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emmalb1984's review
4.0
“Secrets only have power because they’re secrets; things that have to be hidden.”
Sofia Northcott, Marchesa Di Cremona, escaped her abusive husband and has settled into a quiet life in London. Conall Everard, the newly inherited Viscount Taunton is hiding his financial worries and needs investment in his alpaca farm. Persuading Sofia to invest is one thing, but protecting her from a vengeful Giancarlo, Il Marchese Di Cremona is a task that puts everything Conall holds dear at risk.
What I really enjoy about Bronwyn Scott’s books is that she is not afraid to create characters who are unusual; in this case, Sofia who is divorced and trying to re-build her life. As an English woman with an Italian title, Sofia is different from the average Regency heroine right from the start of this book, and the fact that Conall is not exactly the typical Viscount in need of a wife sets them on an unusual course towards marriage.
Both Sofia and Conall are well created characters who have faced difficult times in the past. Once we meet Giancarlo, the reader can immediately see how Sofia would have suffered as his wife, and the courage it has taken her to break away from the marriage. Interestingly, although there is an attraction between Conall and Sofia from the outset, there is no hint of a marriage (convenient or otherwise), until Giancarlo poses a genuine threat, and it is this plot device that leads nicely into a story full of romance, heartache and tension, all building towards the inevitable showdown between Sofia and Giancarlo.
Giancarlo himself is an excellent villain who you cannot help but dislike once Sofia beings to explain the horrors of her life with him, and Conall is faced with quite a battle to break down Sofia’s mistrust of men and marriage as a result. As a reader, you really do root for Conall to change Sofia’s mind about the future, and hope for a happy ending which largely seems impossible due to the threats posed by Giancarlo.
An enjoyable read with good characters and an interesting plot line (the alpaca farm is definitely a new business venture for a historical novel), there is plenty of tension as the book progresses, and a satisfying conclusion to the tale.
As this is the first of the author’s new ‘Allied at the Altar’ series, it could be that we are likely to meet Conall and Sofia again in future books, and I look forward to reading the next instalment of this series.
Thanks to M&B for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Sofia Northcott, Marchesa Di Cremona, escaped her abusive husband and has settled into a quiet life in London. Conall Everard, the newly inherited Viscount Taunton is hiding his financial worries and needs investment in his alpaca farm. Persuading Sofia to invest is one thing, but protecting her from a vengeful Giancarlo, Il Marchese Di Cremona is a task that puts everything Conall holds dear at risk.
What I really enjoy about Bronwyn Scott’s books is that she is not afraid to create characters who are unusual; in this case, Sofia who is divorced and trying to re-build her life. As an English woman with an Italian title, Sofia is different from the average Regency heroine right from the start of this book, and the fact that Conall is not exactly the typical Viscount in need of a wife sets them on an unusual course towards marriage.
Both Sofia and Conall are well created characters who have faced difficult times in the past. Once we meet Giancarlo, the reader can immediately see how Sofia would have suffered as his wife, and the courage it has taken her to break away from the marriage. Interestingly, although there is an attraction between Conall and Sofia from the outset, there is no hint of a marriage (convenient or otherwise), until Giancarlo poses a genuine threat, and it is this plot device that leads nicely into a story full of romance, heartache and tension, all building towards the inevitable showdown between Sofia and Giancarlo.
Giancarlo himself is an excellent villain who you cannot help but dislike once Sofia beings to explain the horrors of her life with him, and Conall is faced with quite a battle to break down Sofia’s mistrust of men and marriage as a result. As a reader, you really do root for Conall to change Sofia’s mind about the future, and hope for a happy ending which largely seems impossible due to the threats posed by Giancarlo.
An enjoyable read with good characters and an interesting plot line (the alpaca farm is definitely a new business venture for a historical novel), there is plenty of tension as the book progresses, and a satisfying conclusion to the tale.
As this is the first of the author’s new ‘Allied at the Altar’ series, it could be that we are likely to meet Conall and Sofia again in future books, and I look forward to reading the next instalment of this series.
Thanks to M&B for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
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