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Lady Sarah's Son
Lady Sarah Spenser remembered the night he had first asked her to dance. She thought then that Justin Tolbert, dressed in his regimental uniform, was the most handsome man there. Now Justin was a war hero - and the new Earl of Wynfield. But he was not the same man Sarah had once known...
288 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1999
6 people are currently reading
194 people want to read
About the author
Gayle Wilson
147 books87 followersGayle Wilson is a two-time RITA® Award winner, taking home the RITA® Award for Best Romantic Suspense Novel in 2000 and for Best Romantic Novella in 2004. In addition to twice winning the prestigious RITA® Award, Gayle’s books have garnered more than 50 other awards and nominations, including most recently the Daphne du Maurier Award for the Best Single Title Romantic Suspense of 2008, awarded to Victim, her latest novel from MIRA.
Gayle holds a master’s degree in secondary education, with additional certification in the education of the gifted. Although her specialty was teaching honors and gifted students, as a former high school history and English teacher, she taught everything from remedial reading to Shakespeare—and loved every minute she spent in the classroom.
Gayle was on the board of directors of Romance Writers of America for four years. In 2006 she served as the president of RWA, the largest genre-writers’ organization in the world.
Gayle has written 41 novels and four novellas for Harlequin Enterprises, including works for Harlequin Historicals, Harlequin Intrigue, Special Releases, HQN Books, MIRA, and Mills & Boon.
Gayle holds a master’s degree in secondary education, with additional certification in the education of the gifted. Although her specialty was teaching honors and gifted students, as a former high school history and English teacher, she taught everything from remedial reading to Shakespeare—and loved every minute she spent in the classroom.
Gayle was on the board of directors of Romance Writers of America for four years. In 2006 she served as the president of RWA, the largest genre-writers’ organization in the world.
Gayle has written 41 novels and four novellas for Harlequin Enterprises, including works for Harlequin Historicals, Harlequin Intrigue, Special Releases, HQN Books, MIRA, and Mills & Boon.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
September 17, 2017
I must be the odd one out because I liked this one. This is a historical so people behaved differently. Do the living owe their entire life to a deathbed promise? At least this one resolves with a HEA and a second chance for the H/h. I'm picky about kids in books - but I liked Andrew/Drew - very precocious for his age - the bullying by the neighborhood kids was heartbreaking. I liked the relationship between the H and Drew. h had a lot on her plate - I liked her dignity. 3.5 stars
July 31, 2011
Lady Sarah promises her dying sister to look after her son and not to reveal that he is her (the sister's) illegitimate child because of the scandal it would bring to the family. So Lady Sarah pretends that the child is from some distant relative, but everyone figures it's hers, bringing scandal to the family anyway. I never did see the point of that promise... Sarah breaks off her engagement to the man she loves because of this, but she can't tell him the real reason for it. 4 years later Justin returns from the wars, with one leg cut off below the knee and a very bad prosthesis, thinking that Sarah has an illegitimate child that was conceived very soon after he left and of course "hates" Sarah for this. But Sarah is rich and he is broke and really needs money to restore his estate, which was ruined by his useless father and brother. Sarah offers to marry him and provide the funds to help him restore his estate. After some rather silly hemming and hawing on his part, they end up getting married, but decide that they won't have sex, so Justin will never find out the truth about Sarah that way either.
Up to this point I was enjoying the story quite a lot, even with the nonsensical requirement for Sarah to keep quiet about the child's true parentage. But not having sex just made no sense. They love each other (even if they can't admit it), they're married, and even in marriages of convenience the couples sleep together, so there is absolutely no reason for the celibacy. From this point on the angst, which is the biggest element of this story, just seemed contrived and needlessly stretched out. Everything ends happily after some major drama in which Justin has to fight a bad guy (and finally has sex with Sarah) and Sarah's insane father almost ruins things.
If you like lots of angst and extremely contrived situations to generate that angst, then you'll like this book. I usually love a good angsty story, but this one didn't work for me.
Up to this point I was enjoying the story quite a lot, even with the nonsensical requirement for Sarah to keep quiet about the child's true parentage. But not having sex just made no sense. They love each other (even if they can't admit it), they're married, and even in marriages of convenience the couples sleep together, so there is absolutely no reason for the celibacy. From this point on the angst, which is the biggest element of this story, just seemed contrived and needlessly stretched out. Everything ends happily after some major drama in which Justin has to fight a bad guy (and finally has sex with Sarah) and Sarah's insane father almost ruins things.
