January 29, 2021
Gaston's riveting Regency romance takes place far from the graceful ballrooms of the London ton as Lady Helene heads to Brussels to find her feckless brother David, who, eschewing his responsibilities as earl of Yarford, intends to witness the clash between Napoleon and Wellington. After searching taverns filled with drunken soldiers accompanied by her faithful family retainer, Wilson, Helene spots David and also sees her ex-fianc�, Rhys. Now a captain in his majesty's service, Rhys rescues David from what could have been a deadly beating and carries him to Helene's hotel. She has never forgotten Rhys, and he has no idea why she cancelled their wedding plans. Helene intends to take David home immediately, but Wilson falls ill, and other complications arise. RITA Award-winner Gaston dramatizes not only long-delayed passion but also a difficult sibling relation and respectful affection for an employee, while her thoroughly researched and vividly described depiction of the Battle of Waterloo and its aftermath makes this appealing for fans of both historical fiction and historical romance and a good read-alike for Mary Balogh's Only a Promise (2015).
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