Get past some weird grammatical references and this isn't bad (but not great either).
Danna is from Earth. She was born with the cool and awesome ability to be able to touch objects and get a history from them. Mainly, the individuals who owned those items. I really liked the descriptions of the "dreams-capes."
Cullon is a Korcian (male dominated military society) Enforcer who is assigned to help figure out who the murderer is. I found Cullon hard to like. I would have liked to see Danna and Cullon on a more equal footing. Too often it was about him "conquering" her, telling her what to do, etc.
The mystery was decent. I also liked the zero gravity sex scene.

A gathering of heroes from all romance genres who are dealing with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and not just PTSD born of war.

 

The more we as a culture acknowledge the impact of trauma, the more healing and seeking of healing is possible.

 

I perfer romance novels who depict PTSD as realistically as possible but all awareness raising of this condition is good. 

 

PTSD in Historical Romance is particularly interesting as the condition had no name until World War 1 when it was often called Shell Shock.  Here is a great piece on the history of PTSD. Elizabeth Hoyt's The Legend of the Four Soldiers series does a simply magnificent job detailing the nuances of the condition in her four heroes as they recover from captivity and war.  

 

PTSD in Contemporary Romance is more common as the United States has spent the last 20 years embroiled in various combat missions and veterans are more likely to get the help they need than in other eras. Our romance novels tend to reflect current issues. J.M. Madden's Embattled series is the most recent powerful exploration of this issue of war born PTSD in Contemporary Romance.  Kristen Ashley does wonderful work looking at PTSD from prison in Lady Luck. 

 

Paranormals Romance tends to take trauma in stride as if there is little aftermath, however, we do see PTSD dealt with from time to time. My most beloved hero, Lock, from The Mane Squeeze has PTSD. I adore his stress soother of toe playing and rocking. What a great Bear Shifter! 

3.5 stars. Started great and I loved the San Francisco historical setting. I also love the storyline of fake engagements turning into real love. The tension builds and relationship evolves into a deep passion, but about halfway the story starts to become overly predictable and the hero/heroine's relationship quit evolving forward. Although both were very interesting in their own right, as a couple they peaked too soon in the story so it felt like they were just going in circles around each other until the big-finish ending kicked things back into play. The end was a bit over-the-top and syrupy sweet, but there was a clever twist or two to enjoy. This was my first read by Patricia Waddell and I must say I enjoyed her writing style quite a bit. It just didn't 'wow' me. But it was a fun read. Overall, a really good historical set in 1886 San Francisco.

Just as Benjamin Exeter, the scandalous Viscount Rathbone, is returning home from a "visit" to a joyful widow, he spots Miss Prudence Tamhill, the virginal heiress without a single spot on her perfect reputation, standing alone (and drenched) at the exit of Green Park. Despite his reputation he's still a gentleman at the core, so he offers her assistance by escorting her back to her guardian's house...Assistance she seems to not want, hence sparking his curiosity.

He's so curious in fact, he cannot resist a kiss...or several of them, leaving the lady (and himself) in turmoil.

Prudence has no idea what to make of it all. For the past two years he's never paid any attention, now he invites her to dance and steals kisses (and more) in darkened gardens.

When she opens her eyes one night and finds him looming over her bed (only to win a bet by obtaining a ring she always wears), she's incensed, but only until he kisses her again. But their passion is a bit on the loud side and he's discovered.

Of course, her guardian and protocol demand they marry, despite the fact Prudence knows Rathbone doesn't love her. Will she be able to change his mind and philandering ways or is she destined to follow in her mother's footsteps to a love-less marriage?



What a lovely conclusion to the series. I've been waiting for Rathbone's story ever since I picked up the first book (He Said Yes). He is such a charming rascal that despite him being a total man-slut you cannot help but know there's much more under his rakish veneer.
And let me tell you, I wasn't wrong in my presumption. Once Ms. Waddell got to him, he turned out to be a wonderful character, proving once more the fact that rakes make for the best of husbands. It was charming watching him so bewildered by his reaction to Prudence (although in the previous book He Said Now - when Prudence was launched into Society - we could already glimpse that he isn't as indifferent as he would like the world to think). And when he discovered his true feelings for her and hadn't a bloody clue on how to proceed with telling her...Awww.

In comparison to him, Prudence seemed a little bland, despite the author trying to give her a greater purpose with her quest. The quest, which in my opinion offered no further development of her character (we already knew she was stubborn), but added even more depth to Rathbone.

I was hoping for a little more strength in the conflict between them, a little more effort from Prudence's part to make him realize his true feelings. In the end, despite being told many, many, many times by the author that Prudence loved him, Rathbone's feelings for her seemed much stronger, making Prudence's love for him appear only youthful infatuation or (I hate to say this) lust.

The ending (the resolution of Prudence's quest) was absolutely fantastic and almost prophetic if you've read the whole series and loved the interaction between the "lads" and the Duke of Morland as much as I did.

Despite Prudence's lukewarm presence, Rathbone is still a force to be reckoned with, resulting in this book being a definite keeper.

William Fitch Minstead, the sixth Earl of Ackerman, receives a shocking news that before going off to war he sired a daughter. To make matters worse, the person who's delivered the news, Miss Hilary Compton, thinks him a philandering scoundrel who has neglected the child--even though he never knew she existed, and she, of course, demands he takes responsibility.

Before determining what is to be done (and if the girl is really a Minstead), Fitch decides to travel to Nottingham and meet the tyke. One look at little Lizzie confirms his parentage and Fitch is determined to right the wrong he's unknowingly committed, but to Hilary's great surprise and Lizzie's delight, he proposes a surprising arrangement: he and Hilary would get married so Fitch can legaly adopt his daughter without having her suffer the ramifications of being a bastard.

Of course, the man makes it clear this would be a little more than the usual marriage of convenience. He expects Hilary to be his wife in every way...heir included.



This is another HR that veered straight off the usual (template) path. Yes, the premise is the same - man meets woman, they fall in love, they live happily ever after...But this book has a love child thrown into the mix. Although little Lizzie is utterly adorable, as all the book tykes should be, it does seem the author wrote her into the book only to make the lead couple meet...and to spill the big secret in the end, providing the required HEA.

Fitch is the least rakish of the four Duke of Morland's protegees, harboring a difficult past shaped by the Crimea War and its consequences. He's "content" with spending his nights drinking himself to oblivion, trying to bury the memories that plague him. He's prepared to do the same even after the marriage, but he didn't count with the fact his wife would be such a nosy little creature. Of course it didn't even cross his mind to tell her anything about the war or why he locks himself in his library to brood.

This "dark secret" adds depth to the story and to the two main characters. And it's because of this silent war between Fitch and Hilary, where he's adamant to push her away and she equally determined to uncover the cause of his brooding, the chasm it draws between them, almost destroying their trust and marriage, that makes this story so much more realistic than your average romance book.