If you like lots of angst and extremely contrived situations to generate that angst, then you'll like this book. I usually love a good angsty story, but this one didn't work for me.
May 2, 2021
2.75 estrellas
No estuvo mal... peeero sentí que algo le faltó para que me gustara de verdad!!
Mientras que durante la primera mitad todo fue lento en los últimos capítulos todo pasó apresurado y le faltó más lineas profundizando la relación de Justin y Sarah cuando POR FIN se reconciliaron y arreglaron sus malentendidos.... y ese epilogo fue tan pobre... le faltó más... Sí, me encantó lo de la parte de Drew y lo que le dijeron, pero... no sé le faltó más!!
No estuvo mal... peeero sentí que algo le faltó para que me gustara de verdad!!
Mientras que durante la primera mitad todo fue lento en los últimos capítulos todo pasó apresurado y le faltó más lineas profundizando la relación de Justin y Sarah cuando POR FIN se reconciliaron y arreglaron sus malentendidos.... y ese epilogo fue tan pobre... le faltó más... Sí, me encantó lo de la parte de Drew y lo que le dijeron, pero... no sé le faltó más!!
October 13, 2008
First time author for me, look forward to reading her other novels.[return][return]This was a wonderful story of love and sacrifice. Lady Sarah is in love with Justin Tolbert. Circumstances separate them, Justin is off to war and Lady Sarah goes after her sister Amelia. [return][return]Lady Sarah watches her sister die giving birth to an illegitimate son, Andrew. The shame her sister felt at having a child out of wedlock was so great that on her deathbed she made Sarah promise to never reveal the secret of Andrew's birth to anyone.[return][return]Sarah returns home with the baby, and her promise to her sister will cost her dearly. Sarah writes to Justin to call of their engagement. Justin finally returns home after four years fighting in the war not only has he lost his fiancee, but his family estate and is debt and he lost the lower part of his leg.[return][return]Soon Justin meets up with Drew who is being tormented by other boys. Drew is quickly drawn to Justin and begins to think of him as a hero. Justin soon learns the reason why Sarah sent him the letter and is shocked that she is not married.[return][return]Sarah hates that she cannot be honest about Drew's mother, but she will not break her promise to her dear sister. She finally does offer to help Justin with the debt he inherited from his father and brother, but with a catch they must marry so he will become a role model for Drew.[return][return]I feel for Sarah and could not put the book down, I wanted her to tell Justin the truth, but I also admired her loyalty to protect her sisters memory.[return][return]http://historicalromancemel.blogspot....
July 13, 2013
Three and a half stars really. I've read some very mediocre to just plain bad novels lately, so I was glad to finally pick this up. The writing is actually well done for it's category. I have read at least one contemporary novel by the same author & I think she is better here in a historical. In both cases, her plots were extremely contrived to the point of the ridiculous. With this one, you have be able to just accept the eye-rolling premise & let go.
There were definitely some very repetitive angsty paragraphs I skimmed. There were also several transitions from one scene to another that left me momentarily confused, usually wondering just how long a period of time had passed. I think those times would have been better with a moment to breathe added in, along with more grounding in the setting.
I did like the two main characters, which isn't always a given in many romances. I even liked the little boy a lot. he was never too cutesy or an annoying distraction, though he's the most mature & well-spoken & independent 4 year old I've ever seen. He acted more like an 8 year old really, especially when it came to how he roamed the countryside & "interacted" with the village kids.
The ending had some super quick resolutions. One that deserved much more time & weight. The other was ridiculously out of character. It needed several more pages to be truly satisfying. Let's just say endings where the couple finally say they love each other then BAM the book ends leave me hanging. But I zipped through this in one long evening without wanting to stop or throw the book across the room once. That's enough to please me greatly these days.
There were definitely some very repetitive angsty paragraphs I skimmed. There were also several transitions from one scene to another that left me momentarily confused, usually wondering just how long a period of time had passed. I think those times would have been better with a moment to breathe added in, along with more grounding in the setting.
