This book particularly touched me having a sibling with dyslexia who was teased horribly for it much like our Hero. Ewan grabbed your sympathy right away and rose above his bad childhood. I came to appreciate and root for Ewan's and Lorraine's characters. They were both brave and kind people. I also liked the subplot of Lorraine's parents and their relationship. Being a body guard for Lady Lorraine in keeping her from his dishonorable cousin put them together and Lorraine's appreciation for Ewan developed nicely. I liked Lorraine's spunk and could not put this down. This is my favorite book by this author. Thank you

I just loved this book! Shana Galen is an awesome writer! I have read a few of her books in the past but this book by far is my favorite. I hope she writes more on the Dravens Dozen.

I usually quite enjoy Shana Galen's books, but this one just wasn't really for me. I liked the "strong and silent type" hero and for the most part enjoyed how they came together, but the heroine I struggled to feel empathy for, what with her insistence on being "in love" with another guy for much of the beginning of the book. I couldn't quite empathize with her, and I think this is what lead me to not love the book.
I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review of this book.

I loved this book. I recommend it. It´s an amazing historical romance to read non stop. The beginning is a bit shocking, completely different from the latest books I’ve read. The story flows smoothly with a few laughs. It starts after the war against Napoleon and it´s the first book of a series.
Ewan Mostyn is an ex soldier, a little grumpy, noble and a man of few words. Lady Lorraine is a stubborn, naïve and feisty girl. She is the daughter of a Duke, infatuated with a fortune hunter. Her father engages Ewan as a bodyward and the story unravels with several surprises.
There are a few secondary characters, with a parallel life, most of them ex soldiers like Ewan. I can´t wait to the next books!

I am voluntarily submitting my honest review after receiving an ARC of this ebook from NetGalley.

I have always enjoyed Shana Galen's novels as delightful escapist journeys into Regency England, and this book delivered on all the expectations I had, and even promises more as the start of an entire new series based on a group of war heroes, bonded by their experiences and survival of the most dangerous missions in the fighting on the continent. In this first installment, we meet Ewan Mostyn, a character drawn with such care and attention to detail that only a few chapters in the book, he felt like a flesh and blood human being of my own personal acquaintance. Galen does a masterful job of juxtaposing his heroic courage and strength against his foibles and failings (even if some of them, like his dyslexia, are not named, recognized and treated in his own time) to paint Ewan as both a war hero and an ordinary man. I challenge anyone to read this book and not feel Ewan pull at your heartstrings at least a little! Our heroine, Lorraine, is created with that same careful brush, and as a result, she is just as realistic and sympathetic. While the plot is lively and entertaining, for me, it is really the draw of the characters that kept me turning the pages, late into the night. Best of all, Galen takes the opportunity to introduce us to a few more of Ewan's friends who are just as interesting. I can't wait to see their stories in upcoming novels in this series!

The amazing cover and the strange title drew me to this book. I hadn't read anything of Shana Galen, but since it was from Sourcebooks Casablanca, it probably would be something right up my alley.

And indeed! We meet Ewan Mostyn, an ex soldier, who has heroically saved a lot of his comrades during the war. However, he is done with being a soldier. As the third son of a duke, he is seen as the expendable son. Therefore, he never learned how to read and write properly, especially since dyslexia wasn't common knowledge during his childhood. This makes him vulnerable and his self esteem is very low. You just want to hold him and cuddle.

Lady Lorraine (or Lorrie) on the other hand, isn't lacking of confidence. She is a bubbly and sparkly personality. As daughter of Duke Ridlington she is entitled to a large dowry (or to be precise: her future husband will be). Therefore there are a lot of men interested, not so much in her, as in the money she represents. Hopelessly romantic, Lorrie is convinced that Francis Mostyn (yep, Ewan's cousin) is the one for her. So, she tries to elope with him. However, her father hires Ewan to prevent this from happening. Especially since he is convinced that Francis is after her money.

Lorrie is not amused by having the silent and stubborn Ewan as her bodyguard. Especially since Francis tells her that Ewan bullied him as a child. So Lorrie tries everything to escape Ewan and meet with Francis. Their banter is hilarious, and so are Lorries unsuccessful tactics (climbing from trees, but falling into the arms of Ewan, who is waiting outside her bedroom window...).

