Review: Another author for me to follow
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 01 15, 2014
As if there were not too many now . . .Bronwen Evans is a new author to me and I am sorry I have missed out on her excellent writing. The Regency period has always been a favorite of mine and she does an great job of placing her characters in the time.The story actually begins in Canada which is different from most of the books I have read of this period.  In actuality, most of the book takes place before they even reach England.Christian and Sarah are both running from their pasts.  In Sarah’s case, she is literally on the run. She has killed her husband (although, in self defense) and must remain in hiding to avoid being hanged. She ends up in Canada where she applies, under a false name, for the job of governess to Christian’s ward Lily.Christian was severely burned during the Napoleonic War and hides away from most of his peers. He was accused of raping a young lady in England and her father and brother had him shanghaied and shipped to the new world. After many months, he is ready to go back and face his accuser.Sarah knew of Christian from when she was a young girl and always daydreamed of marrying him.  She is a duke’s daughter, but because of her age had never formally been introduced to him. His offer of a job is a miracle because it protects her from society while allowing her to be near the man she has always loved.Before the war, Christian could (and pretty much did) have any woman he wanted. He still desires a wife and family, but knows that most women will only accept him because of his wealth and title now that he is scarred.  Sarah is the exception, but she is only a governess.So, of course, they fall in lust and love.I enjoyed the struggles each of the characters faced in trusting one another.  They had both gone through such horrific experiences, it was understandable that they had difficulty believing in anyone.  Fortunately, they were both self aware enough to realize that if they were ever going to be happy they had to work through their fears.The only difficulty I had with this book is some of the dialogue seemed overdone. For example,“In York, when I entered your study that first day, I can’t explain my reaction to you. Iwas drawn to you in exactly the same way as I had been when I was a young girl. I inwardlycried when I saw your wounds, and wondered how anyone could mark something so beautiful. Iknew in that moment we would be good for each other. I got the overwhelming impression thatsomehow we could heal each other.” (p. 167)This emotional outpouring seemed to be the norm, and it became distracting after a while.That, however, is my only criticism.  I look forward to the next book in the series, A Promise of More, which is due out in April. Simon promises to be a delightful Libertine Scholar.Overall: 4Sensuality level: 3