Yours Until Dawn

by Teresa Medeiros

Gabriel Fairchild's valor during battle earns him the reputation of hero, but costs him both his sight and his hope for the future. Abandoned by the fiancée he adored, the man who once walked like a prince among London's elite secludes himself in his family's mansion, cursing his way through dark days and darker nights.

Prim nurse Samantha Wickersham arrives at Fairchild Park to find her new charge behaving more like a beast than a man. Determined to do her duty, she engages the arrogant earl in a battle of both wit and wills. Although he claims she doesn't possess an ounce of womanly softness, she can feel his heart racing at her slightest touch. As Samantha begins to let the light back into Gabriel's life and his heart, they both discover that some secrets -- and some pleasures -- are best explored in the dark ...

Genres: Historical Romance, Romance, Historical, Historical Fiction, Regency, Beauty and The Beast, Disability

384 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 27, 2004

About the author

New York Times bestseller Teresa Medeiros wrote her first novel at the age of twenty-one and has since gone on to win the hearts of both readers and critics. All of her books have been national bestsellers, featured on the New York Times, USA Today and Publishers Weekly bestseller lists. She currently has over 10 million books in print.

She is a seven-time Rita finalist, two-time PRISM winner, and two-time recipient of the Waldenbooks Award for bestselling fiction.

GOODNIGHT TWEETHEART was released in January 2011 and her latest historical THE PLEASURE OF YOUR KISS is coming from Pocket Books in December 2011. Teresa lives in Kentucky with her husband and her cats, Buffy the Mouse Slayer and Willow Tum-Tum.

Reviews

[Blacky *Romance Addict* · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first 80% of the book were so amazing, I knew it was going to go to my bestest of best shelf.
Brilliant, fantastic, absolutely wonderful.




Then the big twist came!




I really didn't see it coming, and I mean REALLY, it was huge, BUT THE TWIST DIDN'T BOTHER ME AT ALL!!!

It's what they (he) did in the last 20%, I know the reader knew about the twist but HE DIDN'T and I just don't approve of what he did with her :(((((((




So it just all went wrong for me and I didn't enjoy the ending AT ALL!


I pretty much hated the book in the last 20%, and that sucks.


Shame because it was soooooooo brilliant <3 OMG I can not describe how much I loved it, I really can't, it was going straight to the best historicals I have ever read, and then...


Nope :(






So I'm taking one star off because 80% of it was brilliant and I loved every minute of it, it deserves at least 4. But damn :(

[Merry · Rating 4 out of 5]

OK my thoughts...This book was written over 20 years ago and has held up well. I just really enjoyed the writing. This plot is my catnip. Wounded bear of a soldier and a pretty young nurse (beauty and the beast). I immediately guessed the plot twist at the beginning (due to all the mysteries I read LOL). I think I would have preferred that Gabriel not be cured (but this sounds mean-I wanted a more authentic plot. Ok I am reading about things that would never have happened in the early 1800's) I really, really enjoyed the book till he starts to regain his sight. The end seemed rushed, and it was so fantastical. I look forward to reading more by this author.

[Beatriz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Una novela romántica sencilla pero increíblemente dulce y emotiva. No me ha durado ni dos días porque la relación de los dos personajes principales atrapa de tal forma que es imposible soltar el libro.

Es la primera novela que leo de esta autora y de seguro no será la última. Situaciones y diálogos inteligentes y divertidos, personajes adorables y un misterio en torno al pasado de Samantha que, aunque se puede intuir, de todas maneras sorprende. Un acierto por parte de la autora el no develar ninguna pista hasta las últimas páginas.

Muy recomendable; una lectura tan fresca como no encontraba hace mucho tiempo.

Reto #13 PopSugar 2017: Un libro de o acerca de una persona con discapacidad

[Lau ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

*3.5 stars!

Yours Until Dawn is a beautifully-written historical romance, perfect for the most hopeless romantic souls. At first it seems the typical sweet cliché, but don’t let it misguide you: it has a twist in the end!



After losing his sight and his place as the golden boy of London’s high society, Gabriel is no longer the charming gentleman full of smiles. His family thinks he’s useless and his fiancée has left him. Isolated and bitter, with all his dreams turned into ashes, Gabriel no longer cares about anything, since he has lost everything. At least, that were his thoughts until Samantha Wickersham, his new nurse, appeared. Will she be able to make him understand there is something worth fighting for?



I enjoyed the first part of the story a lot: it was predictable, but sweet and romantic. The characters were really well-written and the writing style was gorgeous. I loved the way the author played with all the senses, making you feel the story:


Samantha wouldn’t have thought the tart, clean fragrance of lemon verbena she’d dabbed behind her ears would be all that enticing to a man. But the look on his face as he filled his lungs with her scent made her feel like some scantily clad harem girl awaiting the sultan’s pleasure. Her skin tingled with awareness. It was as if he were touching her everywhere at once without lifting a finger.


However, I have three small problems with the plot. One of them I saw coming because it is the typical cliché with this plot. Since I was aware of it, I didn’t care as much - even though I still rolled my eyes when it happened.

