Diane Gaston

Excellent second chance love story. Grant, who we first met in Her Gallant Captain at Waterloo as Rhys's best friend, returned to England after the death of his brother. With Rhys as his estate manager, Grant slowly settles into his new role as Viscount Grantwell, including becoming the guardian of two young children, William and Anna. As the book opens, the butler announces a woman there for the governess position. He is shocked to see Lillian, the woman who'd betrayed him years earlier in show more Portugal.

Lillian is there for sanctuary, not employment. Accused of murdering her Portuguese husband, she is fleeing her vengeful brother-in-law. Out of money and out of options, she desperately hopes Grant will hide her for a short time, despite how they parted.

The intensity of the situation immediately sucked me into the story. Grant's renewed feelings of anger and betrayal, Lillian's feelings of desperation and hope, and the presence of a snowstorm combined into an emotional opening. Seeing Lillian again brought everything back to Grant, and he wanted to toss her right back out of the door. But despite those feelings, he couldn’t bring himself to do that, so he offered to let her stay until the roads cleared. At the same time he remembers her betrayal, he also remembers the good times together, creating an internal struggle. Lillian can't believe that Grant still believes her capable of betraying him and their country. Nothing said then or now convinces him that he's wrong. But she's grateful for refuge from the storm and the chance to evade her pursuers. She'll worry about the next step when the storm is over.

When Lillian encounters the children on her way to her room, they immediately take to each other. Utterly bewildered on what to do with them, Grant willingly turns their care over to Lillian. Grant finds himself drawn into Lillian's attempts to give the children a Christmas as they've never had before. The more time he spends with her, the harder it is to remember her betrayal. I loved seeing Grant's anger start to fade as he saw Lillian's good-hearted attempts to help the children. I enjoyed seeing the return of their former ease with each other, though I wanted to shake Grant every time he reminded himself of the past. Another thing that hadn't changed was the attraction that still burned between them, creating another layer of complications.

The suspense created by Lillian's pursuers hovered in the background throughout the book as she worried about them finding her. Between the question of who really killed Lillian's husband and what actually happened that day back in Portugal, I was anxious to see if the truth would be revealed. While the truth about the murder turned out to be no surprise at all, I didn't see the resolution of the spying charge coming. The final confrontation was a nail-biter, and I loved the children's part in the solution. I would have liked to see a little groveling on Grant's part for his lack of faith in Lillian. The epilogue was fantastic. I loved seeing what a difference a year made in their lives.

One of the things I enjoyed was the inclusion of the era's Christmas traditions. Many of them still exist in one form or another today, and I liked seeing them in context. I loved how the author used those traditions to bring four hurting and lonely people together. I would like to have learned more about the children's background and why they were mistreated by those who should have loved them.

The secondary characters were terrific. From the servants to Rhys and Helene, everyone had unique personalities and roles. I had to laugh at the interplay between the cook and Grant over their memories of him as a boy. I also enjoyed seeing Rhys point out that Grant behaved like a man in love, and Helene reach out in friendship to Lillian. show less

Good second chance romance. Helene's younger brother, David, snuck away from home and went to Brussels, determined to witness the war against Napoleon for himself. Intent on saving him from himself, Helene and her trusted servant chase after him. They check every tavern they encounter until they find him, about to come out on the wrong end of an argument. He's saved from disaster by the intervention of an army captain. The realization that it is her former friend and fiancé stuns Helene.
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The last person Rhys expected to see in Brussels, Helene brings back both good and bad memories. Good memories of growing up together, the vicar's son and the earl's daughter, playing knights and damsels and other childhood games. Then the changing feelings to something more potent and more adult, and their plans to elope. Rhys is still bitter about how their relationship ended, believing that Helene threw away their love for the chance of a better alliance. As much as he'd like to ignore her, he can't abandon her in this situation.

