Review: Kindred Hearts

Title: Kindred Hearts
Author: Rowan Speedwell
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Publication Date: 2 May 2011
Reviewed Format: ebook
Length: 125,403 words

Rating: 5 out of 5

Blurb:
Charming rascal Tristan Northwood seems to have it all: an ancient name, a noble inheritance, a lovely wife, and a son he adores. Women love him, men admire him, and it seems there is nothing he can’t do, whether it’s seducing a society wife or winning a carriage race. Little does Society suspect that the name means nothing to him, the fortune is in his father’s controlling hands, and he has no interest in his wife except a very distant friendship. Society bores him, and he takes dares because he only feels alive when he’s dancing on the edge... until his wife’s brother comes home from the wars.

Decorated war hero Major Charles Mountjoy jerks Tris out of his despair by inspiring feelings of passion Tris had never suspected himself capable of. Almost as terrifying as those feelings for Charles are the signs Charles might return his affection—or, even worse, that Charles sees the man Tristan has been trying so valiantly to hide from the world.

Review:

Main Characters:
Tristan is a broken man at the end of his rope: forced into marriage by his father with a woman he likes well enough but doesn't love, living a life of drinking and whoring, taking on any challenge, no matter how foolish--or dangerous. By the time he meets Charles, he's prepared to end it all, arranging his affairs toward that end to ensure that his wife, Charlotte, his son, Jamie, and his unborn second child will be taken care of once he's gone. He'd never thought of another man romantically before he met Charles, despite an encounter that left him with an inconvenient memory, one that he's struggled to put behind him.

As the story progresses, Tristan grows. It's not an overnight transformation--he has too much bad history for that--but given time and positive reinforcement he becomes a man to respect. He still has his immature moments, his moments of doubt and defensive haughtiness, but they're fewer and farther between. He does cry a lot, but I found it to be mostly understandable; he's lived a life of emotional neglect and inadvertent abuse, and to be treated by Charles with kindness and love is overwhelming, thrusting him into unfamiliar territory through which he has no means to navigate. The only time I found it a bit silly was toward the end of the book: after his argument with an invalid Charles comes to a head and results in Tristan bringing him off with his mouth, Tristan breaks down weeping. It seemed a bit belated to me, and a bit extreme for the situation.

One thing I found particularly charming about Tristan came about in his first sexual encounter with Charles: Tristan becomes upset because he climaxed and Charles did not. His father had instructed him years prior that he was always to see to his partner's pleasure first, and only then address his own, and Tristan took it to heart. His religious following of the edict makes him more than a shiftless rake and adds a sweetness even to his promiscuity.

Charles is much steadier than Tristan, not surprising given his position as a major and ADC to Wellington. He's also known for years that he's quite bent, though his last love affair ended tragically when his lover saw the romance as a mistake and left their regiment for a situation that would eventually lead to his death. He has a fascination with medicine and herbal treatments, and hopes to study as a physician once he's sold his commission. He never displays quite as much growth as Tristan, though, again, this is not surprising as he started off in a much better place, confident in who he is and what he has to offer.

It's only quite a bit later in the story that we see another side of Charles, after he's recuperating from an injury taken during the battle of Waterloo. Up to that point, he was patient and steadfast almost to a fault. During his invalidity, he shows a crotchety side that's almost cute; it's good to see him as something other than the Perfect Man.

Chemistry:
Tristan and Charles are an incredibly tight couple, and the tension between them, even when they're unaware that it's mutual, is perfectly strung. Charles already feels familiar with Tristan due to his sister's letters about her husband, but Tristan begins in quite a different position, getting prickly whenever anyone mentions Charles. Rather than take rooms elsewhere, Charles moves into Tristan's home, where daily exposure to his sudden attraction begins to drive Tristan to the brink. By the time Charles discovers his plans and confronts him, the tension between them has drawn so tight that it can only snap, driving them unavoidably together.

Even after they've consummated their relationship, the tension remains, a construct of the times; although certain key people know of their bonds, they have to shield it from all others or risk being hanged as sodomites and criminals. What they do behind closed doors is definitely satisfying, building beautifully on their characters without overwhelming the story.

There are actually times at which Tristan seems too naïve, though. Revisiting the scene of their first sexual encounter, there's a revealing moment tied into the aforementioned delay of Tristan's pleasure that I found it just a little hard to believe:

Then Charles kissed him, one slick hand curving along Tristan's jaw and slipping down his neck, his fingers stroking, teasing sensation from Tristan's skin. He smoothed along the curve of Tristan's shoulder, then down over his pectoral muscle and paused. Drawing back, he whispered, "Do you like it when you're touched here...?" and his fingers brushed Tristan's nipple.

Tristan's body arched in response. The touch was gentle, but the sensation of the warm, slick fingers was too much. He cried out softly, then went limp again as Charles's hand moved away. "I've never... no one ever..."

There was a moment of stillness, then Charles said in disbelief, "No one's ever touched you there? No one?"

