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Ewan Mostyn is a very interesting character.
With that being said, he is the only reason why this book got 3 stars!
I have been anticipating this book. I love the trope – rich girl gets a bodyguard and falls in love with said bodyguard. But this wasn’t executed as well as I hoped.
Shana Galen has been a hit and miss for me. To be honest, the last book written by her that I absolutely love was Earls Just Want to Have Fun. And that was released in 2015.
Third Son’s a Charm has a very interesting premise – third sons born in the nobility, fight in the war to defend England and are now back in London trying to live a normal life. Ewan Mostyn is one of these men. He is known as The Protector and is working as a bouncer at one of the gaming clubs where he owns a percentage. Until the Duke of Ridlington asks him to be a bodyguard for his wayward daughter. The hook, his daughter, Lady Lorraine, is bent on eloping with Ewan’s wastrel cousin!
As I’ve said before, this is one of my favorite tropes, and I initially liked the first few chapters.
BUT. Yes, there is a but!
She got on my nerves before I even reached the half of the book! It was very, very frustrating. She was too ditzy for me and fell too guileless that I wanted to shake her.
I mean, she was too immature! Too immature for the stoic Ewan!
Ewan is another story, though.
He was the perfect hero, tough but very gentle. There is also a trigger warning for anyone who has been bullied. Ewan was bullied growing up because he had dyslexia! At that time, they did not know what dyslexia was and they thought that he was an idiot. He was also bullied by his cousin, Francis. And not only that, his father also did not treat him right. And what’s more, he can’t read!
Ewan is a fully developed character. In fact, he is the only saving grace in this book. Really.
As for Lorraine, well, she just felt too shallow. I didn’t think that she deserved a man like Ewan. At least, not until she grows up.
The third act also felt rushed. And as a result, the declarations of love felt too shallow.
My Recommendation
The premise of this series is very interesting. Ewan and a group of ex-soldiers – 12 left from their company are now in London trying to build a normal life. They belong to an exclusive club and we meet a few of the 12. For now, the series, The Survivors has 3 books listed and I hope that it will be Rafe and Neil’s stories!
Third Son’s a Charm is well-written, but it did not wow me at all.
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Have you ever been frustrated with a book that has underdeveloped characters?
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