Gabriel: Lord of Regrets (Lonely Lords Book 5)

I love how blunt Polly is, and how she takes the time to decide what she really wants. And how much Allie is like her!

Wonderful, fully realized characters. So glad to live w them again. Pets and many people to enjoy. Good storytelling. Secrets, lies, betrayal, love and forgiveness.

I have been reading Grace Burrowes' books willy nilly for the past three years - in other words - out of the series' order. Believe me, if you're new to this series, you will want to read them in order. It isn't that they don't each have their own complete story so much as the reader will on occasion come across situations involving some of the characters that will just not be complete without reading previous books.In this book, we get to see Gabriel come home to his inheritance after working as a steward for Beckman whose story was in -  Beckman: Lord of Sins (The Lonely Lords Book 4)  in which we became acquainted with Sara and her sister Polly, Gabriel's love interest in this book. So, definitely, at a minimum I would recommend reading Beckman if you want some of the back story on Gabriel. I found Gabriel to be an interesting main character. As with many of Ms. Burrowes' main men, Gabriel is a very straightforward and actually very considerate person to the lady he loves which would be Polonaise (Polly) - superb cook and artist who is visiting the estate to paint Gabriel's brother and his wife when Gabriel unexpectedly shows up proving himself to be very much alive. Before long, Polly is finding comfort in Gabriel's arms because she's got a past which causes a tremendous amount of stress in her life. Another thing of interest in some of these lonely lords is that some of them have actually lived celibate lives for lengthy periods previous to hooking up with the lady they're destined to love and marry. Not having read all the "Lonely Lords" books, I cannot speak for all of them.Nevertheless, as is her usual manner of writing, there's quite a bit about food, including the cooking of food and the eating of food. What would a Burrowes' book be without all the talk about food. It is rather comforting, however, for her characters, to have this comfy atmosphere of "food" in which to carry on their lives. Okay, so this is not my favorite series of books by Burrowes, however, I've found a few that I've enjoyed. I have to say that Gabriel is a likeable character. Some of his reasons for staying away and pretending to be dead for those two years are tough to buy, especially considering what he put his younger brother through. By the way, this is kind of a two for one because we get a secondary romance between Gabriel's brother and his wife, who was Gabriel's former fiancee.****Spoiler**** As usual I was put off by a reveal toward the latter part of the book when Gabriel confesses to having a relationship with a woman who had given her husband an heir and two spares and "set his wife free" (supposedly to have affairs one supposes). Anyway, Gabriel had a daughter by this woman which the husband acknowledged and even thanked Gabriel for giving him a daughter. Further, Gabriel confesses to Polly that the man writes Gabriel regularly to let him know how the girl is doing. The girl doesn't know Gabriel is her father and he has no relationship with her even though he keeps all the letters. This is a perfect example of the kind of thing that frustrates me with this series of books. I hate loose ends. Is this bit fleshed out in another book? Who is to say? It frustrated me to no end because I was left wondering if I had missed out on something by not reading these books in order. If anyone has an answer as to who the identity of this woman and daughter are, please fill me in.3 1/2 stars.

The dialogue was delightful and clever, and the hero was all that most females long for. It was the heroine that dragged the book. She was trying to be honorable to the man she loved and wanted to keep his name clear of scandal, but oh how she frustrated me!The hero was a titled man, but was working as a steward. He had gone to bring his wounded brother back from the war, and while in a foreign country several attempts had been made on his life. As a result his back frequently laid him up for a few days. His fear was that his brother had been the person behind the attacks -- that his brother wanted to kill him to get the title. So the hero allows people to believe he is dead. But word of his brother's reckless behavior drives him home.The heroine had been working at the same estate as the hero, and the two had been close. He wanted to marry her but she had secrets she was afraid to disclose. She was an artist and was becoming much in demand -- and it happens that she had been summoned to paint portraits of the hero's brother and his wife.Things get complicated with the hero's return. He was contracted to marry a certain young woman, but his supposed death had forced his brother to fulfill the contract. The woman's mother was going to take the hero to court to ensure her daughter retained the title. She didn't care if her daughter actually had feelings for the man she married -- she was going to be the wife of whichever man held the title. And the brother hadn't consummated their marriage.The heroine had been seduced when she was fifteen by her sister's husband and had given birth to a baby girl. The child was being raised by the sister and her present husband. So this presents another problem -- the child wants to be with her real mother, but would be regarded by society as a bastard adding to the scandal if the heroine married the hero.Secrets abound on all fronts. Added to the mix is the brother of the seducer -- he is the heroine's manager and has a romantic interest in the heroine.The writing is very good and the story entertaining. I recommend it.

