Looking to eschew the trappings of her old life, she leaves London to teach at the Bath orphanage where her newly discovered half-sister lived. But even as she settles in, she must sit for a portrait commissioned by her grandmother and endure an artist who riles her every nerve.
An art teacher at the orphanage that was once his home, Joel Cunningham has been hired to paint the portrait of the haughty new teacher. But as Camille poses for Joel, their mutual contempt soon turns to desire. And it is only the bond between them that will allow them to weather the rough storm that lies ahead...
Comment: This is the second installment in the Westcott series by Mary Balogh, which I'll be reading through the rest of next year.
In this second story we follow Camille, the eldest daughter of the earl of Riverdale, who is now illegitimate. Camille reacted very badly to the new situation, discovered in the previous book, and she has wanted to stay away from most of the family. She goes as far as to need to work where her half sister Anna did and teach in the orphanage as she has done, as if redoing her steps can help her overcome what happened. To make things more complicated, her grandmother insists she and her sister Abby have their picture painted and who else to do it but Joel Cunningham, who was Anna's best friend in the orphanage. At first they are only cordial to one another, but the more they interact, mostly due to school activities, the more they realize there is more than meets the eye in regards to someone they didn't have in high esteem. But is Camille ready to let go of her disappointments?
As always, reading a book by this author is comforting in its delivery and rewarding in its journey. Camille is a character who wasn't very likable in the previous book but of course the author would do a great job in redeeming her in the reader's eye. I think her road to happiness was a believable one, mostly because she was mean before out of anger and shock, not inner malice.
The experience of reading these novels is one of coziness to me. Although characters may change, the sense of family and finding someone to be there are key in how the plot develops, and I think the author has done a good job portraying small things in a way they feel very important, and that means the characters become important to the reader too. I think Camille and Joel should not have much in common, romantically, but the author managed to lead things into this direction in a quiet but seemingly logical way.
I thought it was a bit too convenient that Camille redid her sister's steps because despite the obvious goal of doing it that way, it made the plot start off a little like a soap opera and that might have been unnecessary. Yes, it helped to strengthen her character and show case the good side of her actions, but it was a bit too convenient. Still, it helped to place her near Joel and she could be key in showcasing his development as well, for he has a path to fulfill too.
The romance wasn't as impressive as others in other books by he author, but I liked it that they were like soundboards to one another, they could talk and share things in a way that others might not understand as easily. I truly believe in their quiet friendship, which is how they start by being, and why their bond has room to grow. As for them being a couple in love, I could see how it was made to seem like this, but the chemistry wasn't always as obviously presented as it could.
At some point, of course, Camille has to speak with Anna and they need to come to an agreement in how to deal with one another. I think this was made to be rather simplistic for the sake of the series' development, but it was certainly good to know or think they had come to an understanding... although, if they become good friends from now on I would not believe as easily... perhaps the physical distance between the places they will live in can give that impression of cordiality but not instant emotion.
As expected, it's not only Camille who sees her situation take a turn. Obviously, Joel being an orphan too, it would need to be part of his story how he discovers more about his origins. Again, only in fiction, but there's a certain coincidence in how he learns the identity of his family and what that means for how he can defend Camille from someone who rejected her after knowing she was illegitimate, so things are solved in a very neat bow, but I could easily overcome this to just appreciate their HEA.
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