I received a free copy of Third Son's A Charm in exchange for an honest review. What a great read all the way around. Honestly, it's been a very long time since I found a book that I just couldn't put down, and this was it (at the expense of much needed sleep).

This had a well thought out plot, great character development with a lot of chemistry, and was just well written. I would absolutely recommend this book to friends and family, and I can;t wait to read more from Shalen Galen.

Third Son's a Charm by Shana Galen is a very good book with interesting characters and plot. I am hoping we will see more books about Draven's troops, I would purchase and read them.

I received a copy of this title from the publisher for an honest review. Third Son's the Charm features Ewan Mostyn, the third son of an earl who went off to fight Napoleon and found himself part of a group sent on suicide missions; of the thirty members of the group, twelve survived to return after the war. Now known as Draven's dozen, the twelve member have created a club where they can go and find relief from their post-war lives. Ewan was known as Protector within the group and provided the muscle and helped keep the others safe as they went about their missions. Ewan has always felt awkward because of his size and believes himself dumb after a childhood filled with ridicule by his father and cousin Francis over his inability to learn how to read (he suffers from dyslexia which was not understood at the time). The Duke of Ridlington summons Ewan to hire him to act as guard to his only daughter Lady Lorraine (Lorry) after an aborted attempt to elope with Francis. Initially inclined to pass up the offer, when he finds out his cousin is involved, he sees an opportunity to get back at Francis and prevent Lorry from making a mistake by marrying a man who only wants her dowry. What follows is Ewan's attempts to make Lorry see Francis for what he really is and Lorry's slow realization that there is so much more to Ewan than meets the eye. I found this title a little difficult to get into, but I think a large part of it was the first few chapters were helping set up the background around Draven's Dozen. Lorry is a heroine that people will either like or not - she insists on pushing the boundaries of society and refuses to abandon her pursuit of marriage to Francis long after she starts to doubt him and his affections towards her. I really liked Ewan and his need to protect Lorry; his slow realization that he is more than his inability to read was well done. Overall, I enjoyed this book (3.5 stars rounded up to 4) and will be looking for the next title in this series.

Third Son's a Charm by Shana Galen is a delightful read. Ewan Mostyn is the son of the Earl of Penbrooke. The son that the Earl has never wanted. Ewan is a war hero, the son that any father could be proud of, except his own. His own father has always favored his cousin. Frances Mostyn. Part of the reason that the cousin is favored is because Ewan has a hard time reading. He was considered dumb because he would mix up his letters and not be able to tell what a word was. He was kicked out of school, taught by many tutors, but still was unable to read.
Lorraine is the daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Ridlington. She is head strong and deems herself in love with Frances Mostyn, she even tried to elope once. Frances wants her dowry and knows that he will not get it if he does not marry her with her father's permission.
The Duke of Ridlington has heard of Ewan, the silent protector, and wants to hire him to become the bodyguard for his daughter Loraine. When Ewan hears who he will be protecting Loraine from, he jumps at the chance to thwart his cousin. He expects this job to be easy, but it is far from easy, especially when emotions become involved.
Shana did a wonderful job bringing the characters to life. She blended her characters wonderfully. Ewan does not talk except when needed and Loraine talks all the time, but when reading it, the characters blend and you find yourself turning the page, looking for what happens next.
My only criticism is that toward the end of the book, the focus is more on sex or not having sex than on anything else. Luckily, if you want, you can turn past those pages and the story picks up right where it left off.
I received a free copy of this book in return for my honest review.

I received a copy of this book for an honest review.

This was a really fun historical. While this book did not exactly add anything new to the genre it was still a really enjoyable read. My favorite part of the book was definitely Ewan. Loved the taciturn, broody, tortured hero. Lorraine was sometimes too much and was more annoying than charming. Still, I liked her overall even when rolling my eyes at her. This was my first book by the author and will not be the last.

Ewan is a man of few words. Which is a good thing because he can't get a word in while with Lorraine. Ewan has taken a job to protect Lorraine, and he takes it very seriously. It doesn't help that Lorraine doesn't want to be protected. Until he shows her what love really feels like. I really enjoyed Third Son's a Charm.

