Lady Alethea Claridge is horrified at the new owner of her neighboring manor. Col. Lord Gabriel Boscastle apparently won the estate in a card game, and she somehow doubts he will be any better at managing it than the previous owner.

Gabriel has no intentions of spending any real time at the country manor he's won. He'll be there a couple of weeks, look things over and then get rid of the property. But he meets Alethea and can't seem to pull himself away. He's intrigued by her story, that she's still mourning a fiancé who went to war and never returned.

What Gabriel doesn't know -- in fact, no one does -- is that Alethea doesn't mourn her fiancé. The ass forced himself upon her right before he left, destroying her innocent dreams of love. She's well rid of her fiancé, yet knows she's ruined for marriage.

I'm in love with all the Boscastles. I hope Ms. Hunter doesn't plan on ending this series any time soon. Gabriel and Alethea make a fascinating couple, each carrying their sadness yet also challenging life. Together, they would make a strong team, but can they find their way to each other? You'll turn the pages to find out, and also to enjoy the beauty of a love that's born from the core of loneliness that lies in both of them.