In 1764 the people of the American Colonies were building
up to revolution. We join Prudence Ashcroft in this
romantic adventure WILLING LOVE to find out what life was
like at the time. Prudence's grandmother, matriarch of a
business empire importing to Rhode Island, tells Prudence
it is time to marry - someone who will be a partner in the
business as well as a companion. The girl has been
reluctant but she can see the sense. Where would she find a
man who would treat her as an equal, though? She's not even
allowed to meet the merchants on the wharf.
Prudence goes out for a ride to think matters over, having
ordered the new Welsh stable master Evan to saddle her
favourite spirited mare. All her fine male acquaintances
would want to take over the firm if they wed her. Her
options are few. But on her grandmother's passing, the
terms of the will stipulate that Prudence must marry to
inherit anything but a home and income. A ship is also
bequeathed to a certain Captain Foster. Prudence doesn't
realise that he is one and the same Evan Foster, who has
already rescued her after a riding fall and been rudely
treated by the embarrassed girl. She's about to find out
that Evan is not a stable master after all.
I enjoyed the comedy of errors but it did occur to me that
people married young in those days and Prudence took no
steps to ascertain if a man she proposes to is already a
husband. She has been cautioned against a marriage of
convenience, but still thinks it would suit her. The
stubborn girl even goes out alone at night and gets
involved with smugglers on the coast, adding an exciting
dimension. A Customs
Officer comes to call with suspicious eyes, leading to some
exciting activity under a Smugglers' Moon. I like that
Prudence wishes she could have
attended the colleges which are closed to women at this
time. She has a head for figures which is considered
unladylike but has been obliged to continue studying
literature with a tutor.
Lacking a mother's advice, Prudence gets confused about
some issues to do with marriage. This is an adult romance
with a message of not jumping to conclusions. There's
plenty
to interest fans of historical romance in Mary Jean Adams'
book WILLING LOVE with good attention to period detail and
varied outdoor scenes. The author provides some interesting
historical notes at the end of her tale.
Prudence Ashcroft has three months to find a husband or she loses her inheritance. Still, if she marries the wrong man, she risks losing the family business. Her new stable master is strong, handsome and malleable. Perfect husband material, at least for what Prudence has in mind. Or is he? Prudence desperately fights for control of her fortune and her heart, but perhaps her destiny is already out of her hands. Captain Evan Foster has everything a man could want—success, a vast fortune and the fastest ship in the Colonies. The only thing he doesn’t have is a wife, but then he doesn’t need or want one. When a red-haired, hazel-eyed heiress makes him an offer, he’s dumbfounded…but intrigued. Too bad Prudence thinks he’s just the stable master.
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