Review: Good, but a tad dark
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 01 1, 2014
I did like this story, but began to wonder if there would be a light at the end of the tunnel.The story opens with a young woman looking over the edge of a cliff.  She sees her husband's battered body down below. Our heroine had been forced into a marriage with the man who raped her.  He had planned on wedding a rich woman, but his plans were ruined.  He hated his wife and abused her in every possible manner -- though this is only hinted at in the beginning of the story.  She is pregnant and flees to protect not only herself but her unborn child.Our hero has his own dark past.  He had inherited the title of duke and a vast estate upon his father's death.  He learned well from his father, but he also withdrew emotionally.  And he had a scar upon his face that showed just how his father had taught him.  As he is riding one morning, he comes upon a woman who is in labor.  He delivers the child and takes the woman back to his home to recover.The story didn't brighten all that much even then.  Our heroine realizes the hero is a man she idolized when she was a little girl.  She had visited this estate with her widowed mother.  She still fears for her safety and that of the son she gave birth to.  All the while she is recuperating, our hero finds he is strangely attracted to her.So the back and forth struggle of emotions begins.  He is attracted but not sure what to do about it.  She also is attracted to him, but now has a fear of men in general.  When her brother-in-law finally discovers her, he wants to take her back home to 'care' for her and the child.  Our hero announces their engagement.  They do marry quickly when it appears more than one threat has been made upon her life.  She wants to be a good wife but cannot bring herself to consummate their marriage -- old fears crush her.  Hero is baffled at how to proceed.  He will eventually need an heir.There is, of course, light at the end of the tunnel.  But I felt I was never going to see it at times.  The story in general is good, but dragged on in a manner that was too negative for my full enjoyment.  Perhaps the story line wasn't one for me.