Lord Gray's List by Maggie Robinson

January 2, 2013
So, tell me again - why don't we like the hero?

http://www.maggierobinson.net/

Lord Gray's List, by Maggie Robinson, has a couple of very strong characters. One of them, Evie, is so strong she is a human bulldozer. A bulldozer dressed as a man. However, her strength is also her weakness and because of that weakness I had a hard time liking her. You see, she has a grudge against our hero, Benton Gray. A big grudge. Once upon a time, Gray and Evie were lovers. They were also very young and Gray was a bit of a wastrel. But he was also in love with Evie and so he laid his heart on the table for her to carve up and proposed. She declined. Either she blamed him for her father's gambling habits or she thought he was too much like her father. Whichever the case, she turned him down.

Time passed and we move forward 10 years and Evie is disguised as a man and running a newspaper. Or should I say, a scandal sheet! She also seems to be printing all kinds of salacious things about Gray. Evie is really, really peeved with Gray.

Ah, Gray... what an adorable rogue. In fact, he was painted as such a wonderful character, I had a hard time understanding all the hatred directed at him by Evie. She was seething with vindictiveness. For me, this couple didn't seem to balance one another. Evie was just so mean to Gray, and I kept hoping all the way through the book for the big reveal that would explain her one-track mind. Alas, it was not meant to be.

Gray was a delightful character - he was sexy, witty, fun, and while he's a bit of a rake through the course of the story, he grows into a better person. He sees his past life for what it was and tries his darndest to make Evie happy. I was never sure why he spent so much time trying to please this shrew of a woman. Although she couldn't seem to keep her hands, feet, and bosoms off all of him. It was hot sex, hate sex, mad sex, sex, sex, we can't do that again sex - all very irritating. I found her willingness to jump into bed with him, while holding him in disdain, very disturbing.

Gray was such a charming fellow, I only wish Evie was more deserving of him.

There was also a sub-plot involving two other women, which jerked me out of the story. Now, I would probably be interested in reading their stories (especially the fire starter), but these two scenarios distracted me from Evie and Gray's romance.

In the end, I was torn between a very entrancing, fun hero and a peevish, unlikeable heroine. I wish Evie had been a different person, for I would have liked the story better. As it was, these two just didn't connect for me. That doesn't mean I'm giving up on this series. No, this is just a case of heroine-phobia. I will, of course, be picking up the next book in the series.

Time/Place: Regency England
Sensuality: Scorcher