Last night I was dreaming I was locked in a prison cell
“To Have and to Hold” by Patricia Gaffney
Before Lola starts with this review, let me tell you, that the path to obtaining this book was fraught with landmines- delayed shipments from Amazon marketplace, a mix-up in the delivery address. Think Indiana Jones trying to get his hands on the Holy Grail. Anyway, the 2 copies of “To Have and To Hold†which we ordered mysteriously ended up in Alaska, before making their way to our beloved pink stucco RMB offices. When the books finally arrived, Sheridan and I (having the attention spans of a pair of butterflies with ADD) had moved on to other things, other books, other authors. I was just showing Sheridan the new gold Y-Mail bag courtesy of Monsieur St Laurent that I had bought, when our postman showed up, looking around nervously (as we have an unfortunate tendency to pounce on him whenever new books arrive).
Tearing open the packaging like rabid (but yet, charmingly well-groomed) dogs, we looked at the copies of “To Have And To Hold.†“It has a swan on it,†Sheridan said doubtfully, “That can’t be good.â€
“At least it isn’t Fabio,†replied Lola. “Remember how you refused to read Heather and Velvet even though I insisted it was good, just because Fabio was on the cover and you said he looked as if he’d bathed in margarine. Anyway, we’re meeting Mimi at the Mexican place for dinner in about an hour right? I think I’ll have time to read a few chapters. See you in a bit!â€
An hour later…
“Lola! Are you ready yet? Please tell me you’re not wearing your sombrero to dinner again. You know the manager asked you not to because you scared the little children!†Sheridan opened the door to Lola’s office.
“You guys go ahead without me,†Lola replied, not looking up from the book. “I can’t stop now!â€
Four hours and 5 jugs of margaritas later, Sheridan and Mimi come sloshing back into the office…
“Lola, we brought you back an order of Nachos Supreme with all the fixings, your favourite! Lola?†Sheridan and Mimi walk into Lola’s room, to find her lying on her chaise lounge, 2 chilled teaspoons over her eyes. “What happened to your eyes! They’re so puffy they look like you insulted Mike Tyson’s mother and he didn’t take it well!â€
“It’s this book!†wailed Lola. “It’s so tragic! It’s like a freaking emotional roller coaster! I feel as if my stomach’s on the floor, and I didn’t even have any mango margaritas today! Sebastian Verlaine is now up there on my alpha male Wall of Flame! According to the blurb, he’s suave, cynical and too handsome for his own good and boy have they got it right!â€
Intrigued by Lola’s passionate response and hopeful that this too meant a great read for them, Sheridan and Mimi settled back and listened to Lola ramble on incoherently.
“You see, Sebastian Verlaine, Viscount D’Aubrey is on his way to Lynton, a manor that he’s inherited. He decides to spend some time rusticating in the country and as a member of the landed gentry and a viscount at that, is forced to become a magistrate judging the crimes of his tenants and neighbours. Rachel Wade is a convicted murderess, accused of killing her husband and she’s just finished serving a jail term of 10 years (that’s longer than the time American Idol’s been showing!) The townspeople are trying to run her out of the town, and she’s been picked up for vagrancy and theft (for stealing 4 apples to eat).
Sebastian scandalises the other 2 judges and the town by bringing Rachel home with him, to serve as his housekeeper. From the start, it’s obvious that any good deeds done by Sebastian are done with the sole intention of serving his own purposes, and not that he’s really concerned about Rachel. There’s something in her browbeaten, abject state that he finds stirring, and he admits to himself that there’s an element of piquancy to her helplessness and his mastery over her that he feels thrilling. A naughty boy is our Sebastian.
Rachel is a heartbreaking character. Having gone through so much in prison, all she asks to do is to bear whatever else is thrown at her. She knows Sebastian wants to sleep with her but she doesn’t even feel that her body is her own, and that she has any choice in the matter. She’s stoic and beaten, but in the end, she manages to gain her strength and you really root for her to survive. She has nothing to her name but a photo of her estranged family, and some newspaper clippings which she pins to her bedroom walls to decorate them. Sebastian rather rudely looks around at her possessions but when he realises how little she has, he’s shamed in spite of himself.
I loved how you see the progression in the relationship between the viscount and Mrs Wade (which is how Sebastian refers to Rachel at first). The first half of the book, Sebastian spends tormenting Rachel, rather like a hungry cat with a helpless mouse. Their relationship initially has an imbalance of power. Sebastian has all of it, and Rachel has none. But the viscount and the housekeeper start to slowly find some common ground. Sebastian makes Rachel report to him every morning, and he carelessly bestows one or two kindnesses on her. But the entire time, you can see that Sebastian is really a pretty callous and cruel individual. He admits to himself that part of his interaction with Rachel is an experiment, how far can he push her?
He tries to get Rachel to tell him about her disastrous relationship with her dead husband and has a very morbid curiosity about the little information that he gleans. But when Sebastian starts to behave more kindly towards Rachel, in a classic alpha hero trait (along with smouldering eyes and buns of steel), he considers this to be a weakness in himself, and doesn’t want to admit that he has any deeper feelings for her. So he invites his degenerate society friends to the house, and shatters the fragile peace that he’s begun to find with his housekeeper.
