Reese's Bride

Bride's Trilogy #2

by Kat Martin

Wounded in battle, Major Reese Dewar returns to England--but his injuries are nothing compared to his shattered heart

Years ago, love-struck Reese departed his home at Briarwood with a promise from raven-haired Elizabeth Clemens that she would make a life with him upon his return. But mere months later, she married the Earl of Aldridge, attaining wealth and status Reese could never match. Memories of that betrayal make his homecoming far more bitter than sweet.

Seeing Elizabeth on his doorstep dressed in widow's garb twists the knife even deeper. But fear for her young son's safety has overcome her pride: she begs Reese for protection from those who would see the boy dead to possess his fortune. He agrees to an uneasy alliance, sensing Elizabeth still harbors deep secrets--and Reese knows that he's placing himself in danger...of losing his heart all over again.

Genres: Historical Romance, Romance, Historical, Second Chance, Fiction, Marriage Of Convenience, Historical Fiction

376 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published December 29, 2009

About the author

Kathleen Kelly Martin (aka Kathy Lawrence, Kasey Mars)

Kathleen Kelly was born on 14 July 1947 in the Central Valley of California, USA. She obtained a degree in Anthropology and also studied History at the University of California in Santa Barbara. She was a real estate broker, when she met her future husband, Larry Jay Martin. A short time after the two became acquainted, Larry asked her to read an unpublished manuscript of an historical western he'd written. Kat fell in love with both the book and the author! Then, after doing some editing for him, she thought she'd try her own hand at writing. She moved on to become a full time writer.

Published since 1988, she signed her books with her married name, Kat Martin, but she also used two pseudonyms: Kathy Lawrence for a book in collaboration with her husband Larry Jay Martin, and Kasey Mars for her first contemporary romances. The New York Times bestselling writer, among her many awards, has won the prestigious RT Book Review Magazine Career Achievement Award. To date, Kat has over eleven million copies of her books in print. She has been published in seventeen foreign countries, including England, South Africa, Spain, Argentina, Germany, Italy, Greece, Norway, Sweden, Russia, Bulgaria, China, and Korea.

Currently residing with her husband, a Western-writer and photographer, in Missoula, Montana, USA. But when they are not writing, they also enjoy skiing and traveling, particularly to Europe.

"I've always loved books. I was an avid reader, with any number of my own stories rolling around in my head. Writing them down seemed a logical step."

"I love anything old," Kat says. "I love to travel and especially like to visit the places where my books are set. My husband and I often stay in out-of-the-way inns and houses built in times past. It's fun and it gives a wonderful sense of a by-gone era."

Reviews

[Anita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Multi-faceted, multi-layered plot with wonderful characters and a suspense element. No repetitious dialogue and a wonderful love story. There is even a Sword of Damocles hanging over the plot and when it falls, how much damage will it do.

With the man she loved heading for a career in the Army, Elizabeth Clemens does what her father dictates and marries the wealthy and titled Earl of Aldridge. The marriage is not a happy one and when the Earl dies in a drunken accident his brother seeks to rule his widow and her son, the new Earl. Elizabeth fears for their lives and runs to the only man he trusts to protect them, Reese, the man she left behind.

Reese loved Elizabeth and planned to marry her. He is devastated when he learns of her marriage to the Earl of Aldridge and hardens his heart. When he is injured and discharged, he returns to his home, Briarwood. When Elizabeth turns up at his door in her widow's weeds, he takes her in but hardens his heart. Her story is hard to believe, but when the doctor confirms part of her story, Reese knows his honor demands no less that that he protect her and her son.

[Missy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found the plot more interesting than the first and third books.

Tropes:
- second chance romance
- a former military hero with an injured leg
- a widowed heroine with a 7-year-old son
- secret baby
- marriage of convenience to protect the heroine and her son
- a mystery the hero must solve to help his army friend
- a secondary romance between that army friend and a widowed acquaintance

I think the mystery was a plot device to force the hero to marry the heroine. I didn't think the secondary romance was necessary even though I did like the little angst that came with it.

[Bronwyn · Rating 1 out of 5]

Reese's Bride is Martin's second installment in her new trilogy, and for the most part it is an okay written book. This review is my personal take on how she approached this story, and her main characters.

My major concern with this book, and why I rated it 1 star, is because Martin uses domestic violence as a plot device and I really believed that in doing so she devalued the heroine, showed the hero to be a selfish jerk, and trivialized the issue of abuse.

