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C Series #3
The Challenge
Wealthy, handsome, and devastatingly charming, the expatriate Viscount Hathaway Wycoff could easily win most women's affections. But the lovely Lucy Stone isn't most women. Though the self-respecting beauty is drawn to him, she refuses to give in to passion. Once before Lucy had followed her heart--a journey that took her to America and left her there a penniless young widow and mother.A rich relative unexpectedly offers Lucy and her son passage back to England, answering her longtime prayer. She doesn't want to leave Wycoff, but given his scandalous reputation, it seems the right choice. Wycoff promises he will change to win her, but Lucy cannot allow herself to believe him. When a devious plot threatens all Lucy holds dear, she must turn to the man she's vowed not to trust. Neither knows what final destination fate has in store--but they are willing to risk everything to find out.
400 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 1, 2000
24 people are currently reading
123 people want to read
About the author
Edith Layton
79 books100 followersEdith Layton wrote her first novel when she was ten. She bought a marbleized notebook and set out to write a story that would fit between its covers. Now, an award-winning author with more than thirty novels and numerous novellas to her credit, her criteria have changed. The story has to fit the reader as well as between the covers.
Graduating from Hunter College in New York City with a degree in creative writing and theater, Edith worked for various media, including a radio station and a major motion picture company. She married and went to suburbia, where she was fruitful and multiplied to the tune of three children. Her eldest, Michael, is a social worker and artist in NYC. Adam is a writer and performer on NPR's Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me. Daughter Susie is a professional writer, comedian and performer who works in television.
Publishers Weekly called Edith Layton "one of romance's most gifted writers." Layton has enthralled readers and critics with books that capture the spirit of historically distant places and peoples. "What I've found," she says, "is that life was very different in every era, but that love and love of life is always the same."
Layton won an RT Book Reviews Career Achievement award for the Historical genre in 2003 and a Reviewers' Choice award for her book The Conquest in 2001. Amazon.com's top reviewer called Layton's Alas, My Love (April 2005, Avon Books), "a wonderful historical." And her recent release, Bride Enchanted, is a Romantic Times 2007 Reviewers' Choice Award Nominee.
Edith Layton lived on Long Island where she devoted time as a volunteer for the North Shore Animal League , the world's largest no-kill pet rescue and adoption organization. Her dog Daisy --adopted herself from a shelter-- is just one member of Layton's household menagerie.
Edith Layton passed away on June 1, 2009 from ovarian cancer.
Graduating from Hunter College in New York City with a degree in creative writing and theater, Edith worked for various media, including a radio station and a major motion picture company. She married and went to suburbia, where she was fruitful and multiplied to the tune of three children. Her eldest, Michael, is a social worker and artist in NYC. Adam is a writer and performer on NPR's Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me. Daughter Susie is a professional writer, comedian and performer who works in television.
Publishers Weekly called Edith Layton "one of romance's most gifted writers." Layton has enthralled readers and critics with books that capture the spirit of historically distant places and peoples. "What I've found," she says, "is that life was very different in every era, but that love and love of life is always the same."
Layton won an RT Book Reviews Career Achievement award for the Historical genre in 2003 and a Reviewers' Choice award for her book The Conquest in 2001. Amazon.com's top reviewer called Layton's Alas, My Love (April 2005, Avon Books), "a wonderful historical." And her recent release, Bride Enchanted, is a Romantic Times 2007 Reviewers' Choice Award Nominee.
Edith Layton lived on Long Island where she devoted time as a volunteer for the North Shore Animal League , the world's largest no-kill pet rescue and adoption organization. Her dog Daisy --adopted herself from a shelter-- is just one member of Layton's household menagerie.
Edith Layton passed away on June 1, 2009 from ovarian cancer.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
January 10, 2019
3.5/5 stars
October 18, 2017
3.5 stars. Quite a lot happened in this book. It was nice to find the start of it set in the new world for a change. I liked almost all the characters. I enjoyed their interactions. Events as they unfolded, aside from the rather excessive and unnecessarily dramatic denouement (which really had no purpose other than to throw in some late conflict) were attention holding. Dialogue was wonderfully witty. Really quite above even her standards. Enough double entendres and smirk worthy lines to go around. I liked it a lot overall.
I suppose it could have been rated higher, but I was rather irritated throughout by her incessant harping on his possible/ as yet unproven ability to maintain fidelity and the female's self-righteous attitude. It's like a woman constantly suspecting a man of being unfaithful the minute he takes two steps away from her side. Even if he had no such intentions at some point he will figure he might as well have the fun since he's already being punished for the crime. Self-fulfilling prophecy much? She would not let up about his past, to the point where she no longer seemed a sensible woman looking out for her future and that of her child but rather more like a prig.
The attitude of the rest of society (according to the book anyway) was also even more unrealistic. They treated him like a debutant who had blotted her copybook. As if a man would even need to rebuild his reputation after what was completely normal behavior for a titled male. While on the topic of titles, the way she styled some of her characters was jarringly inaccurate at times (probably an editor's fault), you would see "Earl Whatever", being announced by a butler rather than "the Earl of Whatnot". I suppose this was written in the days before Google made researching these technicalities a matter of mere minutes. Worth the reading time for all that.
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UPDATE/ NEW REVIEW on accidental 2017 reread
Self righteous female, though granted she had cause, adequate male. I like that they were both older. The boy was a lively, enthusiastic character. I like the transition from new to old world. The writing deftly reflected the change of scene and pace in ways too subtle to describe. Even shipboard was relatively well done. This didn't make me feel much but it deserves high marks for creating conflict out of literally nothing of import. Indeed the last minute insertion of the usual guns and mayhem shenanigans did nothing but upset what until then was relatively smooth sailing. Motivations by the guilty party also seemed trite for the magnitude of the crime. Was a villain really necessary at this late stage?
I suppose it could have been rated higher, but I was rather irritated throughout by her incessant harping on his possible/ as yet unproven ability to maintain fidelity and the female's self-righteous attitude. It's like a woman constantly suspecting a man of being unfaithful the minute he takes two steps away from her side. Even if he had no such intentions at some point he will figure he might as well have the fun since he's already being punished for the crime. Self-fulfilling prophecy much? She would not let up about his past, to the point where she no longer seemed a sensible woman looking out for her future and that of her child but rather more like a prig.
The attitude of the rest of society (according to the book anyway) was also even more unrealistic. They treated him like a debutant who had blotted her copybook. As if a man would even need to rebuild his reputation after what was completely normal behavior for a titled male. While on the topic of titles, the way she styled some of her characters was jarringly inaccurate at times (probably an editor's fault), you would see "Earl Whatever", being announced by a butler rather than "the Earl of Whatnot". I suppose this was written in the days before Google made researching these technicalities a matter of mere minutes. Worth the reading time for all that.
-------
UPDATE/ NEW REVIEW on accidental 2017 reread
Self righteous female, though granted she had cause, adequate male. I like that they were both older. The boy was a lively, enthusiastic character. I like the transition from new to old world. The writing deftly reflected the change of scene and pace in ways too subtle to describe. Even shipboard was relatively well done. This didn't make me feel much but it deserves high marks for creating conflict out of literally nothing of import. Indeed the last minute insertion of the usual guns and mayhem shenanigans did nothing but upset what until then was relatively smooth sailing. Motivations by the guilty party also seemed trite for the magnitude of the crime. Was a villain really necessary at this late stage?
November 29, 2021
The opening book of this series (THE CAD) was delightful reading; the second was less so. However, when I found out that Lord Wycoff, a character from before, had his own story, I decided to continue with the series. What is interesting is that Wycoff is neither angelic nor a rake-hell; he's just an interesting mix of attributes.
As was told in THE CHOICE, Wycolf has traveled to the New World, specifically Virginia. Because of a miserable marriage in England as a young man, neither he (later) nor his wife (initially) kept to their vows. She has died and his children (2) are living in England. Wycoff is looking for a fresh start.
He meets a widow, Lucy Stone. She's originally from England but accompanied her young husband to make his mark in America. He died before doing much and Lucy is left with a small son. She now lives with cousins who treat her well. It is obvious from the way Wycoff treats Lucy and Jamie that he wants an honest relationship. When Lucy learns of his debauched past, she decides to pass him by.
Lucy's plan has been to get her husband's brother, the married, but childless Baron Hunt, to take an interest in her son. When he sends tickets for them to travel to England, Lucy is elated. However, there are strings attached to Baron Hunt's interest in Jamie. The great thing is that Drum, Rafe, Gilly, and Damon are all part of the intrigue to get Wycoff and Lucy together.
The author kept the plot going with unique twists and turns. When I thought I understood where the story was going, the author threw in a monkey wrench and sent it off in another direction. Delightful reading. Overall Score = 4.5 stars.