But the other two were the reason I lowered the rating. Since both are at the very end I can’t explain them, so for those who have read the book:



⛔SPOILER⛔ (GR app doesn't care about spoiler tags)

1. I don’t understand how Gabriel didn’t recognize Samantha’s voice. It was something I might have overlooked if he wasn’t blind, but blind people take more notice of their other senses than people who are not blind. For Gabriel, Samatha’s voice was like her face. You don’t forget the face of someone you love, and her voice was naked!!

2.He slept with her when he thought she was another woman. He was supposed to be madly in love with Samantha!!! WHAT THE HELL was he doing having sex with OW?? I get they were the same, but he didn’t know that. He thought she was other person and he still did that. I felt cheated.

⛔END OF THE SPOILER⛔

The ending was bittersweet, especially because I can’t stand drama. I think I might have been happier with the cliché ending and without the twist, but I’m probably in the minority. Still, if you enjoy romantic stories with beautiful writing and don’t mind a bit of drama in the end, I recommend giving it a try.


“Have I ever told you how very much I admire you, Miss Wickersham?”

“I have no need or desire to be admired.”

“What about adored? Would you care to be adored? (...) What do you yearn for, Samantha? Isn’t there something you want so badly that it makes you ache?

[ren ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

“This isn’t just a dream, is it? When I wake up in the morning, will you still be here?”
Cecily stroked his cheek with loving fingers, smiling up at him through a mist of joyful tears. “Every day, my love. For the rest of our lives.”

Short review, 'cause ya'll know I can write some ridiculous thesis-long reviews... Yours Until Dawn was everything I was in the mood for - a sweet romance with a lot of witty exchanges. I flew through this book in a day because it was so fun! Every page had me smiling and gushing with joy. Both the main characters, Gabriel Fairchild and Samantha Wickersham were so amusing! I loved their endearing qualities and their little antics. I loved Gabriel's moodiness and Samantha's insane patience! They were a perfect match for each other and I truly enjoyed every moment of their sweet romance.

And of course, I can't forget to mention there's an adorably rambunctious dog in this book! HE WAS SUCH A GOOD BOY!

The only reason I didn't give this book 5 stars is a major spoiler I don't intend to divulge. I was definitely one of the readers that didn't like the ending which was a shame because I was dead set on giving this book 5 stars! But, you know what? I'm going to live in my delusions and pretend it never happened...

I still highly recommend Yours Until Dawn if you're a fan of B&TB themes and you're in the mood for an easy read!

Rating: 4/5

[UniquelyMoi ~ BlithelyBookish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ah, yes. Another read of an author new to me. I’m really making quite the habit of this, aren’t I? And once again, I wasn’t disappointed. I’m not going to waste time re-writing the book blurb for you, rather, I’ll just give you my thoughts.

I loved the beginning of the story with the introduction of Samantha Wickersham to Gabriel Fairchild, which was both heartbreaking and heartwarming. Clearly a woman of great compassion, she made up her mind to do what she could to help him adjust to being blind. Of course Gabriel, being bitter – which is to be expected, and stubborn – he is a man after all, isn’t making it easy on her. For some reason he prefers to wander about the house like a bull in a china shop and doing every bit as much damage! Personally, I think he believes that if he accepts help, if he tries to adjust to a life without sight, he’s accepting defeat and he refuses to give up hope. While I quite liked Gabriel, and ached over his struggle to make everything be the same as it was before he went blind, I was also frustrated at times with his stubbornness. Though as I said before, I could totally understand where that was coming from – refusing to accept defeat. I found the ending, where Gabriel is out searching for Samantha, to be heartbreaking. He wouldn’t give up, no matter that the odds of finding her were slim. To me, that showed the depth of his love for her and because it was so well written, I caught myself biting my lower lip to keep it from trembling because I could only imagine his anguish. Gabriel isn’t an all time favorite hero, but I certainly did come to care about him.

Samantha was a great heroine, in my opinion. She’s clever, witty, bold, patient and, as I said before, compassionate. I loved her unwavering devotion to Gabriel, her willingness to put up with his gruff, surly and more times than not, horribly rude behavior. However, through it all, she did it on her own terms. There was quite a bit of manipulating going on by the both of them, and I found it very humorous to watch.

One of the things I most appreciated in Ms. Medeiros storytelling was the detail we were given into not only what it was like for him physically, but mentally and emotionally as well. His fears and frustrations with the injury that caused his blindness are only a small part of the story, really, and as I was reading along I felt like we were given the pieces in exactly the right doses. However, that said, I had the “twist” figured out early on, but the waiting and reading until it was officially revealed was quite entertaining.

In addition to giving us a deeper look into Gabriel’s frame of mind, we were also allowed to see things from his staff’s point of view. It was clear from the beginning that they adored him, and his suffering hurt them profoundly. Ms. Medeiros used this to show us that Gabriel, while obviously a selfish bully now, was not always that way. No paid staff would care about a man the way this staff did if he were a cruel, demanding, unfeeling person. In fact, it seemed to me as though they loved him like they would family.

Sam, the dog, was a great addition to the story. I loved him almost as much as I did Albert from Love in the Afternoon by Lisa Kleypas. Sam played such a great role in helping Gabriel adjust and was just so adorable!

