Review: Portman has cleverly given us characters that are risking emotional pain and suffering for the best of intentions
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 06 6, 2014
Jane is a fortunate woman: marriage that is full of love, lovely daughters and a wonderful husband in Jacob, who sees her as more than simple chattel.  All are rare in society marriages in Regency England, and Jane is truly aware of her fortunate circumstance.  Until, that is, Jacob has a terrible accident that leaves his future in doubt, and his plans in turmoil.If Jacob were to die, the rules of inheritance state that his distasteful brother Arthur would inherit, and Jane and her daughters would be left at his mercy.  With no male child, Jane’s status would be severely reduced, or endangered should Arthur decide she would marry him.A scandalous and rather unusual solution to the situation comes to Jacob: his cousin Matthew is kind, generous and most importantly willing to help.  His rapport with the couple is much more to both their tastes, but can they manage to produce a male heir before anyone discovers this unusual arrangement?Surprisingly for a novella Viveka Portman manages to define character and voice, and add an emotional component into what could be an incredibly tricky situation.  Both thrilled and appalled at the solution, all three in this triangle are struggling with their own feelings of jealousy, envy and insecurity as the bond between Jane and Matthew grows: none more unsettled by the emotional turmoil than Jacob.  Portman has cleverly given us characters that are risking emotional pain and suffering for the best of intentions, even with deception at the heart of the arrangement.  Fast paced and tightly written, readers will be drawn into the emotions as the story progresses to reveal some very steamy moments on the way to the conclusion.  A quick and steamy read that doesn’t lose sight of the love and determination of one man to protect what he cherishes most: his family.I received an eArc copy of the title from Harlequin Escape via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.