What a charming book this one was. Likeable hero - large, muscly, taciturn, and sensitive. The third son of an earl, Ewan Mostyn was emotionally,verbally and physically abused by his father who dismissed his learning difficulties as stupidity and unworthiness. His past was heartbreaking as he fought cruel taunts and bullying especially from his cousin, who was favoured by his father in his stead. Ewan was deemed hero following his many great deeds during the Napoleon War, yet he struggled to find a place for himself in society, as he continued to think himself as the dunce, he was repeatedly told he was by his family and teachers in the past. When was he offered the position of bodyguard to the Duke of Ridlington's spirited daughter, Lorraine, who was on the verge of eloping with his despised cousin and past tormentor, he jumped at the chance to block his deceitful cousin's grasping attempt to access the young lady's highly generous dowry. He did not count on said lady's tenacious efforts to twart his bodyguarding duties, whether it be climbing overgrown vegetations or distracting him with enchanting smiles and voluble chatters

I found the hero utterly lovable and in need of a prolonged squishy hug. Lorrie was cute and charming for the most except for the part where I wanted to rip her heart out for hurting Ewan with her thoughtless behaviour. The secondary second-chance romance between Lorrie's parents was a nice addition, but I find it a bit lacking in detail and inadequate, and raised a lot of questions as to why they behave the way they did. I also found her mother's attitude towards her inconsistent. Lorries considered her mother distant, neglectful and self-occupied throughout her growing up, yet we are lead to believe that the mother is now quite caring and in tune with Lorrie's feelings. I enjoyed Ewan's easy camaraderie with his fellow squad survivors and I look forward to reading their stories in the future. This is my first novel by Shana Galen, and I absolutely adored her humorous yet heart-felt storytelling. I will definitely be embarking on reading her back-catalogue and the next ones in this series.

I received a copy from NetGalley; this is my honest review.
This story was great. I loved every part of it. They were both intellectuals and used their brains, sometimes their wits. Not too much suspense or mystery. You'll find lots of funny moments, especially when Lorraine talks too much and Ewan not enough but they both understand each other very well. It's mostly a beautiful romance between two "shouldn't be together" people.
And the end introduces us to the next "victim" of love!

This is the first book in a new series, called survivors. It is described as a special forces group, made up of nobility, who don't figure into the heirs line. The war is now over. Only a few have survived to return to England.
This story is about Ewan, also known as the protector. He is the 3rd son of an Earl. Because he had a learning disability, everyone considers him stupid. Ewan also believes that so he jars his brute strength to get thru life. He is hired to protect a dukes daughter, Lorrie, to prevent fortune hunters from trapping her into marriage to get her large dowry.
The adventures begin from there. I loved this story. Both the heroine and hero were very likable characters. I can't wait for the next book in this series!

This was my first Shana Galen so I didn't have very many expectations going into The Third Son's a Charm. Ewan and Lorraine's book blew whatever meager expectations I had, though, and made me a huge Galen fan.

Although Lorraine isn't my favorite type of heroine on the surface, it became apparent late in this book that she was made of more than meets the eye. That being said, she's slightly insufferable starting out, caring only for self and being pretty blind to a dowry-seeking suitor. Ewan, on the other hand, it totally my type of hero. He's a protector by nature yet a bit insecure. Lorrie likens Ewan to a "Viking" and I could perfectly see the mountain of a man in my mind's eye. Ewan is also hardworking and honorable; basically, he's damn swoon-worthy all around.

Not only did I love the H/h in this story but Galen set-up this series based on the found-family of a military unit. Although Lorraine's parents did feature in this book pretty extensively Galen managed to wrap me up even more into Ewan's comrades, Draven's Dozen. I'm pretty impressed by Galen's writing after reading this book very honestly. She masterfully wove together several storylines and pulled at my heartstrings while fully immersing me in the world of this book. Oh and Galen's prose...stunning!

"He remembered a field in the French countryside where he and others from Draven's troop had camped one night when they'd gone ahead of the others. The spring morning had dawned golden, casting gree field in a muted light. That was the color of Lady Lorraine's eyes-a verdant field dipped in palest gold."

4.5 stars way, way up for this first-in-a-series Regency romance!

