What do you think?
Rate this book
The Survivors #1
Third Son's a Charm
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...
Fiercely loyal to 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.
Fiercely loyal to 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.
401 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published November 7, 2017
About the author
Shana Galen
80 books1,477 followersShana Galen is three-time Rita award nominee and the bestselling author of fast-paced, witty, and adventurous Regency romances. Kirkus says of her books, "The road to happily-ever-after is intense, conflicted, suspenseful and fun," and RT Bookreviews calls her books “lighthearted yet poignant, humorous yet touching." She taught English at the middle and high school level off and on for eleven years. Most of those years were spent working in Houston's inner city. Now she writes full time. She's happily married and has a daughter who is most definitely a romance heroine in the making.
Want to know more? Visit Shana's website at http://www.shanagalen.com and sign up to be notified when Shana has a new release http://bit.ly/ShanaGalenNews
Want to know more? Visit Shana's website at http://www.shanagalen.com and sign up to be notified when Shana has a new release http://bit.ly/ShanaGalenNews
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 465 reviews
November 7, 2017
*DNF at 75%*
Though most readers seem to really love this one, I struggled through Third Son's a Charm before finally putting it down for the last time after reading ~300 pages.
I really enjoyed the male MC, who was the big, brooding type with a learning disability (one of my favorite themes in romance). The strong, silent hero is a weakness of mine, and I actually really liked the set-up to the story. It was interesting, if a little predictable, and I was excited to see where it went.
Unfortunately, the heroine ruined it for me.
I found Lady Lorraine to be insufferable. She acted like a spoiled, immature child, just TSTL in so many ways. Though I liked that she was a rare sex-positive female MC in historical romance, she was really irksome in other ways. Honestly, what tipped me over the edge was her insistence on marrying Francis, the MC Ewan's cousin, even after knowing he was an absolute jerk. Though I was expecting that love triangle in the beginning of the story, when Lorraine is STILL kissing the other man at 65%, I just checked out. It was unforgivable, in my opinion.
I also had issues with the multiple POVs and the duel storylines. I usually like one or two POVs, and the side story with Lady Lorraine's parents distracted from the main story. It also didn't feel historically appropriate, which doesn't usually bother me much, but it bothered me here.
I think this author is actually talented, and while I liked parts of the story, I didn't like Lorraine and I found the plot to be surprisingly hard to engage with. I kept putting it down and had a difficult time picking it up again. A miss for me.
*Copy provided in exchange for an honest review*
Though most readers seem to really love this one, I struggled through Third Son's a Charm before finally putting it down for the last time after reading ~300 pages.
I really enjoyed the male MC, who was the big, brooding type with a learning disability (one of my favorite themes in romance). The strong, silent hero is a weakness of mine, and I actually really liked the set-up to the story. It was interesting, if a little predictable, and I was excited to see where it went.
Unfortunately, the heroine ruined it for me.
I found Lady Lorraine to be insufferable. She acted like a spoiled, immature child, just TSTL in so many ways. Though I liked that she was a rare sex-positive female MC in historical romance, she was really irksome in other ways. Honestly, what tipped me over the edge was her insistence on marrying Francis, the MC Ewan's cousin, even after knowing he was an absolute jerk. Though I was expecting that love triangle in the beginning of the story, when Lorraine is STILL kissing the other man at 65%, I just checked out. It was unforgivable, in my opinion.
I also had issues with the multiple POVs and the duel storylines. I usually like one or two POVs, and the side story with Lady Lorraine's parents distracted from the main story. It also didn't feel historically appropriate, which doesn't usually bother me much, but it bothered me here.
I think this author is actually talented, and while I liked parts of the story, I didn't like Lorraine and I found the plot to be surprisingly hard to engage with. I kept putting it down and had a difficult time picking it up again. A miss for me.
*Copy provided in exchange for an honest review*
September 17, 2021
Have I mentioned lately that I'm now obsessed with Shana Galen? Because I'm obsessed with her. This book was SO PRECIOUS and I loved it. This is a bodyguard romance and our hero is hired to keep the daughter of a duke safe and away from the man she wants to elope with. She's captivated by Ewan, but she's mostly annoyed that he's keeping her away from the man she thinks she loves but who everyone else thinks is using her for her money. I absolutely loved Ewan and how he was this giant man that was really hurt in his past by his family. He can't read well (undiagnosed Dyslexia), and has always been seen as stupid and useless. My heart went out to him and I loved how much Lorraine wanted to help him and show him how smart and special he was. My heart! I also loved how they slowly fell for each other and had an undeniable attraction. Of course, Ewan didn't think he could ever be good enough for her and I was just swooning over the romance. Definitely a new favorite of mine!
April 24, 2021
"Third Son's a Charm" is the first book in a rather long series about "The Survivors" about 12 remaining alive soldiers who have fought long and hard in the Napoleon wars but now strives to find their places in the Society.This instalment opens up the story about Ewan Mostyn,the third son of a duke who feels unwanted by the world.Because of his reputation of discipline in action another duke chooses him as a bodyguard for his careless daughter,Lorraine Caldwell.While Ewan does everything to stop her from eloping with the man he despises,Lorraine finds herself losing her heart to this giant brute she sees as her Viking.We also get a secondary romance about Lorraine`s parents who after all years of betrayals and angst find themselves falling in love with each other all over again. Shana Galen is a new author to me and i have heard great stuff about this series.She writes with a flow i can comprehend and creates hilarious dialuge and situations that makes you laugh.Both Lorraine and Ewan are opposite in personalities,but in a way clearly the same.Their relationship came off so naturally that i sighed with the pleasure of it.
Most people would say that Lorraine Caldwell are spoiled,brainless and too stubborn to the point of dumb...but i thought her too much of a fascinating heroine.She had so much spirit in her,so much passion and love for what she believed in.Loyal to the core and a fresh breath of air for all the stunts she pulled through to get to her goals.Her way of talking too much without thinking endeared her to me,and her way of changing topics all the time.Oh and her selfless love for her little dog,just so cute!!!Ewan never saw her coming poor man-they belonged with each other and together they took me into a mindblowing journey i will never forget.
Ewan Mostyn also known as The Protector among the Survivors have seen war and death and had been forced to assassinate many enemies to protect the suicide squad.He had been bullied all his life because of not knowing how to read and have been called a "lackwit" all his life.He loves food so much that he is hungry all the time.He thinks himself as a dumb brute and are afraid of not being worthy of Lorrie`s love.Ewan stole my heart with his strength and vulnerability-of wanting to belong and yearning for his fathers acceptance.Lorrie becomes his reason to live,she becomes the ying to his yang.Where he was stoic,she was flying around,where he was quiet,she talked all the time,where he was ice,she was fire-together they formed a mixture of excitement,belonging,trust,passion and sweet sweet blissful love.
Most people would say that Lorraine Caldwell are spoiled,brainless and too stubborn to the point of dumb...but i thought her too much of a fascinating heroine.She had so much spirit in her,so much passion and love for what she believed in.Loyal to the core and a fresh breath of air for all the stunts she pulled through to get to her goals.Her way of talking too much without thinking endeared her to me,and her way of changing topics all the time.Oh and her selfless love for her little dog,just so cute!!!Ewan never saw her coming poor man-they belonged with each other and together they took me into a mindblowing journey i will never forget.