This was an emotional book in an intense setting. Seeing Rhys brings back Helene's memories of their time together, but also the pain of their parting. She never forgot her love for him and remained unmarried. It hurts that he is so cold to her, but she can't blame him. Rhys is torn. He wants to maintain his distance but can't stop his need to protect her. When Helene's servant, Wilson, whom he remembers fondly, takes ill, Rhys steps in to help find a doctor. Thrown together by several situations, Rhys and Helene slowly reconnect, their previous feelings resurfacing and growing stronger. The night before the battle brought out the desperation both felt, and they gave in to the attraction that burned between them. With Waterloo looming, Rhys insists that Helene leave Brussels while she still can.

Helene's reason for being in Brussels, finding her brother, and taking him home, proves to be a losing proposition. At eighteen years old, David is headstrong and unwilling to listen to reason. I ached for Helene because David was clearly acting like a spoiled brat. I was not surprised by what happened to him and wanted to shake him for the pain he caused his sister. Though I felt bad for what he suffered, he brought it on himself by his unthinking behavior. By the end, I saw a glimmer of hope for him, but only time will tell.

Because of David's actions, Helene ends up in the middle of the battle. There is a terrific scene of her finding Rhys in the chaos and the emotional time together. The descriptions of the battle from Rhys's perspective made me feel as though I was there, and Helene's time helping the field surgeon was heart-wrenching. Even the aftermath was vividly portrayed, as Rhys and Helene tried to figure out their future. There was a while where it looked like circumstances would part them again, but both Rhys and Helene refused to let it happen. I loved the epilogue and seeing how they made it work. I loved the twist at the end and what it could mean for them.

The secondary characters were great. I especially like Mrs. Jacobs, the nurse, and her unshakeable belief that Rhys and Helene belonged together. I enjoyed how she and Wilson's lady, Louise, collaborated to ensure that Helene could go to the ball. I also liked Rhys's friend, Grant. Their friendship is a solid one, built on shared experiences during the war. I liked when Grant stepped in to help Helene when Rhys was stubborn. I would love to see him get his own story. show less

Good conclusion to the series. Lorene has been a key character in all of the books. Years earlier she had sacrificed her own happiness by marrying a much older man. She did so in exchange for him providing for her sisters and half-brother. It was not a happy marriage, as the Earl of Tinmore could be a cruel and controlling man, but Lorene made the best of her circumstances. Then, at Christmas, she defied his order to stay away from her family and walked five miles through the snow to spend show more the day with them.

At the end of the day, Dell, Lord Penford, escorted her back to her home. She was confronted by her furious husband, who accused her of carrying on an affair with Dell. Horrified by what he heard, Dell tried to reason with Tinmore. Unfortunately, Tinmore was beyond reason and attempted to attack Dell, and instead fell down the steps and died. The butler accused Dell of murdering Tinmore, forcing an inquest. Though the death was ruled accidental, it is pretty obvious that the butler is not going to give up and go away quietly.

I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Lorene and Dell. It was a lengthy process, due to their circumstances and the challenges that faced them. Lorene had a secret crush on Dell from the time she met him. He was everything that her husband was not - young, kind, handsome. She was very careful not to let any indication of her feelings show. Dell, too, had been drawn to Lorene from the beginning. He was impressed by the sacrifice of her happiness to ensure that of her siblings. I liked the way that, after her husband's death, he wanted to help but also knew that he had to be cautious in the way he did it. I loved how he offered to let her stay in her childhood home and to supervise the renovations. I loved how they followed the customs of the day and that he didn't see her for more than a year after her husband's death.

When they did see each other again, it was obvious to each that their feelings were as strong as ever. But there are also issues holding them back. Lorene is part of the "Scandalous Summerfields" family, tainted by the actions of their parents. She fears adding to the talk by having a relationship with Dell. On his side, Dell still grieves the loss of his family, who died in a fire at their home while he was away at war. He has promised himself that he will never allow himself to care that deeply for anyone ever again, unwilling to risk the pain of losing someone he loves. I liked seeing the friendship between Dell and Lorene deepen as they saw each other more often in London.

Lorene's desire to avoid scandal is upended when her mother shows up on her doorstep, along with the man she ran away with. Hetty immediately takes Society by storm with her outrageous behavior, horrifying Lorene and her sisters. I was a bit torn by this part of the story. Yes, Hetty was outrageous, but I also felt like she was driven to that behavior by her own ghosts. I would have liked to see a bit more regret for the actions that affected her family so badly. But I also liked the way that she stood up for her own wants and needs in spite of what people were saying about her. I ached for Lorene, but I also wanted her to stop letting what other people said and thought dictate her actions. It was sweet to see Dell's protectiveness toward Lorene as he tried to help her cope with her mother's behavior. It didn't take long for the feelings that were simmering under the surface to erupt into unexpected passion. I found Lorene's attitude to be a little hypocritical as she wanted to do as she wanted regarding Dell but denied her mother the right to do the same.

Dell fights his feelings for Lorene. He is attracted to her, and cares for her, but is afraid to love her. Instead, he considers a "suitable" marriage with a woman that won't engage his feelings. I wanted to shake him for even thinking of marrying someone else, but fortunately, he figured it out in time. He, too, was influenced by what people thought, though not as severely as Lorene was. He was driven more by the memories of his family and what he thought they would want. I ached for him and the grief that would frequently overwhelm him. I liked how Lorene saw that grief and wanted to help him through it.

Lorene and Dell's relationship was progressing nicely when their past was made public. The vindictive butler made another appearance, this time selling his story to one of the London tabloids. The resulting scandal was huge, creating all kinds of difficulties for the couple. Lorene reacted in her usual way, by wanting to withdraw. She felt she could protect Dell best by making herself scarce, and removing her influence on people's attitudes toward him. Dell has more backbone. I loved seeing him stand up to the scandal and take steps to counter it. I loved the support he received from his friends. I ached for him over Lorene's departure and his unhappiness over her absence. I liked seeing each of them reevaluate their lives and finally realize that love is more important than anything else.

I liked seeing all of the couples from the previous books and how their lives are going. Their reactions to Lady Summerfield's arrival were an important part of the story, with each one showing different feelings. I especially liked the way that they stood behind Dell against the accusations of murder. The epilogue was terrific, bringing them all together in a most satisfying way. show less

An enjoyable read, it touches on some heavy baggage for the main characters while also being a fun page-turner.

The author did a fantastic job of expressing the darkness Lucas (feeling responsible for his brother’s death) and Mairi (a rape survivor) carry with them, the way they’d be okay one moment living their lives, only to be triggered the next, it felt realistic to have those difficult memories wash over them in unpredictable waves.

Lucas and Mairi’s struggles with the past are show more smartly counterbalanced throughout the story with Lucas, a wealthy lord masquerading as a servant for Mairi’s family, while that does have it’s dramatic moments, too, the subterfuge, as well as the sweetly supportive relationship developing between Lucas and Mairi, adds just the right amount of light to the book.

Readers who prefer their romance on the super steamy side may be disappointed here, but I never really care how much sex is in a book, be it explicit, a firmly closed door, or no further than a kiss, all that matters to me is whether or not it fits the story and the characters and I felt like exactly the right choice was made for where Mairi is at with her trauma and staying true to Lucas’s understanding nature.

If I had one small complaint, it’s just that I would have liked a scene or two showing Lucas interacting with his parents maybe in place of a scene from the villain’s point of view, though at the same time I get that the villain’s POV does ratchet up tension/concern for the heroine, so with a limited page count I could see where it would be tough to decide what to include and what to exclude.

As for the ending, this is a romance, happily ever after is a requirement, so I don’t feel like the following paragraph will be a spoiler, especially since I don’t go into detail, but if you’re leery, don’t read any further.

Sometimes I feel a bit iffy about a hero riding to the rescue, I tend to want to see the heroine solve her own problems and have the romance be sort of separate from that, however, in this instance, Mairi has been rescuing herself and her family the entire time, you have such a strong sense of all she’s been through, and so to see some of that burden lifted off of her, it gave this particular ride to the rescue an exhilarating quality (and not just because it does involve some actual horseback riding).

I received this book through a giveaway. show less