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Only One
(ALSO AVAILABLE FOR KINDLE)
In her darkest hour, only one can save her.
Nefarious businessmen have determined that they want what isn’t theirs, and they will resort to whatever measures are needed to obtain it. Lara Esterhaus is unyielding in her stance not to let them take what belongs to her, but when her family members start dropping like flies, can Lara do the impossible before she loses everything – including her life?
Philip and Andrew Bensley know what it’s like to lose everything and will do whatever is necessary to regain what they lost – including marrying for money. When their path crosses with Lara’s, the body count rises along with everyone’s determination to win.
In her darkest hour, only one can save her.
Nefarious businessmen have determined that they want what isn’t theirs, and they will resort to whatever measures are needed to obtain it. Lara Esterhaus is unyielding in her stance not to let them take what belongs to her, but when her family members start dropping like flies, can Lara do the impossible before she loses everything – including her life?
Philip and Andrew Bensley know what it’s like to lose everything and will do whatever is necessary to regain what they lost – including marrying for money. When their path crosses with Lara’s, the body count rises along with everyone’s determination to win.
254 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2014
3 people are currently reading
6 people want to read
About the author
Barbara Woster
21 books14 followersBarbara writes using different variations of her name.
Barbara Woster: YA/Adult Romance (suspense, time-travel, contemporary, historical, thrillers, comedy)
B.J. Woster: Crime Novels (thrillers, international, psychological, paranormal)
B. Woster: Middle-grade/Children (ages 6-12)
Learn more about this author on her website: BarbaraWosterAuthor.com
Barbara Woster: YA/Adult Romance (suspense, time-travel, contemporary, historical, thrillers, comedy)
B.J. Woster: Crime Novels (thrillers, international, psychological, paranormal)
B. Woster: Middle-grade/Children (ages 6-12)
Learn more about this author on her website: BarbaraWosterAuthor.com
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
October 31, 2022
A nice romance
This novel has a unique, beautiful setting of the early 17th century, and it raises the conflicts of that time.
Lara is a strong female character. A single woman who is too smart but not very pretty in the eyes of society, she chooses to become a business woman instead of a regular path of getting married. However, once her life takes an unexpected turn.
The thing that I found distracting is early childhood flashbacks and a lot of dialogues that are not moving the main plot line.
This story explores the pre-feministic culture and it makes reading very thought-provoking. I recommend this book to everyone who enjoys learning history through storytelling.
This novel has a unique, beautiful setting of the early 17th century, and it raises the conflicts of that time.
Lara is a strong female character. A single woman who is too smart but not very pretty in the eyes of society, she chooses to become a business woman instead of a regular path of getting married. However, once her life takes an unexpected turn.
The thing that I found distracting is early childhood flashbacks and a lot of dialogues that are not moving the main plot line.
This story explores the pre-feministic culture and it makes reading very thought-provoking. I recommend this book to everyone who enjoys learning history through storytelling.
July 4, 2020
Love It!
Excellent prose. The author did an amazing job depicting the past. The characters were well thought out and the story was realistic. Great read!
Excellent prose. The author did an amazing job depicting the past. The characters were well thought out and the story was realistic. Great read!
September 18, 2023
Lara Esterhaus is the beautiful, enigmatic, only daughter of her father, Travis Esterhaus and Ava Salter, and as such was an indulged child – not spoiled in the conventional sense but allowed to dictate her own education. Because of this, when her parents mysteriously die in a carriage accident, following closely upon the death of her uncle’s entire family, she finds herself in a bit of a quandary. As the sole heir to the family lands and businesses, she stands to inherit a great fortune, but only if she can wed before time runs out. To make matters worse, she is taller than the average man, and, to add to her flaws, she is sadly lacking in the womanly charms and attributes so necessary to snare a suitable match, her time taken up with business. Thus far in her 18 years of life, she has failed to entice a man to her side, apart from her faithful servants and friends, Joshua and Sasha.
Add to the mix that a group of dastardly fiends have conspired to ensure she does not inherit, and in fact,
refuse to allow her to even see her father’s accounts. She is blissfully unaware of the extent of her impending fortune, and yet, has a determination to ensure that she, and her faithful servants and friends, won’t be evicted from her home. She devises a plan – she will advertise for a business partner to wed.
Two disinherited English Lords answer the call, initially to try to obtain the money they will need to buy back their family estates, but they soon prove their worth when one of them saves Miss Lara from meeting the same fate as her parents. The story unfolds rapidly as we discover just how desperate those dastardly fiends are to illegally obtain Lara’s inheritance, and how equally desperate Lara is to hold onto it.
The story is a fast-faced foray into life at the end of 18th Century America and has all the makings of a successful story including believable characters revealing their truths as we read along, murder, mayhem, and intrigue. The characters are well-rounded and believable – even the relatively minor ones. Barbara brings you to the time and place and holds you captive while she weaves her story around you – you are there, experiencing it along with Lara, Philip, Andrew, Joshua and Sasha and a host of other minor heroes, rooting for them to wipe the sneers off the faces of Middleton, Garamond, and Bingham, and the host of unsavoury characters they employ to do their dirty work.
The cover is simple but effective, more than adequately illustrating the mystery and intrigue. Likewise, the blurb is an accurate teaser to the story that draws the reader in.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and award 5 stars.
Add to the mix that a group of dastardly fiends have conspired to ensure she does not inherit, and in fact,
refuse to allow her to even see her father’s accounts. She is blissfully unaware of the extent of her impending fortune, and yet, has a determination to ensure that she, and her faithful servants and friends, won’t be evicted from her home. She devises a plan – she will advertise for a business partner to wed.
Two disinherited English Lords answer the call, initially to try to obtain the money they will need to buy back their family estates, but they soon prove their worth when one of them saves Miss Lara from meeting the same fate as her parents. The story unfolds rapidly as we discover just how desperate those dastardly fiends are to illegally obtain Lara’s inheritance, and how equally desperate Lara is to hold onto it.
The story is a fast-faced foray into life at the end of 18th Century America and has all the makings of a successful story including believable characters revealing their truths as we read along, murder, mayhem, and intrigue. The characters are well-rounded and believable – even the relatively minor ones. Barbara brings you to the time and place and holds you captive while she weaves her story around you – you are there, experiencing it along with Lara, Philip, Andrew, Joshua and Sasha and a host of other minor heroes, rooting for them to wipe the sneers off the faces of Middleton, Garamond, and Bingham, and the host of unsavoury characters they employ to do their dirty work.
The cover is simple but effective, more than adequately illustrating the mystery and intrigue. Likewise, the blurb is an accurate teaser to the story that draws the reader in.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and award 5 stars.
April 20, 2020
Suspenseful
Lara Esterhas is tall beautiful and clever, three things that men in the early 19th century did not view as positive. After the untimely death of her parents she has to find a husband or lose her home. This was an incredible story with romance, murder, greed, and chivalry. I couldn’t put it down!
Lara Esterhas is tall beautiful and clever, three things that men in the early 19th century did not view as positive. After the untimely death of her parents she has to find a husband or lose her home. This was an incredible story with romance, murder, greed, and chivalry. I couldn’t put it down!
June 4, 2020
Enjoyable
It was a good read and I enjoyed the suspense. Not hard to imagine that not too long ago, women were considered chattel and had no rights. But they’re were a lot of brave women who broke down the barriers.
It was a good read and I enjoyed the suspense. Not hard to imagine that not too long ago, women were considered chattel and had no rights. But they’re were a lot of brave women who broke down the barriers.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews