Her secret husband…
Is back from the dead!
When Lady Helena Snowe eloped with Captain William
Harborough six years ago, they had one glorious week together before he went to
war -- only to die in battle. Yet, the man in front of her now is very much
alive! The darkness behind Will's eyes makes Helena wary of letting him back
into her life. With Will's enemies threatening their chance of a fresh start,
can their marriage ever be reclaimed?
Good book. It opened with a prologue where the young Lady
Helena Snowe eloped with a nearly as young Captain William Harborough because
her family disapproved of their romance. They had a one-week honeymoon before
Will returned to the war and was shortly thereafter reported as killed in
action. Because they had married secretly, Helena could not show her grief and
had to keep it buried.
Six years later, Helena is still unmarried, though not
through the lack of her mother's effort. Helena has no intention of marrying
again and instead plans an extended stay with a recently widowed friend. Those
plans come to a screeching halt when she receives a summons to her brother's
home and finds her assuredly not-dead husband waiting for her. To say that she
was angry that he'd been alive all that time without telling her would be an
understatement. She barely recognizes the cold, stone-faced man in front of her
and, in a fit of temper, talks about a legal separation.
However, it doesn't take long for her to realize that the
Will she knew is still inside the stranger she's married to and still loves. I
ached for her as he explained his reasons for the deception (to protect her)
and that there was still danger from the enemies he had made. After years of
independence, Helena is no longer the naïve young woman he married and refused
to be packed off somewhere safe while he deals with the threat. I loved
watching her stand up to Will, insisting they stay together.
What follows is their journey to his lands in Wales,
taking every precaution to keep danger off their trail. Will is convinced that
the threat is real and has already cost his mother her life. Helena has the
advantage of being on the outside looking in at the events and has her doubts.
I enjoyed watching the rekindling of their relationship.
Neither Will nor Helena has forgotten the intense attraction from their honeymoon,
and the sparks are just as intense now. Both have changed a lot over the six
years they've been apart, and getting to know each other again is filled with
challenges. Will is haunted by what he has seen and done and refuses to burden
Helena by sharing them with her. Helena has spent years helping her brother
with his estates and refuses to be treated as a frail flower. Their chemistry
is explosive, and Will struggles to maintain the control he needs to stay aware
of their surroundings. I laughed out loud at their first night back together as
Helena created a very amusing scene upon their arrival.
Their power struggle continued during their journey, and
I laughed at several places where one or the other would get the upper hand.
But through it all, Helena saw more of the old Will emerge from behind the
shadows in his eyes. I liked their arrival at his property and seeing them
settle in. But trouble is on the horizon, as Helena has taken steps to prove
her belief that there was no danger following Will. I ached for Will as he
learned the truth, and I understood his feelings of betrayal. Knowing he'd been
deceived was terrible enough, but for Helena not to have told him her
suspicions hurt even more. I hurt for both as harsh words were exchanged, and
Will stormed away. It takes some serious self-examination for them to see the
mistakes made and promise to do better. I loved Will's return and seeing him
ready to move forward with Helena.
The epilogue was terrific, and I loved catching up with
them a few years down the road.
No comments:
Post a Comment