Third Sons A Charm is the first book in the Survivor series and it is an excellent read. The series features soldiers from Draven’s dozen, an elite group of military men who fought in the Peninsular War. These men were viewed as expendable as they were second and third sons of the nobility, so they were given the most dangerous assignments.
Ewan Mostyn is known by his friends as The Protector. A man of few words; Ewan is best known for his strength and the risks he took to keep his friends safe. It took me a few pages to understand Ewan and I enjoyed that the true nature of his character is revealed during the course of the story. The author crafts Ewan’s story perfectly by giving clues about his past through conversations with his father, cousin and friends.
Usually, Ms. Galen’s heroines are strong, self-reliant thieves or spies; this novel features a naïve debutante who talks incessantly. I enjoyed reading Lorrie’s story as it was easy to relate to her because Lorrie desires affection. Her parents and brothers do not have time for her and she is enamored by the first person who pays attention to her. Unfortunately, Lorrie tries to elope with the unsuitable Francis Mostyn, Ewan’s cousin.
The Duke of Ridlington hires Ewan to be Lorrie’s bodyguard. Loved the humorous scenes when Lorrie tries to outsmart Ewan. He catches Lorrie as she climbs out her window to meet Francis and the next day he cuts down the tree branch near her window and installs padlocks on the doors in the servant’s hall. Lorrie is not going to escape on his watch! Lorrie discovers that Ewan has several secrets; he is unable to read and his father has lost the family fortune. Ewan suspects that Francis is behind the family’s misfortune and desires Lorrie’s dowry, not her. As their friendship deepens, Lorrie offers to teach him how to read and Ewan realizes that Lorrie is a passionate, intelligent woman.
Ms. Galen is known for her fast- paced suspenseful stories. The last few chapters of the novel were filled with intrigue as there were two storylines with villains that played out during the same time. Ewan needed to call on two of his friends from Draven’s dozen to help him on an important mission. Loved the scenes with Ewan, Jasper and Neil; they worked well as a team and the banter between the three characters was perfect. I loved the characters, their stories and the pace of the novel and highly recommend it

Evan Mostyn, third (and mostly disowned) son of the Earl of Pembroke, is a brave man. He is one of “The Survivors”. Despite the suicidal missions, out of a group of 30 noble sons, he returned from war as one of “Draven’s Dozen”. In Third Son’s A Charm, author Shana Galen shows us the value of this third son.

Known as “The Protector”, Ewan is powerfully built. As a part owner of Langely’s gaming hell, this golden-haired giant sometimes acts as bouncer. It is here that we first meet him. A man of few words, Ewan can handle himself in a fight.

Enter the Duke of Ridlington. The Duke needs someone to protect his daughter from a fortune hunter and a group of criminals kidnapping heiresses. Who better to ask than “The Protector”? Little does Ewan know, but the Duke’s daughter is none other than the daft woman he saved after she ran in front of a carriage to save her puppy who had slipped his lead.

Interesting And Approachable Characters

The characters in this story are very interesting and approachable. The way the author describes Ewan’s reading disability (which of course we know is dyslexia but wouldn’t have been diagnosed in 1816) and his struggles, have you really feeling his pain.

With Lady Lorraine, the Duke’s daughter, you find a young woman who is just looking for love. Unfortunately in the person of Francis Mostyn, Ewan’s Cousin. Francis is a particularly unsuitable and unworthy person who tortured Ewan as a child. No wonder Ewan is happy, even eager, to thwart Francis’ designs on Lady Lorraine. She doesn’t see Francis as the opportunist he is, but you have to admire her strength of personality and loyalty.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to the rest of the series. Available for pre-order are "No Earls Allowed" and "An Affair with a Spare". With 12 men in “Draven’s Dozen” I look forward to lots more to follow.

This review is in response to a free copy of the book given to me by the publisher in hopes of an honest review

Review of "Third Son's A Charm" by Shana Galen.

ARC kindly provided by publisher on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I read and loved quite a few of Galen's historicals and so wasted no time in requesting this ARC, which the publisher kindly answered.

With this particular story, I loved the whole "Bodyguard" premise. And I really liked how the H was dyslexic and how it made him so reticent with people. He is the epitome of the strong silent type. This rather endeared me to him. It also did not hurt to imagine a Chris Hemsworth look-alike here - quite adorable how the h thought of him as "The Viking".