The Cad Series (or C Series)
1. The Cad (1998)
2. The Choice (1999)
**3. The Challenge (2000)
4. The Chance (2000)
. The Conquest (2001)
6. To Wed a Stranger (2003)
7. To Tempt a Bride (2003)
As was told in THE CHOICE, Wycolf has traveled to the New World, specifically Virginia. Because of a miserable marriage in England as a young man, neither he (later) nor his wife (initially) kept to their vows. She has died and his children (2) are living in England. Wycoff is looking for a fresh start.
He meets a widow, Lucy Stone. She's originally from England but accompanied her young husband to make his mark in America. He died before doing much and Lucy is left with a small son. She now lives with cousins who treat her well. It is obvious from the way Wycoff treats Lucy and Jamie that he wants an honest relationship. When Lucy learns of his debauched past, she decides to pass him by.
Lucy's plan has been to get her husband's brother, the married, but childless Baron Hunt, to take an interest in her son. When he sends tickets for them to travel to England, Lucy is elated. However, there are strings attached to Baron Hunt's interest in Jamie. The great thing is that Drum, Rafe, Gilly, and Damon are all part of the intrigue to get Wycoff and Lucy together.
The author kept the plot going with unique twists and turns. When I thought I understood where the story was going, the author threw in a monkey wrench and sent it off in another direction. Delightful reading. Overall Score = 4.5 stars.
The Cad Series (or C Series)
1. The Cad (1998)
2. The Choice (1999)
**3. The Challenge (2000)
4. The Chance (2000)
. The Conquest (2001)
6. To Wed a Stranger (2003)
7. To Tempt a Bride (2003)
August 16, 2025
Given some of the tags I've listed I wanted to disclose one thing immediately: ML does not, will not cheat on the FL in this story. He has a history of adultery in a society marriage type deal. It is one of the things that holds FL back from moving forward with him most of the story.
This book follows pretty much from the events at the end of the second book in C Series, "The Choice", where Lord Wycoff takes off to America after Gillian turns him down.
Wycoff is a handsome man around 40, a widowed Viscount with two nearly grown all the way up children from a society marriage where both he and his deceased wife were very open about their affairs. Because of this he was called "The Lord of Adultery". He has decided to go to America because he is very bored of being Lord Wycoff, basically, and has bought a house in Virginia and tells everyone he's looking for horses. While settling in, he meets our FL Lucy a widow who is in her 30s. She is living and working at the hotel Wycoff is staying at while the house is being prepared (it is owned by distant relatives of her husbands). She is also English, and emigrated to America with her husband (the second son of a baron) who had big dreams, and died very quickly, leaving her stranded there with their son. She is saving up to return to England, at least for a short trip, to introduce her son to her brother-in-law who is now a Baron and hopefully get him sent off to school and set up for the future.
Lucy and Wycoff have a connection pretty immediately, with Wycoff falling very hard but Lucy's main concern is her son and she won't do anything to put him at risk. They wind up on the same ship to England after Lucy gets passage sent to her from her BIL the Baron who is childless and wants to meet her son/potential heir, and Wycoff has left Virginia because basically he can't bear to be around Lucy in that sort of stateless manner. Once there, Wycoff gently puts some plans and support in motion because he really cannot bear to be without Lucy.
The most interesting thing about this book is that Wycoff absolutely does not want to have an _affair_ with Lucy and will not be physically intimate with her without a marriage commitment. Much of the book is him working to show her that he is serious about her, and he very earnestly goes about society repairing the reputation he once had. He has always wanted a real marriage with love. It's a very different kind of ML, and I found him to be a very interesting contrast to the ML in the first book in this series (The Cad) who just doesn't know how to treat a "respectable woman" (he is not being awful he just literally does not know the deal).
Towards the end of the book there is a rather dopey intrigue bit that feels like padding and doesn't make a whole lot of sense. I would have this more in the 4.5-5 star range without it, but it really is a drag.
Highly recommended read!
This book follows pretty much from the events at the end of the second book in C Series, "The Choice", where Lord Wycoff takes off to America after Gillian turns him down.
