He does nothing but think of ever-more-sensitive gifts for Rachel the sex is gentle, and then gentler he's always having warm fuzzy thoughts and smiling. And then, in order to make up for how bad Sebastian was, and give Rachel reason for fall for him, Sebastian has his awakening, he realizes what a jerk he's been, he decides to be better. On the other hand, any kind thoughts Rachel has about Sebastian make no sense at all and sound pretty awkward. Gaffney does a really good job showing how his emotions are getting involved without his being aware of it, it's a very convincing transformation. He pretty much rapes her he certainly gets off on her fear of him. So for the first half of the book, Sebastian is playing a cat-and-mouse game with Rachel. She's been in a prison for ten years and whatever happens at Sebastian's house, it's better than prison. He's blithe and bitter and although he has a dark sense of humor, he's not a brooder.ĭuring this time Rachel is a withdrawn, dead-in-spirit woman who has no pride and not much sense of self.

The first half has Sebastian as this self-indulgent aristocrat who happens to be amazingly lucid - the sections of the book written from his POV are just gripping. If you like the second half, you won't like the first half. If you like the first half, you won't like the second half. Here's the problem with To Have and To Hold. It's not for every HR reader, but I did enjoy it a lot. We get a lot of inner monologue from both Sebastian and Rachel that emphasizes their confusion at their actions.This is one of those books that I'll think about for a long time.

It's still well-written but just a tad weaker in the overall storytelling. I'm trying, very badly I think, to say that the first part of the book is horrifying but written so well that you can't put it down.The second half of the book is more of the traditional rake reformation of a HEA that one expects in a historical romance.

Rachel has been sexually abused so their interactions are much like a bad car wreck that you can't look away from. He's much like the men in Anne Stuart's Rohan books and definitely not like the fun-loving rakes who get drunk, visit a whorehouse, and then race their curricles to Brighton. Sebastian is a rake, depraved, bored, and without morals. Rachel has just served ten years for murdering her husband but is now destitute (a crime in Victorian England and elsewhere). It's to keep her out of gaol but he also makes it quite clear she is to serve as his mistress. Sebastian Verlaine, acting in his capacity as magistrate, hires Rachel Wade to be his new housekeeper. The writing is superb, and the character work is excellent, but the subject matter is often uncomfortable and sometimes unbearable.

Patricia gaffney to have and to hold