About the Book
Daphne Blakemoor was perfectly happy living in her own secluded world for twelve years. She had everything she needed–loved ones, a true home, and time to indulge her imagination. But when ownership of the estate where she works as a housekeeper passes on, and the new marquis has an undeniable connection to her past, everything she’s come to rely upon is threatened.
William, Marquis of Chemsford’s main goal in life is to be the exact opposite of his father. Starting a new life in the peace and quiet of the country sounds perfect until his housekeeper turns his life upside down.
They’ve spent their lives hiding from the past. Can they find the courage to face their deepest wounds and, perhaps, find a new path for the future together?
Excerpt
She should have been prepared. After all, she’d had two months to imagine this moment, to brace herself for someone new to enter her life. In truth, she’d done little else besides imagine all the possible scenarios, each one worse than the last.
But she hadn’t imagined this.
Daphne Blakemoor stared at the man in front of her and blinked. Repeatedly. Quick, slow, one eyelid at a time, every variation she could think of because it was simply not possible that the man in front of her existed. At least, not for another twenty years or so.
The dark blond hair, straight nose, angled jawline, and deep-set blue eyes in an almost overly symmetrical face were all too familiar. She’d seen the younger version every day for the past thirteen years in the face of a boy on the cusp of becoming a man. At that moment, he was three rooms away, replacing the final section of chipped and scarred dado rail in the saloon.
Discreetly, she pinched her leg through her skirt. She tried to picture a pony standing next to the man, just to see if she was lost in her imagination.
Nothing changed the scene on the porch just outside the front door. The man was still there, his mouth pressed into a stern line while a pucker formed between drawn eyebrows.
She’d seen a similar look on Benedict’s face whenever something confused him. It wasn’t as direct as this man’s—or as disconcerting. In twenty years, though, who could say? The boy was going to look just like this. Well, without the expensively tailored clothing and probably boasting a few more muscles. He was going to be a laborer after all, not an aristocratic gentleman. The similarity was enough, though, that anyone would think this man was the boy’s father.
He wasn’t, though. Daphne knew. She’d been there.
And while there was a lot she’d forgotten—whether by accident or purpose—the face of the man who’d fathered her son wasn’t one of those things.
Review
This book would have to be my favourite of Kristi Ann Hunter’s novels that I’ve read so far. I’ve said from the beginning of this series that I love its premise, but I found myself a little disappointed with the way the story played out at the end of the previous book. Not so with this one.
The first thing I loved was how gradually the attraction developed between Daphne and William. Far from being instantly attracted to William, Daphne virtually goes into shock the first time she lays eyes on him (you’ll see why as soon as you begin reading), and William thinks his new housekeeper is rather an odd duck and wonders if he’s going to have to fire her. But time gradually alters those initial impressions and they begin to take a more accurate measure of each other’s character, and it’s only as their interactions increase that they begin to recognise that deeper feelings are developing.
The other big winner for me was that this story didn’t follow a predictable path at all. Given the number of secrets Daphne is trying to keep (secrets that have been kept with the best of intentions, but have now painted her into a corner), it would have been so easy for this story to go the clichéd route: heroine has secret, hero and heroine build relationship, all comes crashing down when hero discovers the secrets heroine has been keeping and his trust is broken. This story went much deeper than that, and my appreciation of William only grew with each passing chapter—particularly as those secrets began to come out—because he saw who Daphne was and what she needed. As determined as he became to court her affections, he was committed to doing so at her pace rather than his own.
Finally, this isn’t just a romance; this is a story of restoration for Daphne—one that has been over tens years in the making. If you also happen to love a rural Regency setting, then that’s just the icing on the cake. And historical romance lovers will devour every crumb.
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher. This has not influenced the content of my review, which is my honest and unbiased opinion.
Previous Books in the Series
About the Author
Kristi is the RITA® award winning author of Regency romance novels from a Christian worldview. Her books include the award winning Hawthorne House series as well as the newly published first stories of the Haven Manor series. Beyond writing, she is also speaker, teaching classes in writing as well as Biblical and spiritual topics. She has spoken to writers’ groups, schools, and young women’s groups at churches.
When she is not writing or interacting with her readers, Kristi spends time with her family and her church. A graduate of Georgia Tech with a computer science degree, she can also be found fiddling with her computer in her free time. A born lover of stories she is also an avid reader. From very young she dreamed of sharing her own stories with others and praises God daily that she gets to live that dream today.
Connect with Kristi: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest
Leave a Reply