The exquisite niece of Lord Edward and Lady Charlotte Malory, Regina Ashton is outraged over her abduction by the arrogant, devilishly handsome Nicholas Eden—and is determined to make the rogue pay . . . with his heart.
A golden-haired seducer, Nicholas has been hardened by a painful secret in his past. And now that he has besmirched Reggie’s good name, the hot-tempered lady has vowed to wed him. Her fiery beauty stirs Nicholas as no woman ever has—and the rake arouses Reggie’s passion to an unendurable level. Such uncontrolled desires can lead only to dangerous misunderstandings . . . and, perhaps, to a love that can live only once in a lifetime.
REVIEW:
Love Only Once is the first in a series of books written about the Malory family. It’s the story of Regina Ashton, beloved niece of the Malory brothers, whose only sister died when Regina was just a baby, leaving her in their care.
Regina and her uncles want her to find a husband, but she can’t seem to find anyone that will please everyone. She’s seen hundreds of men, so many that society has deemed her a cold fish, thinking she must be entirely cold-hearted and self-centered. That’s not the case at all, it’s just nearly impossible to please four overprotective men.
Viscount Nicholas Eden, a rakehell who has refused to ever marry owing to a secret in his past, is completely bored with his current mistress, Selena Eddington. He’s started treating her badly and she’s decided that it would be prudent to end things with him now, hoping to provoke a jealous reaction from him.
Finding herself in desperate need to talk to her uncle Tony, hoping he’ll be able to convince her uncles that she’s fed up with looking for a husband, Regina borrows Selena Eddington’s conveyance. Having had too much to drink, Nicholas spots his former paramour’s carriage outside Anthony Malory’s home and decides to play a nasty trick on her and keep her from attending the party of the season. After her discussion with Tony, Regina bundles herself up in her cape and steps outside, only to be swept up on horseback by Nicholoas, who thinks he’s kidnapped Selena!
Once home, Nicholas dumps Regina, who he still believes to be Selena, in one of his guest rooms, locks the door and leaves for the party himself. Only minutes after arriving at the party, Nicholas realizes his mistake and hurries home to see who he’s actually abducted. The moment he throws open the door, he and Regina both are stunned. There’s an instant attraction between them that almost crackles from the pages.
Despite careful planning on everyone’s part, the story of Regina’s abduction by one of London’s most notorious rakes leaks out and Regina’s reputation is ruined. Now, the once sought after beauty has very little chance of ever securing a good match. But, it’s not the blot to her reputation that prompts Regina to have her uncles coerce Nicholas into marrying her, it’s the fact that she’s finally found the one man she can love completely. She’s set her cap for him, and there’s very little that Regina Ashton wants that she doesn’t get.
Things really start to pick up as Nicholas does his best to escape matrimony and Regina tries her hardest to make him love her. There are numerous misunderstandings, painful words and harsh feelings between them and things really get complicated when it turns out Nicholas has a very dangerous enemy. As the story unfolds, you’ll find the pages nearly turn themselves.
Not only is the story of Regina and Nicholas incredible on it’s own, it’s the opening to a series of books about a family you’ll grow to love. The Malorys are a fiercely loyal family full of rakehells, rogues and beautiful women who are all passionate and spirited. All of the characters are so well-written that you’ll feel like you know them. From Anthony, the rake with a heart of gold, to James, the sometimes pirate, there’s never a lack of interesting people. Not to mention, this is the first introduction of one of my very favorite characters in the series — James’ son Jeremy (who definitely needs a story of his own!).
Though written nearly 20 years ago, _Love Only Once_ is an amazingly well-written Regency romance. Even at such an early stage in her career, Ms. Lindsey reveals why she is, even today, one of the top authors in this genre. I first read this story years ago and have continued visiting it once every couple of years. I never tire of the Malorys and their exploits. If you’ve never been introduced to this family, what are you waiting for?
