Marrying Winterborne (The Ravenels #2) by Lisa Kleypas

 Cold-Hearted Rake

So far, every Lisa Kleypas book I've read has been a miss for me, but will Marrying Winterborne be better?  The second book in the Ravenels series, this follows Helen, an aristocratic woman without a ton of experience outside of her sheltered household, and the rich commoner Rhys Winterborne. We met both of these characters in Cold-Hearted Rake as Helen nursed Winterborne back to health after an unfortunate train accident, but here they get to take center stage.

Interesting characters: Blimey, can Lisa Kleypas let you down.  I was so excited about this book because I really enjoyed Helen and Rhys in the previous book. But here we get so little backstory about these two that they're really just cardboard characters. Helen is the forgotten daughter who must take care of her much more vivacious younger sisters. Rhys is embittered because even though he has money, he'll never be able to be accepted among the noblemen because of his commoner heritage. There are so many lost opportunities in this book to do flashbacks to times when Helen was lonely or when Rhys was snubbed and none of this happens. How did Devon (from the first book) and Rhys become friends?  Could we meet Rhys's mother?  Just a tremendous letdown.

Believable conflict: These two just need to open their mouths and talk to each other. There's just so much insufferable internal monologue and not enough communicating. There's conflict here, but it's so absolutely manufactured by people who are old enough (and, in Rhys's case, professionally successful enough) to both know and do better.

Emotional tension: There's nothing. They sleep together almost immediately. There's a plotline we're supposed to believe that might challenge the budding relationship, but it didn't have any emotional stakes because we knew Rhys would never let Helen go. There was an interesting plot twist towards that end that I didn't see coming and I will give full credit to Kleypas for surprising me with that.  

Happily ever after: I mean, I guess. If you think pregnancy in Victorian times is happy, sure. But I've read the combination of How to Be a Victorian  and Birth, and it just makes me think Helen is going to die in the next book, so maybe don't be like me. 

Here's the thing. Just like in the previous book, the reason to read this book is the secondary characters. The twins, the woman doctor, and the widowed chaperone are all absolutely brilliant characters and it makes me want to read more just to get to hang out with them. But the actual main storyline? Meh.  I could do without it. (It will be telling that in the lines of note section, all of the dialogue comes from characters who are not the main couple.)

2.5/5 stars

Lines of note:

"You haven't tried kissing," Cassandra told her. "You might like it. Helen does."
"Helen likes Brussels sprouts. How can anyone trust her opinion?" (page 60)

I hate Brussels sprouts so much.  I think this is a fair analysis. 

"A man is not entitled to be called a father merely because he once had a well-timed spasm of the loins." (page 178)
I shall be referring to pregnancy as a "well-timed spasm of the loins" from here on out.

"Whispers can't hurt you," Pandora said.
Cassandra gave her twin a chiding glance. "Whispers can gut and fillet you like a haddock." (page 223)

Cuts to the quick.