SALVATION by Carla Susan Smith is the last book in the Corsets and Carriages Trilogy.
I was looking forward to the end of the trilogy to see what would happen to Rian and Catherine and whether they would come together or be torn apart by their separate pasts. Unfortunately I was a little disappointed when it came to the end because there were still secrets that Rian was keeping.
SALVATION picks up where RESOLVE leaves off with Catherine hurting from the betrayal she she believes Rian has committed with Isabel. Rian stays away letting Catherine meet with her childhood friend to hoping she will pick him. When he returns Catherine won't see him while she is staying at Pelham a neighboring estate owned by Felicity's parents. Catherine finally decides it's time to talk to Rian about what happened so she goes to Oakhaven while Rian is there alone and they end up making love and getting married and all is well until an invitation for a ball to be held in their honor by his former mistress Isabel. Isabel of course has other plans that only she, her man, and Catherine's attacker know about, that take place during the ball and the reason for it in the first place. Isabel unfortunately doesn't know how perverted the man who attacked Catherine is and thinking that once she is out of the way Rian will come back to Isabel. The plan is set and executed.
I kept waiting for the new secret that Rian was keeping from everyone to be revealed, but it wasn't, only his promise to himself to tell her everything later and keep no more secrets from her. This last part of the trilogy seemed to be a little predictable to me, but overall it is a good series.
"I will not be a wife in name only."
Rian Connor's proposal of marriage should have been the
happiest moment of Catherine Davenport's life. He is her
savior, her tutor in the ways of flirtation, the man she
wants for her lover. But two impediments bar the way: the
vicious assault that may have ruined her ability to enjoy
any man's touch; and the vindictive woman who will stop at
nothing to regain Rian's affection.
"There can be no turning back once you have given
yourself to me."
One exquisite night of completely mutual pleasure proves to
Catherine that with Rian, the physical side of their union
will bring only joy. But even her new husband cannot
protect
her from the diabolical scheming of his former mistress.
Delivered into the hands of the madman who once delighted
in
tormenting her, Catherine is swept back to the place where
it all began. And this time, the price could be her future
with the man she is finally free to love . . .
Rian looked at the almost full bottle of brandy he had
carried with him to his bed chamber and seriously
considered finishing it off, but the numbing effect would
be a temporary salve at best. With a sigh he set the bottle
on the dresser and began undressing, cursing his own
stupidity as he did so. What on earth had possessed him to
ask Catherine to marry him? Not that he didnβt want to wed
her, but the informality of his manner made the offer seemβ¦
disreputable, somehow.
What had he been thinking?
He hadnβt and that was the problem. Heβd simply blurted out
what he was feeling, which was his desire to spend the rest
of his life with her. Rian had only ever proposed once
before, and that had been a lifetime ago when youthful
exuberance could easily be excused for a breach of
etiquette. But he had no such excuse now. He was a grown
man who really ought to know how to propose marriage to a
woman without it sounding so off-the-cuff.
Iβm thinking about making an offer for that rather fine
stallion Lord Wobbleychops is willing to part with, and if
you have no other pressing engagement would you consent to
be my wife afterwards?
The problem was he couldnβt think clearly when he was
around Catherine.
The problem was he loved Catherine.
The problem was he was in love with Catherine.
But none of that made any difference now. Her reaction had
spoken volumes, shattering any hope he may have held of
sharing a life with her. The sudden awkwardness that rose
between them, and the fact that she refused to look at him,
could not have made her answer more clear.
Her request that he ask again in the morning was an obvious
ploy. It would give her time to fabricate a refusal that
would not cut him to the quick. One that would spare his
pride. Although she was, most likely, hoping he had enough
brains not to ask again.
βDamn it all to hell, but youβre an absolute ass!β he
declared, berating his reflection in the mirror.
He was behaving like a lovesick swain when he was older
than Catherine by a decade at least, and ought to know
better. Well, he had told himself that if she wanted no
part of him then, he would hear it from her own lips, and
Liam could not fault him for his listening skills this
time.
In the morning he would tell Catherine that it was not too
late for a future with Lord Edward Barclay. It didnβt
matter that she was not in love with him. The young man
with the fiery red hair was still in love with her, and
that could be enough for both of them. She had admitted she
still cared for her childhood friend, and always would.
Marriages had been built on far less. And if anyone could
help the young man find the strength to stand up to his
formidable mother, it would be Catherine.
The decision made, Rian did his best to ignore the hollow
ache in his chest. The grief of loss was already starting
to suffuse him. Turning around, he gasped, the breath
caught in his throat as Catherine took a step toward him.
© 2003-2026