Devotion

Hawthorne #2

by Katherine Sutcliffe

From national bestselling author Katherine Sutcliffe comes an unforgettable story of forbidden love. Once the most eligible man in Northern England, Trey Hawthorne is a shadow of his former self after being wounded in battle--until a lovely nursemaid awakens his heart, his soul and his every desire.

Genres: Historical Romance, Romance, Historical, Regency, Disability, Fiction

384 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

Katherine Sutcliffe was born an only child in East Texas. After working for a time at an oil company and as a headhunter for a computer personnel company, Sutcliffe decided in 1982 to quit her job and attempt to write a novel. Three years later she sold her first book, Desire and Surrender to Avon Books. She works eight hours a day, five to seven months a year. Sutcliffe also attempts to find a single CD that will provide inspiration during the writing of each book. In the past, she has used the soundtrack to Somewhere in Time and Kitarō's Silk Road.

In 1995 and 1996, Sutcliffe worked as the Consultant Head Writer for the soap operas As The World Turns and Another World. Sutcliffe was offered the job after Bill Graham, who searched for writers for Proctor and Gamble, mentioned to his wife that they wanted to refocus the soap opera stories on romance. His wife, who loved Sutcliffe's book, insisted that he contact her. During her time as a soap opera writer, she concentrated on developing the six-month story lines, which the breakdown writers would then develop into dialogue and individual scenes for the show. During this time frame, Sutcliffe also made a guest appearance on Another World, playing herself. She resigned from her position after the networks began to insist that she move to New York City to be more accessible.

Her historical romance, Notorious, sold out its first printing in a mere four days.

Sutcliffe lives near Dallas, Texas. She met her husband, an English geologist, while they worked for the same oil company. They have three children, Bryan, Rachel, and Lauren. Sutcliffe also raises and shows Arabian horses.

Reviews

[Thea · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read it in 5 hours, 8pm-1am and regretted it after. Wish I just slept.

[Micaela *CLONAZINE*]

Manías mías pero como me jode cuando se abusan de los signos de exclamación y no puedo con estos romances vintages hasta ahora los que intenté leer están pésimamente escritos y son re melodramáticos.

[Carolyn F. · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars = "it was ok" and this book was just okay. Maria constantly locking the door and leaving Trey alone when he can't fend for himself - a little ridiculous because she's his companion and supposed to take care of him. And after 5-6 weeks, she's ready to go home to her father who beats her because he's not trying hard enough and has a bad attitude. And then the cliffhanger ending. I think I'm done with this author.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my all-time favorite romance works. Sutcliffe is highly skilled at the gothic romance. My re-read over 20 years later felt like an entirely different experience than what I remember from the first time around but no less incredible. I love Sutcliffe’s dark and unconventional romances. Critics have noted how she challenges the romance novel boundaries. Her works are edgy and unique, and I celebrate that.

[Marla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Would have liked the ending to continue on a bit more.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was ridiculous and I loved every second of it. But also, it ends on a bit of a cliffhanger because there is a second book. So, there’s that.

[Mary Vilarino · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found the writing style simply wonderful, almost poetic in some parts. Hence the three stars. The plot was thin at best where Maria left the abusive father only to look after an individual who was cruel. And his miraculous recovery stretched credulity a bit. But the ending was flat and unsatisfying.

[Marie Phillip · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed Devotion, especially the comical parts. My question is whether a 19 year old innocent girl would have been allowed to nurse a lord in 1803 England. She was not a real nurse since she had no training. Be that as it may, she accomplished her task and even managed to find love.

[Hadrien · Rating 3 out of 5]

C’était pas extraordinaire, trop vite expédié et très anxiogène par moments, et surtout cette fin qui n’en est pas vraiment une çà mériterait une rallonge de quelques chapitres afin de construire une vraie histoire.

[Katherine Pierce · Rating 2 out of 5]

I needed a slightly more complete ending and not so much violence. That made me love this book even more, which shows that love heals emotional and physical wounds.

[Nessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

THIS WAS AN INTERESTING AND ENJOYABLE STORY WITH ONE OF THE OLDEST TROUPE YET I LOVED EVERY MOMENT OF IT.

Who can deny a tortured and wounded hero and a loving heroine who helps him to heal again?

OUR HERO is a Duke who has been through a traumatic incident whereby he was robbed and somehow ended up in a bad accident that rendered him into a semi-vegetative state and he has lost all hope of living. Once so proud, regal and a womaniser Trey was brought low by the accident and he acts like a beast to those whom the Duchess hires to care for him until Maria. I enjoyed his reactions and responses to our heroine and to watch him heal and eventually fall in love. I give him kudos for standing up to his uptight grandmother who thinks she does right by him as a Duke.

OUR HEROINE was born into an unloving family whose father is a bit demented whereby he worships obsessively over God but blames women as the downfall of his own virtue as a holy man when he couldn't deny temptation. Thus Maria and her brother Paul were born. Having experience taking care of her invalid brother she impulsively apply to work as a nurse/caretaker for the Duke whom she thought was a boy. Little does she know, she works hard at coaxing the cold Duke back to the living world and falls in love with him over those battle of wills. I am also glad that she is an extraordinary beauty because I am a sucker for pretty heroines.

OVERALL it was a cliffhanger in a way and I cannot wait to move on to the finale. I only had one problem and that was the LOVEMAKING scenes were too short I didnt feel the love after that built up tension only to have it go downhill! Maybe the next book holds steamier promises.

[Christelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

C'est le premier livre rédigé par cette auteur que j'ai eu l'occasion de lire et j'ai été agréablement surprise. Cela m'a d'ailleurs envie de lire plus de livres rédigés par elle.
Maria, jeune fille de pasteur, décide de postuler à un poste d'infirmière auprès du petit-fils de la duchesse de Salderon pour échapper à l'emprise violente de son père. Elle pense qu'elle aura en charge un enfant et est surprise de se retrouver face à un homme meurtri et gravement handicapé à la suite d'une altercation avec des voleurs, Trey Hawthorne, duc de Salderon, que certains soupçonnent d'être devenu fou. Elle va alors tout mettre en oeuvre pour lui redonner goût à la vie et le soigner et va évidemment tomber amoureuse de lui, même si elle sait qu'une histoire d'amour entre eux est gravement compromise au regard de leur différence de milieu.
J'ai vraiment beaucoup apprécié ce tome.

[BJ Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the story of Trey Hawthorne, brother to the hero in Miracle. IMO, Miracle was a better story, but this one was still good.

[Kaza · Rating 4 out of 5]

Devotion was good because I love romances where the heroine helps the hero recover from injury... however, it was a bit of a rip off of Flowers from the Storm by Laura Kinsale. But not as good. Flowers from the storm is possibly my all time favourite book though so it's hard to compare to it!

[Gayle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Trey the hero is robbed and left a cripple. Maria is hired to nurse him back from the brink of insanity. On my keeper shelf.

[Diane · Rating 1 out of 5]

No more Sutcliffe. Romance novels are not my thing.

[Hillary Seidl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the naughty nature of this book.

[Hiding-out-with-my-Kindle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was okay, but don't bother with the sequel. Let the leads live happily ever after in your head. They apparently don't in the next book.

[Missy]

Sent to a bookcrosser who passed it on. Last heard from in the Netherlands.

[Murnipurple Unggu]

Devotion

[Kathy Otten · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love it. Must have read it ten times.

[Beth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Such a good premise. I'll admit that I'm a sucker for the "one party is injured, the other party is the nurse" trope, but this one faltered. The hero is a douche with very little to recommend him. The romance was rushed, amd the constant reference by every single character to the heroine as a "child" was weird. The cliff-hanger was abrupt and didn't offer any kind of closure to the book (Unfortunately, after looking into book 3, it doesn't look like the series improves). I'm willing to lay the troubles of this boon at the feet of Old Romancia (which tends to be full of poor dialogue and over-exaggerated melodrama), but that doesn't excuse the issues. Read something better.