Lady Julia Raines's marriage to Lord Banford was a
nightmare of physical and emotional abuse. When she
accidentally killed him trying to save her own life, some
of Banford's friends and his father believed it was cold-
blooded murder. Only by faking her death and living in the
country as "Mrs. Bancroft" was Julia able to find some
peace. But when her secret is discovered, she's abducted by
one of Branford's old friends to be brought to "justice."
Alexander Randall, a major in the army, has recently
received the news that he is the sole remaining heir to his
uncle's estate. There's no love lost between him and the
Earl of Daventry, but Randall has grown tired of the
soldier's life; it's time to settle down. Unfortunately, as
one of his duties to the estate, he must find a wife. On
his way to visit a prospective bride, Randall is at a
friend's home in the country when he hears about a local
woman who has been kidnapped. He immediately goes to her
rescue.
Randall and Julia discover they have a mutual enemy:
Randall's uncle, Daventry, was Julia's father-in-law. What
better way for Randall to get some revenge and for Julia to
be protected than for the two of them to marry? Terrified
of being with a man because of her experiences with
Banford, Julia will only agree to the marriage if she can
leave whenever she wants -- and if Randall can accept that
she may never be able to overcome her fear of physical
intimacy. But he is willing to be patient with this
beautiful, brave woman in the hope that someday she will be
able to share not only her body, but her heart again.
This is a lovely story of the power of patience and love.
Randall and Julia both have their scars, physical and
emotional, and deal with them in their own ways. Randall
shows extraordinary patience and Julia shows incredible
bravery as they navigate the obstacles of their unorthodox
marriage. Sometimes heartbreaking and sometimes
heartwarming, their journey will have you cheering for them
to find that elusive happily-ever-after. (Though this is
part of the Lost Lords series, it works fine as a
standalone book.)
New York Times bestselling author Mary Jo Putney continues her stunning Lost Lords series with this stirring, sensual story of a rebellious nobleman drawn to a lovely widow with a shocking past.
As the sole remaining heir to the Earl of Daventry, Alexander Randall knows his duty: find a wife and sire a son of his own. The perfect bride for a man in his position would be a biddable young girl of good breeding. But the woman who haunts his imagination is Julia Bancroft-a village midwife with a dark secret that thrusts her into Randall's protection.
Within the space of a day, Julia has been abducted by her first husband's cronies, rescued, and proposed to by a man she scarcely knows. Stranger still is her urge to say yes. A union with Alexander Randall could benefit them both, but Julia doubts she can ever trust her heart again, or the fervent desire Randall ignites. Yet perhaps only a Lost Lord can show a woman like Julia everything a true marriage can be...
© 2003-2024 off-the-edge.net
all rights reserved Privacy Policy