Now, all that said you might be surprised to hear that while I found this to be quite enjoyable and I’m looking forward to reading more by this author, there was something about it that didn’t quite “grab” me the way I expected it to. I can’t put my finger on it, and believe me, I’ve tried, but there was just some part of me that didn’t fully capture my attention and hold on to it. It was still a good read, and again, I’m looking forward to more by this author.

I had a discussion with a Goodreads buddy while reading this book and she mentioned that it might have been nice had Gabriel not regained his eyesight. At first I hadn’t really thought much about it, but after really considering it, my friend was right. So often in romance novels, everything works out, but real life isn’t that way. In real life, people never walk again. In real life, loved ones die and don’t return several years later having spent all that time on a deserted island, and in real life, some people lose their sight or their hearing and never regain it. While Ms. Medeiros story, as she wrote it from the beginning, would require Gabriel to regain his sight in order for it all to play out as she had planned it, I’ve decided I’d like to read a book with an amazing happily ever after where not everything is exactly perfect.

Any suggestions?

I’m happy to have finally read Yours Until Dawn and look forward to future reads by Teresa Medeiros.

[Grecia Robles · Rating 5 out of 5]

MADRE DEL AMOR HERMOSO
QUE BONITO!!

En serio, amé este libro de principio a final sobre todo por su protagonista que es un aristócrata un Conde para ser exactos se ven en la necesidad de enlistarse a la Marina para demostrarle a la chica que ama que es digno de ella.

Después de su barco ha sido atacado regresa a Inglaterra herido con el rostro desfigurado y lesión que le causó una ceguera. Sin la capacidad de ver, el amor de su vida lo abandonó, su familia siente lástima por él, se ha convertido en un hombre gruñón con un muy mal humor y sin deseos de vivir.
Samantha nuestra protagonista es contratada para ser la enfermera de Gabriel, al conocerlo él no la trata muy bien la despide un montón de veces pero ella es bastante decidida y se propuesto hacer de la vida de Gabriel más fácil, que se pueda adaptar a su ceguera pero sobre todo que vuelva a tener la alegría de vivir.

Gabriel me encantó empezando por su nombre obvio, es un hombre oscuro, torturado, con un humor negro, sarcástico siempre tiene respuestas mordaces para todo pero es un AMOR de persona es bien lindo y tierno en serio LO AMO.

Me gustó mucho como se desarrolló la relación de Gabriel y Samantha, sus conversaciones, su química ay todo, eran bien geniales juntos.

Por cierto ese giro de la historia no sé ustedes pero yo no lo vi venir, me sorprendió bastante quedé con sentimientos encontrados.

En realidad es un 4.5estrellas pero es que me gustó mucho.

[Danielle The Book Huntress · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book quite a bit. But, to be honest, I expected to like it more than I did. It was very good, and I liked both the hero and the heroine. Samantha really did help Gabriel to come to terms with the loss of his sight, his disfigurement, and his loss of his place as 'golden boy' in his society world. I think one of my major issues was the events after the climax. Hmm, I think I would have preferred that he not regain his sight. Sounds bad, huh? Getting his sight back made things too easy, I think. If he didn't get it back, then he really would have to change for good. But, his change was good for him, overall, but he didn't really lose anything to make a significant epiphany. Also, I didn't like how he didn't recognize Samantha when he sees Cecily again. If he was really that much in love with her, why wouldn't he have felt that connection? He had sex with her as Cecily, he'd had sex with her as Samantha, and the light bulb didn't come on. I was a bit surprised with that, considering that he was so in love with Samantha, and searched for her for many months after she disappeared. Also, I thought he was pretty callous to Cecily. She offers herself to him, and he takes what she's offering, but comes right out and coldly says, "I'll never love you." It made me wonder if he really had changed. It seemed like something the old Gabriel would have done.

This was a perfectly good book. But I don't think it's near my favorite of Teresa Medeiros's. Gabriel was, and ended up being just too much of a golden boy type for me. A man of privilege used to getting exactly what he wants in life. He suffers for a season, but he returns right back to his previous place in life, with few lessons learned. At least, that's my opinion.

This is one of those books where I wondered what really had been accomplished. If you don't think too hard and don't expect too much evolution and change in your heroes, you'll probably be fine with this book. I would have liked to see a little more in Gabriel after what he went through. I do have to say I loved Sam the dog, and Samantha, the heroine, and it was engaging and well-written. Thus, the four star rating.

[Dina · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first part of this book was wonderful. Based on the book premise, I had expected a very angsty story with a dark and tortured hero, but it was actually a fun read - and I even laughed so much on one scene (when Beckwith, Gabriel's buttler, "described" Samantha's looks to him) that I had to stop reading for a moment. I really enjoyed the banter between Gabriel and Samantha, and I especially liked the fact that she didn't pity him - like she said, he had enough pity for himself already, so he didn't need hers too. Samantha was strong and didn't beat around the bushes when it came to making Gabriel and everyone else, including his family, deal with his blindness.

Then, out of nowhere, came the plot twist that had my head spinning... I had been warned that something "unexpected" happened in the last third of the story and I'm all for turn-the-table events when they add more "drama" to the plot, but this one was kind of strange. Suddenly, Gabriel and Samantha had some serious personality changes, and I felt like I was reading about two different characters. I understood Gabriel's change slightly better, but Samantha's new attitude made me wonder where the spunky and daredevil heroine from the first part of the book had gone.

