Secrets of a Scandalous Bride

If you are attracted to heroes with a darker side, one terrific example of a redeemed villain is found in The Widows Club Series by Sophia Nash. In the third book of the series, Love With the Perfect Scoundrel, we are introduced to the villain of the piece, Rowland Manning. Driven by the hardships of his early life, Rowland is ruthless in his actions, even attempting at one point to kill his own brother. In the fourth book, Secrets of a Scandalous Bride, Rowland is the tortured hero of his own story. We get to know the reasons for his harsh, often brutal behavior. The cruelty and deprivations he suffered in his youth made him a lean, mean, vengeance machine. To keep himself "fighting mean," he even deprives himself of the pleasures of good food, surviving on a daily regimen of rigidly bare meals. One of the ways the heroine breaks through to him is to continue to ply him with delicious food. Gingerbread, with its deep, dark spicy goodness, is a loaded weapon to man so self-deprived. When the gingerbread is served to him by a beautiful, caring woman, how could Rowland not succumb to temptation? Just like The Grinch, Rowland's heart grew three sizes that day! Enjoy this book while indulging in your favorite gingerbread recipe, which, like Rowland, is unexpectedly sweet beneath the tartness! ( )