This novel was a great read with quite a twist from the usual story. Lady Lorraine, the daughter of the Duke of Ridlington was quite a determined woman who knows her own mind. She initially appears to act without thought for the consequences but as the novel progresses, this characteristic reflects her independence. Ewan Mostyn, the third son of the Earl of Pemberly, in contrast, thinks before he speaks. His every action is carefully thought out. Ewan is dyslexic and he suffers as a result, being perceived as stupid. Ewan is anything but stupid. He has a strong sense of character and this makes him an endearing male character.

I enjoyed this romance, and its strength was the primary romance and main characters involved in it. It was well-paced and kept my attention through the end. There was a secondary romance also in the form of the heroine's parents, which did not take up much page space, but it was relevant to heroine's story and was a nice addition.

The heroine, Lorraine, is the only daughter of a Duke and youngest child. She is in her second season and is very ready to get married. She thinks she has found the one and is in love. Her parents are convinced he is after her dowry and discouraged his suit. He is, of course, after her dowry and preys on her need for attention and love. Being the youngest, she has been affectionately ignored. Her parents seem to care about her and her future, but they are too preoccupied with their own pursuits to pay her much attention. While Lorraine doesn't have a bad childhood, she also doesn't have anyone that puts her first. As an enthusiastic and persistent young woman, who is brimming with hormones, she is easy prey for a handsome, glib, fortune-hunting mister. After a failed elopement scare, her parents engage the services of a bodyguard.

The hero, Ewan, is the third son of an Earl, and a war hero. He is a man of few words -- often using one or two word sentences or just pointed looks to convey his meaning. He has a learning disability and is essentially illiterate and had a rough childhood as a result. He is part of a specialized force that took on very dangerous missions and earns the nickname of the protector. Due to his reputation and his (unfriendly) familial connection to the fortune hunter, the Duke hires him to be the bodyguard to his daughter. He is a large and intimidating hero, so an apparent perfect bodyguard.

Ewan and Lorraine meet when he rescues her from oncoming traffic when she darts into the road to catch her dog. This story has a bit of a damsel-in-distress theme, but not in a helpless damsel sense, more in the impetuous sense. Ewan clearly respects and admires her. When Lorraine gets into scrapes, Ewan is there to help her. When Ewan needs help, he trusts her with his secret and they work together to figure it out. I thought this aspect was well done. Their love starts in respect, with a mutual, potent attraction, and grows. Lorraine is understandably confused by her feelings, thinking she is still in love with the fortune hunter but finding she is having a deeper, more meaningful connection with Ewan. Some may have problems with this side of the story, but I enjoyed how she slowly realized the significance in the difference of her feelings for the two men.

This was an enjoyable, entertaining novel that I stayed up way too late to finish. It wasn't perfect, but it was a nice read. I wouldn't recommend to readers who are easily annoyed with heroines, because there were some, what might be described as TSTL moments. My main complaint was the ending felt rushed (this is a common complaint for me). And without getting into spoilers, I felt the ending went the wrong way a bit. I think the author may have been trying to avoid going too far damsel-in-distress, but I think it would have been sweet here.

*I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I liked the concept of Third Son's a Charm, but the book ran a little long for the story it had to tell and dragged in parts. I really had to force myself to finish it. The behavior of the heroine and her hero bodyguard are very modern, not at all in keeping with the time period. Also, the plot device of the heroine getting kidnapped and the hero rescuing her is very very overused.

My favorite part of the book was a side plot involving the heroine's father trying to restore his romantic relationship with his wife.

If you enjoy regency romance stories showcasing contemporary behavior, you might enjoy Third Son's a Charm.

I read an advance reader copy of Third Son's a Charm. It is scheduled to be published in November 2017.

I really enjoyed Third Son's a Charm! The characters were engaging and the romance was steamy!

I really wanted to like this book, but it was just not engaging. The heroine was, to be blunt, an idiot. Truly, she was the epitome of a TSTL heroine. How every one could see that Francis is an awful human being except her is beyond me. And she kept going on about loving him but they haven't even had a proper kiss yet?? It didn't add up, and she just seemed extremely naive. Particularly when she said she would do washing for people if her father cut her off and actually said it can't be that hard. *face palm*

I did like Ewan and thought his character showed real promise. I liked how different he was from the usual hero. But he deserved a better heroine. Lorraine was just ridiculous.

Too slow for me. The story dragged on and the plot and characters weren't interesting enough to grab my attention.

Honestly.. Kind of boring. I was excited because Ewan was a big brute of a man. He was a soldier and he didn't speak. That's one of my favorite HR heroes! And I did like Ewan for the most part but lord Lorraine was a flipping idiot. I mean she was seriously TSTL. I don't understand how she made it as far as she did in life. It was so unbearably obvious that Francis was after her money and she wouldn't listen to anyone about him. Oh and she fell in love with Ewan all of a sudden but still didn't think she wanted to marry him. She was just all over the place and I wanted to hit her.

The story was so predictable. I have read a lot of HRs.. I mean a lot.. so I understand that there are only so many ways to tell a story but this one was just cookie cutter and I feel like I have read the same thing many times before. I have never read anything by this author and I have honestly never heard of her but this wasn't the greatest book. The characters were weak and the story was boring. I still may give her another shot. Depends on what else comes up.

I really enjoyed this! This is the first book in a series based on a group of "spares" from noble families who have survived the Napoleonic wars. Ewan has been hired to be the body guard to Lorrie, who wants to marry Ewan's conniving cousin.

On first being introduced to Lorrie, I was all set to dislike her. The first scene she is in she comes off as incredibly annoying, but I warmed up to her.

Many of the secondary characters were really great too. I liked the little side story of Lorrie's parents. I also am looking forward to reading the other Survivors stories.

I also quite liked that the story touched on issues such as learning disabilities and PTSD.

All in all - a nice, light, romantic read :)

Lorraine and Ewan's story is a strong first book in Galen's new series. It is fresh and entertaining. Galen rarely disappoints and the Third Son's a Charm is no exception. Looking forward to her next novel.

Lorrie and Ewan are the perfect opposites, and you know what they say about that...and they attract so well. I didn't like that the author kept referring to Ewan as stupid, but overall this book was a great read. Ms. Galen is great at making you feel the characters and how well they come alive on the page.

Ewan Mostyn is a very interesting character.

With that being said, he is the only reason why this book got 3 stars!

I have been anticipating this book. I love the trope - rich girl gets a bodyguard and falls in love with said bodyguard. But this wasn't executed as well as I hoped.

Shana Galen has been a hit and miss for me. To be honest, the last book written by her that I absolutely love was Earls Just Want to Have Fun. And that was released in 2015.

Third Son's a Charm has a very interesting premise - third sons born in the nobility, fight in the war to defend England and are now back in London trying to live a normal life. Ewan Mostyn, is one of these men. He is known as The Protector and is working as a bouncer at one of the gaming clubs where he owns a percentage. Until the Duke of Ridlington asks him to be a bodyguard for his wayward daughter. The hook, his daughter, Lady Lorraine, is bent on eloping with Ewan's wastrel cousin!

As I've said before, this is one of my favorite tropes, and I initially liked the first few chapters.

BUT. Yes, there is a but!

She got on my nerves before I even reached the half of the book! It was very, very frustrating. She was too ditzy for me and fell too guileless that I wanted to shake her.

I mean, she was too immature! Too immature for the stoic Ewan!

Ewan is another story, though.

He was the perfect hero, tough but very gentle. There is also a trigger warning for anyone who has been bullied. Ewan was bullied growing up because he had dyslexia! At that time, they did not know what dyslexia was and they thought that he was an idiot. He was also bullied by his cousin, Francis. And not only that, his father also did not treat him right. And what's more, he can't read!

Ewan is a fully developed character. In fact, he is the only saving grace in this book. Really.

As for Lorraine, well, she just felt too shallow. I didn't think that she deserved a man like Ewan. At least, not until she grows up.

The third act also felt rushed. And as a result, the declarations of love felt too shallow.

My Recommendation
The premise of this series is very interesting. Ewan and a group of ex-soldiers - 12 left from their company are now in London trying to build a normal life. They belong to an exclusive club and we meet a few of the 12. For now, the series, The Survivors has 3 books listed and I hope that it will be Rafe and Neil's stories!

Third Son's a Charm is well-written, but it did not wow me at all.

The hero Ewan is a gentle giant with dyslexia. The heroine Lorrie is strong and feisty. It was a fun romance with good secondary characters

I received a copy from the publishers in via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

As anyone reading my blog can tell you, I love historical romances. They have been my favourite genre since I first discovered romances, many years ago. This is one of the best romances I have read in a long while. I have to really love something to give it five stars and I would have given this book more.

I absolutely loved the characters, in particular, Ewan. He is not your typical historical hero. Yes, he is gentry and a returning war hero, but he is also illiterate which is unheard of in English aristocracy.

I cannot wait for the next in the series.