Monday, October 30, 2017

Susan's Review of Third Sons A Charm by Shana Galen







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



I am thrilled that Shana Galen has a new series!

Third Sons A Charm is the first book in the Survivor series and it is an excellent read. The series features soldiers from Draven’s dozen, an elite group of military men who fought in the Peninsular War. These men were viewed as expendable as they were second and third sons of the nobility, so they were given the most dangerous assignments.

Ewan Mostyn is known by his friends as The Protector. A man of few words; Ewan is best known for his strength and the risks he took to keep his friends safe. It took me a few pages to understand Ewan and I enjoyed that the true nature of his character is revealed during the course of the story. The author crafts Ewan’s story perfectly by giving clues about his past through conversations with his father, cousin and friends.

Usually, Ms. Galen’s heroines are strong, self-reliant thieves or spies; this novel features a naïve debutante who talks incessantly. I enjoyed reading Lorrie’s story as it was easy to relate to her because Lorrie desires affection. Her parents and brothers do not have time for her and she is enamored by the first person who pays attention to her. Unfortunately, Lorrie tries to elope with the unsuitable Francis Mostyn, Ewan’s cousin.

The Duke of Ridlington hires Ewan to be Lorrie’s bodyguard. Loved the humorous scenes when Lorrie tries to outsmart Ewan. He catches Lorrie as she climbs out her window to meet Francis and the next day he cuts down the tree branch near her window and installs padlocks on the doors in the servant’s hall. Lorrie is not going to escape on his watch! Lorrie discovers that Ewan has several secrets; he is unable to read and his father has lost the family fortune. Ewan suspects that Francis is behind the family’s misfortune and desires Lorrie’s dowry, not her. As their friendship deepens, Lorrie offers to teach him how to read and Ewan realizes that Lorrie is a passionate, intelligent woman.

Ms. Galen is known for her fast- paced suspenseful stories. The last few chapters of the novel were filled with intrigue as there were two storylines with villains that played out during the same time. Ewan needed to call on two of his friends from Draven’s dozen to help him on an important mission. Loved the scenes with Ewan, Jasper and Neil; they worked well as a team and the banter between the three characters was perfect. I loved the characters, their stories and the pace of the novel and highly recommend it.

Congratulations to Shana Galen for a great debut novel! Ms. Galen effortlessly combined romance, suspense and friendship in this novel! Am looking forward to the next book in the series.

Reviewed by Susan Gorman

ARC provided by Sourcebooks




Shana Galen is the bestselling author of fast-paced adventurous Regency historicals, including the RT Reviewers' Choice The Making of a Gentleman. Booklist says, "Galen expertly entwines espionage-flavored intrigue with sizzling passion," and RT Bookreviews calls her "a grand mistress of the action/adventure subgenre." 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. Shana loves to hear from readers, so send her an email or see what she's up to daily on Facebook and Twitter.




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