I did like the two main characters, which isn't always a given in many romances. I even liked the little boy a lot. he was never too cutesy or an annoying distraction, though he's the most mature & well-spoken & independent 4 year old I've ever seen. He acted more like an 8 year old really, especially when it came to how he roamed the countryside & "interacted" with the village kids.
The ending had some super quick resolutions. One that deserved much more time & weight. The other was ridiculously out of character. It needed several more pages to be truly satisfying. Let's just say endings where the couple finally say they love each other then BAM the book ends leave me hanging. But I zipped through this in one long evening without wanting to stop or throw the book across the room once. That's enough to please me greatly these days.
July 4, 2013
bello bello bello! mi ha soddisfatta! la storia è un bel drammone che trasuda crisi interiori,delusioni e diffidenza. i sentimenti dei protagonisti vengono ben sviscerati e permettono di capire fino in fondo quello che provano.si entra subito in sintonia con loro per le paure e i timori che, nonostante tutto,attanagliano molte persone:il rifiuto, la solitudine,il non essere all'altezza. Lui,Justin,è un uomo innamorato che essendo rimasto scottato una volta ha paura di mettersi in gioco di nuovo; il lettore in pratica lo accompagna ad accettare il nuovo se stesso ed alla consapevolezza della realtà. Lei,Sarah,legata ad un giuramento, si ritrova isolata e considerata una reietta da tutti,ma nonostante questo va avanti imperterrita e dimostra una notevole forza cercando di riprendere in mano le redini della sua vita. L'antagonista non è male; forse un pò prevedibile,ma segna dei "punti" che colpiscono...peccato che alla fine tradisca la sua figura negativa con una decisione che stona con il suo essere il cattivo.
July 20, 2013
Lady Sarah was in love Eric Tolbert, but he went off to war and she went after her sister who ran away with a wastrel.
Sarah finds her sister on her deathbed birthing her child and promises to keep secret that the child was born out of wedlock.
So of course when Sarah returns home everyone thinks the boy is her bastard and she writes Eric a Dear John letter.
Four years later Tolbert comes home with an amputated leg to find his inherited estates almost bankrupt.
Sarah's son Drew acts as a bridge to reintroduce the two to each other. And soon Sarah is offering a marriage of convenience: her money for his estate, for his moral guidance of Drew.
But then Drew's father re-enters the picture and tries blackmail.
Do these two have enough respect and trust save their budding love and Drew from his dad?
Sarah finds her sister on her deathbed birthing her child and promises to keep secret that the child was born out of wedlock.
So of course when Sarah returns home everyone thinks the boy is her bastard and she writes Eric a Dear John letter.
Four years later Tolbert comes home with an amputated leg to find his inherited estates almost bankrupt.
Sarah's son Drew acts as a bridge to reintroduce the two to each other. And soon Sarah is offering a marriage of convenience: her money for his estate, for his moral guidance of Drew.
But then Drew's father re-enters the picture and tries blackmail.
Do these two have enough respect and trust save their budding love and Drew from his dad?
December 14, 2016
This was an enjoyable novel. Not a lot of sex and actually has a good plot. Sarah is raising her sister Amelia's illegitimate son, but everyone believes Andrew is hers. When Justin returns from the war with an amputated leg and about to loose his properties, Sarah offers him marriage. She will give him money and he will give her a father for the young boy, but Sarah doesn't tell him about true parentage.
Justin is still hurt by her breaking off of their engagement believing she left him for the father of Andrew. She made a promise to Amelia never to tell that Andrew is illegitimate, but it gets a little tedious that she doesn't tell Justin about Amelia since they are married.
Then Andrew's birth father, David, shows up and things really get messy.
First time I've read Gayle Wilson and will read more of her books.
Justin is still hurt by her breaking off of their engagement believing she left him for the father of Andrew. She made a promise to Amelia never to tell that Andrew is illegitimate, but it gets a little tedious that she doesn't tell Justin about Amelia since they are married.
Then Andrew's birth father, David, shows up and things really get messy.
First time I've read Gayle Wilson and will read more of her books.
May 31, 2022
Sarah ha fatto una promessa alla sorella morente: alleverà il figlio suo come proprio senza rivelare mai le origini che hanno portato alla sua nascita.
Così per questa promessa si ritrova sola, dopo la rottura con il suo amor di vita di una vita, che giro di parole eh.
