The Lost Lord by Carrie Lomax

Depraved, Unlikeable Hero

I just did not like this book. For the first 10% of it, actually more, the hero is absolutely unlikable; this is the point at which we meet the heroine. The hero is an Englishman of noble birth who has been exiled to America by his elder brother who is now the earl. The earl blames the hero for their father’s death. In America, the hero lives a life of moral depravity—carrying on a sexual affair with a married woman—and squeaks by on an allowance from his brother, picking up a little more money helping a shipping company. When you read about him, he just comes across as a weak jerk. I wanted to find something interesting in his character that I could like or relate to, but I just couldn’t. He did start to change when the heroine showed up, but it was a little late by then.

There are also issues with grammar, punctuation, and usage, which were sometimes distracting. Commas were particularly problematic. There was the overuse of the word “smirk”; this is a personal pet peeve of mine. (You can’t “smirk” a line of dialogue; go ahead… try it!) The married lover is absolutely despicable. The hero sees her for who she is, but because of his lust for her, he remains with her. Ugh. I felt sorry for the poor heroine, who actually seemed decent. I cannot recommend this book.