We have a heroine who is true to the time period-young, a bit weak, and lived under her fathers strict control. After discovering she was pregnant, with her military fiance (Reese) in some part of the Empire, she succumbs to her fathers bullying to marry a titled Lord. Again this is true to the time period, and a great set up for a romance between the jilted fiance and said heroine.

The events thereafter is what jarred me about this book.

1. The heroine suffers abuse at the hands of the husband (sexual, physical and emotional), who dies. She is then slowly poisoned and is sexually harrassed by brother in law who is trying to control her son (heir to the title). Suddenly the heroine stops being a real person, and Kat Martin turns her into a Tess of the Dubervilles-like typecast of the tragic female.

2. The hero, is comtemptuous of her at first (that I understand). However as time passes, he gets to know all of this and yet *still* treats her poorly for the book, and goes after her lustfully for the remainder ,till the last when he realizes that he is in love. Now this is the modus operandi for most romance novels, however *knowing the heroine suffered abuse I really expected a more compassionate hero*. I can still remember the part of the book when she described the 5 inch scar where her bone broke through her skin from being pushed on a dresser. (eeek) Even after that he still acted selfishly when faced with a crisis.

3. Finally the old 'I love you enough to sleep with you but I hate you during the day' is a horrible plot device that is getting old. After Reese discovers a secret Elizabeth was keeping from him, he fell into that trap (again knowing what he did about her past, and her experience with her dead husband, what did he expect her to do? I wish he would just get over himself)

All in all, I would recommend reading it for the trilogy, however, I really wanted to share my views on the story line.

[GigiReads · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this one up because it promised secret baby angst and it delivered. Elizabeth and Reese were teenage lovers, he went to fight the war in the Crimea and she later found out she was pregnant with his child. Her father forced her to marry a horrible man just because he was titled. Fast forward 7 years later and Elizabeth is a widow living with her brother in law and his wife. She suspects she's being slowly poisoned by them. She runs off to beg for help from Reese who's just a little pissed that she threw him over for a crusty Earl.

I really wanted to like this more because the set up is all of my jam. The angst and longing were all there but they were blunted by all the other external things. Besides the secret baby and the attempted poisoning, there was a spy subplot involving a friend of Reese's, a secondary love story and another murder plot against the son. It was too much, made the story feel fragmented and broke up what could have been a really angst filled romantic book into a series of vignettes between the spying and the other stuff.

⭐⭐⭐/5
🔥🔥/5

Tropes
Secret baby
Second chance
Marriage of convenience

TW: Domestic violence

[Kelly · Rating 1 out of 5]

I did not care for this book. The storyline had potential as I usually love a story about old loves reconnecting but these two were very immature. Also the lead, while he hated her with all his heart, was in a constant state of arousal. I know this because the author mentioned it every other paragraph. If I had played a drinking game every time I read about his burning loins I would have been hammered by the end of the book. It was unnecessary and after awhile completely embarrassing. He was going to pay her back for hurting him years ago, by using her body. Ironically it is what the villain in the book wanted to do so how are we supposed to warm up to the hero when his behavior was as disgusting as the villain's?

For whatever reason the author decided to throw a secondary romance in that felt forced and produced a huge error. Throughout the book when the lead's best friend was mentioned, we had to hear over and over how he lost his arm saving the lead. It got to the point where I rolled my eyes and said YES WE KNOW. However when he was talking with his lady he put his HANDS on her SHOULDERS? Erm... with only one arm, which is what we were told numerous times, how did he manage that? More then faulting the author, I want to know where her editor was? She or he must of been playing the drinking game I referenced above in order to miss that!

It was at that point I just had enough with the characters and skimmed to the end. The younger brother who is the focus of the next book sounds interesting but I just don't think I can make it through more writing like this. I am glad so many others enjoyed it, but this style definitely was not for me.

[Karen Darling · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book wasn't that bad, but there was too much going on. The heroine had issues due to being abused by her dead husband. There is a secret child. The heroine's brother in-law is trying to have sex with the heroine. The heroine's in-laws are trying to kill the heroine and kidnap her son. The in- laws are suspected of committing other murders. The hero is trying to adopt his own son. The hero has a bum leg. The hero's best friend is suspected of being a spy. The hero's best friend has one arm and there is a widow chasing him. The hero's best friend is trying to find the real spy and clear his name. I also didn't like that the heroine wouldn't tell the hero that he had a son because she didn't want him to hate her. I didn't understand why the hero didn't officially ask for the heroine's hand in marriage but went off to war and expected her to just sit around waiting for him to return. This book was too much for me.

[Darien · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good addition to the series. I love Kat's writing and I always enjoy her leading men.

The thing that peeved me is the whole lovers reuniting storyline. I just am one of those people who enjoys characters meeting for the first time and falling in love.

It does offer up a great romance, really solid characters and cleverest matron to walk the streets of London. All historical fans will like: the love can heal all wounds theme, a budding relationship between a man and his son, and the take down of some shady characters.

I enjoyed Reese's Bride a lot more than I did the first in the series and look forward to the last in this wonderful series of brothers getting their woman.

[Kris · Rating 2 out of 5]

Overall this was ok. But I was really bothered by the scene with the character Travis. The author points out to us numerous times that his arm has been amputated. But, he reaches for a female character with his "hands". Holds her "shoulders". Really? No one caught this in editing? Disappointing.

[Katherine 黄爱芬 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Elizabeth Clemens, Lady Aldridge yg sudah menjanda setahun ini, merasa hidupnya tidak tenteram lagi di bawah satu naungan dgn iparnya yg culas, Mason. Diam-diam Elizabeth kabur dan membawa anaknya, Jared ke kediaman Reese Dewar.

Reese adalah kekasih pertama Elizabeth. Saat bertemu kembali dgn Elizabeth ada rasa benci sekaligus cinta yg masih bercokol di hatinya. Ketika mengetahui nyawa Elizabeth dan anaknya, Jared terancam, Reese mengambil keputusan utk menikahi Elizabeth demi melindungi mereka. Elizabeth sendiri membawa rahasia yg blm berani dia ungkapkan kpd Reese. Apakah itu?

Ini kedua kalinya saya membaca karya author dan sepintas mengingatkan saya dgn gaya penceritaan Lorraine Heath. Elizabeth ini tipe heroine plin-plan, mudah mengucurkan air mata krn banyak penderitaan yg hrs dijalaninya alias Queen of Suffer. Masalahnya, bbrp problem Elizabeth ini terlalu digampangkan/dihilangkan begitu saja dlm cerita. Yg pertama saya notice adalah ketika dikatakan Elizabeth "diracuni" dgn laudanum oleh iparnya, entah bagaimana pengobatannya, tetiba gak dibahas lagi aja. Yg kedua lebih ajaib lagi saat Elizabeth yg mengalami (sepertinya sih) vaginismus alias nyeri hebat saat bers**gg*m*, tetapi langsung "mulus" dlm percobaan berikutnya saat itu juga. Tokcer banget si Reese ini.

Reese juga digambarkan sbg hero yg punya cinderamata dari perang alias cacat di kaki. Lucunya, caranya mendekati Jared di awal-awal dgn "membeli" anak ini dgn patung unicorn dan kuda poni. Entahlah saya gak sreg dgn cara PDKT seorang calon ayah pd anak spt ini, begitu pula PDKT kekasih kpd wanitanya dgn suapan materi begini.

Romance mereka tarik ulur aja dari awal hingga akhir, cenderung membosankan. Lebih parah lagi cerita sekunder ttg Travis dan Annabelle, cerita apa pula itu. Baca sendiri aja deh kalau penasaran.

[Amarilli 73 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I tre fratelloni Dewar cominciano a farsi apprezzare, anche perché le loro vicende amorose si mescolano a indagini simil-poliziesche, con il supporto di amiche e parenti (la temibile zia Agatha su tutti) e l'aiuto dei confratelli del club dei Canottieri (dai tempi di Oxford).
Il maggiore Reees, il secondo della nidiata, ferito in Crimea, si ritira nella sua tenuta di campagna, che confina con quella del conte di Aldridge (anziano nobiluomo che gli aveva, sette anni prima, scippato la promessa sposa).
Ora il conte è morto, e la vedova e il figlioletto sono vessati dai cognati, anche rischiando la vita. Ed ecco che il clan Dewar torna in pista per salvare sia loro che un ex-commilitone, accusato di spionaggio verso i Russi.
Le due storie si sviluppano in parallelo, con il trionfo di ben due amori.
Trama vivace, piuttosto spicy (le vedove non hanno i pruriti delle debuttanti, in effetti...)