Poi visto che lui è spiantato e deve pagare debiti su debiti, dopo quattro anni lei gli fa la proposta di matrimonio. Ma ha un bambino di quattro anni che tutti credono suo e che al suo ex amor di vita fa storcere un'anticchia il naso : chi è il bambino? chi è il padre del bambino? e perché lui è meglio di me? Sarà mica mica una questione di centimetri?
Ok, banalizzando il romance più romance io ho solo qualche appunto da fare:
1)Ma testa di piffero di donna (autrice ovviamente): perché una che poi appare come ipermegaintelligente me la fai comportare come una cretina che si spaccia un neonato come figlio illeggittimo invece di dire esattamente la verità, edulcorata. Cioè figlio della sorella convolata a nozze con un tizio sperduto della Scozia e morta di parto? Cioè ma siamo nel 1800, non mi far credere che adesso lo spetteguless viaggia a suon di calesse per infangare una persona...
2)Mo trovatemi un bambino di quattro anni che parli così e che, soprattutto, è libero di uscire di casa e vagare per campi e prati liberamente. No, vi prego, trovatemelo perché dai... è assurdo (che poi sempre ameba idiota resta come bambino eh)
3) Il lui della storia mi fa tanta pena. Perché deve vivere con certi esserti.
Fine. Non leggetelo, salvatevi il criceto neuronale
Così per questa promessa si ritrova sola, dopo la rottura con il suo amor di vita di una vita, che giro di parole eh.
Poi visto che lui è spiantato e deve pagare debiti su debiti, dopo quattro anni lei gli fa la proposta di matrimonio. Ma ha un bambino di quattro anni che tutti credono suo e che al suo ex amor di vita fa storcere un'anticchia il naso : chi è il bambino? chi è il padre del bambino? e perché lui è meglio di me? Sarà mica mica una questione di centimetri?
Ok, banalizzando il romance più romance io ho solo qualche appunto da fare:
1)Ma testa di piffero di donna (autrice ovviamente): perché una che poi appare come ipermegaintelligente me la fai comportare come una cretina che si spaccia un neonato come figlio illeggittimo invece di dire esattamente la verità, edulcorata. Cioè figlio della sorella convolata a nozze con un tizio sperduto della Scozia e morta di parto? Cioè ma siamo nel 1800, non mi far credere che adesso lo spetteguless viaggia a suon di calesse per infangare una persona...
2)Mo trovatemi un bambino di quattro anni che parli così e che, soprattutto, è libero di uscire di casa e vagare per campi e prati liberamente. No, vi prego, trovatemelo perché dai... è assurdo (che poi sempre ameba idiota resta come bambino eh)
3) Il lui della storia mi fa tanta pena. Perché deve vivere con certi esserti.
Fine. Non leggetelo, salvatevi il criceto neuronale
November 28, 2019
That was WONDERFUL!
I could not put this book down. I was gripped in the twisted turns of the story and every time I thought I knew where it was going, it went another way. A true story being told with strong characters and a very wise four year old. I absolutely loved this book and will definitely be reading it again.
I was introduced to this author by her book “His Secret Duchess”, almost twenty years ago and I had not come across any other of her books at that time. This was of course before the internet. And so I moved on and forgot to look for more of her works. About a year ago, I finally found “His Secret Duchess” online and purchased it a second time as an e-copy because I had loved it so much, and I had cleaned house some years before and had gotten rid of all my old paperbacks. After I reread it, I explored her other novels and purchased a few more and have only now gotten around to reading this book.
This book had the same secret passion as the HSD book. It had angsty romance and was written to keep you rooted in the drama until the very end. It absolutely leaves you wanting more, of its characters, of the authors stories, of the helpless romance on the pages for yourself. It’s simply a wonderful read. Not lite or really heavy. Just pure love trying to find its way in the murk of their lives. Simply wonderful. I hope the others I purchased by this author are equally fulfilling. Enjoy!
I could not put this book down. I was gripped in the twisted turns of the story and every time I thought I knew where it was going, it went another way. A true story being told with strong characters and a very wise four year old. I absolutely loved this book and will definitely be reading it again.
I was introduced to this author by her book “His Secret Duchess”, almost twenty years ago and I had not come across any other of her books at that time. This was of course before the internet. And so I moved on and forgot to look for more of her works. About a year ago, I finally found “His Secret Duchess” online and purchased it a second time as an e-copy because I had loved it so much, and I had cleaned house some years before and had gotten rid of all my old paperbacks. After I reread it, I explored her other novels and purchased a few more and have only now gotten around to reading this book.
