Somebody call the wahmbulance, we've got an emergency. 90% of this book is our "hero" whining about how perfect he isn't anymore and the "heroine" whining about how unworthy she is of being treated like a human being. I have some sympathy for her as her upbringing was rather harsh, but I got over that real quick. I wasn't a fan of [b:The Wild One|1955837|The Wild One (de Montforte #1)|Danelle Harmon|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1304878466s/1955837.jpg|1958793] either. Part of it is the writing style, as it's rushed and either anachronistic or trying too hard to emulate the period. The other part of it is that the wangst is so overdone. ( )

For as much as THE WILD ONE was filled with a mix of humor and drama, I found THE BELOVED ONE to be filled mostly with drama.

We finally get a chance to find out what happened to Charles and whit took him almost two years to get in touch with his family.

Charles' story starts off with the letter Charles wrote to his brother Lucien in which he asks his brother that in case he never comes back alive from the upcoming battle, to please take care of the woman he loves and their baby she is expecting.

Oh how I loved Charles! This man was perfection in itself! There was nothing he did wrong, and thinking ahead and planning for any and all circumstances was something he did best. He was a man of deep convictions, and true hero. The high expectations this man put on himself were very admirable, yet also very unrealistic in the overall scheme of things, and when he couldn’t reach them, the downfall was steep and very painful.

The author made a conscious decision to delve into Charles’ psyche and ultimately we were rewarded with a much more dramatic and much more serious tale.

As for our heroine, Amy Leighton, Ms. Harmon gave us as well as Charles, a young woman of no more than seventeen; a gentle but longsuffering daughter of a local pastor whose two other girls enjoyed tormenting and bullying a sister that did everything around the home.
Talk about Cinderella story! Those girls were by far, the most obnoxious creatures I’ve ever had the displeasure to meet in a book!

To watch our hero struggle and then accept his infirmity while Amy tries everything in her power to help him cope with it, and then see the friendship grow and ultimately love blossom, was a trip worth taking. I loved everything about this story, but watching this man’s acceptance of himself, his fate and coming to terms with his scattered feelings about Juliet and Amy, was brilliant writing!

The icing on this ‘cake’ of a story is the reappearance of the de Montforte family as they deal with the brother they all adored and admired for his cool, calm and composed manner. They are all vested in his well being, and to watch him come apart, wasn’t something they could idly stand by and watch, so all banded together to help him survive this battle he was having with himself.

I am very happy to give this highly emotional, sensual and very touching story my Five Quills. At this point, I am so much vested in these people that I can’t wait to read THE DEFIANT ONE and see in which direction the author shall take Andrew’s story. This is one family that will stay with me for some time to come and I hope you give them a chance.

Melanie for http://rcjrezine.com/ website ( )

For as much as THE WILD ONE was filled with a mix of humor and drama, I found THE BELOVED ONE to be filled mostly with drama.

We finally get a chance to find out what happened to Charles and whit took him almost two years to get in touch with his family.

Charles' story starts off with the letter Charles wrote to his brother Lucien in which he asks his brother that in case he never comes back alive from the upcoming battle, to please take care of the woman he loves and their baby she is expecting.

Oh how I loved Charles! This man was perfection in itself! There was nothing he did wrong, and thinking ahead and planning for any and all circumstances was something he did best. He was a man of deep convictions, and true hero. The high expectations this man put on himself were very admirable, yet also very unrealistic in the overall scheme of things, and when he couldn't reach them, the downfall was steep and very painful.

The author made a conscious decision to delve into Charles' psyche and ultimately we were rewarded with a much more dramatic and much more serious tale.

As for our heroine, Amy Leighton, Ms. Harmon gave us as well as Charles, a young woman of no more than seventeen; a gentle but longsuffering daughter of a local pastor whose two other girls enjoyed tormenting and bullying a sister that did everything around the home.
Talk about Cinderella story! Those girls were by far, the most obnoxious creatures I've ever had the displeasure to meet in a book!

To watch our hero struggle and then accept his infirmity while Amy tries everything in her power to help him cope with it, and then see the friendship grow and ultimately love blossom, was a trip worth taking. I loved everything about this story, but watching this man's acceptance of himself, his fate and coming to terms with his scattered feelings about Juliet and Amy, was brilliant writing!

The icing on this `cake' of a story is the reappearance of the de Montforte family as they deal with the brother they all adored and admired for his cool, calm and composed manner. They are all vested in his well being, and to watch him come apart, wasn't something they could idly stand by and watch, so all banded together to help him survive this battle he was having with himself.

I am very happy to give this highly emotional, sensual and very touching story my Five Quills. At this point, I am so much vested in these people that I can't wait to read THE DEFIANT ONE and see in which direction the author shall take Andrew's story. This is one family that will stay with me for some time to come and I hope you give them a chance.

Melanie for RCJR eZine ( )

I scarfed these down like candy. Harmon's de Montforte brothers are each delicious, and every book is better than the last. Unfortunately, most are out of print, but if you see them in the used bookstore, definitely grab a copy. ( )