Ewan Mostyn also known as The Protector among the Survivors have seen war and death and had been forced to assassinate many enemies to protect the suicide squad.He had been bullied all his life because of not knowing how to read and have been called a "lackwit" all his life.He loves food so much that he is hungry all the time.He thinks himself as a dumb brute and are afraid of not being worthy of Lorrie`s love.Ewan stole my heart with his strength and vulnerability-of wanting to belong and yearning for his fathers acceptance.Lorrie becomes his reason to live,she becomes the ying to his yang.Where he was stoic,she was flying around,where he was quiet,she talked all the time,where he was ice,she was fire-together they formed a mixture of excitement,belonging,trust,passion and sweet sweet blissful love.
February 26, 2018
This was a huge mess and I can't believe I actually finished it. Most of my problem was with Lorraine, particularly in the beginning, but Ewan climbed on my blacklist as the story progressed, as well.
Let me start with this: a woman who is desperately in love with a using jerk who won't give her more than slight pecks for affection and insists that they not do anything to offend her father and put that very large dowry in jeopardy? That woman is an idiot. I have a really hard time respecting, let alone engaging with, someone so self-deceived. Doubly so when she takes extreme risks to throw herself at him and flies in the face of people who care about her to do so. Lorraine is a spoiled brat.
And then Galen makes her a 20th century transplant who openly talks about her "urges" and "needs" as if a Regency virgin would know much of either, let alone come up with that vocabulary to express the concepts. And that's even if you give Galen a pass on a Regency father hiring a noble bachelor under thirty to be a "bodyguard" for his virginal idiot of a daughter. That'd be a scandal all on its own, even if they kept the arrangement private. But no, that arrangement is explicitly public with multiple characters even going so far as to claim that Ewan's frequent proximity to the lady avoided being scandalous because he was her bodyguard. And don't even get me started on Lorraine diagnosing Ewan's obvious dyslexia by calling it "word blindness" and being all encouraging and helpful about it.
So yeah, not so much worried about historicalness. Even a little bit.
I couldn't have finished this story without my superpower to edit a story on the fly in my head. I think I may have leveled that superpower up recently, though, to get through this one. I mean, I had to edit out the lovelorn idiocy and the adventurous sex kitten and learning disability diagnostics . . . nope. Sorry. That wouldn't be a superpower, it'd be a miracle. Because in addition to the above, we have Ewan pulling out a monster negative motivation* with a self-loathing enhancement. So I may have gotten through the beginning on liking the strong protective big-hearted guy who cares for and protects those in his inner circle. That big, silent, guardian type always has a fast-track to my heart. But that self-loathing that kicks in hard in the latter bit tossed that out on its ear.
So I can't explain finishing the book. The writing is vivid and the pace is good and I think I'd have liked the characters better if they weren't tromping around in Regency England. But that's scant praise to stack up against all the stuff that bugged me so much. So I think I'm going to call it a weak two-star read I can't believe I finished and leave it at that.
A note about Steamy: There are two and a half explicit sex scenes putting this in the middle of my steam tolerance. They were better than I expected, but that was a very low bar.
* Negative Motivations: I kind of hate that the term "negative motivation" isn't widespread, yet. Since it isn't, I'm going to save off this little jag to append to my reviews that feature the term. Jennifer Crusie blogged about it a bit back and it changed how I understand story. The problem with the term is that if you've never heard it before, you'd assume it meant motivations that are harmful or immoral. Not so. What it refers to is motivations not to do something. The thing is that many of us are motivated to not do things for a lot of different, perfectly valid and reasonable, reasons. The problem is that in a story motivations to not do things are a huge drag on the plot—particularly considering the fact that most negative motivations are overcome by the character simply deciding they don't care any more (or, rather, that they do care and are now motivated to do the thing). So not only do you have a counter to action but you also have a situation where to overcome it, all a character has to do is change their mind. Which means eventually, the reader is rooting for the character to get over him/herself already and do the thing we want them to do. Conflict drives story. Conflict between a reader and a main character drives readers away from story.
Let me start with this: a woman who is desperately in love with a using jerk who won't give her more than slight pecks for affection and insists that they not do anything to offend her father and put that very large dowry in jeopardy? That woman is an idiot. I have a really hard time respecting, let alone engaging with, someone so self-deceived. Doubly so when she takes extreme risks to throw herself at him and flies in the face of people who care about her to do so. Lorraine is a spoiled brat.
And then Galen makes her a 20th century transplant who openly talks about her "urges" and "needs" as if a Regency virgin would know much of either, let alone come up with that vocabulary to express the concepts. And that's even if you give Galen a pass on a Regency father hiring a noble bachelor under thirty to be a "bodyguard" for his virginal idiot of a daughter. That'd be a scandal all on its own, even if they kept the arrangement private. But no, that arrangement is explicitly public with multiple characters even going so far as to claim that Ewan's frequent proximity to the lady avoided being scandalous because he was her bodyguard. And don't even get me started on Lorraine diagnosing Ewan's obvious dyslexia by calling it "word blindness" and being all encouraging and helpful about it.
So yeah, not so much worried about historicalness. Even a little bit.
I couldn't have finished this story without my superpower to edit a story on the fly in my head. I think I may have leveled that superpower up recently, though, to get through this one. I mean, I had to edit out the lovelorn idiocy and the adventurous sex kitten and learning disability diagnostics . . . nope. Sorry. That wouldn't be a superpower, it'd be a miracle. Because in addition to the above, we have Ewan pulling out a monster negative motivation* with a self-loathing enhancement. So I may have gotten through the beginning on liking the strong protective big-hearted guy who cares for and protects those in his inner circle. That big, silent, guardian type always has a fast-track to my heart. But that self-loathing that kicks in hard in the latter bit tossed that out on its ear.
So I can't explain finishing the book. The writing is vivid and the pace is good and I think I'd have liked the characters better if they weren't tromping around in Regency England. But that's scant praise to stack up against all the stuff that bugged me so much. So I think I'm going to call it a weak two-star read I can't believe I finished and leave it at that.
A note about Steamy: There are two and a half explicit sex scenes putting this in the middle of my steam tolerance. They were better than I expected, but that was a very low bar.
* Negative Motivations: I kind of hate that the term "negative motivation" isn't widespread, yet. Since it isn't, I'm going to save off this little jag to append to my reviews that feature the term. Jennifer Crusie blogged about it a bit back and it changed how I understand story. The problem with the term is that if you've never heard it before, you'd assume it meant motivations that are harmful or immoral. Not so. What it refers to is motivations not to do something. The thing is that many of us are motivated to not do things for a lot of different, perfectly valid and reasonable, reasons. The problem is that in a story motivations to not do things are a huge drag on the plot—particularly considering the fact that most negative motivations are overcome by the character simply deciding they don't care any more (or, rather, that they do care and are now motivated to do the thing). So not only do you have a counter to action but you also have a situation where to overcome it, all a character has to do is change their mind. Which means eventually, the reader is rooting for the character to get over him/herself already and do the thing we want them to do. Conflict drives story. Conflict between a reader and a main character drives readers away from story.
December 18, 2017
I've given this a B at AAR.
In Third Son’s a Charm, Shana Galen introduces us to some of the gentlemen who will feature in stories of their own as her new Survivors series progresses. These men are closer than brothers; they served together during the Napoleonic Wars under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Draven in a unit that was given the toughest and most dangerous missions – those most likely to result in death. What started out as a company of thirty ended as one of twelve, nicknamed ‘Draven’s Dozen’ and now the war is over, those twelve survivors have returned to a civilian life that is not always easy to navigate. Some wounds, most of them mental rather than physical, are still too raw to be put aside, but the men draw a measure of comfort from their comrades, the only people who can fully understand and appreciate what they’ve been through and how it felt to be valued for their skills while at the same time regarded as expendable.