Thankfully, the epilogue - as short as it was - made it all better again and I didn't have to close the book with that feel of disappointment. Nicely done, Ms. Medeiros!

Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book and I'd gladly reread the first part (before the plot twist) and the epilogue, leaving the small intermission in between "buried" and forgotten.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is without a doubt a new favorite historical romance of mine. The hero is blind and scarred and angry at the world. The heroine is his new nurse and she will not let him scare her away. The two have chemistry and cannot seem to stay away from each other, no matter how much they infuriate one another. The heroine really takes charge in his house and is determined to make him live. AND THAT TWIST AT THE END!? I seriously did not see it coming. But this is definitely an emotional romance with a slower burn romance and I loved every second of it. Give me a grumpy and scarred hero any day!

[Lacey (laceybooklovers) · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Before, you were only a dream. Now you’re a dream come true.

🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺

[Ginger · Rating 4 out of 5]

First book that I’ve read of Teresa Medeiros and it won’t be the last!

Yours Until Dawn has a good plot, characterization and writing for a historical romance book. I thought the dialogue between the main characters was well done. It was very witty and funny at times.
This book has a The Beauty and the Beast type of feel to it with our main character, Gabriel Fairchild getting injured and going blind during the war. He thinks of himself as nonredeemable and a monster.
Gabriel gets a new nurse and she’s everything that he wants and needs. Samantha Wickersham is tough, quick witted and doesn’t put up with any of Gabriel’s bullshit. She helps him with his depression and learning how to function being blind.

I loved the household characters in Yours Until Dawn as well. They had the feel of Lumiere, Mrs. Potts, Cogsworth and all the rest of the crew. You end up wanting the household staff and Gabriel to become happy again. Nice touch with that!

There was a plot twist at the end and I’m not sure how I feel about it. I didn’t necessarily hate it, but it didn’t blow me away either. It's almost like the book would have been fine without it.
I’ll still rate this above average since the characters were decent, I loved the plot and the steamy parts were excellent!

[A Romance Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reread January 4, 2023

This book is so beautiful! Still love it so much! This a great Historical Romance.


Original review- August 21, 2019

Loved it!!! The twist at 80% was so good!! Highly recommend this book.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bravo Teresa Medeiros!

TM is usually an author that's a hit or miss for me. IMO this was her best book! Great writing and the ending had a lovely surprise. I also loved the epilogue. I finished the book with a smile.

I highly recommend!

[Ronyell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog

I really cannot get enough of Teresa Medeiros' works! I mean, she really knows how to create very heartwarming and very sensual romantic books and “Yours Until Dawn” is certainly no exception! “Yours Until Dawn” is the third book I read from Teresa Medeiros and it is about how a governess named Samantha Wickersham tries to help Gabriel Fairchild, who had lost his sight during the war, to cope with his blindness while loving him every inch of the way! Get ready for sparks to fly and romantic fires to burn because “Yours Until Dawn” is definitely a romantic novel you do not want to miss!

Gabriel Fairchild was known as a war hero in London, but unfortunately, the war cost him his sight and all his hope of ever seeing again. So, Gabriel barricaded himself at Fairchild Park since he cannot bear to face society in the condition he is in. However, when a proper nurse named Samantha Wickersham comes to Fairchild Park to take care of Gabriel, Gabriel starts to fall in love with Samantha. Unfortunately, the two lovers will soon realize some secrets about each other that might put their relationship in jeopardy!

Whew! I am just fanning myself here because this book is definitely SIZZLING HOT!! Teresa Medeiros has certainly done an excellent job with describing her characters here as she goes into great detail about each character's personalities. I think the two characters that truly stood out the most in this book were Samantha Wickersham and Gabriel Fairchild, since both characters had secrets that will shock anyone who read this book! I love the way that Teresa Medeiros realistically portrays Gabriel's hardships with coping with his blindness because that is the trait of Gabriel that makes him a truly believable character and I usually found myself sympathizing with his condition, especially when he confesses to Samantha that he lost someone very dear to him because of his blindness and I just found myself feeling sorry for Gabriel at that point of the book. I also loved the character of Samantha herself as she seems like a mysterious person who who hides a tragic secret from Gabriel and you find yourself wondering about what her big secret is! Let me tell you, her secret is so shocking that I found myself being so surprised about what she was keeping from Gabriel. What I loved the most about Samantha's character is that she is a strong and determined heroine who is willing to take Gabriel's insufferable arrogant manner in order to make him see that life is still worth living, even when he is blind. Now onto the juicy bits of this book! There are many sexual scenes between Samantha and Gabriel that will make any romance novel fans' hearts go aflutter. My favorite passage from this book that describes Gabriel is in this passage:

“Samantha studied Gabriel's broad shoulders and muscled forearms, struck anew by what an imposing man he was. He could probably snap her delicate neck between thumb and forefinger. If he could find her, that is.”

I just love the way that Teresa Medeiros goes into detail about how strong Gabriel is in both appearance and strength.


For those of you who do not like sexual content, this book contains a great deal of sex scenes between Gabriel and Samantha. Also, the reason why I gave this book a four star instead of a five star rating is because I felt that Gabriel and Samantha spent almost 90% of the book arguing with each other rather than loving each other and I usually love romance novels where the characters occasionally argue with each other, but try to support each other the best that they can. I will admit though, that I did like the fact that Gabriel and Samantha took their time in knowing each other rather than jumping headfirst into a relationship.

All in all, “Yours Until Dawn” is definitely a book that will shock, warm and touch you all at the same time and I am sure that this book will definitely be an instant treat for Teresa Medeiros fans and romance novel fans everywhere!

[Preeti ♥︎ Her Bookshelves · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable book but I found my interest wavering midway as the h and the suspense (which is such a non-suspense btw) had me grinding my teeth a few times. The H is so amazing - an enraged arrogant lion, wounded and blind, stumbling around yet so proud and droll. I liked the premise and the ending as well.

The past-The H Gabriel, an Earl has been smitten with the h, Cecily, a mere Baronet’s daughter for a long time but she holds him off by saying she would rather marry a solid gentleman farmer sorts than a rakehell Earl. And so they correspond but barely meet at social dos. She agrees to marry him if he can prove that he is more than a merry womanizer by joining the Royal Navy that is at War. He does so and acquits himself gloriously but returns home scarred and blind. Apparently the h comes to see him at the hospice but runs away on seeing him in such a horrible state. So she's actually a shallow person herself who holds other to a greater standard!
He is heartbroken and secludes himself in his country estate and makes his and everyone else’s life around him miserable.

The present- The (guilt-ridden?) h turns up at his place masquerading as a nurse, a Miss Samantha Wickersham, bent on getting him out of his shell and perhaps to atone herself. The author does not let on about her identity but is quite apparent right from the beginning that the faithless fiancée and the priggish nurse are one and the same.

The h I didn't like after a couple of chapters as knowing who she was and why she was there, I found her too unemotional and seemingly lacking in any real feelings for her patient. Her feelings and empathy should have shone through her no-nonesense governessy façade I felt. Of course she was there incognito (both for the H and us the readers *eyeroll*) but still her distance and coolness annoyed me. He's such a sweet, endearing, tragic figure, a real hero and there were a few times when I felt he was too good for the h. He loved her so selflessly both the times and she was such a cold skeptical condescending b***h. He's never good enough for her?

I could forgive her and relate to her only after she stands up to his horribly selfish family. What followed was amazing too- the fire, him saving her life, them making love *swoon*. It was quite a glorious chapter or two. But then the uppity madam upped and fled again!

But I enjoyed their next meeting as the now be-sighted H and Cecily. She does make herself vulnerable to hurt by saying that she accepts his offer of marriage but he laughs at her saying that that offer is off the table but she can be his mistress so she spends the night with him but still does not out herself as the nurse.
And again she runs! But thankfully realizes that repeatedly running away is not the way to love. And so a very sweet reunion and the hea happens - finally. The H is not angry or vengeful or unforgiving on learning her identity, but then I guess he's happy and relieved that she is both the women he loves! *grin*

[Alba M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hoy, no tengo frases memorables porque me he enfocado tanto en saber cómo terminaba que no me he parado a subrayarlas.
Voy a dar una breve explicación que OBVIAMENTE contiene spoilers pero es que necesito decir por qué no le he dado las 5 estrellas al libro aún a pesar de que me ha encantado.
La explicación: ¡DEMONIOS JODER MIERDA ERA CECILY! O como se escriba la dichosa mujer. No pudo hacerme esto la autora porque me hizo odiar a esa mujer y termine el libro sin reconciliarme con su personaje. Para mí siempre será Samantha y que le den por donde no da el sol a Cecily. De verdad que me dio mucha rabia porque no fui capaz de aceptar ese hecho. Acabe el libro odiándola igual que al principio o más, no concilie los dos personajes en uno me fue imposible porque al presentarlos diferentes a una la ame y a la otra la odie a muerte.

La historia, al margen de todo eso fue PRECIOSA! Me encantó, me enamore y me fue imposible no llorar de la risa como una loca! El maldito perro me dio los mejores momentos sobre todo cuando se puso a aullar en medio de la noche jajajajaja. El epílogo, esa carta final (yo seguía pensando en que era Samantha) fue preciosa de verdad.
Y por cierto, ese cambio de actitud de la madre de Gabriel... que superficial (si ya lo sé que en esa época era así, pero no me quita el enfado igual)

[The Girl Murdered by Her TBR · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

Whyyyyy? Why would you ruin a promising story with a scene like that? *sighs*

GABRIEL.FAIRCHILD.DESERVES.BETTER.

He doesn’t deserve to be manipulated and tricked like that. Also, Samantha’s character was so good at first until that scene. The author ruined her for me. She became a manipulative selfish liar which I hated.

This was supposed to be a solid 4 star read, but thanks to some turn out of events it downgrade to a 2.5 stars, which is so disappointing.

[Eastofoz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m surprised at how much I really liked this book. I have to admit that I bought it quickly and didn’t realize that the hero was blind. Once I realized that I was leery about it. I didn’t want a “victim of the war” hero who needed a nursemaid and eventually falls in love with her –thankfully I didn’t get any of that. What an excellent story this turned out to be in the end. The hero really stood out in the face of adversity and he was soooooo sexy :D There’s also a very unexpected twist that left me with a “you are kidding me!” bug-eyed moment too showing how well the author put this novel together. You may have a suspicion or two but then you think “nah, it wouldn’t work out”, well HA! What a shocker there and not only does it work out but you find yourself actually liking characters you should otherwise be hating big time.