Without giving too much away, I would say the plot was also good, and secondary characters well fleshed-out..

Galen always writes love scenes quite well and this book was no exception, and she ends the story by giving us a glimpse into the mind of the H of the next book in the series.

And then to negate all these positive aspects - came the h.. :-(

I understood the h's need to be loved and cherished and "seen" as an independent, individual human being. As a woman who can boast an intelligent and mature mind. But I found her antics, to draw attention to herself, quite immature. For someone purported to be clever or intelligent, I found her schemes and arguments to prove her love (for the villain) falling rather short.

Also, I came away feeling bereft when nothing came out of the h trying to help the H with his learning difficulty. I thought rather than having an additional love story taking the focus away from the main characters, Galen could have spent a bit more time on this, with conversations helping them to bond further and fall deeper in love.

I REALLY wanted to enjoy this book, but I came away feeling just a tad bit disappointed.

Third Son's a Charm by Shana Galen is a delightful book with a lot of charm. And who can resist that cover? Ewan Moysyn is a man who would intimidate most men, by adventurous Lady Lorraine is far from frightened by the man who was hired to guard her. Will he be able to keep her out of trouble or will trouble find the both of them?

I was provided a free copy of Third Son's a Charm by Shana Galen from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I liked this start to a new series by Shana Galen. Ewan Mostyn is one of the Survivors of Draven's special unit, the third son of an Earl who could care less about him. Ewan is the Protector of the Survivors.. When he is approached by a Duke to protect his daughter from a fortune hunter he agrees. The man pursuing the Duke's daughter is Ewan's despicable cousin who tormented Ewan when they were growing up. Lady Lorraine Caldwell is in love with Francis Mostyn and is determined to marry him. Her father will not relent from his opposition to the match after an attempted elopement. He goes so far as to hire a bodyguard to keep her away from Francis. She believes all the lies that Francis has told her about how his cousin Ewan tormented him when he was a child. Not only is Ewan keeping Francis away from her, she is developing feelings for Ewan that confuses her. Ewan wants her for himself but he feels that he is not worthy.
This book was a pleasure to read. I really like Shana's writing. Her characters are wonderfully complex, and the plot has adventure, peril, and a beautiful love story. I recommend this book to readers who love Historical Romance.

Ewan Mostyn is a hero, a former soldier who fought with a daring group of thirty men who accepted extremely dangerous missions. Only twelve men of the thirty survived, and are now known as Draven's Dozen, after their leader. Ewan is the third son of an earl, though he's estranged from his family, due to their cruel treatment of him as a child. Ewan has a reading disorder (most probably alexia or dyslexia) and though he was quite intelligent, he was taunted as being stupid and unteachable. His cousin, Francis, was his biggest tormentor, and also replaced him in his father's affections. Because of this treatment, Ewan chose to become a bouncer in a club which he partly owns. He has his own room away from his family, and mostly associates with his fellow soldiers. He's content with his life, which is about to be shaken up when he accepts a job as bodyguard for the Duke of Ridlington's daughter.

Lorraine "Lorrie" Caldwell is the duke's young daughter, who's had a successful season, has a very large dowry, and is determined to marry Francis Mostyn, Ewan's horrid cousin. The duke is determined she will not marry Francis, and knowing Lorrie's stubbornness, he hires Ewan to basically shadow her everywhere she goes to keep her away from the fortune hunter. Lorrie believes all of Francis's lies, from how he was the one abused by Ewan as a child, and how he loves her dearly, but won't marry without the duke's permission. Of course, he doesn't want to lose the fortune that is her dowry that the duke threatens to withhold if they marry.

Lorrie is now thwarted at every turn by Ewan, who stops her meeting Francis. It seems that he's always two steps ahead of her. To me, Lorrie initially appears very immature and flighty. She's a constant chatterbox, who boldly states that she can work as a washer woman or baker and live without money, just as long as she has her precious Francis, whom she's never even kissed yet. And Lorrie is very anxious to kiss and to pursue physical pleasure, and Ewan is starting to look very appealing. The big, gruff bodyguard falls prey to her beauty, and gives in to the temptation of giving Lorrie her first small taste of what passion feels like.

As Ewan begins to fall for Lorrie, the pain is even worse since the object of her affection is his longtime enemy. Surprisingly, Lorrie shows fairness and maturity by asking Ewan to tell his side of the story of his childhood and the altercations with Francis. Ewan tells her a story that is sad enough to break your heart, and she does believe him, and starts to question her own feelings. As Francis realizes he is losing his heiress, he resorts to desperate measures. Will Ewan be able to save the day one more time? And can the mere third son of an earl ever win the daughter of a duke?

I love Ewan to pieces. It's so hard to see such an honorable, strong, and heroic man have such vulnerability. The fact that it's his own family who caused the most damage and couldn't accept and love him that makes it even more painful. I was so happy for the strong bonds of unconditional friendship he has with his fellow soldiers. Lorrie showed a lot of growth throughout the book, and I admire how accepting she was of Ewan's inability to read. She is determined to love and help him, and she's not shy of telling him of her love, or expressing it. There is also a lovely secondary story of Lorrie's father trying to win back the love of her mother, as they've been estranged for years, even though they live under the same roof. I would have liked to have seen Francis have to suffer more than he did, as he's truly scum. THIRD SON'S A CHARM is a captivating read, full of heart tugging emotion, an interesting storyline, some humor, plenty of steam, and a satisfying happy ever after.

This book is the start of a new series about the 12 Survivors of a Suicide Squad of the Peninsular and Napoleonic Wars. OTHERS call them the Dravens Dozen, so named because they served with Lt Colonel Draven. They took the missions that no one else wanted in the war against Napoleon. They call THEMSELVES The Survivors. This is a major psychological distinction that I'm sure will carry throughout the series.

This first book focuses on Ewan Mostyn, the 3rd son of the Earl of Pembroke, aka The Protector, after he has come home to London in the year 1816. He is a huge man, a man of few words, abnormally strong, and women find him beautiful for he looks like a Viking: long platinum blonde hair, light blue eyes, fair skin. We find him working as a bouncer in a gambling hell and estranged from his family of origin. Later we discover that his father considers him an embarrassment, because he is thought to be stupid. Today, we would diagnose his condition as severe dyslexia.

We are also introduced to several of Ewan's friends. The meet at Draven's Club, a club established by Lt Colonel Draven for those who served with him. It is Ewan's haven. He can eat there, catch up on the news, etc. The friends we meet in this book are as follows:
1. Major Neil Wraxall, aka The Warrior: orderly, precise, guilt ridden, their leader in the field, born on the wrong side of the blanket.
2. Rafe Beaumont, aka The Seducer : understands women, mischievous, beautiful, dark hair, bronze skin, used his skill with women to gain information on their missions.
3. Lord Jasper Grantham, aka The Tracker: badly scarred during the war, now a bounty hunter, can find anyone.

Now we meet our heroine Lady Lorraine "Lorrie " Caldwell, only daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Ridlington. She is a handful and a half! She is lively, vivacious, headstrong, willful, clumsy, and unfortunately in love with Ewan's fortune hunting snake of cousin, Francis Mostyn. Lorrie wants to marry Francis so badly that she openly courts scandal or ruination by climbing out of her window and tries to get Francis to elope with her to Scotland! But Francis knows that he won't get her dowry if he does that, so he sends her home.

Quite by chance, Ewan meets Lorrie when he saves her life (and her dog's) when he keeps her from being run over by a coach and four. Of course she was chasing her dog, and oblivious to the danger, so she was completely ungracious, rude, and ungrateful.

The next meeting of Ewan and Lorrie is when the Duke of Ridlington asks Ewan to act as Lorrie's bodyguard to keep her from eloping with Francis...something he is more than happy to do, since he knows what a louse Francis is!

Of course the sparks are going to fly...and they do!

I love this book. It has layer upon layer upon layer.
First...it's funny. I know, I know, my review didn't make it sound very funny at all. Sorry about that. But I'm not a writer am I? No, I am not. I suck at this. Some of the humor is very dry, which I happen to love. For example: ' "Don't tell me you have to escort her to balls and garden parties", Wraxall said, ever practical. So Ewan didn't tell him. ' I love it!!

We have the love story, we have conflict all over the place, and we have Ewan's physical and psychological issues. This first book has to lay a solid foundation for the series as well as give us Ewan's story, and Shana succeeds solidly. I can't wait for the next installment!
*I received an ARC for my honest and fair review.

Living with a learning disability is pretty tough in the modern world. Back in the Regency era, it must have been absolute hell.

Ewan Mostyn is the third son of an Earl, and he has what today we’d call a fairly severe case of dyslexia. Words are just meaningless dancing symbols on the page for him, and he’s spent most of his life being ridiculed for ‘stupidity’ because of his illiteracy. Finally finding a home in a unit of crack soldiers, only twelve of whom survived the Napoleonic Wars, once he has returned to England he is somewhat at a loss as to where he fits in society.

Asked to take a position as bodyguard to a duke’s wilful daughter, he fully intends to refuse, until he discovers that the man she needs guarding against is his own cousin, the worst tormentor from his childhood, who is determined to marry Lady Lorraine and gain control of her fortune. Worse yet, the lady has been entirely taken in by his cousin’s dubious charms.

Lorrie was a gorgeous heroine; young, naive and a little bit spoiled, she is nevertheless also kind and loving, and I totally believed in the slow-burn romance between her and Ewan which finally spilled over in some scorching hot sex scenes.

This is the first in a three-book series called The Survivors, and I can tell you I am on the edge of my seat waiting for the next one, because this one was FABULOUS. Five stars.

Well done Galen! Third Son does indeed charm!

I really enjoyed the first entry in Galen's new series, The Survivor's.
Lady Lorraine, daughter of the Duke of Ridlington, is a bundle of energy that she has trouble keeping inside. She's determined, inquisitive, daring and delightful.
Ewan Mostyn is a returned soldier, a younger son of Lord Pembroke. He was one of a number of younger sons who fought and survived the Napoleonic Wars with Lieutenant Colonel Draven’s special unit. 'The survivors called themselves the Survivors. They called Ewan the Protector.'
Back in civilian life, the Colonel has opened a club for the men of his unit. A place they can gather and support each other, eat and sleep. For Ewan it's his lifeline.
The story begins with a runaway dog, a slightly damaged owner and a large bulk of a man who saves both from impending doom, not that the lady seems at all grateful much less aware of her eminent danger.
The Duke of Ridlington wants a bodyguard for his daughter and after the contretemps with Ewan and his daughter it seems the Duke's decided that Ewan is the man for the job.
This first of the series that will be woven around these survivors is a winner. Wonderful interaction between Lady Lorraine and Ewan--often hilarious. I love the tree limb sequences.
Of course there's an antagonist. Such a coincidence, (Hmm! the literary universe does move in mysterious ways), that it's Ewan's slimey cousin Francis, a person who's been a thorn in his flesh since early childhood. That these two should meet, and that Lorraine is the intersecting point, raises all sorts of emotions, bad memories and angst for Ewan and adds the requisite sinister note to the story.
I loved Galen's writing style, her turn of phrase. I was particularly struck by Ewan's metaphor regarding Francis's pursuit of his charge. 'Ewan had no illusions that his cousin was in love with Lady Lorraine. He wanted her dowry, and once he had it, he would discard his wife like a browning apple core.' That last image is brilliant!
And to think the starting point for this series was 'The Dirty Dozen' as Galen says in her Author's Note. (I always read the authors notes. I find them so enlightening.)
Anyway, I'm sold! I'm so looking forward to all the Survivor's stories!

A NetGalley ARC
(November 2017)

*DNF at 75%*

Though most readers seem to really love this one, I struggled through Third Son's a Charm before finally putting it down for the last time after reading ~300 pages.

I really enjoyed the male MC, who was the big, brooding type with a learning disability (one of my favorite themes in romance). The strong, silent hero is a weakness of mine, and I actually really liked the set-up to the story. It was interesting, if a little predictable, and I was excited to see where it went.

Unfortunately, the heroine ruined it for me.

I found Lady Lorraine to be insufferable. She acted like a spoiled, immature child, just TSTL in so many ways. Though I liked that she was a rare sex-positive female MC in historical romance, she was really irksome in other ways. Honestly, what tipped me over the edge was her insistence on marrying Francis, the MC Ewan's cousin, even after knowing he was an absolute jerk. Though I was expecting that love triangle in the beginning of the story, when Lorraine is STILL kissing the other man at 65%, I just checked out. It was unforgivable, in my opinion.

