A rugged and ruined naval officer comes to claim his bride in an unforgettable tale of love, revenge and redemption from the national bestselling author of Marry in Scandal.
Lady Rose Rutherford—rebel, heiress, and exasperated target of the town’s hungry bachelors—has a plan to gain the freedom she so desperately desires: she will enter into a marriage of convenience with the biggest prize on the London marriage mart.
There’s just one problem: the fierce-looking man who crashes her wedding to the Duke of Everingham — Thomas Beresford, the young naval officer she fell in love with and secretly married when she was still a schoolgirl. Thought to have died four years ago he’s returned, a cold, hard stranger with one driving purpose—revenge.
Embittered by betrayal and hungry for vengeance, Thomas will stop at nothing to reclaim his rightful place, even if that means using Rose—and her fortune—to do it. But Rose never did follow the rules, and as she takes matters into her own unpredictable hands, Thomas finds himself in an unexpected and infuriating predicament: he’s falling in love with his wife….
Rose is an heiress, attractive, and still unwed. Her termagant Aunt has made her the match of the year…marriage to a wealthy Duke. But nope, this isn’t one of those sexy, wealthy, and charming Dukes. This guy is a cold fish. But don’t worry, he doesn’t last long.
This is the third in a series, but I have not read the others and worked fine as a standalone. Rose has given up on romance and love and agreed to marry a Duke for convenience and to get on with her life. Her family urges her to hold out for love, but for reasons she won’t reveal, she has decided that love is not for her.
Ready to endure a brilliant match but cold marriage, Rose marches down the aisle. But as they say their vows, the ceremony is interrupted by an unkempt stranger who claims to be her husband. The mean Aunt wants to toss him on the street, Rose’s brother wants to smack him around, and Rose is terrified until she looks in the stranger’s eyes.
Thomas was thought to be lost at sea. Back on British soil, his mind is focused on two things: getting his wife back and returning to rescue fellow survivor ship mates. He will leave no stone unturned to rally the resources.
Truly a second chance romance of two former lovers relearning each other, Rose and Thomas have chemistry (and lots of sex) but their inner lives are wrought with turmoil that slowly tries to drive a wedge. Much of the book focuses on how they navigate their past traumas and try to move on.
There are some light and fun scenes (redecorating a dusty old townhouse is kind of my jam) but there is also plenty of seriousness. There are themes of slavery, abuse, and illness which may be difficult for some readers. Because the H/H are already married, the thrust of the book is looking for the HEA…after the I dos. That can be really refreshing for a reader sick of the HEA = wedding that sometimes Reg Roms can end on, and readers hungry for a look at how past loves find love anew amid personal trauma, this will be a welcome read.
Rose is pretty outspoken, single minded and a bit adventurous. Thomas is a man possessed by sense of duty and loyalty. I think this pairs well when dealing with tough material. I would have liked a bit more backstory to really understand what drew these two together, but then again they were both young when married, so maybe that is less interesting then how they find their feet again in the marriage. Rose is a very grown up 20, and Thomas seems like a man much older than his 27 years. So even though they seem like a young, love match kind of couple there is a lot of growing up that has happened in their years apart.
I enjoyed this book. It grapples with some challenging subject material, and I can see some readers being turned off by it. But if you are looking for a departure from the lighter Reg Roms, you should check this one out.
Intimacy is pretty vanilla but frequent, there are some mentions of violence and a fight scene or to, and lots of adult subject matter that won’t be for all readers.
Book is out July 30th.
CW: Miscarriage/trauma, slavery and abuse
4.5 out of 6 Second chance romance with meaty emotional issues
| Content Rating/Heat Index | |
|---|---|
| Mature Content |   |
| Slavery, trauma | |
| Intimacy | |
| Vanilla scenes | |
| Violence | |
| Some fight scenes and rehash of past violence | |
| Overall | |
|---|---|
| Best for mature readers | |
*A review copy was received from Netgalley. No other compensation was provided.
