Lord Atwood's Lovers by Eva Clancy (e-novella/ARC)

Imogen and Charles have the perfect marriage --

In public, it is obvious that they love and adore one another and, in private, they share a very honest and openly passionate relationship.

When Alexander Lambert arrives in town and Imogen invites him over for dinner, their harmonious relationship is disturbed and tested and Charles is forced to confront a dark secret from his past.

Lord and Lady Standish epitomize a love match and are well-liked in society. To the ton, they are well-mannered, polished, and abide by the rules of society -- they seem to be everything that they are expected to be.

Behind the closed doors of their townhouse, they are magnified versions of themselves -- gone are the boundaries that restrain them in public. Imogen and Charles are expressive of their love and desire for each other.

Eva Clancy gradually peels back the layers of her hero and heroine -- as the story progresses, we read about Imogen's secret thoughts about her deceased husband, Edward and her feelings toward him; we also find out about Charles' past and the secret he has kept hidden from his wife and from society.

This novella is an exploration of public personas and the secret lives they lead -- Clancy shows us that we are comprised of many different aspects and depths -- for all of Imogen and Charles' honesty with each other, they still had much to discover about one another.

When Alex enters the picture, one would think that the idyllic nature of the Standish marriage would be destroyed -- but the author shows us that love has an all-encompassing ability --

What I love about this novella is how the author treated the menage scene -- it did not feel gratuitous. The desire and passion that the three feel is authentic.

This is Eva Clancy's debut and I look forward to reading more from this author.

Lord Atwood's Lovers will be released on June 1, 2012.



Disclosure: I received an ARC through Netgalley. (Thank you to Harlequin for accepting my request.)