Lara, Lady Hawksworth, is nearly at the end of her year of
mourning after her husband's death in India. Her move from
Hawksworth Hall to the small cottage wasn't as hard to take
as the loss of income. All her extra money goes toward
the local orphanage. Not only does she support them
monetarily, she spends as much time there as she can. There
she can feel all the love she has not received in other
areas of her life. When she is told that her husband has
returned, Lara only
feels despair. The man she married was cold and cruel. To
have him return to her life leaves her feeling hopeless.
Hunter is nothing like the man she once knew. He looks the
same but he is a much more intense person and his interest
in Lara is hard to believe. The man identified as Hunter
reactions more strongly to
injustice and makes his interest in resuming relations with
his wife perfectly clear. Overcoming her doubts, Lara
gradually allows Hunter back
into her life and heart. Just as their relationship starts
to blossom, she receives information that places his
identity in doubt.
Hunter returns from India with a massive scar on his head
and a daunting task before him. He must convince everyone
of his identity and seduce his wife. His uncle, who
inherited the title, is suing to have him displaced. His
friendship with Lonsdale has come to an abrupt end when
Hunter learns that Lonsdale has been abusing his wife.
Captain Tyler returned from India to England to build a life
and a family. The last person he wants or expects to see is
the man who identifies himself as the Earl of Hawkworth. As
the the facade starts to crumble, it will be up to Lara to
decide to support the man she has come to care for or to
expose the impostor.
Ms. Kleypas has always had the ability to draw the reader
into her world and develop empathy for her characters. This
story is no exception. You will agonize with Lara and feel
compassion for a man who has always had to fight for
everything in his life. This is an emotional read as the
author deals with spousal abuse, both mental and physical,
and the uncertainties that face the characters.
With
those words, Lara's life turned upside down. Hunter, Earl
of
Hawksworth, had been lost at sea. Or so she'd been told.
Their unhappy marriage--with its cold caresses and
passionless kisses––was over. But now a
powerful, virile man stood before her, telling secrets
only
a husband could know, and vowing she would once again be
his
wife in every way. While Lara couldn't deny that this man
with smoldering dark eyes resembled Hunter, he was
attentive
and loving in ways he never was before. Soon she
desperately
wanted to believe, with every beat of her heart, that
this
stranger was truly her husband. But had this rake
reformed––or was Lara being seduced by a
cunning
stranger?
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