Reviewed by Francine
In all honesty I can say this novel was a delightful surprise. Not so
much a romance novel as that of a “Suspenseful Love Story” and it was pleasant
respite from the ubiquitous angst-ridden young heroines and rakish alpha males
that are extremely prevalent within the Regency romance genre as a whole. That
is not to say this novel is devoid of anguish, for much soul-searching and need
to heal past hurts prevail for the protagonists. But what would one
expect with a wounded soldier back from the wars and his mind filled with the
horror of it all, and a widow at a crisis point in her life where death seems
more inviting than the living hell she is subjected to. The very fact Ella has
been appallingly abused and imprisoned by means most foul, one is rooting for
her from the moment she sets out to escape her vile captors. Her desperate
plight in not only having to convince an old friend she is sane, he too has inner
demons in need of quelling if he is to be of help to her.
Whilst compromises must be made along the way as pursuit of Ella
persists with factions of mean intent, life for Alex is equally as perilous as
that of Ella whilst others harbour long-term grudges. What is more Ella’s escape involves
finding some means to evade highways and byways; hence the route chosen draws
the reader into a very different way of life, but needs must for a man of good
breeding and the social whirl of the ton
intrudes momentarily. With that momentary intrusion a stroke of royal luck sets
Alex ill at ease, for gifts and titles are not always as one might expect. Thus
reawakening desires and long-held misconceptions are faced, whilst evil doings set
precedence for fear and heighten nightmare scenarios. But love does find a way
through the mire and fog of lost years and imagined betrayals, which makes this
novel a thoroughly engrossing, pleasurable and highly recommended read for
lovers of depth driven love stories. Well written, concise in detail, Ms Knight’s
characters are fully-fleshed and I have a notion I will remember them and this
novel for quite a good while.