Ewan Mostyn, third son of the Earl of Pembroke is still called ‘the Protector’ by his fellow survivors, his moniker gained because of his dedication to keeping his comrades safe and the untold risks he took to save those in trouble. He’s a big, well-built, extraordinarily strong young man and after his return from the war, bought a part share in the gambling club (Langley’s) run by another Survivor, and lives in a small room on the second floor of the premises. He’s content with his lot – especially as his father wouldn’t be seen dead in such a place so there is no chance of their encountering each other.
After breaking up a fight one night at the club, Ewan is approached by the Duke of Ridlington who tells Ewan he would like to hire him and asks him to visit him at home. Ewan doesn’t know anything about Ridlington, so he heads to the Draven Club to consult Neil Wraxall, another Survivor and one of his closest friends. Before he can get there however, Ewan literally runs into a young woman chasing a dog through the streets, throwing himself into her in order to prevent her being mowed down by an oncoming carriage. To Ewan’s surprise, the woman – who is very clearly Quality – doesn’t thank him for saving her and instead accuses him of almost flattening her dog.
Puzzled and perhaps just the teeniest bit miffed, Ewan continues on his way and meets with Wraxall, who tells him he knows nothing bad of Ridlington. Deciding he might as well find out what the man wants, Ewan presents himself at Berkley Square and quickly finds out. The duke’s daughter, Lady Lorraine is in love with an unsuitable man and has already tried to elope with him. Strongly believing the man in question to be nothing more than a fortune hunter, the duke is concerned to put a distance between his daughter and her swain, and asks Ewan if he would consider taking a position as her bodyguard until such time as Lorraine comes to her senses and realises the man is after her for her money and not for herself. Ewan is not at all keen – until the duke tells him that the gentleman in question is Francis Mostyn, Ewan’s cousin, which puts an entirely different perspective on things.
Lady Lorraine Caldwell – who is, of course, the young lady with the dog – is the only daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Ridlington, and is, at twenty eager to fall in love and get married. Her parents are kind and decent people who obviously love Lorraine, but the duke and duchess are preoccupied with their own concerns – not least of which is the state of their crumbling marriage – and Lorraine is keen to be with someone who will put her first. It’s clear that she’s in love with love rather than with Francis Mostyn, but she is determined to have her way and refuses to give him up.
Ewan and Lorraine are chalk and cheese; she’s a veritable chatterbox and he’s a man of few words, usually using two where others would use ten, and only speaking when he actually has something to say. His taciturn nature has often given others the impression he is an idiot, which is far from the case; Ewan is an intelligent, witty man with a good sense of humour who knows that he would never have survived the war had he really been stupid, but being thought so by others still stings, nonetheless. A childhood stammer and an inability to learn to read led his father to brand him a useless imbecile, and since his return from war, Ewan has supported himself by virtue of shrewd investments and his share in Langley’s and has effectively cut himself off from his family.
Francis Mostyn has taken care to give Lorraine a poor impression of her bodyguard, telling her how Ewan used his superior size and strength to bully and physically assault him when they were boys growing up together, but the more she comes to know Ewan, the more she comes to doubt the veracity of Francis’ words. She also doesn’t quite understand why her “Viking” fascinates her so when she is in love with another man, yet she can’t stop the indecorous images that flash through her mind whenever Ewan touches her or deny that she’s wildly attracted to him.
The relationship between Lorraine and Ewan is nicely developed as we’re shown the two of them gradually coming to trust and understand one another. Lorraine sometimes teeters on the verge of TSTL and gets into ill-advised scrapes that Ewan has to get her out of, but she ultimately shows herself to be a good-hearted young woman with a lot of love to give, and she redeems herself when she realises that Ewan needs help and persuades him to allow her to give it.
There are plenty of sparks flying between Ewan and Lorraine from the start, and the author infuses their romance with plenty of longing and sexual tension. She has also included a secondary romance between Lorraine’s estranged parents, and I freely admit that at times, I was more invested in that than I was in the one between Ewan and Lorraine. There was something very romantic in the duke’s determination to woo back his wife and I’d quite happily have read an entire novel about their second chance at love!
The one bum note in the novel as a whole is the massive hint around the halfway point about something that happens later on; it was unnecessary and so clumsy that it took me completely out of the story. I also wasn’t wild about the subterfuge employed by the duke and duchess towards the end; again, it seemed clumsy and unwarranted.
Third Son’s a Charm is an entertaining start to this new series and one I’m happy to recommend in spite of those reservations. Ewan is an absolute sweetheart, and while Lorraine did occasionally get on my nerves, she was sensible enough at other times to admit to her faults and try to do better. It’s a solidly enjoyable read, and I’m already sufficiently intrigued by the other Survivors as to be planning to pick up the next in the series when it comes along.
In Third Son’s a Charm, Shana Galen introduces us to some of the gentlemen who will feature in stories of their own as her new Survivors series progresses. These men are closer than brothers; they served together during the Napoleonic Wars under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Draven in a unit that was given the toughest and most dangerous missions – those most likely to result in death. What started out as a company of thirty ended as one of twelve, nicknamed ‘Draven’s Dozen’ and now the war is over, those twelve survivors have returned to a civilian life that is not always easy to navigate. Some wounds, most of them mental rather than physical, are still too raw to be put aside, but the men draw a measure of comfort from their comrades, the only people who can fully understand and appreciate what they’ve been through and how it felt to be valued for their skills while at the same time regarded as expendable.
Ewan Mostyn, third son of the Earl of Pembroke is still called ‘the Protector’ by his fellow survivors, his moniker gained because of his dedication to keeping his comrades safe and the untold risks he took to save those in trouble. He’s a big, well-built, extraordinarily strong young man and after his return from the war, bought a part share in the gambling club (Langley’s) run by another Survivor, and lives in a small room on the second floor of the premises. He’s content with his lot – especially as his father wouldn’t be seen dead in such a place so there is no chance of their encountering each other.
After breaking up a fight one night at the club, Ewan is approached by the Duke of Ridlington who tells Ewan he would like to hire him and asks him to visit him at home. Ewan doesn’t know anything about Ridlington, so he heads to the Draven Club to consult Neil Wraxall, another Survivor and one of his closest friends. Before he can get there however, Ewan literally runs into a young woman chasing a dog through the streets, throwing himself into her in order to prevent her being mowed down by an oncoming carriage. To Ewan’s surprise, the woman – who is very clearly Quality – doesn’t thank him for saving her and instead accuses him of almost flattening her dog.
Puzzled and perhaps just the teeniest bit miffed, Ewan continues on his way and meets with Wraxall, who tells him he knows nothing bad of Ridlington. Deciding he might as well find out what the man wants, Ewan presents himself at Berkley Square and quickly finds out. The duke’s daughter, Lady Lorraine is in love with an unsuitable man and has already tried to elope with him. Strongly believing the man in question to be nothing more than a fortune hunter, the duke is concerned to put a distance between his daughter and her swain, and asks Ewan if he would consider taking a position as her bodyguard until such time as Lorraine comes to her senses and realises the man is after her for her money and not for herself. Ewan is not at all keen – until the duke tells him that the gentleman in question is Francis Mostyn, Ewan’s cousin, which puts an entirely different perspective on things.
Lady Lorraine Caldwell – who is, of course, the young lady with the dog – is the only daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Ridlington, and is, at twenty eager to fall in love and get married. Her parents are kind and decent people who obviously love Lorraine, but the duke and duchess are preoccupied with their own concerns – not least of which is the state of their crumbling marriage – and Lorraine is keen to be with someone who will put her first. It’s clear that she’s in love with love rather than with Francis Mostyn, but she is determined to have her way and refuses to give him up.
