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The Garden Path
Revenge Was Not As Sweet As Love
His friend, his fiancée, his family - even his name had been taken from Justin Lionheart one ill-fated dawn in a duel of honor. Now he wandered sea and shore in search of the culprit responsible for his ruin. But sweet revenge would be found at last in the arms of his enemy's alluring sister.
No man could run a plantation as well as she. No man would run her life either, Thalia Freemont vowed, her boorish brother's wishes be damned! The resourceful belle took matters into hand, setting her sights on the mysterious Captain Lionheart, who stirred her sound and - unbeknownst to Thalia - held her fate in his hands.
His friend, his fiancée, his family - even his name had been taken from Justin Lionheart one ill-fated dawn in a duel of honor. Now he wandered sea and shore in search of the culprit responsible for his ruin. But sweet revenge would be found at last in the arms of his enemy's alluring sister.
No man could run a plantation as well as she. No man would run her life either, Thalia Freemont vowed, her boorish brother's wishes be damned! The resourceful belle took matters into hand, setting her sights on the mysterious Captain Lionheart, who stirred her sound and - unbeknownst to Thalia - held her fate in his hands.
- GenresHistorical Romance
293 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published March 1, 1992
16 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
October 6, 2022
Read: 9/20/22
Paperback 3.5 stars
This story started out like a revenge story. The H's fiancee cheated on him, got pregnant, and killed herself and her brother thinking it was his bff challenged H to a duel. Stupidly, the H refuses to besmirched her or fire at his bff. Instead his brother fired the shot and H nobly took the blame. He runs and goes to South Carolina to find the man responsible. He only has a nickname "Dof".
The h's father blamed her for her mother's death in childbirth so she was raised by her kind aunt and uncle. Now, everybodys dead and her guardian is her bittered brother. She tries but he is a gambling drunk who never takes care of his plantation. Thank God he can't touch her money. Unknowingly to her, he plans to marry his sister for money.
The two lovers meet in Charleston and are immediately captivated. The rest of the book is the two courting. It's rare to enjoy a whole book of watching to people fall in love slowly. All the problems take a backseat to the romance. It's not till the end the villian faces his consequence. The H was actually willing to forgive till that point.
Unfortunately, I do think some of the interesting plot points should have been used more.
So, if you hope for revenge and intrigue this is not the book for you. This a sweet romance that I enjoyed but probably won't read again.
Paperback 3.5 stars
This story started out like a revenge story. The H's fiancee cheated on him, got pregnant, and killed herself and her brother thinking it was his bff challenged H to a duel. Stupidly, the H refuses to besmirched her or fire at his bff. Instead his brother fired the shot and H nobly took the blame. He runs and goes to South Carolina to find the man responsible. He only has a nickname "Dof".
The h's father blamed her for her mother's death in childbirth so she was raised by her kind aunt and uncle. Now, everybodys dead and her guardian is her bittered brother. She tries but he is a gambling drunk who never takes care of his plantation. Thank God he can't touch her money. Unknowingly to her, he plans to marry his sister for money.
The two lovers meet in Charleston and are immediately captivated. The rest of the book is the two courting. It's rare to enjoy a whole book of watching to people fall in love slowly. All the problems take a backseat to the romance. It's not till the end the villian faces his consequence. The H was actually willing to forgive till that point.
Unfortunately, I do think some of the interesting plot points should have been used more.
So, if you hope for revenge and intrigue this is not the book for you. This a sweet romance that I enjoyed but probably won't read again.
May 10, 2013
"His fiance was dead, his best friend was dead, his brother could be hanged for murder-all because of a man from Charleston."
The girl: Thalia Freemont was raised by her aunt and uncle, and upon their deaths inherited their plantation (she can run it as well as any man could). She's currently the ward of her hard-drinking, hard-gambling wastrel older brother. He needs money bad and Thalia's the key to getting it by marrying her off to his wealthy drinking and gambling buddy. Thalia says over my dead body to that plan.
The guy: Justin was falsely blamed for his fiancée's suicide and challenged to a duel by her brother and best-friend. The duel doesn't go how it should (not Justin's fault), but he takes the blame for the death of his friend - the only way to prove his innocence is to find the man who impregnated and abandoned his fiancée. He adopts the surname Lionheart and goes under cover as one of Charleston's favorite dashing sea captains, waiting for the right moment to catch his man.
*Yawn*
Sorry, but this was a bit of a mess. No real sexual chemistry between our pair, the baddies were all really bad, boorish, insensitive clods. The story had possibility, but it just dragged on and on and on and on until a big tah-dah out of nowhere.
*Yawn*
If ya'll like wall-paper historicals with well-bred Misses who can go anywhere unattended and nary an eyebrow raised, this might suit. Everyone else, give it a miss.
The girl: Thalia Freemont was raised by her aunt and uncle, and upon their deaths inherited their plantation (she can run it as well as any man could). She's currently the ward of her hard-drinking, hard-gambling wastrel older brother. He needs money bad and Thalia's the key to getting it by marrying her off to his wealthy drinking and gambling buddy. Thalia says over my dead body to that plan.
The guy: Justin was falsely blamed for his fiancée's suicide and challenged to a duel by her brother and best-friend. The duel doesn't go how it should (not Justin's fault), but he takes the blame for the death of his friend - the only way to prove his innocence is to find the man who impregnated and abandoned his fiancée. He adopts the surname Lionheart and goes under cover as one of Charleston's favorite dashing sea captains, waiting for the right moment to catch his man.
*Yawn*
Sorry, but this was a bit of a mess. No real sexual chemistry between our pair, the baddies were all really bad, boorish, insensitive clods. The story had possibility, but it just dragged on and on and on and on until a big tah-dah out of nowhere.
*Yawn*
If ya'll like wall-paper historicals with well-bred Misses who can go anywhere unattended and nary an eyebrow raised, this might suit. Everyone else, give it a miss.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews