Lynn Spencer - All About Romance

I'm a sucker for a good Beauty and the Beast story and with that in mind, I picked up When She Said I Do. This does in fact fit the fairytale archetype to an extent, but I can't call it the great read I was hoping for.Following a carriage accident, Calliope (Callie) Worthington and her family take refuge from the elements in a nearby manor that appears deserted. While exploring the home alone, Callie stumbles across jewelry in a room and starts trying it on. It is at this point that she learns her mistake - she and her family are not alone in the house. Confronted by the Ren Porter, the home's owner, Callie ends up in a bit of a sinister bargain: She will marry Ren and earn back a pearl from the necklace she broke with each favor he asks of her. Even though their host hides his face with a hood and is not acquainted with the Worthington family, they are apparently more than happy to unload Callie on him. Granted, the Worthingtons are presented as true eccentrics living in genteel poverty, but this seemed a bit much.Ren is truly a tortured hero. Seriously injured and expecting to die of his disfiguring wounds, he has exiled himself in his home and he considers his marriage to Callie temporary at best. In fact, he has been so long alone that one gets the sense he doesn't entirely know how to deal with other people sometimes. In true Disney Princess fashion, Callie is the determinedly cheerful voice of reason who starts scrubbing windows and bringing light and order in Ren's home. Sometimes these scenes work well to show the contrast between the two and in the window washing scene in particular, we see Ren starting to fall for Callie and starting to change as he begins to really see the person that she is. However, the story never completely rises above the contrivance.This is a partial review. You can find the complete text at All About Romance: http://likesbooks.com/cgi-bin/bookReview.pl?BookReviewId=9400