Ewan and Lorraine are chalk and cheese; she’s a veritable chatterbox and he’s a man of few words, usually using two where others would use ten, and only speaking when he actually has something to say. His taciturn nature has often given others the impression he is an idiot, which is far from the case; Ewan is an intelligent, witty man with a good sense of humour who knows that he would never have survived the war had he really been stupid, but being thought so by others still stings, nonetheless. A childhood stammer and an inability to learn to read led his father to brand him a useless imbecile, and since his return from war, Ewan has supported himself by virtue of shrewd investments and his share in Langley’s and has effectively cut himself off from his family.
Francis Mostyn has taken care to give Lorraine a poor impression of her bodyguard, telling her how Ewan used his superior size and strength to bully and physically assault him when they were boys growing up together, but the more she comes to know Ewan, the more she comes to doubt the veracity of Francis’ words. She also doesn’t quite understand why her “Viking” fascinates her so when she is in love with another man, yet she can’t stop the indecorous images that flash through her mind whenever Ewan touches her or deny that she’s wildly attracted to him.
The relationship between Lorraine and Ewan is nicely developed as we’re shown the two of them gradually coming to trust and understand one another. Lorraine sometimes teeters on the verge of TSTL and gets into ill-advised scrapes that Ewan has to get her out of, but she ultimately shows herself to be a good-hearted young woman with a lot of love to give, and she redeems herself when she realises that Ewan needs help and persuades him to allow her to give it.
There are plenty of sparks flying between Ewan and Lorraine from the start, and the author infuses their romance with plenty of longing and sexual tension. She has also included a secondary romance between Lorraine’s estranged parents, and I freely admit that at times, I was more invested in that than I was in the one between Ewan and Lorraine. There was something very romantic in the duke’s determination to woo back his wife and I’d quite happily have read an entire novel about their second chance at love!
The one bum note in the novel as a whole is the massive hint around the halfway point about something that happens later on; it was unnecessary and so clumsy that it took me completely out of the story. I also wasn’t wild about the subterfuge employed by the duke and duchess towards the end; again, it seemed clumsy and unwarranted.
Third Son’s a Charm is an entertaining start to this new series and one I’m happy to recommend in spite of those reservations. Ewan is an absolute sweetheart, and while Lorraine did occasionally get on my nerves, she was sensible enough at other times to admit to her faults and try to do better. It’s a solidly enjoyable read, and I’m already sufficiently intrigued by the other Survivors as to be planning to pick up the next in the series when it comes along.
November 7, 2018
5 +++ ADORABLE VIKING STARS
Sooo I stayed up until 3 am reading this. My eyes hurt like hell, but NO REGRETS
DO YOU HEAR ME?????
NO REGRETS
Ugh my girl Shana Galen popping out these adorable light hearted romance novels like it's nobody's business. Once again, she has produced a couple whose personalities are perfect compliments to each other! They were both so unique and cute. I LOVE THESE KINDS OF BOOKS. This is the perfect example of why I fell in love with historical romance in the first place. Some of the first 19th century setting books I read were Tessa Dare's Castles Ever After Series and I just loved the light heartedness, even with a few serious elements. The serious elements being a brooding or cynical hero, yet is sarcastic or witty and dangerously HOT.
Anyway, I've found few authors as up my ally as Dare or Lisa Kleypas, and through my journey of searching for the right author fore me, I have discovered Ms. Galen, and for that I am so so grateful.
Soooo I think that everybody should go into this not knowing ANYTHING about the novel, because that was how I started, and was so pleasantly surprised because of it. I loved Ewen and Lorraine together, I loved the supporting characters; the "Survivors" in Draven's club, and I loved the secondary romance
I will just leave THIS HERE BECAUSE
ehheeem ewen aka chris hemsworth aka viking norse god
FUCK ME UPPPPP
I'm going to mark the next part of my review as a spoiler because I really think you should read this knowing the bare minimum! So next part is for those who have read the book already!
Sooo I stayed up until 3 am reading this. My eyes hurt like hell, but NO REGRETS
DO YOU HEAR ME?????
NO REGRETS
Ugh my girl Shana Galen popping out these adorable light hearted romance novels like it's nobody's business. Once again, she has produced a couple whose personalities are perfect compliments to each other! They were both so unique and cute. I LOVE THESE KINDS OF BOOKS. This is the perfect example of why I fell in love with historical romance in the first place. Some of the first 19th century setting books I read were Tessa Dare's Castles Ever After Series and I just loved the light heartedness, even with a few serious elements. The serious elements being a brooding or cynical hero, yet is sarcastic or witty and dangerously HOT.
Anyway, I've found few authors as up my ally as Dare or Lisa Kleypas, and through my journey of searching for the right author fore me, I have discovered Ms. Galen, and for that I am so so grateful.
Soooo I think that everybody should go into this not knowing ANYTHING about the novel, because that was how I started, and was so pleasantly surprised because of it. I loved Ewen and Lorraine together, I loved the supporting characters; the "Survivors" in Draven's club, and I loved the secondary romance
I will just leave THIS HERE BECAUSE
ehheeem ewen aka chris hemsworth aka viking norse god
FUCK ME UPPPPP
I'm going to mark the next part of my review as a spoiler because I really think you should read this knowing the bare minimum! So next part is for those who have read the book already!
June 16, 2022
Gdybym żyła w 1816 roku, a mój ojciec (Książę) wynająłby dla mnie takiego ochroniarza jak Ewan, to też straciłabym dla niego głowę 😂❤️ #team zły chłopiec a nie jakiś tam delikatny hrabia XD
April 19, 2023
Another book that you have to really suspend your disbelief. I enjoyed the hero but found Lady Lorraine had to many tstl moments and just came across as being VERY young. The writing and side characters added a lot and I plan to keep reading the series. 3.5*
May 27, 2023
3.5 stars
Will be in my next vlog
Will be in my next vlog
March 26, 2018
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.
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.
November 19, 2017
2.5 stars
August 10, 2021
The ending was a bit dragged and rushed at the same time but OVERALL REALLY ENJOYED OUR HERO AND THE DYNAMICS BETWEEN THE TWO CHARACTERS AHHHHH AMAZING.
December 31, 2017
Third Sons A Charm brings together a powerful and charming romance that brings together the two most unlikely people into a solid foundation of love and wit…
Third Sons A Charm is a story I was very anxious to read for quite a few reasons. First off, there were quite a few mixed reviews on this one so I was hesitant and probably why it took so long to actually read it but I stayed up until 3 AM reading this one, I just didn’t want to put it down, I became so immersed in the characters lives and their story was quite a journey and quite fun….
So our story begins after our heroine has gotten into some trouble with her parents. She has already tried to run off with a man that is after her fortune and her parents know this about him, but she believes that he loves her. She refuses to give up on him. So her father determined to not see his daughter ruined and married to a horrible man hires on a bodyguard…the best of the best. Ewan is considered to be one of the best, part of an elite group of soldiers that fought against Napolean but he, like many of his comrades, came back with scars both on the outside and inside. But when the Duke of Ridlington comes to him for a job as a bodyguard, he takes it, wanting a change and something different. But he never realized how troublesome Lady Lorraine would be for him.
These two characters were quite a fun mix because they are so different from each other and it was quite a blast seeing how Shana Galen was able to make them work together so well. So our hero is grumpy and moody, barely speaks a word and unable to read. He has suffered much not only from the war but also from growing up. He was always tormented by his cousin in some terrible ways and as we learn about his childhood, I guarantee you will want your tissues because this moment will tear any reader up emotionally. Seeing this big brawn man thinking he is stupid most of his life. It was quite heartbreaking seeing his character, especially in the beginning. I honestly wanted to shoot his father for how he treats his son. But thankfully he has a great group of friends, that all know the trials of war. Our heroine, Lorraine is flight and romantic and doesn’t have a serious bone in her body. She can be a bit naive especially when it comes to this fortune hunter and what I did enjoy seeing was her character growth. She definitely grows up pretty quickly in this book, but what drew me to her is how she fills Ewan with laughter and smiles.
I don’t want you to come to the library because you are a diversion. I want you to come to the library because you are the only true thing in my life. Don’t you see? It’s everything else that’s a diversion.
We see Ewan’s cousin get his just desserts and I truly loved the way their romance developed in this book. It starts slowly with them not liking each other at all….but soon their chemistry changes their feelings and I did like the slow burn romance that builds between them. I found it pretty interesting seeing the dynamics of their relationship because they are truly so different from each other…like oil and water. And seeing them blend together in a delicious mix was true fun. Then we have the friends of Ewan and boy I loved them so much. I love the way they just support each other, always on hand no matter what is happening. We also have a side romance story, or more of two people learning to love again. This side story deals with Lorraine’s parents. Who have both grown apart, had their own affairs, but they still love each other. So we see them come back to each other and these sweet moments were so poignant and wonderful and added a dynamic element to the story that truly balanced it out. One of my favorite aspects of the story that sets Shana Galen apart from a few other regency authors is her attention to detail and emotion. She shows the effects of PTSD, both emotionally and physically especially in our hero Ewan. It can be a bit heartbreaking to read his story but we also see what these young men had to deal with when it came to recovering from the war where there were no therapists or treatments. And seeing him find some healing once falling in love with Lorraine and seeing the way that she accepts him as he is is truly remarkable.
Overall Third Son’s A Charm is an enchanting mix of a regency setting, a enemies to lovers trope, villains who get their justice and a hero who finds the healing balm of love and a young lady that finds the grounding she needs…..FABULOUS!
Third Sons A Charm is a story I was very anxious to read for quite a few reasons. First off, there were quite a few mixed reviews on this one so I was hesitant and probably why it took so long to actually read it but I stayed up until 3 AM reading this one, I just didn’t want to put it down, I became so immersed in the characters lives and their story was quite a journey and quite fun….
So our story begins after our heroine has gotten into some trouble with her parents. She has already tried to run off with a man that is after her fortune and her parents know this about him, but she believes that he loves her. She refuses to give up on him. So her father determined to not see his daughter ruined and married to a horrible man hires on a bodyguard…the best of the best. Ewan is considered to be one of the best, part of an elite group of soldiers that fought against Napolean but he, like many of his comrades, came back with scars both on the outside and inside. But when the Duke of Ridlington comes to him for a job as a bodyguard, he takes it, wanting a change and something different. But he never realized how troublesome Lady Lorraine would be for him.
These two characters were quite a fun mix because they are so different from each other and it was quite a blast seeing how Shana Galen was able to make them work together so well. So our hero is grumpy and moody, barely speaks a word and unable to read. He has suffered much not only from the war but also from growing up. He was always tormented by his cousin in some terrible ways and as we learn about his childhood, I guarantee you will want your tissues because this moment will tear any reader up emotionally. Seeing this big brawn man thinking he is stupid most of his life. It was quite heartbreaking seeing his character, especially in the beginning. I honestly wanted to shoot his father for how he treats his son. But thankfully he has a great group of friends, that all know the trials of war. Our heroine, Lorraine is flight and romantic and doesn’t have a serious bone in her body. She can be a bit naive especially when it comes to this fortune hunter and what I did enjoy seeing was her character growth. She definitely grows up pretty quickly in this book, but what drew me to her is how she fills Ewan with laughter and smiles.
I don’t want you to come to the library because you are a diversion. I want you to come to the library because you are the only true thing in my life. Don’t you see? It’s everything else that’s a diversion.
We see Ewan’s cousin get his just desserts and I truly loved the way their romance developed in this book. It starts slowly with them not liking each other at all….but soon their chemistry changes their feelings and I did like the slow burn romance that builds between them. I found it pretty interesting seeing the dynamics of their relationship because they are truly so different from each other…like oil and water. And seeing them blend together in a delicious mix was true fun. Then we have the friends of Ewan and boy I loved them so much. I love the way they just support each other, always on hand no matter what is happening. We also have a side romance story, or more of two people learning to love again. This side story deals with Lorraine’s parents. Who have both grown apart, had their own affairs, but they still love each other. So we see them come back to each other and these sweet moments were so poignant and wonderful and added a dynamic element to the story that truly balanced it out. One of my favorite aspects of the story that sets Shana Galen apart from a few other regency authors is her attention to detail and emotion. She shows the effects of PTSD, both emotionally and physically especially in our hero Ewan. It can be a bit heartbreaking to read his story but we also see what these young men had to deal with when it came to recovering from the war where there were no therapists or treatments. And seeing him find some healing once falling in love with Lorraine and seeing the way that she accepts him as he is is truly remarkable.
Overall Third Son’s A Charm is an enchanting mix of a regency setting, a enemies to lovers trope, villains who get their justice and a hero who finds the healing balm of love and a young lady that finds the grounding she needs…..FABULOUS!
November 24, 2017
This review can also be found at Carole's Random Life in Books.
I had so much fun reading this historical romance! I have to admit that the cover of this book is what first grabbed my attention. I am always a sucker for pretty covers and the cover of this book is simply gorgeous. I have enjoyed Shana Galen's work in the past and this sounded like a good story so I knew that I would have to read it. It turned out to be a very enjoyable read that was really hard to put down.
Ewan knows his place in life. He is the third son of an Earl and is therefore rather useless to his family. He has been a solider and is known for some of his brave acts but that hasn't changed his father's opinion of him. Many see Ewan as a dimwit because he has been unable to learn to read. When he is offered a position to guard a Duke's daughter, he decides to take the job.
Lorrie really wants to marry. So much so that she has recently tried to elope with her love, Francis. Lorrie is determined to make the marriage happen and believes that she and Francis are in love. The Duke opposes the match and tasks Ewan with making sure it does not happen. Ewan becomes a permanent fixture at all of the society events attended by Lorrie and her family.
I loved these two together! Ewan tends to doubt himself since he has been told he is dumb his whole life. Lorrie sees him for the intelligent man that he truly is. Lorrie believes that she is in love with Francis but she soon learns that love is something very different. This pair had a lot of wonderful chemistry with each other and complimented each other quite nicely.
I would recommend this book to fans of historical romance. The book is filled with wonderful characters and a few exciting moments. I can't wait to read the next book in this delightful series!
I received an advance reader edition of this book from Sourcebooks Casablanca via NetGalley.
I had so much fun reading this historical romance! I have to admit that the cover of this book is what first grabbed my attention. I am always a sucker for pretty covers and the cover of this book is simply gorgeous. I have enjoyed Shana Galen's work in the past and this sounded like a good story so I knew that I would have to read it. It turned out to be a very enjoyable read that was really hard to put down.
Ewan knows his place in life. He is the third son of an Earl and is therefore rather useless to his family. He has been a solider and is known for some of his brave acts but that hasn't changed his father's opinion of him. Many see Ewan as a dimwit because he has been unable to learn to read. When he is offered a position to guard a Duke's daughter, he decides to take the job.
