Historical Romance published by Sourcebooks Casablanca 06 Jun 23
This book seemed familiar as I started reading it, and, no wonder, because I subsequently found out that it’s a re-release of a book first published in 2014. Apparently, the title was changed from The Captive to The Captive Duke and the book got a new cover. Nevertheless, despite the lingering sense of familiarity, I enjoyed the reading, since the details of the story had been lost in the depths of my memory.
Captured by the French and tortured, the Duke of Mercia has survived against all odds. Now liberated by the defeat of Napoleon, the duke has returned home to England, a shell of the man who originally went to France. Upon returning, he finds that his wife and young son and heir died during his time away.
Barely scraping himself together, he receives a visit from his wife’s cousin, Gillian, reminding him that he still has a daughter who needs a father. His daughter has been struck dumb by all the misfortunes in her young life and needs to feel loved and a part of a family.
He returns to his family seat and, with Gillian’s help, starts healing. As Christian heals, he finds Gillian an inspiration and, of course, a source of comfort and love. This path to love is definitely not smooth and comes with a bit of danger and intrigue as well. Suddenly Gillian seems to have become accident prone and barely survives some of the accidents that have befallen her. Who is the target? Christian or Gillian?
As the intrigue grows more intense, the man Christian hates, his torturer in France, is in England now and an English peer to boot. How will Christian cope with his need for revenge balanced against his love for his daughter and Gillian? Read the book and find out….
Grade: B
Summary:
A breathtaking tale of a tortured hero and the woman who helps him to heal.
Captured and tortured by the French, Christian Severn, Duke of Mercia, lost his wife, his son, and his will to live. He struggles to find a way back to the world he once knew until Gillian, Countess of Windmere, pointedly reminds him that he has a daughter who still needs him.
As Christian and Gillian spend more and more time together trying to help Margaret, who was traumatized by her mother’s death, their attraction slowly begins to grow.
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