I am a big fan of Minerva Spencer's The Outcasts series, and I was looking forward to Gabriel's story since we first met him in Dangerous, which is his mother's book. Notorious is technically a spin-off of The Outcasts series, it can be read as a stand-alone, but for an enhanced experience and to better understand Gabriel's character, it's worth reading Dangerous first.
Gabriel Marlington is the son of an English woman and Sultan of Oran. He was raised with the expectations of one day becoming a sultan, ruling the people, and having multiple wives and concubines. After his father's death and the power struggle between him and his brother, he left Oran and came to live in England, his mother's birth country. Drusilla Clare has been in love with Gabriel for years since she first laid eyes on her best friend's stepbrother. Because Dru is a wallflower and Gabriel is a notorious rake who has never shown any interest in her, she believes that he will never notice or love her. Due to unfortunate circumstances, they find themselves forced into a marriage to avoid scandal.
I enjoyed this book but not as much as other books by this author. As much as I liked Gabriel in the previous books, I sometimes found him too overbearing in Notorious, but he is the product of his upbringing and his birthplace, so I forgave him. I also didn't love Drusilla. She was very insecure around Gabriel, and she constantly doubted his actions and feelings. Her insecurity caused a lot of unnecessary fights between them. I am still a fan of Minerva's books, and I am looking forward to the next installment.
Gabriel Marlington is the son of an English woman and Sultan of Oran. He was raised with the expectations of one day becoming a sultan, ruling the people, and having multiple wives and concubines. After his father's death and the power struggle between him and his brother, he left Oran and came to live in England, his mother's birth country. Drusilla Clare has been in love with Gabriel for years since she first laid eyes on her best friend's stepbrother. Because Dru is a wallflower and Gabriel is a notorious rake who has never shown any interest in her, she believes that he will never notice or love her. Due to unfortunate circumstances, they find themselves forced into a marriage to avoid scandal.
I enjoyed this book but not as much as other books by this author. As much as I liked Gabriel in the previous books, I sometimes found him too overbearing in Notorious, but he is the product of his upbringing and his birthplace, so I forgave him. I also didn't love Drusilla. She was very insecure around Gabriel, and she constantly doubted his actions and feelings. Her insecurity caused a lot of unnecessary fights between them. I am still a fan of Minerva's books, and I am looking forward to the next installment.