In a terribly painful scene (I was crying the whole time, hence my running eyeliner and resultant present resemblance to a racoon), Sebastian condones his friends’ behaviour, as they quiz Rachel mercilessly on her life in prison and how she was tortured by her husband. He doesn’t protect her at all, and is a silent accomplice to the whole thing. They make it into a dinner game, and Rachel’s quiet dignity doesn’t affect them at all; it only shames Sebastian. When Sebastian eventually comes to his senses and realises what he’s done to her, he goes berserk with guilt and self-loathing, and is horror stricken at his actions. He’s full of rage at his friends but most of all, he hates himself for what he’s done. You know what that means! G-R-O-V-E-L! In SPADES! Enough grovel to fill Germany! Woohoo!
The novel is essentially split into 2 parts. The Sebastian of the first half is amoral and cruel (and by cruel I don’t mean he eats the last doughnut at tea) and the Sebastian of the second realises what he’s become, and tries to change. So really, even though Sebastian tries to bring Rachel back to life, the book is also about how Rachel redeems Sebastian. To make up to Rachel for everything he’s done to her, Sebastian really transforms into a caring, thoughtful love machine. *sniffle!* *drool* Yes, I can sniffle and drool at the same time! So what if it’s gross! But he still retains enough of that devilish edge. Sebastian trying to court Rachel, in all his roguish charm, is pretty darn irresistible!
There’s also the matter of who killed Rachel’s husband. But this book is primarily about the relationship between Sebastian and Rachel, and how even though he’s a wealthy viscount (soon to be earl) and she’s a penniless convict who’s now his housekeeper, they’re really soul-mates.
I LOVED this book! There were so many scenes which I dog-earred, and lines which I re-read because the emotional intensity only hits you the second time round! All these little snippets where you see Sebastian and Rachel just so overjoyed to be together, and it’s bittersweet because they realise it can’t last. When Sebastian comes back from a trip and his first thought is to look for Rachel and she runs into his arms and he swings her around in a circle and he’s thrilled that she’s happy and laughing, well, I about melted into a puddle of goo on the floor, pretty much like the cheese on top of the nachos. And did you bring me back any margaritas? So without giving away anymore, you guys seriously have to check out this book! Sheridan? Mimi?â€
*door slams as Sheridan and Mimi race out of the room, lunging for the one remaining copy of “To Have and to Hold”.*
Anyway, shout out to our fabulous readers for yet another great recommendation!
lauren said,
January 27, 2008 @ 5:48 am
You know I got this book right after I finished Lilly, because I had heard it was even better, but because it was the second in a series I wanted to wait until I read the first, and even though I have been assured the first book is very good I just had a hard time getting into a minister hero, and so I forgot about these books. Anyway, I think now that I remember I should move them up on my list.
La Lola said,
January 27, 2008 @ 11:18 am
You definitely should read it! I bought Lily as well, and I can’t wait to read it. I don’t have the book with the minister though, also having similar problems with really getting turned on by a man of God. That’s just wrong I think.
Wendy said,
January 27, 2008 @ 12:06 pm
Ack! That’s Fabio on Heather and Velvet? And I was so proud of not having any Fabio covers…
Glad you liked this one as much as I knew you would!
And though I know it’s not your usual cuppa, To Love and to Cherish is really, really good too. Anyway, there’s no particular reason not to read them out of order; I did.
You might try reading A Woman Scorned by Liz Carlyle first, to warm up to the minister hero idea. Very hot minister hero in that one!
lauren said,
January 27, 2008 @ 12:39 pm
I guess if order doesn’t matter then I’ll read out of order, and maybe if the minster’s in To Have and To Hold I’ll sort of get used to it.
Ming said,
January 29, 2008 @ 3:29 am
I WANNA READ THIS BOOK!!!!!
hilarious review La Lola!
Sheridan Sakura Carlotta said,
January 29, 2008 @ 8:58 am
You know Ming, Lola isn’t the only one with a copy of the book *twirls hair* I might be willing to part with mine (for a while) for a small incentive…
La Lola said,
January 29, 2008 @ 9:26 am
Thanks Wendy! I’ve been hearing lots of positive press about Liz Carlyle but the one book by her I read, I didn’t particularly fancy. Have you read the rest of Patricia Gaffney’s books? Why are they so hard to get and which others would you recommend? I stayed up all night to read “Lily” and loved it, so will be posting a review shortly.
Wendy said,
January 29, 2008 @ 9:54 am
I’ve only read those three by Gaffney, but enjoyed them all. I have another in my mountain somewhere… she’s not that hard to get on paperback swap. I should order more.
Which Carlyle did you try? I can see why you might not like her, she’s more into the flawed, kinda f*cked-up hero than the super Alpha, but I really enjoy most of her books. You might like _No True Gentleman_, that’s probably her Alpha-est guy.
La Lola said,
January 29, 2008 @ 5:57 pm
Honestly, I don’t really remember, it was that forgettable. I think it had a duke in it (that narrows it down, doesn’t it?)
lauren said,
January 30, 2008 @ 9:13 am
I’d say be careful of the PG books that are not historical as those are Women’s Fiction and not romance.