Lorrie really wants to marry. So much so that she has recently tried to elope with her love, Francis. Lorrie is determined to make the marriage happen and believes that she and Francis are in love. The Duke opposes the match and tasks Ewan with making sure it does not happen. Ewan becomes a permanent fixture at all of the society events attended by Lorrie and her family.
I loved these two together! Ewan tends to doubt himself since he has been told he is dumb his whole life. Lorrie sees him for the intelligent man that he truly is. Lorrie believes that she is in love with Francis but she soon learns that love is something very different. This pair had a lot of wonderful chemistry with each other and complimented each other quite nicely.
I would recommend this book to fans of historical romance. The book is filled with wonderful characters and a few exciting moments. I can't wait to read the next book in this delightful series!
I received an advance reader edition of this book from Sourcebooks Casablanca via NetGalley.
January 8, 2022
This book is a bodyguard romance that follows Lady Lorraine her bodyguard Ewan who was hired by her father (a duke) to keep her away from the man she wants to elope with. Naturally, Lady Lorraine’s first instinct was to object to having someone constantly shadow her. However, she couldn’t help but be attracted to Ewan. As they got to know each other, they grew to be friends and eventually something more.
What I liked:
✅ Enemies-to-friends-to-lovers trope
✅ Forbidden romance due to class difference
✅ Slow burn romance
✅ Headstrong heroine who is both spoiled and sympathetic
✅ Grumpy sunshine hero who is slightly scarred
✅ There is a pet dog in this book which is always a bonus.
✅ We were introduced to Ewan’s former comrades who are the male leads in the sequels which bodes well for me continuing the series
What didn’t work for me:
❎ I wish there was a more definitive resolution with Ewan’s father.
Final Verdict:
4 ⭐️s. This was such a fun read. I plan to continue with the series but not right away.
What I liked:
✅ Enemies-to-friends-to-lovers trope
✅ Forbidden romance due to class difference
✅ Slow burn romance
✅ Headstrong heroine who is both spoiled and sympathetic
✅ Grumpy sunshine hero who is slightly scarred
✅ There is a pet dog in this book which is always a bonus.
✅ We were introduced to Ewan’s former comrades who are the male leads in the sequels which bodes well for me continuing the series
What didn’t work for me:
❎ I wish there was a more definitive resolution with Ewan’s father.
Final Verdict:
4 ⭐️s. This was such a fun read. I plan to continue with the series but not right away.
November 8, 2017
ARC provided by Edelweiss and publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Lady Lorraine is the youngest daughter to a duke. Lorraine has entered her second season and believes she has found love. Lorraine has good parents, but she's seems to be an after thought and growing up lacked attention and time from her mother and father. Hence when a gentleman pursues her and shows her time and attention, she believes she's in love. But what this gentleman really wants is her large dowry. The two decide to elope and this jars her father in realizing his strong willed daughter needs a bodyguard to protect her.
After her attempt for true love is foiled Lorraines brother decides she needs a true companion/distractin and gifts her with a puppy. Lorraine and Wellington, her puppy, are inseparable. But Lorraine is head strong and does not give up on her belief of true love and marriage.
Lorraine's father is concerned and searches for the right bodyguard and believes he has found him, Ewan. Ewan Mostyn is a third son of an Earl. He's called the protector, he's a war hero and he served in the Napoleon war. Ewan is part owner of a gambling hell and does well with investment also. Ewan has no wish to watch or babysit Lorraine. But then he learns the man who is pursuing the Lady Lorraine, is his cousin who he despises intensely. So he accepts the position as he has some unfinished business with his cousin Frances.
The two MC do not hit it off and that's an understatement. Each has their mind set on what direction they believe their life is headed and it's defiantly in different/opposite direction. Well lets just say a lot of heated debates and sparing unfolded. But in the days ahead the two become to sense an attraction and appreciation for each other and who they are. Slowly the two come to care and love each other.
I found this to be average to slow read. At times I found my mind wandering and pushed myself to finish. Didn't care for the heroine or find much that appealed to me. Found her to be somewhat flighty and actions/behavior to be somewhat adolescent. Appreciated her dedication to Ewan though. Ewan was the sweetest and a very tender hero. He came across as brawny and a silent type, and this is do to his learning challenge that kept him more closed off and cautious. The story line was pretty typical with no real surprises or twists.
Lady Lorraine is the youngest daughter to a duke. Lorraine has entered her second season and believes she has found love. Lorraine has good parents, but she's seems to be an after thought and growing up lacked attention and time from her mother and father. Hence when a gentleman pursues her and shows her time and attention, she believes she's in love. But what this gentleman really wants is her large dowry. The two decide to elope and this jars her father in realizing his strong willed daughter needs a bodyguard to protect her.
After her attempt for true love is foiled Lorraines brother decides she needs a true companion/distractin and gifts her with a puppy. Lorraine and Wellington, her puppy, are inseparable. But Lorraine is head strong and does not give up on her belief of true love and marriage.
Lorraine's father is concerned and searches for the right bodyguard and believes he has found him, Ewan. Ewan Mostyn is a third son of an Earl. He's called the protector, he's a war hero and he served in the Napoleon war. Ewan is part owner of a gambling hell and does well with investment also. Ewan has no wish to watch or babysit Lorraine. But then he learns the man who is pursuing the Lady Lorraine, is his cousin who he despises intensely. So he accepts the position as he has some unfinished business with his cousin Frances.
The two MC do not hit it off and that's an understatement. Each has their mind set on what direction they believe their life is headed and it's defiantly in different/opposite direction. Well lets just say a lot of heated debates and sparing unfolded. But in the days ahead the two become to sense an attraction and appreciation for each other and who they are. Slowly the two come to care and love each other.
I found this to be average to slow read. At times I found my mind wandering and pushed myself to finish. Didn't care for the heroine or find much that appealed to me. Found her to be somewhat flighty and actions/behavior to be somewhat adolescent. Appreciated her dedication to Ewan though. Ewan was the sweetest and a very tender hero. He came across as brawny and a silent type, and this is do to his learning challenge that kept him more closed off and cautious. The story line was pretty typical with no real surprises or twists.
September 21, 2017
Honestly.. Kind of boring. I was excited because Ewan was a big brute of a man. He was a soldier and he didn't speak. That's one of my favorite HR heroes! And I did like Ewan for the most part but lord Lorraine was a flipping idiot. I mean she was seriously TSTL. I don't understand how she made it as far as she did in life. It was so unbearably obvious that Francis was after her money and she wouldn't listen to anyone about him. Oh and she fell in love with Ewan all of a sudden but still didn't think she wanted to marry him. She was just all over the place and I wanted to hit her.
The story was so predictable. I have read a lot of HRs.. I mean a lot.. so I understand that there are only so many ways to tell a story but this one was just cookie cutter and I feel like I have read the same thing many times before. I have never read anything by this author and I have honestly never heard of her but this wasn't the greatest book. The characters were weak and the story was boring. I still may give her another shot. Depends on what else comes up.
The story was so predictable. I have read a lot of HRs.. I mean a lot.. so I understand that there are only so many ways to tell a story but this one was just cookie cutter and I feel like I have read the same thing many times before. I have never read anything by this author and I have honestly never heard of her but this wasn't the greatest book. The characters were weak and the story was boring. I still may give her another shot. Depends on what else comes up.
November 7, 2017
Stayed up late (or early rather) to finish this ARC. I must say this is one of the best historical romances that I've read in awhile! A gruff, gentle giant of a hero who doesn't say much meets his match as he serves as bodyguard to a passionate, headstrong duke's daughter who won't STOP talking. 😂A bit of role reversal as SHE pursues him. Funny, sweet and definitely worth a read. Beautiful cover! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thanks go to NetGalley!
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thanks go to NetGalley!
October 3, 2017
I enjoyed this romance, and its strength was the primary romance and main characters involved in it. It was well-paced and kept my attention through the end. There was a secondary romance also in the form of the heroine's parents, which did not take up much page space, but it was relevant to heroine's story and was a nice addition.
The heroine, Lorraine, is the only daughter of a Duke and youngest child. She is in her second season and is very ready to get married. She thinks she has found the one and is in love. Her parents are convinced he is after her dowry and discouraged his suit. He is, of course, after her dowry and preys on her need for attention and love. Being the youngest, she has been affectionately ignored. Her parents seem to care about her and her future, but they are too preoccupied with their own pursuits to pay her much attention. While Lorraine doesn't have a bad childhood, she also doesn't have anyone that puts her first. As an enthusiastic and persistent young woman, who is brimming with hormones, she is easy prey for a handsome, glib, fortune-hunting mister. After a failed elopement scare, her parents engage the services of a bodyguard.
The hero, Ewan, is the third son of an Earl, and a war hero. He is a man of few words -- often using one or two word sentences or just pointed looks to convey his meaning. He has a learning disability and is essentially illiterate and had a rough childhood as a result. He is part of a specialized force that took on very dangerous missions and earns the nickname of the protector. Due to his reputation and his (unfriendly) familial connection to the fortune hunter, the Duke hires him to be the bodyguard to his daughter. He is a large and intimidating hero, so an apparent perfect bodyguard.
Ewan and Lorraine meet when he rescues her from oncoming traffic when she darts into the road to catch her dog. This story has a bit of a damsel-in-distress theme, but not in a helpless damsel sense, more in the impetuous sense. Ewan clearly respects and admires her. When Lorraine gets into scrapes, Ewan is there to help her. When Ewan needs help, he trusts her with his secret and they work together to figure it out. I thought this aspect was well done. Their love starts in respect, with a mutual, potent attraction, and grows. Lorraine is understandably confused by her feelings, thinking she is still in love with the fortune hunter but finding she is having a deeper, more meaningful connection with Ewan. Some may have problems with this side of the story, but I enjoyed how she slowly realized the significance in the difference of her feelings for the two men.
This was an enjoyable, entertaining novel that I stayed up way too late to finish. It wasn't perfect, but it was a nice read. I wouldn't recommend to readers who are easily annoyed with heroines, because there were some, what might be described as TSTL moments. My main complaint was the ending felt rushed (this is a common complaint for me). And without getting into spoilers, I felt the ending went the wrong way a bit. I think the author may have been trying to avoid going too far damsel-in-distress, but I think it would have been sweet here.
*I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The heroine, Lorraine, is the only daughter of a Duke and youngest child. She is in her second season and is very ready to get married. She thinks she has found the one and is in love. Her parents are convinced he is after her dowry and discouraged his suit. He is, of course, after her dowry and preys on her need for attention and love. Being the youngest, she has been affectionately ignored. Her parents seem to care about her and her future, but they are too preoccupied with their own pursuits to pay her much attention. While Lorraine doesn't have a bad childhood, she also doesn't have anyone that puts her first. As an enthusiastic and persistent young woman, who is brimming with hormones, she is easy prey for a handsome, glib, fortune-hunting mister. After a failed elopement scare, her parents engage the services of a bodyguard.
The hero, Ewan, is the third son of an Earl, and a war hero. He is a man of few words -- often using one or two word sentences or just pointed looks to convey his meaning. He has a learning disability and is essentially illiterate and had a rough childhood as a result. He is part of a specialized force that took on very dangerous missions and earns the nickname of the protector. Due to his reputation and his (unfriendly) familial connection to the fortune hunter, the Duke hires him to be the bodyguard to his daughter. He is a large and intimidating hero, so an apparent perfect bodyguard.
Ewan and Lorraine meet when he rescues her from oncoming traffic when she darts into the road to catch her dog. This story has a bit of a damsel-in-distress theme, but not in a helpless damsel sense, more in the impetuous sense. Ewan clearly respects and admires her. When Lorraine gets into scrapes, Ewan is there to help her. When Ewan needs help, he trusts her with his secret and they work together to figure it out. I thought this aspect was well done. Their love starts in respect, with a mutual, potent attraction, and grows. Lorraine is understandably confused by her feelings, thinking she is still in love with the fortune hunter but finding she is having a deeper, more meaningful connection with Ewan. Some may have problems with this side of the story, but I enjoyed how she slowly realized the significance in the difference of her feelings for the two men.
This was an enjoyable, entertaining novel that I stayed up way too late to finish. It wasn't perfect, but it was a nice read. I wouldn't recommend to readers who are easily annoyed with heroines, because there were some, what might be described as TSTL moments. My main complaint was the ending felt rushed (this is a common complaint for me). And without getting into spoilers, I felt the ending went the wrong way a bit. I think the author may have been trying to avoid going too far damsel-in-distress, but I think it would have been sweet here.
*I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
November 24, 2018
So here's the thing... the first kiss? Pure awesome - excellently handled - definitely swoon worthy. And the author gave the heroine a healthy sexual appetite, without "shaming" her for it, which I thought was refreshing. Yeah, nice girls gets horny too without ONE/THE guy needing to awaken it - go figure!
But this story was so all over the place - great scenes, great dialogue, great writing - then, wait am I reading the same book?
And the hero - strong, silent, war hero - or dumb as f*ck?
I don't have a problem with introverted, quiet, learning disabilities, shy or any of its' siblings - but stupid and ignorant who thinks nothing of women?
I don't care how good looking you are.
His lovemaking, if one could call it that, had always been rough and wild and a little savage, but he could hardly take a virgin up against a wall or shove her face down on the bed and lift her skirts.
***
1.5 stars
But this story was so all over the place - great scenes, great dialogue, great writing - then, wait am I reading the same book?
And the hero - strong, silent, war hero - or dumb as f*ck?
I don't have a problem with introverted, quiet, learning disabilities, shy or any of its' siblings - but stupid and ignorant who thinks nothing of women?
I don't care how good looking you are.
His lovemaking, if one could call it that, had always been rough and wild and a little savage, but he could hardly take a virgin up against a wall or shove her face down on the bed and lift her skirts.
***
1.5 stars
July 13, 2017
I loved THIRD SON'S A CHARM by Shana Galen! Our hero is Mr. Ewan Mostyn who is the third son of a...(the Earl of Pembroke). Our heroine is Lady Lorraine Caldwell who is the daughter of a Duke. Ewan and Lorrie are as opposite as night and day. She is an adorable, love starved chatterbox. He is a battle weary ex soldier who is a man of few words. Ewan is hired by Lorrie's father as a bodyguard. She thinks she is madly in love with her "perfect Francis". Francis happens to be Ewan's cousin, and Ewan knows Francis is bad news. Francis was brutal to Ewan when they were children because Ewan is dyslexic. Galen creates a sweet intimacy while in the wee hours Lorrie tries to teach Ewan to read. Of course, there is adventure in the story and a cute puppy dog named Welly. I highly recommend this book!
June 30, 2018
I really enjoyed this book. The characters feel real, with real foibles and real issues. It's great reading about a hero with a learning disability that is able to function well without being able to read. The heroine is a real woman with realistic needs and passions. The secondary love story with the Duke and Duchess is a delight. I would have loved just a little more with an epilogue, but hope as this is the first in a series that I will get to read more about these characters.