The story starts out with Samantha Wickersham who’s a kind of companion/aid to the infirm replying to an employment ad. She’s supposed to work as a general helper of sorts to Gabriel Fairchild who was blinded in the line of duty. Gabriel is one mean and snarly sonofabitch and you can understand why given his life before his accident and what’s become of it after. Slowly and with extreme patience Samantha manages to befriend him and help him improve his daily life so that he’s no longer like a caged animal. Now you may be thinking: weak hero, not for me. Well you couldn’t be more wrong. This guy is far from weak even if he’s blind. He knows what he wants, goes for it and everyone be damned in the process. His blindness makes him even more intriguing if anything especially once he starts to pursue the heroine. All his senses except sight come into play heightening the sexual tension between the two. The heroine is very determined to get him to lead an independent life and to try to be like he was pre-accident but I can’t say much more without giving away too much of the story –she’s not one to give up we’ll say and neither is he (**swoon swoon**) ;)

The writing is very good, vivid and the tension building is upheld for quite a while. It just misses a 5 star rating because it needed more steam for me towards the end but apart from that it’s an excellent historical with everything you need to keep turning those pages well into the night. 4.5 stars easy.

[Lori ◡̈]

Current 2025 rating: No rating, DNF at 26%.
Original 2013 rating: 5-stars and a keeper. 

A retelling of Beauty and the Beast, with a scarred, grumpy, petulant beast that was blinded in a naval battle with Napoleon. Samantha is hired on to be Gabriel’s nurse, much to his displeasure.

Staying true to the theory that my reading tastes have changed over the years, I did not find this cute, charming or romantic but rather surface level ridiculousness.

Why was he bulldozing his way thru the house everyday, knocking over and breaking furniture and porcelain knick knacks? Why were the broken furniture pieces and porcelain shards just left on the floor for everyone, including Gabriel, to walk and trip across? Not a huge issue, but I had so many questions and I quickly lost interest.

After reading Gloria’s review, it became clear to me that this story is not something I would currently enjoy. ➿delete➿.

[kris · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gabriel is blind and abandoned by his beloved fiance, Cecily. But then sassy, stubborn Samantha shows up and proves that there's more to life than being an asshole. WILL SECRETS GET IN THE WAY OF SEXY BLIND LOVE?

1. IT IS HARD TO TALK ABOUT THIS BOOK WITHOUT SPOILERS. SORRY.

2. I actually called the twist waaaaay too early and then made the mistake of confirming my suspicions by flipping ahead to the last chapter. It definitely made me REALLY hesitant to continue, because it was so not my thing.

3. These books need a solid editing. There was literally a sentence repeated verbatim, and so many reoccurring phrases / descriptions. And I just keep noticing them!

4. But one line almost ruined this entire book for me.

In that moment when Gabriel had surrendered to the darkness, it had been her name, not Samantha's, in his heart and on his lips.

The whole ~premise is that Cecily abandoned Gabriel after he was wounded and blinded in a battle against the French. Then the mysterious Samantha shows up to nurse him and they fall in love! Except it turns out that Samantha is actually Cecily in disguise! GASP.

And while it isn't my usual cup of tea, I thought Medeiros had handled it amazingly well with capturing "Samantha's" disdain for the girl Cecily had been. I was curious how the reveal would play out--especially when Gabriel and Cecily come face to face again and he doesn't recognize her. In fact, he's pretty damn rude to her.

So she goes to him and offers herself sexually. Which, okay. Again: not my thing. But then Gabriel totally takes her up on it! He sleeps with Cecily! And my mind really balked at this. I didn't like it. I know that it's not like he actually cheated on the heroine, but then again--HE KIND OF DID? Like, if Samantha were actually another person, HE TOTALLY CHEATED ON HER.

So that threw me out of the story pretty effectively, EXCEPT THEN THAT LINE. THAT DAMNED LINE. AND HERE'S THE THING: A CHAPTER LATER, GABRIEL OUTRIGHT STATES THAT HE DIDN'T LOVE CECILY, BUT HE LEARNED TO LOVE SAMANTHA BECAUSE HE TRULY GOT TO KNOW HER. And then there's this moment of ~passion in which he's so overcome that he yells out--Cecily's name? AND SHE'S HAPPY ABOUT IT? Because she wants him to ... forget the woman that he has learned to love? DOES THIS MAKE ANYONE ELSE SUPER UNCOMFORTABLE OR IS IT JUST ME?

Seriously: NOT COOL.

[sraxe · Rating 1 out of 5]

You know...every time that I think about this book, I just dislike it more and more, honestly. While I liked the story for the most part and thought it was great...ugh, that final quarter of the book just ruins EVERYTHING! Gabriel is just awful in it. I originally gave this five stars, but then reduced it to a two because of the technical cheating (dubious though it may be). And now...it's a one. Though it makes for great angst, Gabe is just fucking awful to Cecily in the last quarter. Just fucking awful. He demeans her and shames her...what the fuck. I swear, I dislike Gabriel more and more whenever I think about this book. That last quarter...what a way to completely fuck up any affection I'd fostered for this character over the course of this book, and in the final stretch, at that!

