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kaydombrowski's review against another edition
2.0
DNF I personally found the story too boring for my tastes. Maybe too polite?
blodeuedd's review
3.0
As always, a little OCD book reading order speech. Trust me, you can easily read this one without having read book 1 in the series. But if you want to do it right then yes read book 1 first, or read this one and then book 1.
Now on to the book. Devlin St. Just is the illegitimate son of a Duke and now by something he did (I will not tell you what) he has a new estate and a title to go with it. He is a soldier and he is still plagued by the war, battle wounds are hard to get over. Still what was there not to like about him, he was kind and that is the best quality in a man. The heroine Emmaline is a baker who lives near the estate. She has secrets and all she wants is to protect Winnie who is now Delin's responsibility. Since I guessed Emmaline's secret at once I had time to contemplate over her choices and I grew to understand her. I liked her because I knew what urged her on. Of course I wanted her to stop running and just live but I knew it was hard. But she deserved love.
This book is about Devlin taking on new responsibilities, how he becomes very fond of his young charge and how he falls in love. What I like about this book and book 1 is that when the man realizes that he is in love he will do anything. It is the woman who is troubled and not ready to be loved, or feels like she deserves to be loved. But the men are strong and do not care about status or power. Only love matters.
Worth mentioning are some horrible townspeople with their noses in the air, Devlin's halfbrother Valentine (book 3) and the Vicar who is courting Emmi. And I liked the Vicar, I hope he gets to live a bit and fall in love. I do hope he gets a book of his own too.
Conclusion:
A lovely book about how love truly conquers all.
Rating:
Nice
Now on to the book. Devlin St. Just is the illegitimate son of a Duke and now by something he did (I will not tell you what) he has a new estate and a title to go with it. He is a soldier and he is still plagued by the war, battle wounds are hard to get over. Still what was there not to like about him, he was kind and that is the best quality in a man. The heroine Emmaline is a baker who lives near the estate. She has secrets and all she wants is to protect Winnie who is now Delin's responsibility. Since I guessed Emmaline's secret at once I had time to contemplate over her choices and I grew to understand her. I liked her because I knew what urged her on. Of course I wanted her to stop running and just live but I knew it was hard. But she deserved love.
This book is about Devlin taking on new responsibilities, how he becomes very fond of his young charge and how he falls in love. What I like about this book and book 1 is that when the man realizes that he is in love he will do anything. It is the woman who is troubled and not ready to be loved, or feels like she deserves to be loved. But the men are strong and do not care about status or power. Only love matters.
Worth mentioning are some horrible townspeople with their noses in the air, Devlin's halfbrother Valentine (book 3) and the Vicar who is courting Emmi. And I liked the Vicar, I hope he gets to live a bit and fall in love. I do hope he gets a book of his own too.
Conclusion:
A lovely book about how love truly conquers all.
Rating:
Nice
sarahcars's review
4.0
I truly enjoyed this Burrowes - even after reading the entire series (plus the spinoffs), Devlin is a character that I remember. I really appreciate the way she writes about masculinity and love between brothers (and brothers in arms). He is a soldier, and she doesn't shy away from that and the bad shit that comes with it, but it's all sensitively handled imo.
twowhoodles's review
3.0
Quite a lot of fun - similar story and pacing to The Heir, but I liked these characters more. This is pretty much the definition of a comfort read for me!
jeneskra's review
2.5
This series keeps having titled men seduce their staff and yet still be the hero.
laurenjodi's review
2.0
The Soldier
2 Stars
Psychologically tormented from his experiences in the Napoleonic wars, Devlin St. Just, the oldest but illegitimate son of the Duke of Moreland, only wants to live a quiet life in the wilds of Yorkshire. So, when he is granted the rundown estate of Rosecroft, he travels there posthaste only to discover that it is already inhabited by an unruly 6 year old and her exquisite cousin - both of whom are about to make his life a lot less peaceful.
Devlin’s story has such wonderful potential. Unfortunately, it falls completely flat mainly due to the fact that Emmie is an excessively “woe-is-me” heroine and is constantly running hot and cold with Devlin. The reasons for her rejection of his suit are also convoluted and incomprehensible -
The tortured hero is usually my favorite trope in any romance genre. Dev has everything going for him in this regard, however, Burrowes’ overly descriptive writing makes it difficult to truly empathize with him as the endless details have the reader nodding off.
Burrowes’ tendency of detailing everything and anything in passage after passage means that nothing actually happens in the story - it is simply page after page of Emmie’s angst, Dev’s nightmares and Winnie’s antics. The result is a tediously long read.
Finally, the familial interactions, which made the first book so engaging, are all but missing from this installment. Dev’s family is relegated to one chapter and his relationship with his step brother-in-law is very strange.
Hoping that Val’s book is better as I already have it and the next two.
2 Stars
Psychologically tormented from his experiences in the Napoleonic wars, Devlin St. Just, the oldest but illegitimate son of the Duke of Moreland, only wants to live a quiet life in the wilds of Yorkshire. So, when he is granted the rundown estate of Rosecroft, he travels there posthaste only to discover that it is already inhabited by an unruly 6 year old and her exquisite cousin - both of whom are about to make his life a lot less peaceful.
Devlin’s story has such wonderful potential. Unfortunately, it falls completely flat mainly due to the fact that Emmie is an excessively “woe-is-me” heroine and is constantly running hot and cold with Devlin. The reasons for her rejection of his suit are also convoluted and incomprehensible -
Spoiler
The man is a bastard himself. Why would he care if she had a child out of wedlock?!The tortured hero is usually my favorite trope in any romance genre. Dev has everything going for him in this regard, however, Burrowes’ overly descriptive writing makes it difficult to truly empathize with him as the endless details have the reader nodding off.
Burrowes’ tendency of detailing everything and anything in passage after passage means that nothing actually happens in the story - it is simply page after page of Emmie’s angst, Dev’s nightmares and Winnie’s antics. The result is a tediously long read.
Finally, the familial interactions, which made the first book so engaging, are all but missing from this installment. Dev’s family is relegated to one chapter and his relationship with his step brother-in-law is very strange.
Hoping that Val’s book is better as I already have it and the next two.
kaodonnell98's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
patsycathcart's review
4.0
Lovely book with “surprise” ending that I figured out pretty early. Love Devlin St. Just and have wanted a hea for him. This was it, just took too long to get there. Would have liked an apologies.