I was given an ARC of this book to read and review and thank the author for the privilege.
I was given an ARC of this book to read and review and thank the author for the privilege.
August 23, 2017
I was so excited when Shana Galen decided to write a new series. I love all of her books. The Story is about Ewan Mostyn is in a group of younger sons of nobility who met when they were soldiers. Now he is offered a job watching the Duke of Ridlington's daughter.Lady Lorraine wants to be out of her fathers control. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
April 22, 2020
4/22/2020
Free on Amazon today!
2.5 out of 5.
Free on Amazon today!
2.5 out of 5.
November 5, 2017
Review For: Third Son's a Charm by Shana Galen Third Son's a Charm by Shana Galen is the First Book in the New Series Called "The Survivors". This is the story of Ewan Mostyn and Lady Lorraine 'Lorrie' Caldwell. Ewan is the third son of an Earl but more importantly he is one of a group of men who took jobs that few would because of the danger. Ewan was apart of a group of men who were Survivors! Now Ewan is leaving and fighting in a gambling hell when he is offered the job to be a 'body quard' to Lorrie. Ewan takes the job thinking it will be a easy one but Lorrie proves to be anything but an easy job. Lorrie thinks herself in love with Francis Mostyn who happens to be a cousin to Ewan. Francis has asked her father for her hand in marriage but he said no. So Lorrie has thought to runaway with Francis but hasn't succeeded yet. Lorrie finds Ewan fascinating but tries to stand her ground on her feelings for Francis. This book just sucked you into their story and you could not put it down. I felt for Ewan so much with his self doubts but strong feelings. Lorrie although misguided at first in her feelings was very sweet and spunky .What a wonderful start to a great series! https://twitter.com/soapsrus68 https://www.facebook.com/RomanceBookR... https://www.tumblr.com/blog/romancebo...
January 5, 2019
This was a cute story and a great start to the series.
I love that the series is about three special forces warriors that fought for England against Napoleon. They are now back home but not 100% welcomed by the Ton. This book featured a 3rd son who's mother had died and was left with a horrible excuse for a father.
The heroine was too naive, not too bright, and headstrong for my taste. She grew on me by the end of the book, but annoyed the living hell out of me the first 70%. I have nothing against naivety, but good old common sense is very attractive in a heroine!
I love that the series is about three special forces warriors that fought for England against Napoleon. They are now back home but not 100% welcomed by the Ton. This book featured a 3rd son who's mother had died and was left with a horrible excuse for a father.
The heroine was too naive, not too bright, and headstrong for my taste. She grew on me by the end of the book, but annoyed the living hell out of me the first 70%. I have nothing against naivety, but good old common sense is very attractive in a heroine!
August 13, 2017
Great new series from Shana Galen! I always love reading about a strong heroine becoming that strong heroine. Since the heroes are some really tough guys, I'm sure there will be lots of action and adventure in these novels. I liked the bond between the men and the side story within the story made me happy. I'm looking forward to the rest of the series!
July 22, 2017
The first story of a new series.
Wonderful story. Ewan and Lorrie are great characters.
Not typical or shallow But full of secrets and heart.
The story is full of surprises.
I enjoyed it very much and now I cant wait for the next one.
Wonderful story. Ewan and Lorrie are great characters.
Not typical or shallow But full of secrets and heart.
The story is full of surprises.
I enjoyed it very much and now I cant wait for the next one.
September 3, 2022
Absolutely LOVED THIS BOOK!!!!
Can't believe I haven't read this author before....
Can't believe I haven't read this author before....
November 2, 2017
I'm sure you have experienced it: you are staring at pages that seem to never turn, rereading paragraphs, switching between books in hopes that something will click. It's a reading slump, and it is where I was before I picked up this book. I have read Shana Galen before and enjoy her writing, so I figured I'd give this book a go. That evening, I got over halfway through the book, and I finished it quickly the next day. Slump defeated, and a wonderful book to recommend!
The Story:
Ewan is the muscle of a gambling hall, but his prestigious past as part of an elite task force in the Napoleonic Wars and the fact that he is the third son of an earl sets him apart from most men in his position. When he is offered the job of bodyguard for the daughter of a duke, he is not interested until he learns that he might have the chance to thwart the plans of his slimy cousin, Francis. Lorrie just wants to elope with Francis, but with her new bodyguard, it may prove impossible.
My Thoughts:
OMG. I LOVED this book. The hero is stoic, tortured, strong, just swoon.... I really loved him. Lorrie is delightful and entertaining without being annoying. She begins a bit immature, but grows up and listens to reason. There are no conflicts based on misunderstandings; the story flows so naturally and quickly. The antagonist is not some moustache-twirling man that shows up toward the end of the book, but is carefully built, and his decisions and actions are completely believable. I guess what I am saying is that this book is masterfully crafted. Pacing, character, setting, conflict: it all just works exactly right. Ok, yes, I am an English teacher in my day job, but I can assure you I was not thinking of these things as I was reading. It's just that when it was over and I enjoyed it so much, I started trying to pick apart exactly what it was I thought did it for me, and it turned out to be everything. By the way, the sex scenes are also hot, perfectly-placed, and not rushed. Ok, rave almost over.
The Bottom Line:
I read a lot (A LOT) of Regency and historical romance, and this is my favorite one that I have read in at least 6 months. I plan on buying a hard copy to have; I enjoyed it that much. And while everything worked perfectly for me, I still cannot pinpoint why. Perhaps it is Ewan's vulnerability; maybe it is that I see myself in Lorrie; maybe it's that I loved the secondary love story that proves that second chances can pay off. Once in awhile, you come across a book that just clicks with you and makes you happy. This was that book for me. 5 HUGE stars!
The Story:
Ewan is the muscle of a gambling hall, but his prestigious past as part of an elite task force in the Napoleonic Wars and the fact that he is the third son of an earl sets him apart from most men in his position. When he is offered the job of bodyguard for the daughter of a duke, he is not interested until he learns that he might have the chance to thwart the plans of his slimy cousin, Francis. Lorrie just wants to elope with Francis, but with her new bodyguard, it may prove impossible.
My Thoughts:
OMG. I LOVED this book. The hero is stoic, tortured, strong, just swoon.... I really loved him. Lorrie is delightful and entertaining without being annoying. She begins a bit immature, but grows up and listens to reason. There are no conflicts based on misunderstandings; the story flows so naturally and quickly. The antagonist is not some moustache-twirling man that shows up toward the end of the book, but is carefully built, and his decisions and actions are completely believable. I guess what I am saying is that this book is masterfully crafted. Pacing, character, setting, conflict: it all just works exactly right. Ok, yes, I am an English teacher in my day job, but I can assure you I was not thinking of these things as I was reading. It's just that when it was over and I enjoyed it so much, I started trying to pick apart exactly what it was I thought did it for me, and it turned out to be everything. By the way, the sex scenes are also hot, perfectly-placed, and not rushed. Ok, rave almost over.
The Bottom Line:
I read a lot (A LOT) of Regency and historical romance, and this is my favorite one that I have read in at least 6 months. I plan on buying a hard copy to have; I enjoyed it that much. And while everything worked perfectly for me, I still cannot pinpoint why. Perhaps it is Ewan's vulnerability; maybe it is that I see myself in Lorrie; maybe it's that I loved the secondary love story that proves that second chances can pay off. Once in awhile, you come across a book that just clicks with you and makes you happy. This was that book for me. 5 HUGE stars!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 465 reviews