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Previous review: Feb 04/16

I loved the twist and I totally did not see it coming! I think that even if the book hadn't been as amusing and engaging as it was, I may have given it five stars alone for the twist. However, thinking upon it further...I can't give it a five because of the cheating. Technically speaking, it is cheating. He didn't know Cecily wasn't Samantha, so he was being untrue to "Samantha" by sleeping with Cecily. More than once, at that. I lowered it two stars just for that.

The only disappointment that I had was that Gabriel didn't come to realize she was Samantha on his own...it literally had to be spelled out for him. I was quite disappointed with that and during the last ten-percent or so I just kept thinking he'd realize it...now! No, now!! Noooo, definitely now!! But nope, he didn't until it was practically in his face.

[Floripiquita · Rating 3 out of 5]

El protagonista masculino me encanta, pero la historia no me acabó de convencer, pues se veía venir prácticamente desde el principio y el final me parece un poco enredado y precipitado.

[Sombra · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5 estrellas.

No es una trama muy complicada, al contrario, es una historia bastante sencilla y bastante predecible llegado un punto, pero aún así Teresa Medeiros una vez más me ha hecho emocionarme con el protagonista masculino.

Gabriel es un hombre al que la vida le ha dado un revés inesperado. De un héroe al servicio de su país, acaba ciego y desfigurado y enclaustrado en su propia casa de campo. Casi un hermitaño al que ni siquiera su propia familia quiere ver; Es con la llegada de Samantha, una enfermera contratada por su padre que poco a poco empezará a darse cuenta de que, a pesar de la ceguera, hay muchas cosas ahí fuera que le están esperando y que es capaz de hacer si tiene el coraje de enfrentarlo.

Si algo me ha gustado de este libro ha sido cómo la autora nos ha ido presentando ese proceso de duelo de Gabriel desde el principio hasta que al final se adapta a la situación. Su carácter agrio y sarcástico, poco a poco va dejando relucir que entre capas y capas de autocompasión, rabia e impotencia se esconde un hombre divertido, romántico y muy pícaro. Y todo gracias a que Samantha, la protagonista empieza una batalla de voluntades con él que acaba con ambos aprendiendo a quererse y respetarse mutuamente.

No le he dado las 4 estrellas porque a partir de la segunda parte, la historia empieza a tener algún bajón debido a la protagonista y a que la trama era demasiado obvia. Aún así, el personaje de Gabriel, el estilo de la autora y la sencillez de la historia hacen que sea una lectura muy amena para cuando queremos desconectar por un tiempo.

[Joanna Loves Reading · Rating 4 out of 5]

EDIT: on further consideration, I decided to bump this up a star.

Read for the HRBC August 2018 read & the letter “Y”alphabet challenge for the EHRTBM club.

I think this suffered from too much hype for me. I liked it. The writing was nicely done and it was an interesting story, but it didn’t resonate with me. I also had issues with the heroine’s behavior, which really didn’t make much sense at times or seem overly plausible.

[Celia {Hiatus until August} · Rating 4 out of 5]

Não chega bem a ser ⭐⭐⭐⭐
3,8...
Adorei a história e estava convencidissima que iria ser um ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ sem qualquer dúvida, eis que... Do capítulo 22 para a frente, foi muito mau.
Uma desilusão completa.
Não vou mencionar porquê, isso implicaria revelar o final do livro.
No entanto, foram vinte e um capítulos deliciosos...

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sigh...I'm done. I'm sad this is over. I must admit I was a little worried after the plot twist. I almost expected not to recover from this feeling of almost betrayal, but then not. I don't want to give away the story because it's too good and too touching to rob another reader from the depth of these characters.

There was a point in the story when I thought it should have ended. And a larger point when I was happy that it hadn't. The story reminded me of "Flowers From the Storm", which I loved.

I very much enjoyed this book and this author. The voice is a touch of vintage 90's when there was a little more leeway with POV. In many ways it brought a sharpness to the story that we don't often get in today's deep POV narration. But then it also had an omniscient feel to it, one that has grown unpopular. I loved it. I miss this style of writing. Looking forward to more from Teresa Medeiros.

The last paragraph of the book pretty much sums up the definition of romance and why I read it, so much so that I handed it to my husband and said "Here's the reason" He understood instantly. :D

---------------------------------------------------------------
2nd time through. I'd forgotten how touching the end of this book was and I so needed it right now. Still a 5 star for me and one that I'll no doubt read again. sigh.

[Starr (AKA Starrfish) Rivers · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am so glad I found this book through a GR friend who shares similar interests! I've been hankering for a good historical romance, and although this seems to be an oldie, it had enough "steaminess" to satisfy me.

The premise contained so many tropes I just can't resist:
* Wounded hero of war, scarred and beastly
* lady companion/ nurse/ maid/ governess with wit, intelligence and backbone made of steel
* Beauty meets beast, and a blinded beast at that.

And things were so much better because I envisioned the blondie I posted for another novel as the Hero of this one as well. Even more fitting for Gabriel in a way.

* I love the name Gabriel.