This book had the same secret passion as the HSD book. It had angsty romance and was written to keep you rooted in the drama until the very end. It absolutely leaves you wanting more, of its characters, of the authors stories, of the helpless romance on the pages for yourself. It’s simply a wonderful read. Not lite or really heavy. Just pure love trying to find its way in the murk of their lives. Simply wonderful. I hope the others I purchased by this author are equally fulfilling. Enjoy!
October 12, 2019
Lady Sarah Spencer was engaged to Justin Tolbert, Earl of Wynfield five years earlier. When her younger sister runs away with an Irish ex-soldier David Osborne, and dies giving birth to his bastard, Sarah takes the baby, Andrew, home to raise. Everyone thinks it's her baby and her deathbed oath to her sister does not allow her to tell otherwise. She breaks her engagement and raises Andrew while caring for her increasingly lunatic father and his estates. When Justin comes home 5 years later without a foot, to find his estates totally in debt thanks to his dead father and brother, he's got very little choice than to accept Sarah's marriage proposal in exchange for payment of all his debts and money to rebuild. He comes to love Andrew and Sarah, but the question of her unfaithfulness is still between them until David kidnaps Andrew for blackmail. All finally come out and ends happily.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 8, 2025
Sometimes when i am stressed all i can cope with reading is romantic twaddle. Picked up at a charity shop, this is not in the same league as Georgette Heyer or even Julia Quinn in terms of writing, but it hit the spot and i raced through it.
June 19, 2017
Hermoso,no soy de los que llora pero este libro me conmovió hasta la mas pequeña célula de mi cuerpo
June 14, 2021
One smart child and two adults not so smart.
November 27, 2020
I liked this one.
A lady makes an impossible promise to her dying sister and despite the devastating costs she keeps her word.
A gentleman who has lived a life of honor and sacrifice learns about humility the hard way and finds the kind of love that matters most.
The author did a good job with the dialogue. There’s a lot of self pity in the internal dialogue and it gets a little old even if it is realistic sounding.
The story flows well. It stays at a mostly moderate pace with a bit of a flourish at the end.
The themes of the value of a promise and the cost and worth of selflessness are well explored in this story. It made me think.
Violence, sex, swearing, war, senility, amputation, kidnapping
A lady makes an impossible promise to her dying sister and despite the devastating costs she keeps her word.
A gentleman who has lived a life of honor and sacrifice learns about humility the hard way and finds the kind of love that matters most.
The author did a good job with the dialogue. There’s a lot of self pity in the internal dialogue and it gets a little old even if it is realistic sounding.
The story flows well. It stays at a mostly moderate pace with a bit of a flourish at the end.
The themes of the value of a promise and the cost and worth of selflessness are well explored in this story. It made me think.
Violence, sex, swearing, war, senility, amputation, kidnapping
February 2, 2020
This is a cute Regency romance with a bit of a twist. Lady Sarah has a "foster son" named Drew that has caused her to be the scandal of her neighborhood. When her first love, Justin, returns from campaigning in Spain with a missing leg and massive inherited debts, she suggests a marriage of convenience. She has money to settle his financial issues, and he can serve as a father figure to her son. I was frustrated at the level of stubborn deception that Sarah showed throughout the story, but I genuinely liked the romance. The relationship between Justin and Drew was sweet even if the kid was way too precocious for a four-year-old.
June 19, 2015
Heroine becomes “mother” to her late sister’s illegitimate child and the rumors about the child’s parentage make her call off her betrothal to the soldier she loves. He comes home and is badly in need of an heiress. She offers him marriage in exchange for becoming her child’s father figure. He refuses again and again because he thinks she was unfaithful to him. The Big Misunderstanding element went on too long for me and I wanted to shake the hero for not asking the right questions or being more understanding, but overall it was good.
March 18, 2016
Worth a re-read, second time, around it still gets four stars.
August 25, 2015
Really liked this one! The relationship between Justin and Drew was especially lovely--made me teary at times!
April 22, 2016
Vídeo-reseña en mi BookTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zE-Y9...
January 3, 2017
Star Rating: ★★½☆☆
April 14, 2009
3.5 stars
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews