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Rosamund is at a dangerous crossroads...
Lady Rosamund Fielding hides a secret so terrible it could ruin her, her family, and Major General Lord Rhys Lansdowne, the man she loves. Rose and Rhys were inseparable in childhood—their friendship was the one shining light in Rose’s dark upbringing.
Yet when Rhys proposes, Rose refuses, for he can never know her shameful truth.
Returned from the Napoleonic wars and now the Marquess of Ravenscroft, Rhys is determined to uncover the reason behind Rose's rejection and win her hand and her heart once and for all.
Yet Rose’s father, Earl Fielding, is demanding Rose accept Brigadier Viscount Pennworth's marriage proposal, threatening dire consequences if she does not obey.
Time is of the essence as Rose faces this difficult crossroad, where she is forced to confront past demons and choose a path.
Should she marry Rhys, deceiving him, and forever be branded a liar in his eyes? She cannot.
Wed Pennworth? Never.
Or flee? Away from Rhys, away from her father, and away from all she holds dear.
Rose has faced many dangerous choices in her life. Will this final one destroy her?
“The overlook is stunning,” Rose said.
“Pardon?” Rhys answered. “Oh, yes… That is it!”
“What?” Her question was drowned out by the sounds of rock shifting, moving, tumbling.
“Rhys?”
“Bollocks!” He leaped for Rose, covering her just as a rock hit their carriage with tremendous force. The vehicle teetered but didn’t topple.
All would have been well had a second rock not thundered into their back wheel. The coach overbalanced, sending them both flying as it began to slide down the hill.
Everything tumbled and rumbled, and Rose prayed their coachman had cut the traces and he and their horses were safe.
They bumped and jostled, boxes, cutlery, and dishes from their picnic flying about like missiles until they slammed into something hard and stopped, her head bouncing off the coach’s side, making her dizzy. She’d lost hold of Rhys, as well, who’d been thrown backward, an unmoored coach lantern bashing his head.
Dust and debris swirled, finally settling. Everything ached, her head ringing.
“Rhys?” she croaked.
He failed to answer.
5 out of 5 (exceptional)
Independent Reviewer for Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Historical romance has always been a bit hit-and-miss for me, I tend to get annoyed with all the rules and regs of the time, but, strangely, that's what I liked about this one!
Because Rosie (to only Rhys and NO ONE else!) kind of flaunts the rules. She pushes the boundaries and smashes down the expectations for ladies of her time.
Given her secret, and how she dealt with that in the past, it's understandable she doesn't want anyone to push her into anything, certainly not a marriage to Penworth, the odious man. Rose's male parental unit (I refuse to call him her father!) is a nasty piece of work, but he does get his comeuppance!
I loved that Rose and Rhys have a history, from when they were children. I loved that we get some of that history in flashbacks. It helps you paint the picture of how Rose and Rhys came to be.
And I absolutely LOVED the slow burn/fade to back/very few smexy times that this book has. Hardly surprising given Rose's past, but I loved that Rhys loved Rosie enough to WAIT for her, to come to him, when she wanted more from him.
Quite a lot of angst in this book, for Rose as well as Rhys. I liked that Rhys was able to articulate his feelings for Rose since men of that time were not expected to be able to do that.
Given the bit at the end, I expect that one of Rose's sisters will be next and I look forward to reading it,
I wrote 4 stars at the top of the page, but I can't find a single thing wrong with it, so...
5 full and shiny stars
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Award-winning author Vicki Stiefel now also writes as Sanna Brand, whose Regency Romance, THE BOND (Book 1, The Secret Tales) launches May 15. Vicki’s fantasy romance series, The Made Ones Saga, launched with ALTERED, continued with CHANGED, and climaxed with ASCENDANT.
Vicki continues work on her Afterworld Chronicles and her award-winning mystery/thrillers feature homicide counselor Tally Whyte.
Vicki tapped into her love of knitting to produce Chest of Bone The Knit Collection and co-write 10 Secrets of the LaidBack Knitters.
After running The Writers Studio with her late husband, William G. Tapply, Vicki taught fiction and modern media writing for six years at Clark University.
She grew up in professional theater and planned to become an actress. Instead, she slung hamburgers, managed a scuba shop, and became a college professor. She is a mom to two wonderful humans and a furry pack. Her passions for scuba diving, fly fishing, knitting, and horses pop up in her novels, as do chocolate, bourbon, and lobster. Currently, she's playing with her pups, Penny and Bash, and her kitty, Sammy, while working on THE DECEPTION, the second book in The Secret Tales.
Thank you so much, Debbie for your marvelous review and beautiful presentation! 💜🙏