But slowly, Lorrie learns more about her bodyguard and the reasons why Ewan is trying very hard to keep her from Francis. Maybe Francis is not what he seems. Or is Ewan jealous? The friendship between Ewan and Lorrie is strained, especially when Lorrie finds out that Ewan can't read very well. She wants to help him, but Ewan thinks she only finds it amusing to have 'a project'. Can they overcome their differences?

Just when they start to have a mutual understanding, Lorrie is kidnapped. And now Ewan has to find her, before it is too late...

So, four out of five very swoon-wurthy stars from me for Third Son's a Charm. And a special thank you to Netgalley and Casablanca books for providing the arc.

Third Son's a Charm (The Survivors, #1)
by Shana Galen
Anna Swedenmom's review Sep 05, 2017 · edit
it was amazing

Arguably a four star, however, for many reasons I went five!
This author has brought together a series that looks like it is going to be unusual to say the least. I was very interested in the story from page one. I must say the heroine does not shape up until the middle of the book ... but otherwise all the other characters are wonderful even the secondary ones. From plot to heart to writing, this author is incredible in the way she writes and captivates her readers. I must say suspense, romance, mystery and wonderful layers of emotions is my expectation of the books she writes. To me she has not disappointed. So buy the book it is a good read! I was given this book in return for an honest review. Anna Swedenmom

A delightful regency era novel! It sets up a series (I assume) of other survivors of a unit in the Napoleonic Wars. The protagonists are a hulking Viking third son of an Earl who works as a bodyguard and a spirited Duke's Daughter whose spirited nature makes her in need of a bodyguard. Mostly, I appreciated the sex positive aspects to their relationship. The heroine was continuously curious but never shamed for said curiosity (at least not by the hero.) She started off strong, had some naive thinking about some issues (*people*)- and while the hero helped clear the way for enlightenment, ultimately that was a position she got to on her own, which made her end the novel on an even stronger note than she started. Finally, the hero had a learning disability and it wasn't magically "cured." I SOOO appreciated that!

I'd have given 5 stars but I found the attempt at a second plot line between the parents to be underdeveloped and, in stark contrast to the other relationships portrayed in the novel, poorly written. It really bothered me and I just couldn't understand why it was included or, at least, wrapped up in a different way.

This was such a fun book. Shana has written another fantastic story.

In this new series from Shana Galen, we meet the first hero of many (twelve to be precise) in a heartwarming and romantic story. Ewan is hired as a bodyguard to Lorraine when her father wants to curb her attempts to elope with her love. I absolutely loved Ewan's character. Even though he is laconic in nature, the author has given him dialogues that pack quite a punch, whether it is through humor or romance. Initially in the book, I didn't quite like Lorraine's character as I felt that even though she claimed she was in love with Francis, she is happy to be kissing Ewan. But as the book progressed, her character also matured and I loved her by the end of the novel. Now, I cannot wait to read the rest of this series, The Survivors and see how the other characters in this book find their own HEA. I also have to add that I adored the side love story between the Duke and his Duchess.

* I received this ARC from NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review*

I loved this story about Ewan, the H, and Lorrie, the h! Our main characters had such chemistry together and had a sweet, steamy romance. I enjoyed how compassionate our h was when discovering the H had a learning disorder (dyslexia), Ewan had such a protective nature, which our naive h needed. I also liked the romance between Lorrie's parents who have lost that special connection throughout their marriage. It was nice to see the parallel love stories. I can't wait to read the next Survivor's story-- I'm hoping it's Neil's story! Overall, it was an awesome read that I would definitely recommend!

I normally enjoy Shana Galen's books, and this one was one of them. This was a different concept, a new series she is starting about survivors and I think you will enjoy. Our hero Ewan, is that is a little rough, but the guy is a survivor you have to give him due. Then we have our heroine Lorrie, who is an innocent, but sassy at the same time, and enjoyable, and it was fun to read about them. I can't wait to continue to read about the continuing stories.

I'm not sure I've read this author before, but I think I will again. Really enjoyed both the H and the h in this story, which is first of a new series by the author. The h is the daughter of a Duke, and fancies herself in love with a bit of a dandy. The H is third son of an Earl, though somewhat estranged from his father, having been a difficult child, in part due to dyslexia. He is hired as a bodyguard for the h, and fireworks follow. Parts of the story are a little far fetched for the period, but I'm okay with that. A sweet secondary story involving her parents weaves through the story, which was nice. Will look forward to the next book.

Hot romance with a PTSD hero who also has dyslexia and is on the outs with his family, a bodyguard trope including several carries of the heroine, and a subplot where the heroines parents fall in love again and realize the power of marrying for love.

This was the first book I've read by this author and I have to say I really liked it! Lorrie was certainly a feisty character and I enjoyed her antics!

Story depicts a duke''s youngest, a daughter, who is starved for genuine affection. She becomes the object of desire by an unscrupulous man, simply for her very large dowry- and nothing else. A foiled elopement makes her father realize that he needs to have her guarded, closely and thoroughly, in order to avoid any future attempts by this or other fortune hunters to compromise her and snap up her dowry. The lovely Lady Lorraine feels she is desperately in love with this young man, Mr. Frances Mostyn, and tries to get him to marry her- with or without her dowry- constantly putting herself in compromising situations.

After the foiled elopement, Lady Lorraine receives a puppy from her eldest brother in an attempt to distract her and help her get past her broken heart, and over the young man that is so obviously using his sister. The puppy, named Wellington, becomes her most treasured companion, filling some of the need she has for affection and love. But even her love for Wellington cannot divert her attempts to get married to this man she believes she loves.

The duke and his wife realize the willfulness of their daughter; they are desperate to protect her from this man's attempts to seduce their daughter and gain her dowry. . The duke sets out to find her the perfect bodyguard and sets his sights on Ewan Mostyn, the third son of the Earl of Pennington, a legitimate member of the peerage. Ewan, as third son, begins his career in the military, coming home from the Napoleonic war a distinguished military war hero with the nickname, The Protector. Ewan knows he will receive no money or wealth from his father, as the third son, so he skillfully learns to invest his money and talents into diverse avenues that prove solid and smart.

The duke approaches him and proposes an astonishing amount of money if Mr. Mostyn will guard his daughter and keep her from eloping or becoming harmed or compromised during the Season, so that she might find a suitable match for herself.

Ewan Mostyn at first refuses the job until he discovers it is from his devious cousin that he would be protecting Lady Lorraine. He changes his mind and accepts.

Lady Lorraine doesn't want the bodyguard and seeks to try to find ways around his protection to still see HER Mr. Mostyn.

Neither Ewan nor Lady Lorraine are able to understand the feelings that begin to develop, despite the verbal sparring and arguments that emerge whenever they are together. Lady Lorraine is determined to marry his devious cousin, and Ewan is determined to do the job he is being paid to do. The resulting story provides great fun and keeps the reader entertained from page one to the last.

I loved this story.

One of the best historical fiction romances I've read in a while! Perfect escapism.

The hero is silent and broody but also a bit broken. He has dyslexia which isn't something I've seen in historical romance before, but it works well here and makes you fall for Ewan even more. Lorrie is a spitfire girl, albeit naive and innocent and she's the perfect compliment to Ewan. He's her bodyguard but of course it turns into more.

Not only did I love our two main characters (especially Ewan, he's such a different character than your normal historical romance hero), but I also loved the side characters. Knowing this is going to be a series makes me eager for the next of The Survivors story because I thoroughly enjoyed the glimpses of their personalities we get in here.

I tried and tried and tried to like this book. It seemed like it had good characters but I just couldn't read about a man that continued to have a low opinion of himself.

Thanks NetGalley, for a copy of this book. A good read: entertaining and good fun. Would recommend this to fans of this genre.

I read an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review. When I found out that I was approved to read this book I did a little happy dance because I love Shana Galen's books and this one did not disappoint. It's a delightfully fun romp of a romance novel that has everything you need to keep you reading past your bedtime. The hero is big and strong, handsome, steadfast, honourable and leans towards the silent type. One of the flaws that keeps from being too perfect is that he is dyslexic in a time when people didn't really know what that was and so has spent his life feeling not quite good enough. The heroine is funny and charming, not afraid to say what she wants and quite capable of going after it too. There is a cute dog, a nasty villain, some twists and turns, loyal friends to help our hero rescue the damsel and a lovely HEA. I highly recommend this book and delighted to see that it's the first in a series.