Read this book shortly after it was published, but it still remains on my Kindle as an "oldie but goodie." The book starts quickly with the return of the main H. We then learn in flashback H and h's history. Sorry, I read this so long ago that I don't remember their names. However, I remember that I liked this book enough to read again.
At the time, I found the plot to be familiar and yet unique. We have hte "bad" hero who has done things he shouldn't have, but is on the road to redemption. We have the innocent heroine who is running away from crooked relatives and is at the edge of despair when the Hero saves her. What was unique for me was the twist. He Hero, thinking he was going to be hanged, saved the heroine by marrying her to protect her (since she'll be able to hide with a different name and widows are treated better than single women) and gives her his house. Fast forward to the present and it turns out the Hero was not hanged after all. We then read about these two unlikely opposites trying to go forward with their marriage.
The book and the characters are very straight-forward. There is no period of wishy washiness where the characters consider divorce or anything like that. The husband is back, they are married, and now they are going to go forward as a married couple. I think that is what was most refreshing to me. This couple actually did talk and there was little room for misunderstandings just for the sake of creating drama.