He prayed this might never stop.
This now, here in Spain with Alejandra in his arms.
Severely wounded Captain Lucien Howard, Earl of Ross, had a boat waiting to
take him home. If she remained in his company, the beautiful woman who had
saved his life would be compromised. The harsh light of dawn would send each of
them their different ways.
Lucien thought of his family and his ancient crumbling
estate. He couldn't stay in war-torn Spain. Yet neither could he stop his arms
from tightening about Alejandra as he breathed her in…
Good book, though it dragged a little in a few places. I did like the different perspective of the Napoleonic wars. Lucien
was critically injured in a battle between the French and English during the
war in Spain. Found by Alejandra, she took him back to her home to recover. It
wasn't a comfortable situation, as her father was the local guerilla leader and
wasn't especially pleased to have an English officer on his premises. There was
a good bit of tension in this part as Alejandra worked on healing Lucien before
her father decided what to do with him.
There was a connection between Alejandra and Lucien from
the very beginning. Something about him called to her. She didn't understand
it, and she didn't like it, but she couldn't resist the pull. Years of war scarred
her and made her cynical, but Lucien sparked a desire in her for something
better. Lucien was fascinated by Alejandra's strength and spirit.
I liked the development of their relationship. Alejandra was
protective of Lucien as he healed, watchful and wary of getting too close. As
Lucien healed, he became more intrigued by Alejandra and what made her the way
she was. Lucien's pride pushed him to regain his strength as quickly as
possible, as he didn't want to look weak to her. They grew closer over his
healing time as they shared some of their painful pasts. The tension picked up
when it was time for Lucien to return to England. There were some nail-biting
moments on the journey to the coast as the danger was never far away. There was
also an increase in the attraction between Lucien and Alejandra. I ached for
them both as they realized that nothing could come of it, even as they gave in
to the heat between them.
Four years later, Lucien hasn't forgotten Alejandra. Though
he had told her to contact him if she needed him, there had been nothing.
Determined to find out what happened to her, Lucien used his connections only
to discover that her home had been attacked with no survivors. It wasn't until
his signet ring showed up in an unexpected place that he began to suspect she
might have survived, and he returned to Spain to look for her. Alejandra's life
after Lucien's departure hadn't been easy. Attempts to reach him failed, leaving
her questioning her faith in anything. Her new life in Madrid was complicated
by the continuing war and had some intriguing twists to it.
This section of the book was far more intense and
maintained my interest more than the first half. From the moment that Lucien
found her again, I was invested in seeing how they would achieve their happy
ending. The intensity of their escape from Madrid had me on the edge of my
seat. Lucien's need to make sure she was safe was clear, as were his feelings
for her. Alejandra was warier, especially of being a foreigner in Lucien's
world. I liked the scene where she was introduced to his friends, their wives,
and Lucien's sister. Their acceptance went a long way to easing her fears. The
ending was good, with an unexpected twist that threatened their happy ever
after. I loved Alejandra's part in ending the threat, and Lucien's support of
how she did it.
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