Synopsis

A young widow. A gentle stable master. A secret that could change everything. Will Nora dare risk her heart?

The London Countryside, 1820

Eleanora Coventry comes from a life of title and privilege, but even that isn’t enough to prevent her from being wed at sixteen to a controlling and dismissive husband. So when she finds herself a widow at only twenty-seven, the idea of choosing her own path forward both thrills and terrifies her. She knows how to be a daughter and a wife and mother, but she has no idea how to be Eleanora.

She moves her son and daughter to her late husband’s country estate, where she meets Ridley, the young stable master. He is ruggedly handsome, but also kind, and Eleanora finds herself drawn to him. There is only one problem: Eleanora has a title, and Ridley does not.

Ridley Ellis has a way with horses. Even the most spirited stallions trust his soft voice and gentle touch. He has the same effect on people, and when he first lays eyes on Eleanora, he is smitten by her beauty. But he quickly discovers it will take more than soft words to gain her trust—Lord Coventry had been cruel to people and animals alike. But the closer he gets to Eleanora, the more he is willing to share his heart, and more importantly, his secret.

In a world where title and privilege mean everything, will Eleanora and Ridley risk it all to find happiness? Or will the shadows of their pasts destroy everything they hope to build together?

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Review

Reading a book such as this, set in the Regency era, makes me very glad I didn’t live in that time period! Women were treated like property and had no rights. That was the case for Nora. She was married to a much older man at 16, and it was not a happy marriage. He treated her like dirt and wasn’t happy with the one child that they had together. He basically forced her to accept his illegitimate daughter as her own. Now, this was actually a good thing for both Nora and the young lady because she had lost her mother, and Nora filled that role. It took time for them to create a bond, but it did happen.

The new baron, Nora’s son, is a spoiled brat. I am not sure of his age, but I assume 10-12. But his arrogance and attitude are more than one would expect for someone that young. It is also hard to know if he picked up these traits at boarding school or if his father poisoned him against his mother. Or possibly both. Luckily, Ridley is able to put him on the right path over time. Ridley is a positive influence in all of their lives. But he has a secret, one that can be sussed out before it is revealed, but it was still an interesting twist.

I enjoyed watching Nora and Ridley interact and restrain their attraction to one another as much as they could. This is the Regency era, so they had to be proper. While I suspected the ending, there were some events that could have thrown a monkey wrench into the blossoming relationship.

There are several nefarious characters that I wanted to chuck out a window. While I suspected some of it, I wasn’t sure how the situation would be resolved. In all of the instances, they were handled properly.

There are some obvious errors regarding the titling of the children. The illegitimate daughter would not be called Baroness unless her brother died and she became the heir. And then, because she is illegitimate, would she be recognized? But outside of some minor errors, the story was enjoyable.

We give this book 4 paws up.

About the Author

Julie Wright started her first book when she was fifteen. She’s written over a dozen books since then, is a Whitney Award winner, and feels she’s finally getting the hang of this writing gig. She enjoys speaking to writing groups, youth groups, and schools. She loves reading, eating writing, hiking, playing on the beach with her kids, and snuggling with her husband to watch movies. Julie’s favorite thing to do is watch her husband make dinner. She hates mayonnaise but has a healthy respect for ice cream.

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