I also had issues with the multiple POVs and the duel storylines. I usually like one or two POVs, and the side story with Lady Lorraine's parents distracted from the main story. It also didn't feel historically appropriate, which doesn't usually bother me much, but it bothered me here.

I think this author is actually talented, and while I liked parts of the story, I didn't like Lorraine and I found the plot to be surprisingly hard to engage with. I kept putting it down and had a difficult time picking it up again. A miss for me.

*Copy provided in exchange for an honest review*

Marvellous!!!
This was such a wonderful start to a new series!

Ewan Mostyn is the third son of the Earl of Pembroke and part of an elite group of men that served together in the Napoleonic War. Closer than brothers these men have a bond that was forged in blood they were a company of thirty but only twelve returned.
Ewan Mostyn the “Protector” is a well built man that uses his muscle and fists is a man of few words but he hides a secret one that his very close friends don’t pass judgement on not like his father and his obnoxious cousin Francis.
Unexpectedly he finds himself in the Duke of Ridlingtons employ as his fights and chattery but beautiful daughters bodyguard. All he has to do is prevent the young flighty miss from eloping with his cousin Francis. But what starts of as a way to get even with his cousin turns into him losing his heart to the beautiful Lorraine Caldwell!
Lorraine Caldwell is spoiled and in love but her father keeps on thwarting her elopement especially since he’s gone and hired a bodyguard how is she to get away if the Viking is following her, but he does make her feel our of breath.

This was such an awesome start to a series, plenty of sparksbetween Ewan and Lorraine, i didn’t mind Lorraine’s excessive chattering it actually gave me a giggle or two especially when she kept referring to Ewan as her “Viking” but I definitely fell in love with Ewan he’s such a brooding type that doesn’t say much but when he does you listen. I can’t wait to see the rest of the groups stories.

I received an ARC from the publisher through NetGalley for my honest unbiased opinion.

Third Son's a Charm (The Survivors, #1) by Shana Galen is highly entertaining and enjoyable read. I love Ewan and Lorrie. A great couple that share great chemistry and witty banter. These two really strike sparks off each other. Well written and has a fun plot. Ewan is so strong but with a wounded emotional edge. Lorrie is feisty, sassy and determined. This is a passionate, sweet, steamy, tender, action filled, humorous romance. This is a wonderful book that I highly recommend. I am posting an honest review after reading an ARC copy of this book.

I loved Ewan and Lorraine's story!!

Ewan, OMG, what can I say...my heart broke for this man when I learn what he had gone through as a child. To have gone through what he went through and come out the man that he is, tells me more about his character than anything else. LOVED him!!

I really liked Lorraine too. She was a little annoying at the beginning of the story, but she grew on me with time.

I'm very excited for this new series!! I can't wait to see who Galen writes about next!

I loved Lorrie and her Viking, Ewan. This is definitely a story of opposites attracting. Ewan and Lorrie seem like they don't belong together at all but they're actually perfect for each other. Lorrie is able to break Ewan out of his shell and he in turn, is able to rein in on Lorrie's rebelliousness. Their chemistry was full of sexual tension and delicious romance I loved the secondary story of Lorrie's parents falling back in love. I also enjoyed getting to know some of the other men in Draven's Dozen and look forward to their stories.

Ewan Mostyn, third son of the Earl of Pembroke, had physically survived the horrors of war but suffers from nightmares and is plagued with survivor's guilt. Unloved and unwanted by his father and two elder brothers, he came back from the war and worked as a muscle in the gaming club, Langley's.
He fought with Lt Col Draven in the war, they called themselves the Survivors. They all have special talents Ewan's is his strength. He earned the moniker "The Protector".

The Duke of Ridlington offered him a job as a bodyguard to his reckless daughter, Lady Lorraine Caldwell. Despite the undeniable spark between the third son with no fortune and title and the only daughter of a duke, they are ill-suited.

But Lorrie and Ewan made each other misbehave to their mutual benefit!

This is a heartwarming story, with beguiling and sensual characters. The sub-plot is a bonus!

Shana Galen made a most unlikely hero so interesting. Five stars.

I received an eGalley arc and reviewed voluntarily. All thoughts and opinions are mine.