Can Captain Wyvern keep his new marriage of convenience all business--or will it turn into something more?
Captain Charles Wyvern owes a great debt to the man who saved his life--especially since Major Richardson lost his own life in the process. The best way to honor that hero's dying wish is for Wyvern to escort the man's grieving fiance and mother safely to a new cottage home by the sea. But along the way, he learns of another obligation that has fallen on his shoulders: his uncle has died and the captain is now the Earl of Rothwell.
When he and the ladies arrive at his new manor house in Devon, they discover an estate in need of a leader and a gaggle of girls, all wards of the former earl. War the new earl knows; young ladies and properties he does not. Still wishing to provide for the bereaved Lady Sophia Haverly, Charles proposes a marriage of convenience.
Sophie is surprised to find she isn't opposed to the idea. It will help her care for her betrothed's elderly mother, and she's already fallen in love with the wayward girls on the Rothwell estate. This alliance is a chance to repay the captain who has done so much for her care, as well as divert her attention from her grief. When Wyvern returns to his sea commission, she'll stay behind to oversee his property and wards.
It sounds so simple. Until the stalwart captain is arrested on suspicion of smuggling, and Sophie realizes how much he's come to mean to her. Now she'll have to learn to fight, not only for his freedom but also for his love.
My review:
My favorite genre' is Christian suspense, and I never thought I'd enjoy a Regency trilogy as much as I enjoyed these three books.....and I am a guy, so Regency Romances aren't exactly a guy's go-to for reading......but the first book sounded so good, I requested it to review and was hooked.
This last book in the series, The Indebted Earl, is possibly the best of the three in my opinion. As I was reading it, I had to feel a bit sorry for Charles, the hero of the story. I try to avoid spoilers, so I won't list all that befalls him, but it is a lot,. and it makes for a very interesting and entertaining read.
And lo and behold - there is some suspense! Slight spoiler: there is smuggling in the story, and it does not leave the hero and heroine unscathed. And there is a trio of young girls who definitely make the book more entertaining.
I truly did enjoy this book. As with the other books, the author created some great and likable characters, along with a perfect setting and plot. I am not a huge fan of books set in historical times, but she did a tremendous job of describing locations, people, traditions, the proper ways people had to do things, etc. I even learned a few new (to me) words. Google on your phone can be a handy tool when running across old unfamiliar words.
It was cool to see the change in the hero of the story: not just in what kind of man he was, but also how his priorities and what he wanted to do in life change. This IS a romance, so that played a lot into the story, and came to a cool conclusion....but the book was so much more than a romance, and was a very enjoyable read. I hope to read more of this author's books, and she ranks up there with my favorite Christian suspense authors.
I was provided a copy of this book for review purposes. All opinions in this review are my own.
Erica Vetsch is a New York Times best-selling and ACFW Carol Award–winning author. She is a transplanted Kansan now living in Minnesota with her husband, who she claims is both her total opposite and soul mate.
Vetsch loves Jesus, history, romance, and sports. When she’s not writing fiction, she’s planning her next trip to a history museum and cheering on her Kansas Jayhawks and New Zealand All Blacks.
A self-described history geek, she has been planning her first research trip to England.
Learn more about Erica Vetsch and her books at www.ericavetsch.com. She can also be found on Facebook (@EricaVetschAuthor), Instagram (@EricaVetsch) and Pinterest (Erica Vetsch).
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