[Yasmina Jual novel kolpri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Menarik. Dari awal baca nya dah ketagihan terus membalik halamannya
..

[Bookaholics · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reese’s Bride by Kat Martin
Historical Romance – Dec. 29th, 2009
3 ½ Stars

Reese’s Bride by Kat Martin is the second novel in the exciting bride trilogy which features the interesting and compelling Dewar family.

Reese’s Bride tells the story of Major Reese Dewar who years ago was in love with Elizabeth Clemens and left with a promise from her to marry when he returned. Unfortunately a mere month later when he returned he found her already married to a more wealth suitor. Now years later when he’s returned home from war the memories of her betrayal still sting. What is more unbelievable is when Elizabeth appears on his doorstep now a widow with her son in tow asking for his help and protection from her ruthless and unscrupulous relatives.

Kat Martin does an excellent job of developing the characters of Reese and Elizabeth from their initial animosity due to their prior relationship and showing them as characters that have changed and grown into more mature and interesting characters while still dealing with their past issues. Along with the interesting characters you get a story that compels you and makes you want the characters to attain a happy ending.

I enjoyed this book and found it a solid read. If you are a fan of historical romance you should give Kat Martin’s Bride Trilogy a try by starting with the first book in the series Royal’s Bride and continuing with this compelling second installment of Reese’s Bride.

Reviewed by Mary from the Bookaholics Romance Book Club

[Vanessa Bernice · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rated so low because of the hero. I like Kat Martin's writing style which is why I keep returning to her books. I was infuriated with the hero the first time I read this book and am equally so this time.

The heroine was a young woman, her father initially thought her too young to be married, but after the hero leaves to war, she finds she's pregnant with his child. She's forced into a marriage she thinks will be best for her and for her son. And spends the entire book being punished for it.

She's painted as heartless and even after the hero and everyone else in his life find out the truth, they constantly harp on her mistakes but pay little attention to his. After all, he was older, slept with a woman he was not married to in a time where that could lead to ruination, and then went on his merry way to war. When he returns, he doesn't try to speak to her and trust that the woman he loved had a valid reason. He doesn't think it was cruel to potentially leave her pregnant. He just insults her and absolves himself of doubt by telling himself the little boy doesn't look like him.

As if every child is a spitting image of their father.

In my book, the hero's carelessness and continued bitterness even after knowing the truth is far more unforgivable. He should've groveled.

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well written and about a period of history that I do not know well (1850's), there are several references to the Crimean War. Most of the story concerns a mother and her son reuniting with the father of that son, but there is a major subplot where Reese's best friend is first accused of treason and when exonerated decides to get married after a life-time of avoiding it. It is more complex than this, of course, and I enjoyed both plots, although I would have preferred the subplot to be a bit less separated from the main plot. Oddly, what fascinated me most were the descriptions of Reese trying to ride again and his self-imposed physical therapy. I felt a sense of rapport with Reese since I am training a five-year old gelding who doesn't want to be ridden and could empathize every time he came off. It is touches of reality like this that make a book come alive for the reader and Ms. Martin is very good at it. I'm waiting for the first book in the series to arrive, so I can catch up before going on to Rule's story. I don't like reading books out of order if I can help it, but somehow I missed Royal's Bride.

[Kit · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is definately a romance that is better appreciated if you have read Royal and Lily's story first. Reese (Royal's brother) comes into the story with Elizabeth having broken his heart. Just when you think "enough already" with the truth not coming to the forefront, the story picks up. There is a sweet secondary romance running through the plot with Annabelle and Travis and all is wrapped nicely to entice you want to read the youngest brother's,Rule Dewer's story

[ReadingWench · Rating 3 out of 5]

You need to read the first in this series, ROYAL'S BRIDE, to enjoy this one. This book doen'st have the strong storylines as the first in the series, and a bit long, but still a good read.

Once again Kat Martin has written a steamy book. Although, as one reviwer has said "The only thing that (really) annoyed me was the constant reference to Reese's state of arousal (like another reviewer mentionned). It was very painful for ME to read about it again and again". I couldn't agree more.

[Luci · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was entertaining, but I am so sick of poor editing. This is only marginally the author's fault as the point of an editor is to catch errors the author missed. But it's annoying when it distracts me from the story.

[Shelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the story, but there was a HUGH gaff involving Travis, and I thought that Elizabeth should have explained why she married Edmund and his abuse better to Reese.

[Seabrook · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was technically entertained but it is not a good book.

The final confrontation of this book genuinely made me laugh out loud. I simply can't accept the the physical logistics of this.

Mason is on top of Reese. Reese's gun is on the ground, next to his head. They're squabbling. Ok. Ok. I'm following.

Mason has the gun cocked, and his finger on the trigger. Reese is grabbing his wrist, but Mason is turning the gun on Reese. Then Elizabeth runs up on him launches her little flimsy ass purse through the air like a missile in a targeted strike, perfectly hitting Mason's hand in such a way that the gun flips around and Mason shoots HIMSELF directly in the heart and dies INSTANTLY?!?

Girl.............NO FUCKING WAYYYY!! No way. I am not buying it.

The excerpt in question:
"“You bastard, I’ll kill you!” Holloway rolled on top a second time, frantically searching the ground beside Reese’s head until his blunt fingers closed over the grip of his pistol. Reese locked a hand around Holloway’s thick wrist and the struggle began anew. Mason cocked the hammer and tried to turn the barrel toward Reese. He was strong as a bull and Reese felt his hold begin to slip. In that instant, he spotted Elizabeth rushing toward Mason, and his heart squeezed so hard he couldn’t breathe. He saw her swing her reticule back, watched it fly through the air and slam into Holloway’s hand, changing the direction of the barrel, and the gun went off with a roar that echoed across the backyard. Reese looked down to see blood on his coat and for a moment he thought he had been hit. Rolling Holloway’s heavy weight off him, he gazed down to see the lead ball had torn into Mason’s body, instead, directly into his heart. Holloway’s eyes were open and staring up at the black night sky, but his lifeless form saw nothing."

On a more serious note.... The handling of SA/domestic violence was not good. Reese being like "I know your previous husband repeatedly physically and sexually assaulted you and now you fear intimacy, so I, as a good man, will give you exactly one (1) week from the wedding before you have to have sex with me. And in the interim, you will have to sleep naked in my bed with me."
This man needs to be EUTHANIZED! She should've killed the both of them with her reticule.

No one has really mentioned either of these things in their reviews and I feel like I'm losing my mind!

[Cynthia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this audio which takes place in a time where women had little or no control over their lives. Elizabeth did the best she could with a very controlling father. The plot is easy to work out but it does seem Reese isn’t very smart in that area. Once he does get a handle on it he moves pretty fast taking control and making a wrong a right.

I love the narrator’s accent it really adds a lot to this audio. Her character voices are wonderful you really can feel the emotion through her voice. I really enjoyed them all from the males, women and children. The author gives very vivid scenes that the narrator carries off wonderful. There are no repeats of wording, no background noises, no volume changes just a wonderful clear audio. If any breaks were taken I could not tell. She does a wonderful job bring the audio to life really making it easy to get lost and picture each scene. I really look forward to listening to more of her work.

In the time period the author sets her plot makes this a very believable story. My heart really went out to Elizbeth with all she went through. Reese I have mixed feelings about him at times I really felt his pain and at other times I thought he bought it on his self. Even through all his pain he still did what he could to help her and her son. He treated the boy wonderful even with his feeling of the past and how he felt she did him wrong. I thought the plot was wonderful, it really pulls the reader in giving a delightful listen. It’s an audio I will listen to again. I truly enjoyed the twists and turns, the mystery and how it unfolds.

[Susan Ross · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't buy into the premise of the story. Elizabeth gets pregnant by the man she loves when they are teenagers but her father talks her into marrying another man (wealthy and titled and accepting of her bastard because he is sterile) and refuses to let her tell Reese she is pregnant. Her father is supposed to be a loving parent, so I don't understand why she would agree to this, even if Reese is set on joining the army. Plans change. The man she marries turns out to be abusive. Now that I think of it, we assume her father is dead since he's not in the book.
When Reese returns home from the war Elizabeth runs to him when her life and the life of their son are threatened by greedy relatives of her husband trying to inherit. Reese does not know the child is his son.
There is a side plot involving Reese's best friend who lost his arm saving Reese. The author forgets about this at one point and talks about him putting his hands on his lover. Hmmm. I'm not sure why she added this second plot. I don't think it added much to the story.
I found the epilogue unsatisfying.
It is, however, an engaging story if you look past the premise.