There he is folks, the man who sets my lusty parts all a flutter. ANd I don't even prefer blonds! Nor men with facial hair! Nor men with long hair in general!

But that particular picture is just so GORGEOUS!!! The other pictures... meh. This one tho. This one is coming into my dreams tonight! :)

What I really enjoyed besides the plotline:
* the funny moments. the writing style. the detailed descriptions that were true to the historical context (unlike the one and only book I read by Lynsay Sands that ruined my faith in NYT best-selling authors)
* the push and pull between the hero and the heroine. The part where Gabriel fell in love with h was exactly the part I fell in love with her.
* The twist toward the end that I was kind of but not expecting. I always wondered why every chapter started with snippets of Gabriel's letters.

With all these enjoyments, I'm still giving this book 4 stars, because I think it missed its mark in a few areas that would have made it much more poignant and a must-re-read for me:

*Gabriel should have remained blind. I know it seems too cruel to say so, but he was learning to live fine as a blind man. I feel like his sight was revived just so he could NOT recognize Cecily as Samantha. Also, given the build of the story, having his sight restored was jarring and made me frown. It didn't flow naturally from the story
* Cecily's visit to Gabriel made me upset BIG TIME. He was in love with Samantha. Yet one look at his old flame and he's horny enough to do her too. And if he wanted to "punish her with pleasure" then he felt enough for her all the while that he supposedly loved Samantha. There was no way he could have known they were the same woman at the time. So I felt it was a betrayal. And yes Cecily wears rose water, and Samantha wore lemon, but come on! A woman's scent beneath the perfume can still be smelled! And he had her in his arms, sight or no sight, he should have known it was her. But he didn't figure it out until he found the letter under the mattress!

This whole part really ruined the novel for me, even though I'm still giving it 4 stars. It would have been much better if Gabriel remained blind and realized who Samantha was while he was still blind. The fact he didn't know who she was despite having so passionately loved Cecily made me feel like he betrayed both women. Neither love he felt was deep enough in the end. And because of that, he was not the Hero I was hoping for. And Cecily's subterfuge was just plain stupid. She should have told him who she was instead of tricking him into having sex with her as Cecily and then being happy that he called out her name instead of Samantha's. She's competing with herself and toying with a man's emotions! It's soooooo stupid!

OK, after that rant I have to take another star off. I might re-read this novel at some point, and maybe I'll appreciate it differently, but the flawed story line toward the end really ruined my overall enjoyment of the story.

And another thing: the man has been blind and bumbling about, never leaving the house for months. So why are his muscles still firm etc.? This was mentioned several times. And while I like the image it conjures in my head, it's really unrealistic!

Still. It was a good read. I read it in one day. I started it after reading 20% into my other HR book, and that one just fell by the waste side. But the last 30%! Arrrgggghhhh - it's like watching a painter do a beautiful acrylic painting and then, just as they were putting the finishing touches on, they knock over a can of paint onto the canvas, ruining the masterpiece.

Very frustrated.

[Sara Reads (mostly) Romance · Rating 5 out of 5]

HOLY SHIT MOTHERFUCK THIS BOOK WAS INSANE



I AM ACTUALLY SHOCKED I HAVEN'T READ A NOVEL WITH SUCH AN INSANE PLOT TWIST IN A LOOOOONG ASS TIME I DID NOT SEE THAT COMING.

What a beautiful story of a damaged man and woman coming together, helping each other heal, and learning and growing together. I really don't want to spoil anything because I didn't read any reviews before this, and went into it with no expectations, but this is honestly a wonderfully written piece of literature. A cute romance and definitely on my "re-read when craving a phenomenal book" list.

Thank you to Story_girl for recommending it to me!

Just another lil hint of my fave creature in the novel

[Pepito · Rating 5 out of 5]

WHAT AN AMAZING READ!
I just had the best time ever with this book. I regret so bad not having read it earlier because it was SO worth it! I don't even know where to start...

I'll do so by telling you all the way I felt while reading it:
Let's just say I couldn't help getting a little teary eye, at least once every chapter,LOL. Happy tears though, so don't worry. It's just that I got so immersed into the story and so captivated by the characters that I just suffered when they did and I was happy for them when I had to. It's just that it was a really sweet and emotional story and I LOVED it. Probably because it took me by surprise because I never thought I would like it like this, and those are the books I end up enjoying the most.

The moving and touching element of the story comes from a Hero who gets blind after fighting on the Trafalgar Battle. We see how society condemns him for something it should never have but times were different then. We see a mother who would prefer him dead before blind, a whole family which loses interest in him and a fiance who wants nothing to do with him anymore. Then we get to read about how he gets better, how he fights every day to get to know a different world, how he survives... So how not to constantly cry with a hero like this one? But don't worry guys because while he confronts all this there's this sweet, young and lovely nurse who would help him and show him why life is still worth fighting for. She will give him reasons to get better, teach him that being blind is not a curse.

And the BEST part was:
That more than once I got caught up into this amazing twists and plot turns which I never predicted. After having read so many books most of them just became too predictable for me this days, but I must admit I NEVER thought things would turn out the way they did. How not to love all this? I just know I'll read this book more than once because it gave me so more... LOVED IT!

I'm definitely recommending this book.