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scoutmomskf's review against another edition
4.0
Good second chance story with some interesting twists and turns. Rosamund fell in love with Warrick as a young girl. They ran away together but were caught by Rosamund's father who was furious at them. He had already promised Rosamund to Alan and had no intention of allowing a marriage with a second son who had no prospects. When Rosamund tried to resist, her father threatened Warrick's life if she didn't cooperate.
Three years later, Rosamund is married to Alan. They have no children and he is dying. He is desperate to have an heir to prevent his wastrel younger brother from inheriting. He has come up with the idea of having another man get her pregnant - and the man he has chosen is Warrick. Rosamund is horrified by the very thought.
Overall, I liked Rosamund. I thought that she was a bit naïve when she first fell for Warrick. She actually believed that her father would allow her to stay with Warrick, even though he had already made it plain that Warrick was unsuitable. I liked that she did what she had to do to save Warrick's life, even though it broke her heart. I also liked that she tried to be a good wife to Alan, even though she didn't love him. I loved her sense of honor that had her refusing to break her marriage vows by sleeping with Warrick. She is furious at having yet another man dictate the direction of her life. She undergoes some major changes as she attempts to seize control of her future.
I liked Warrick a lot. He is strong, honorable, and determined. I ached for him at the beginning as he dealt with the way that his father treated him. The defining moment of his young life was heartbreaking and affected his life for years to come. I thought it was interesting that both Alan and his brother Owen had summoned Warrick and offered him something he wanted - a chance for the land and respect he craves.
I enjoyed the rekindling of the relationship between Warrick and Rosamund. In spite of everything that had occurred in the past, their love for each other had never died. One of the reasons Rosamund is so horrified by Alan's plan is that she fears the feelings she has buried for so long will come out and destroy her. Though Warrick craves the chance to be with her again, he will not force the issue. I loved his protectiveness toward Rosamund and his determination to keep her safe from Owen. As they spent time together, Warrick lost some of the anger he had felt toward her and began to respect the strength she had developed to go on with her life. He was also determined that this time he would not take a chance on losing her again. Rosamund fought her feelings for Warrick. Besides the whole issue of Alan's desire for an heir, Rosamund has some fears of her own that make her reluctant to participate in his scheme. But as the threats from Owen grow stronger, her heart admits that it is only Warrick who makes her feel safe. I loved seeing them stand together to face the threat and how their confidence in their love gains them the life they want.
The threat posed by Owen was ongoing throughout the book. His evilness is made plain from the very beginning, making Alan's plan understandable. Though Rosamund initially believed she would be safe from him, she quickly learned otherwise. There were quite a few twists and turns as Owen attempts to gain the prize he wants and the others counteract them. Alan's determination to carry out his plan, in spite of Rosamund's objections, was very creepy at times. An unexpected twist regarding Alan's illness added more strain to an already difficult situation. The final confrontation between Warrick and Owen had an unexpected player with an unusual solution to the problem. I was on the edge of my seat as I wondered how it was going to end. The epilogue was a terrific wrap-up for the book as well as a lead-in for the next one. I am looking forward to getting the story behind the tension between Rhys and Lianna.
Three years later, Rosamund is married to Alan. They have no children and he is dying. He is desperate to have an heir to prevent his wastrel younger brother from inheriting. He has come up with the idea of having another man get her pregnant - and the man he has chosen is Warrick. Rosamund is horrified by the very thought.
Overall, I liked Rosamund. I thought that she was a bit naïve when she first fell for Warrick. She actually believed that her father would allow her to stay with Warrick, even though he had already made it plain that Warrick was unsuitable. I liked that she did what she had to do to save Warrick's life, even though it broke her heart. I also liked that she tried to be a good wife to Alan, even though she didn't love him. I loved her sense of honor that had her refusing to break her marriage vows by sleeping with Warrick. She is furious at having yet another man dictate the direction of her life. She undergoes some major changes as she attempts to seize control of her future.
I liked Warrick a lot. He is strong, honorable, and determined. I ached for him at the beginning as he dealt with the way that his father treated him. The defining moment of his young life was heartbreaking and affected his life for years to come. I thought it was interesting that both Alan and his brother Owen had summoned Warrick and offered him something he wanted - a chance for the land and respect he craves.
I enjoyed the rekindling of the relationship between Warrick and Rosamund. In spite of everything that had occurred in the past, their love for each other had never died. One of the reasons Rosamund is so horrified by Alan's plan is that she fears the feelings she has buried for so long will come out and destroy her. Though Warrick craves the chance to be with her again, he will not force the issue. I loved his protectiveness toward Rosamund and his determination to keep her safe from Owen. As they spent time together, Warrick lost some of the anger he had felt toward her and began to respect the strength she had developed to go on with her life. He was also determined that this time he would not take a chance on losing her again. Rosamund fought her feelings for Warrick. Besides the whole issue of Alan's desire for an heir, Rosamund has some fears of her own that make her reluctant to participate in his scheme. But as the threats from Owen grow stronger, her heart admits that it is only Warrick who makes her feel safe. I loved seeing them stand together to face the threat and how their confidence in their love gains them the life they want.
The threat posed by Owen was ongoing throughout the book. His evilness is made plain from the very beginning, making Alan's plan understandable. Though Rosamund initially believed she would be safe from him, she quickly learned otherwise. There were quite a few twists and turns as Owen attempts to gain the prize he wants and the others counteract them. Alan's determination to carry out his plan, in spite of Rosamund's objections, was very creepy at times. An unexpected twist regarding Alan's illness added more strain to an already difficult situation. The final confrontation between Warrick and Owen had an unexpected player with an unusual solution to the problem. I was on the edge of my seat as I wondered how it was going to end. The epilogue was a terrific wrap-up for the book as well as a lead-in for the next one. I am looking forward to getting the story behind the tension between Rhys and Lianna.
wildwolverine's review against another edition
3.0
You can tell it's a Willingham novel when she opens with a punch! Right away, you're dropped into the action, and the action is the heroine is being pressured by her dying husband to sleep with her former lover in order to beget an heir. What comes next is a roller coaster of will they or won't they with more horrible things being thrown at the couple to see if they can handle it. There's poison, murder, kidnapping, and quite a bit of sex. Since it's a romance novel, they obviously work it out, but it's fun going through the ups and downs and watching what's at stake.
I had a hard time understanding the heroine's reluctance to rekindle things with her ex. Everything was all set up in her favor, and her attitude was really the only roadblock. True, she was married, but she never wanted to be with her husband to begin with. She had his blessing to remarry her true love, and personally, that's enough of a green light for me.
Overall, Rosamund was wishy washy and easily the weakest point in the story. One of Willingham's pitfalls is that, while she creates very complex women who aren't afraid to be vulnerable, they're very passive at times. Rosamund fluctuates between taking charge of the manor and shying away from her responsibilities. Willingham kept telling me she was a brave woman and a force to be reckoned with, but I couldn't see it.
This book could've easily been 4 stars if Willingham spent more time setting the scene and showing versus telling. She does a lot of telling. That said, I still find her books enjoyable because I can never guess what's going to happen next, and I like that. Even though I said Rosamund annoyed me, she was still interesting as a weaker character. I recommend this book if you just want something to read through, not think too hard, but still be surprised. It's a fun read!
I had a hard time understanding the heroine's reluctance to rekindle things with her ex. Everything was all set up in her favor, and her attitude was really the only roadblock. True, she was married, but she never wanted to be with her husband to begin with. She had his blessing to remarry her true love, and personally, that's enough of a green light for me.
Overall, Rosamund was wishy washy and easily the weakest point in the story. One of Willingham's pitfalls is that, while she creates very complex women who aren't afraid to be vulnerable, they're very passive at times. Rosamund fluctuates between taking charge of the manor and shying away from her responsibilities. Willingham kept telling me she was a brave woman and a force to be reckoned with, but I couldn't see it.
This book could've easily been 4 stars if Willingham spent more time setting the scene and showing versus telling. She does a lot of telling. That said, I still find her books enjoyable because I can never guess what's going to happen next, and I like that. Even though I said Rosamund annoyed me, she was still interesting as a weaker character. I recommend this book if you just want something to read through, not think too hard, but still be surprised. It's a fun read!
readerbug2's review
3.0
You can tell it's a Willingham novel when she opens with a punch! Right away, you're dropped into the action, and the action is the heroine is being pressured by her dying husband to sleep with her former lover in order to beget an heir. What comes next is a roller coaster of will they or won't they with more horrible things being thrown at the couple to see if they can handle it. There's poison, murder, kidnapping, and quite a bit of sex. Since it's a romance novel, they obviously work it out, but it's fun going through the ups and downs and watching what's at stake.
I had a hard time understanding the heroine's reluctance to rekindle things with her ex. Everything was all set up in her favor, and her attitude was really the only roadblock. True, she was married, but she never wanted to be with her husband to begin with. She had his blessing to remarry her true love, and personally, that's enough of a green light for me.
Overall, Rosamund was wishy washy and easily the weakest point in the story. One of Willingham's pitfalls is that, while she creates very complex women who aren't afraid to be vulnerable, they're very passive at times. Rosamund fluctuates between taking charge of the manor and shying away from her responsibilities. Willingham kept telling me she was a brave woman and a force to be reckoned with, but I couldn't see it.
This book could've easily been 4 stars if Willingham spent more time setting the scene and showing versus telling. She does a lot of telling. That said, I still find her books enjoyable because I can never guess what's going to happen next, and I like that. Even though I said Rosamund annoyed me, she was still interesting as a weaker character. I recommend this book if you just want something to read through, not think too hard, but still be surprised. It's a fun read!
I had a hard time understanding the heroine's reluctance to rekindle things with her ex. Everything was all set up in her favor, and her attitude was really the only roadblock. True, she was married, but she never wanted to be with her husband to begin with. She had his blessing to remarry her true love, and personally, that's enough of a green light for me.
Overall, Rosamund was wishy washy and easily the weakest point in the story. One of Willingham's pitfalls is that, while she creates very complex women who aren't afraid to be vulnerable, they're very passive at times. Rosamund fluctuates between taking charge of the manor and shying away from her responsibilities. Willingham kept telling me she was a brave woman and a force to be reckoned with, but I couldn't see it.
This book could've easily been 4 stars if Willingham spent more time setting the scene and showing versus telling. She does a lot of telling. That said, I still find her books enjoyable because I can never guess what's going to happen next, and I like that. Even though I said Rosamund annoyed me, she was still interesting as a weaker character. I recommend this book if you just want something to read through, not think too hard, but still be surprised. It's a fun read!
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