[Valerie Lynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

REESE’S BRIDE
Author: Kat Martin
Pub Date: December 29, 2009
Publisher: MIRA
Romance: Historical Romance

Synopsis:

Inexperienced and in love, Reese Dewar and Elizabeth Clemens share a night of passion neither of them shall forget. On a quest for adventure, Reese departs with the military and suffers the ultimate betrayal—Elizabeth, the woman he intended to marry has wedded another.

Only 18-years old, Elizabeth finds herself pregnant and alone. The boy she loves is far from home. Once her father learns of her condition, she’s forced to marry the abusive Earl of Aldridge

After the death of her husband, Elizabeth is at the mercy of her in-laws. Faced with the threat of danger, Elizabeth turns to the one man she knows can protect her and her young son—Reese Dewar.

My Thoughts:

You simply cannot go wrong with a book written by the amazingly talented Kat Martin. The second novel in The Bride Trilogy, Reese’s Bride, is richly layered in emotion. Both Reese and Elizabeth suffered greatly from a single night of passion. Yet, they’ve remained deeply in love. Reunited as adults, they each battle their own internal conflicts over their pasts.

Happy Reading!

[Sue Gosland]

Book two in this series is about Reese Dewar and Elizabeth Clemens. Reese and Elizabeth were in love as young adults, just starting their lives together. But he went to join the Army, and while he was gone, she married someone else. When he returned from war, wounded, he settled into his home next door to where Elizabeth lived, with her son and her late husband's brother and sister in law. One night, she comes to him in a panic, asking for his help. She's being poisoned by her in-laws and fears for the life of her son. Reese, being an honorable man, agrees to help her. He doesn't want to fall in love with her, but he finds the longer he's with her, the less angry he is at her. She finds he's the only person she can trust. Will they be able to work it all out? Throw in a little espionage, and it's another great story. I loved it.

[N.W. Moors · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reese Dewar has returned from the Crimean War injured and ready to settle down at his estate. The only problem is his neighbor Elizabeth, the woman who jilted him and married another man for his wealth and prestige. All is not as it seems, as Reese gradually discovers. Someone is trying to murder Elizabeth and her son, so Reese steps in to save them.
I felt like I read this book before. It was fairly predictable but interesting anyway. There were a lot of communication issues between the couple that seemed to be solved by sex rather than talking.

[Christine Jalili · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic series.

I’ve loved each book in this series. I already read the other two and then when this went on sale, I bought it. Elisabeth broke Reese’s heart when she married someone else. Turns out he was abusive and now she’s a widow. She kept something important from him, will he forgive her? Loved that she still trusts him but will he ever open up his heart again to her? Thankfully they finally get a happy ever after. I highly recommend this book.

[PR · Rating 2 out of 5]

Usual story line with I-love-you, I-hate-you because of betrayal, and now I-still-love(lust after)-you. At least in this story, the betrayal is not completely fabricated, it was because of misunderstanding when young. Maturity comes with age and experience, and Elizabeth painfully learns it. Reese is not very complex, honorable, but again not able to introspect until the very end.

[Sammi Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actual rating: 3.75/5 stars.

So, I don't usually read a lot of romance, but when I'm in a reading slump, it's what I turn to, and I've read Reese's Bride multiple times. It's steamy, the plot is fine, and I like the characters. Overall, are there some problematic themes? Sure, but welcome to the world of bodice rippers. Just sit back and enjoy the ride.

[Mary Shreffler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reese and Elizabeth were meant to be together but Reese went to the Army and adventure while Elizabeth, 18, was left alone with her father and pregnant. Her father insisted she marry Edmund. He was a cruel man abusive and alcoholic. After a sudden death Elizabeth was left with her greedy brother in law and his wife. After many events, Reese and Elizabeth found a loving family

[Kathy Sue Stumpf · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this story. It kept my interest throughout the book. I had a problem putting it down at times. I read the complete series before reviewing it & this was my favorite book of the series, followed VERY close with the first book of the series. There were several passion scenes, and were average in description. I would recommend this book & the complete series for a good read.

[Brandee (un)Conventional Bookworms · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a sucker for second chance romance so I loved Reese and Elizabeth's story. I like that KMartin delivers a main romance, a secondary romance, and a suspense element - in this case, two - in her stories. It fleshes out her secondary cast so well.

Full review coming...