A Reluctant Courtship Book Review

The Daughters of Bainbridge House Series

Book Three

SUMMARY:  A woman without a prospect.  A man without a homeland.  Can love give them a future?

     Honore Bainbridge has been courted by two men, one of whom turned out to be a traitor, the other a murderer.  Banished to her family's country estate, where she will hopefully stay out of trouble, she finally meets the man she is sure is exactly right for her:  Lord Ashmoor.  Tall, dark, and handsome - what more could a girl ask for?

     But he too is under suspicion because of his American upbringing and accusations that he has helped French prisoners escape from Dartmoor Prison.  If he's to keep out of a British prison himself and secure his place in British society, Lord Ashmoor needs a wife beyond reproach - something the vexingly beautiful Honore certainly is not.  Though they find themselves drawn to each other, family obligations may conspire to keep them apart forever.

     For the sake of her heart, Honore determines to prove Ashmoor's innocence - even if doing so risks her own life.

     From the first sentence, award-winning author Laurie Alice Eakes thrusts you into high drama amid the rocky cliffs of Devonshire, England, and keeps you suspended there until the final page.

REVIEW:   This book did grab my attention from the very beginning, as stated above, and the ending is good, though my attention did waiver from time to time throughout the story.  I love Honore's character.  Even though she is basically shunned by royal society, the servants she grew up with and their families treated her well and respectfully.  She was determined to not let her banishment get her down but she was hurt when she was left out of many socials and gatherings.  Honore is a strong character and very well written. 

     Lord Ashmoor is another favorite.  He is determined to help his family and support them, even if that means he spends the rest of his life away from his homeland and in a society so foreign to his poor upbringing.  Ashmoor reaches out to Honore when others turn their back on her and treats her with respect, even after hearing about her poor choices in suitors. 

     Out of the three books in this series, this is my favorite.  Honore is determined to not let her circumstances get her down and rises above all the scrutiny.

This book was provided by Revell for review without compensation.

Laurie Alice Eakes is the author of Lady in the Mist, Heart's Safe Passage, Choices of the Heart, A Necessary Deception, and A Flight of Fancy which won the October 2012 Clash of the Titles Award, voted on by readers.  she won a National Readers Choice Award for Best Regency in 2007 for Family Guardian.  Laurie Alice writes full-time from her home in Texas, where she lives with her husband and sundry dogs and cats.  Visit www.lauriealiceeakes.com for more information.