time later, Napoleon has been defeated, Catherine's husband has been murdered, but the British Consulate are trying to hush the matter up, and Catherine and her daughter have returned to England. Catherine is the heir to a title and wealth through her paternal grandfather who is Laird of the Isle of Skoal. However, her grandfather is very old-fashioned and expects women to be married and obey their husbands. Catherine begs Michael to help her by pretending to be her husband for a short visit to see her grandfather who is very ill.

I found the very first bit confusing as Michael met up with his friends, I couldn't keep his ex (the sultry Caroline), his other friend's wife Claire, and Caroline straight in my head, not having read the previous books, but that was a temporary confusion.

Then the section of the book set in Brussels was very well done. It set the scene for Catherine and Michael to fall in love whilst also behaving with the utmost propriety. It also allows the reader and the characters to get to know them better.

Finally, the third section (although I hesitate to suggest each section was actually a third of the book) is set on the ancient Viking island of Skoal where the inevitable contenders for the inheritance lend a gothic note to the romance.

I see this was originally published in 1995 and I definitely get that vibe, the detailed backstory, the two MCs being (in their own minds) broken characters, their nobility, it all just has that ring - but not at all in a bad way.

I am actually interested to read the previous books in the series now.

A Kindle freebie.

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