Gabriel Wendover, Marquise of Hesketh Has been posing as Gabriel North and working as the overseer at Three Springs. He is leaving all his friends there and returning to his own home to "return from the dead" and take back the responsibilities that his younger brother has been shouldering. While he was at Three Rivers he fell in love with Polonaise "Polly" Hunt. Polly and her sister, Sara, work in the house in Three Rivers. Sara was previously been a musician who had traveled extensively throughout Europe performing and Polly, her sister was a very talented artist. Shortly after Gabriel left for home, without telling the women who he really was and where he was going, Polly was hired to paint the portraits of the current Marquise and his wife. The current Marquise was Aaron, Gabriel's younger brother. His wife was Gabriel's x-fiancé. Garbriel was going home to try and determine who it was that tried to kill him 2 years ago and who was still trying to kill him. This is another well written and easy to read historical romance by Grace Burrowes. Many of the characters are mentioned is earlier books so its almost like going home when you read this one. I liked the main characters and loved their story. There were quite a few issues keeping our couple apart. It was fun to watch the characters knock down one problem after another. I look forward to my next "Grace Burrowes" read!

I loved Gabriel from the first - Ms Burrowes does evoke such darling men! Not that I had anything against Polly! This is a gentle story about the development of their relationship and I was happy to buy into it. The hero and heroine's characters were well developed, as were those of the secondary people. As well as the romance, there was also a slight mystery - had someone tried not once but three times to kill Gabriel in Spain? Perhaps even his brother? This is also gently resolved, although not perhaps in the way you might think. The book is number five in a series, and I had not read the one before - which I think must cover the start of their relationship, when they were presumably secondary characters. This caused me to be just a little disorientated in the first chapter or two, but I read into the story and it soon ceased to be a problem.I have read two other books by Ms Burrowes and enjoyed both very much, so I will definitely be moving on to others by her. If you don't know this author's work, I would suggest you get some of her books. I am now feeling quite bereft, reluctant to leave these lovely characters, so I feel sure that I will be re-reading it in the near future!

l have now got used to the darker aspects of the characters of this series, although l must say l do prefer the books with more affection displayed between the characters. Gabriel is a marquess hiding as hired help on an estate not far from his own home after a series of attemps on his life. also escaping are the ladies in the house who also have dark secrets. Gabriel falls in love with one of these ladies and feels he has to re enter his old life in order that he can come and claim her with no secrets between them. of course there is the matter of all she has ben withholding to be revealed too! well written as ever and a really good read.

Not one of Grace Burrowed better books. The story was a bit tortuous and unrealistic in relation to the sabotage and attempted murder as George would more likely have landed on the gibbet than forgiven, also a few modern words appeared in this period novel.

This book was intriguing. I have read several in the series and enjoy the way they slot into one another. Building the storylines is an art form, one which Grace Burrows does well. It had all my wanted elements, Love, family, intrigue, the difficult family member who never knows when to leave well alone. I enjoyed this read, it had me picking it up when I should have been busy elsewhere.

I have read all the books in this series and they are well worth a read if you like historical romances and the stories of a family. Grace Burrowes is a marvellous author bringing the books to life.