The Beauty and the Beast theme always captivates me. I think the only one I like more is a Cinderella story. But there's so much to be said for a strong man who lives a tragic life until something beautiful comes along to make him live again. I think the metaphor is even more important than the ugly/pretty trope. You shouldn't live only for aesthetic beauty. There is so much more to a person than their looks. And Alistair learns that just because Helen is beautiful doesn't mean that she cares that he is scarred...vice versa, just because Alistair is a horribly scarred recluse doesn't mean he is ugly. They both deal with prejudices in the end. And this book really pushes the scars into the background until they are just a part of how the reader sees him, not a part of who he is.MY SYNOPSISAlistair is the man who went to the Colonies on a mission for the king...not as a military man, but as a peaceful naturalist, sent to discover all he can about the fauna and flora of America. In a twist of irony, he is also the man that the Native Americans were the most violent with, cutting off fingers, burning his face, and gouging out an eye. He was rescued, of course, but upon his return to England, he locked himself away in his castle, continuing a solitary mission of cataloging plants and animals for the King. A few trips into town in which his face casued children to scream and ladies to faint was enough to convince him that his dog was the only being in the world that he wanted around.Helen has been the mistress of the Duke of Lister. We met her [b:To Seduce a Sinner|3275890|To Seduce a Sinner (Legend of the Four Soldiers, #2)|Elizabeth Hoyt|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1340942492s/3275890.jpg|3312172], while Melisande was walking in the park. Helen is a quiet, gentle woman, shunned by society for her status as a mistress. She was a tenderhearted seventeen year old daughter of a country doctor when the Duke swept her off her feet. Now, she is somewhat jaded, approaching her third decade, and has not one, but two children to love, cherish, and keep safe. That's why Helen has decided to get away from the Duke, and when this book opens, she is on her way to the reclusive Alistair Monroe's house on the advice of Melisande, a short acquaintance but true friend.When the trio of bedraggled and homeless arrive on a dark and stormy night on Alistair's doorstep, he tries to turn them away, but Helen is steadfast and desperate, and somehow wheedles her way into his house as his new housekeeper. The attraction between these two is more animalistic than romantic, and builds fairly slowly. But there is much more going on than simple attraction, for the Duke of Lister sees his woman and children as property...and no one leaves without his permission. In the wild, open spaces of Scotland, this tiny family wheedles their way in to Alistair's heart...a young boy with a zest for life and everything in it, a young girl who is not only quiet and shy, but in need of some strong affection and acceptance, and a beautiful but proud fallen woman with empathy and courage in her eyes.MY THOUGHTSI really connected with Helen in this story, and that was unexpected for me. I assumed that after all of my adventures in Historical Romance, the Mistresses of the powerful men of London were beneath my notice, and always the nuisance and point of jealousy for my heroines. But I actually felt for Helen. She is a woman who made a mistake as a young girl...seventeen years old an thinks she's in love. She runs away from her family (who promptly disown her) and begins to live a life that is no longer her own. But in this day and age, after she made that choice, there was little that she could do about her situation. She was forever an object of lust for men and of scorn for women.“But Sir Alistair’s gaze was different. Those other men had looked at her with lust or speculation or crass curiosity, but they hadn’t been looking at her really. They’d been looking at what she represented to them: physical love or a valuable prize or an object to be gawked at. When Sir Alistair stared at her, well, he was looking at her.”For those who follow my reviews, you'll know that I tend to love stories with kids. This particular book was so well done in regard to the little boy and girl. Abigail, in particular, played a large part in the story with Alistair. She simply stole his heart. She also has a few scenes in which we get her POV, so that was great.There is one part of the story that kept this from being a five star read for me, and that involves some disrespect that Alistair showed Helen regarding her previous life as Lister's mistress. The word whore shouldn't be something that the hero gets to call his love interest, but especially not without some repercussion...an most definitely not without some mother loving groveling. I wanted some groveling!!! NO star for you!Despite that grump, the rest of the story was wonderful. They are secluded for the most part from the outside world, so the focus is really on just those involved in the story, and we get to see each character change is some big ways and some small ways. So far, each book in this series has been fantastic, but I've come to expect no less from Elizabeth Hoyt.