Wycoff is a handsome man around 40, a widowed Viscount with two nearly grown all the way up children from a society marriage where both he and his deceased wife were very open about their affairs. Because of this he was called "The Lord of Adultery". He has decided to go to America because he is very bored of being Lord Wycoff, basically, and has bought a house in Virginia and tells everyone he's looking for horses. While settling in, he meets our FL Lucy a widow who is in her 30s. She is living and working at the hotel Wycoff is staying at while the house is being prepared (it is owned by distant relatives of her husbands). She is also English, and emigrated to America with her husband (the second son of a baron) who had big dreams, and died very quickly, leaving her stranded there with their son. She is saving up to return to England, at least for a short trip, to introduce her son to her brother-in-law who is now a Baron and hopefully get him sent off to school and set up for the future.
Lucy and Wycoff have a connection pretty immediately, with Wycoff falling very hard but Lucy's main concern is her son and she won't do anything to put him at risk. They wind up on the same ship to England after Lucy gets passage sent to her from her BIL the Baron who is childless and wants to meet her son/potential heir, and Wycoff has left Virginia because basically he can't bear to be around Lucy in that sort of stateless manner. Once there, Wycoff gently puts some plans and support in motion because he really cannot bear to be without Lucy.
The most interesting thing about this book is that Wycoff absolutely does not want to have an _affair_ with Lucy and will not be physically intimate with her without a marriage commitment. Much of the book is him working to show her that he is serious about her, and he very earnestly goes about society repairing the reputation he once had. He has always wanted a real marriage with love. It's a very different kind of ML, and I found him to be a very interesting contrast to the ML in the first book in this series (The Cad) who just doesn't know how to treat a "respectable woman" (he is not being awful he just literally does not know the deal).
Towards the end of the book there is a rather dopey intrigue bit that feels like padding and doesn't make a whole lot of sense. I would have this more in the 4.5-5 star range without it, but it really is a drag.
Highly recommended read!
October 12, 2018
Lucy Stone journeyed to America with her husband and bore a son. When her husband unexpectedly died, Lucy and her son Jamie are left homeless and penniless. With bitterness in her heart, Lucy takes a job at an Inn, hoping to eventually save enough for passage back to England. She unfortunately has a persistent suitor named William who takes it for granted Lucy will marry him.
A wealthy relative offers Lucy and Jamie passage to England, although they have sinister intentions for doing so. Lucy had met Hathaway Wycoff in America. He has a scandalous reputation and Lucy does not trust him, but she cannot help liking him. And Jamie adores him.
When Lucy finds herself threatened, she must turn to Wycoff for help.
A wealthy relative offers Lucy and Jamie passage to England, although they have sinister intentions for doing so. Lucy had met Hathaway Wycoff in America. He has a scandalous reputation and Lucy does not trust him, but she cannot help liking him. And Jamie adores him.
When Lucy finds herself threatened, she must turn to Wycoff for help.
May 7, 2021
The third in this series, it was wonderful to find Wycoff the hero, when I hadn't expected to hear from him again. Lucy's reasons for not marrying again seemed a little forced, but once accepted, it made the tension in their relationship understandable, although I admit to wanting to shake Lucy from time to time. It was good to meet up with Damon and Gilly again, too. I enjoyed the whole of this one.
January 1, 2024
Ive been sick and decided to reread the CAD and the Choice and, therefore, had to see wycroft find true love but I do have to say that EL is so very wordy and loves to let all her characters explain everything in great detail. It does get tiresome.
October 21, 2018
Sé q lo he leido y no recuerdo NADA.
April 14, 2025
This was hard to finish. I liked the hero from the other books and was hoping his story would be fun but it was so cringy and boring.
January 17, 2014
The rake from previous books in the series reformed. Reading of him in The Choice I was certain he would have his own outing as hero, and this is it. His previous career as a womanizer is given an understandable basis, so we sympathise with him already. And he certainly goes to great lengths to re-establish himself in society.
February 8, 2013
A really great read! Plenty of drama to keep the story interesting. Very well paced and nice narrative. A really sweet story at points and at other parts gut wrenching. Can't wait for more of the series!
July 12, 2013
I think this book was my favorite yet, but there again, the content got a little too mature for me, so there were several pages I had to skip over. But this story and the characters were my favorite so far.
February 2, 2016
A bit long..well written..there always seems one big obstacle which is the plot but the story is so well narrated that one keeps reading..characterisation is amazing in her novels
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August 17, 2018I hadn't read a book by Layton in a long time - mainly because I was missing the next in the series., so I finally ordered it. Although she's generally a winner for me, this was not such a big hit. The heroine's unwillingness to trust and believe in the hero starts to feel thin at some point. Her American suitor is so brash it's hard to imagine he was ever a contender.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews