Can real love grow between a wallflower and an unrepentant rogue?
Sarah Drayton is eager to spend time with her best friend at her crumbling Northumberland castle estate. Matrimony is the last thing on her mind and the last thing she expects to be faced with on a holiday. Yet she finds herself being inveigled into a marriage of convenience with her friend's rakish brother.
When James Langley returns to his family's estate, he can't be bothered to pay attention to his responsibilities as the heir. War is raging and he wants only distraction, not serious tethers. But his roguish ways have backed him into a corner, and he has little choice but to obey his father's stunning decree: marry before returning to war, or else. Suddenly he finds himself wedded to a clever and capable woman he does not love.
Sarah craves love and a place to belong, neither of which James offered before returning to the battlefront. Now everyone around her thinks she married above her station, and they have no intention of rewarding her for such impertinence. It isn't until her husband returns from war seemingly changed that she begins to hope they may find real happiness. But can she trust that this rake has truly reformed?
When tragedy strikes, this pair must learn to trust God and his plans. Will they be destroyed . . . or will they discover that even in the darkest depths of night, the morning still holds hope?
I guess to go along with the gothic theme of this story Sarah's life isn't an easy or pleasant one after she moves into the rundown "castle". No one is happy in this place. Sarah tries to breathe life into it little by little, but every attempt she makes is met with anger and disrespect. One thing after another happens and it seems like Sarah will never find a happy ending.
Then, of course, there's James Langley, a rogue if there ever was one. He was easy to dislike, but when he returns from war he's somewhat easy to warm up to. Like Sarah, even though we can see his thoughts, it's not easy to trust him. The way James and his father accused her on several occasions of things that she had no hand in and called her names without asking her kindly for her side of the story (even though she'd shown herself loyal, trustworthy, and faithful) really frustrated me.
I could NOT stand several of the side characters in this story. Of course, that was because of the author's ability to write such heinous people! I would've loved to have seen them get their comeuppance. If you enjoy vile characters that get you worked up, you'll have a hefty dose in this story. lol
I really appreciated the faith in this story and the characters struggles to follow His ways. Through them we also see that forgiveness can be a struggle. Not only is it hard to forgive others, but hard to forgive ourselves. I appreciate reading characters who go through this journey.
Carolyn Miller is an inspirational romance author who lives in the beautiful Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia, with her husband and four children.
A longtime lover of romance, especially that of Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer’s Regency era, Carolyn holds a BA in English literature and loves drawing readers into fictional worlds that show the truth of God’s grace in our lives. She enjoys music, films, gardens, art, travel, and food.
Miller’s novels have won a number of RWA and ACFW contests. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Australasian Christian Writers.
Learn more about Carolyn at www.carolynmillerauthor.com, or find her on Facebook (Carolyn Miller Author), Instagram (@CarolynMillerAuthor), and Twitter (@CarolynMAuthor).
1 comments:
Thanks so much for sharing your lovely review Mimi - I’m so glad you enjoyed!
Post a Comment
Thank you for taking the time out of your day to comment!