Review: Dangerous to Know by Megan Whitson Lee

About the Book:

To Purchase

“Don’t look at him, dear. He’s dangerous.” 

Isabella Bankmill seeks a husband whose character matches her list of requirements. The man must share her faith, but he must also possess a certain je ne sais quoi. The enigmatical Lord Gregory Gordon Bromby—London’s newest literary sensation—certainly possesses the latter. Despite a deformed foot and alarming views on politics and religion, he attracts the ladies in droves.

Haunted by his past and overwhelmed by his newfound celebrity status, Lord Bromby’s obsession with his own doom leads to reckless behavior. When he is stalked by an obsessive aristocrat seeking an elopement, Bromby’s friends urge him to marry a suitable lady as soon as possible. Intrigued by Isabella’s convictions and hoping to avoid further scandal, Bromby proposes to Isabella.

Isabella also receives an offer of marriage from kind-hearted philanthropist, David Beringer—a man equally devoted to his faith—but she only has eyes for Lord Bromby. Blinded by his talent and good looks, Isabella convinces herself that he’s not as dangerous as everyone claims. But when Bromby’s world violently collides with hers, Isabella must decide once and for all who is lord of her life. God or Bromby?

My Thoughts:

Dangerous to Know is not my usual read. This was a dark, cautionary tale of being in a relationship with someone who does not share your faith and the consequences of said relationship. It also shows that we cannot change someone; we do not have that power.

This is the author’s story of Lord Byron, though she has changed the names and added more of a redemption theme. I do not know a lot about this famous poet, just that he was not the best of men, being a rake and a man who indulged in whatever he wanted. Lord Bromby was a character that I really wanted to see changed. He was dangerous and very, very unhappy. He was only looking for a wife as he needed money and he thought it would be good for his reputation. Sweet and naïve Isabella is bedazzled by him. Every woman wanted him and he seemed to have picked her out of all of them. She was warned by others and her own gut feelings but she also fell under his spell.

This did not have an ending that I liked. It was a satisfactory one, but I hope the author will continue their story. Give us the desired ending that I had hoped for. I was drawn into this story and the author told it well. I knew going in it was based on Lord Byron and that he did not have a happy ending, but just the same, I began to care about Lord Bromby and Isabella and I hoped for better for them and their relationship.

Even though this is not my usual read, it was a compelling one and I look forward to more by author Megan Whitson Lee.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. I was not required to post a review and all views and opinions are my own.

About the author:

Megan Whitson Lee is an anglophile and a recovering runaway. Over the years, she escaped to England and Australia before finally settling down in the US. These days, she lives a relatively quiet life as a wife, a mom of two greyhounds, an editor for Pelican Book Group, and a high school English teacher. She now escapes by writing novels instead of jumping on planes to foreign countries. Her novel, Captives, won the 2016 Director's Choice Award and was a finalist for a Selah Award in the women's contemporary fiction category at Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers Conference.

Megan writes women's contemporary thrillers and historical fiction featuring characters standing at the crossroads of major life decisions.

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