On a moonless night, the half-Gypsy Stephen Ellingham accidentally kills Lord Faierfield. With her father not yet buried, Nicole Miles marries the man who killed him--without the king’s blessing and under the shadow of her family’s curse. Nicole doesn’t care whether her new husband believes the rumors that her womb is cursed, but Stephen has vowed to protect her younger brother, Alex. Rendered deaf when his mother boxed his ears, Alex has tried diversions over the years to keep people from realizing he's deaf. His efforts have backfired, though, and people believe he's mad, unfit to inherit his title or hold claim to the Faierfield lands. Stephen weds Nicole to make amends for accidentally killing her father and leaving her family vulnerable. He must protect Alex from their ambitious uncle, who plans to kill the young boy to claim the family's holdings.
Then the Battle of Blore Heath erupts, the first of many in the War of the Roses, and Stephen must face Nicole's uncle on the battlefield. The chaos of war is a perfect breeding place for treachery, and the uncle stages an incident that leads the king to declare Stephen a traitor. Only Nicole can help him, but she finds no evidence to prove his innocence, and it is, in the end, a matter of trust. It's fortunate that he has good armor, though this particular set of armor may lead to his death. AMAZON
What a really good book, with hidden depths. The main characters are really well written and easy to get drawn into. That even includes Nicole, who at first looks to be so hateful. Well, she really is to Stephen for sure, but those hidden depths come into play with her for sure. In the beginning the few times that she appears to soften, have to do with Alex. Alex is Nicole's little brother who she nicknamed Binnie. He's someone she loves so deeply and protects with everything that she has. Nicole and Stephen come from such different circumstances growing up. Stephen had a home of warmth and love from both of his parents.
Nicole lived with fear and much violence which erupted when her father wasn't present. Her mother was bitter and vindictive and still held a grudge against Stephen's family. The author managed to convey the emotions of the people in the story really well. Poor Alex went through so much and you could almost feel his frustrations and fear of never having a useful life. There was plenty of plots, action and things to be overcome in this story. There were also loving family members (especially Stephan's mother and father) and loyal friends. It was incredible how much Ulger Miles (the Uncle) gets away with. Even he marveled at times how luck just seemed to fall his way. This story kept things going with a good pacing of tension in it.
Did I mention the struggle between Stephen and Nicole? Well, played. They have a long ways to go and a short time to get there. A trust is being built but will it last? The romance was also enjoyable because Nicole wasn't about to be won easily. War is closing in on them and things get even worse.
The Epilogue was something I enjoyed and was glad it was added.
“I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.”
No comments:
Post a Comment