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Marigold
Calloway fell in love with Jordan Brisbane when she was seventeen. Jordan broke her heart when he left for
the Americas. He is coming back to England
for a
visit, but unfortunately he is also returning with a young lady who
wishes to
be his wife. Can Marigold win the
affections of the man she loves?
A
Sweeter Revenge is
a sweet historical romance novel set during the Christmas season. Marigold is a
feisty heroine who has always
loved Jordan. She has never fallen out of love with him but
has tried to convince herself that she hated him when he didn’t
reciprocate the
love she felt for him. His reappearance
jolts her as she realizes her true feelings. Mari
does come across as an immature girl who
hasn’t fully come into her own as a woman during most of the story. She harbors fantasies of revenge at Jordan
for hurting
her. However,
by the end, she does show signs of
growth and maturity which this reader was thankful for.
Jordan’s feelings for Mari
began as
affection that he would feel for a sister.
He wasn’t aware that he had hurt her terribly when
he left for America. He is at an impasse in his life – he has to
decide whether to marry Belinda, his partner’s daughter.
He finds his memories of Mari no longer
reconciles with the girl at hand. Mari
doesn’t welcome his attention and he longs to talk to her like old
times. Seeing her again, he finds his
feelings for
her have changed and he no longer thinks of her as a “sister”. Jordan is a man who knows
what he
wants in a wife and he just has to decide who fits the bill.
The
sensuality factor is very, very light and in keeping with the style of
the
regency romances as the author builds on the relationship between the
two
protagonists and their respective relatives.
Jordan
and Marigold are the featured couple but there are many secondary
relationships
forming within this novel. The plentiful
amount of secondary characters seems excessive at times but the author
gamely
pulls all their stories together at the end.
It would not be surprising to see follow up books on
each of Mari’s
siblings as they appear throughout this book. For
those who enjoy their romances without a
heavy does of eroticism, A Sweeter Revenge would be perfect!
Reviewed by Susan Tam for
Road to
Romance
August 4, 2005
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