His face burning, Tristan shook his head, his hair scrubbing against the linen of the pillowcase. "Sometimes, when I'm making love, they rub against the woman's skin... it feels good."

"Then why don't you let them touch you there, if it feels good?"

Tristan let out a long sighing breath. "No one ever offered. Besides—my responsibility is their pleasure—it's just a bonus that I take my own."

"My God," Charles said flatly.

It's sweet, but I can't believe that someone as promiscuous as Tristan is supposed to have been hasn't had that kind of contact at least once in his life.

On another note, I'm in love with how they're in love. Tristan's vulnerability in love is perfectly portrayed more than once, but this is my favorite:

Tristan fumbled for Charles's cheek to guide himself in for a kiss; light, at first, but then Charles's tongue took possession of Tristan's mouth, and they shifted so that Charles sprawled over Tristan. Tris drew his legs up and wrapped them around Charles's back, sliding his hands down to cup Charles's muscular arse. He rocked against Charles, loving the solidity, the stability, the strength of his lover's body. "Love me, Charlie," he murmured, and took Charles's mouth again, his hands and tongue eager. He felt Charles's rumbling laughter and drew back. "What's so funny?"

"You, love," Charles said, dipping his head to lick at Tristan's throat. "Love you? As if I had any choice in the matter."

That little love me, Charlie gets me every time.

Secondary Characters:
The supporting cast is broad and evolves as the story does. Between Tristan's family (by blood and otherwise) and friends, Charles's military comrades, and the physicians and surgeons with whom they later become acquainted, there are plenty to keep straight. A few threw me, particularly those introduced later in the story--I just can't keep them straight, and I'm not quite certain how the relationship between Tristan and Chamberlain developed as it did given the situation--but they're overall well-drawn and appealing.

Charlotte is the definite high point for me, with her implacability and insight. The conversations she has with Tristan and Charles provide impetus and a perspective that propels much of the story, without being gratuitous or transparent. Early in the story is one of my favorites:

"He does care for you, then." Strange—he'd got the impression that he had disturbed Tristan fully as much as Tristan had affected him. But if Tristan loved Lottie...?

"Oh, we are quite good friends," Lottie said.

"I meant," he said patiently, "that he loves you."

Lottie considered this a moment. "I think he does, but not in a romantic sort of way," she said meditatively. "He is a very romantic sort of person, but I don't think he feels romantic about people. I think he just expects people to disappoint and so doesn't have very high expectations of them."

"Do you disappoint him?" Charles asked curiously.

"I don't think so." Lottie thought a moment. "I think, probably, because I never promised him anything. He doesn't expect anything of me, nor I of him, and so we can be quite comfortable." She patted her rounded abdomen contentedly. "As comfortable as I get these days."

"Don't you want anything more from your marriage, Lottie?" he asked, taking her hand in his.

She smiled up at him. "Of course not. I am not a romantic sort of person, Charlie, not like you and Tristan. I don't care for the marriage act, and don't really need much of anything. Tristan suits me quite well." She shook her head. "I sometimes think that he needs more than just fondness, but there isn't much I can do about that. When we were first married… well, that's all done now, anyway."

"What's all done?"

"You know that he was unfaithful to me," Lottie said. “I think he was still... I don't know. Looking. As if he thought maybe he could find someone who could love him in a romantic sort of way. But he never did. It is a shame. He does so want to be loved."

On the other end of the spectrum is James Ware, Tristan's father. I like him initially--I can certainly understand his awkwardness, his lack of knowledge about children on top of the grief of losing his wife. I can even understand the neglect of Tristan's emotional needs. How that devolves into verbal abuse (which Tristan very carefully catalogs) never quite made sense to me. By the time Charlotte forces a confrontation between Tristan and his father, Ware's behavior makes no sense to me; he bursts into tears while they're at dinner in a restaurant, sobbing that he had destroyed them. I just can't believe that he didn't see that their relationship was that bad, given Tristan's patterns of behaving a particular way simply to aggravate him and the emotional distance they'd shared for over two decades.

Story:
There is quite a bit that happens to back the romance. From Tristan's recovery to finding a shared purpose with Charles to Charles's past catching up with him, things move along at a good clip. They do drag a bit here and there--Tristan's recovery from illness springs to mind--but overall it's well-paced.

There is a fair amount of focus on politics and military actions, particularly later in the story, which is really unavoidable given Charles's position and the times. There's enough to dress the stage, but not so much that it ever felt overwhelming to me, although someone with no interest in either topic may find it annoying.

Writing:
I found the writing to particularly enjoyable, well-crafted and evocative of the period. It's apparent that the author did a large amount of research, but it's not intrusive--it provides the window dressing without every piece of research being inserted whether it was applicable or not.

Overall:
Well-drawn characters and a story of growth combine to make this a lovely book. Wound through historical events but not overwhelmed by them, flavored by angst but not overwrought, this book has a lot to offer to lovers of historical romances. A few flaws here and there are easily overlooked in the whole, leaving a riveting read, one I look forward to revisiting.