Gabriel Fairchild's valor during battle earns him the reputation of hero, but costs him both his sight and his hope for the future. Abandoned by the fiancée he adored, the man who once walked like a prince among London's elite secludes himself in his family's mansion, cursing his way through dark days and darker nights.

 

Prim nurse Samantha Wickersham arrives at Fairchild Park to find her new charge behaving more like a beast than a man. Determined to do her duty, she engages the arrogant earl in a battle of both wit and wills. Although he claims she doesn't possess an ounce of womanly softness, she can feel his heart racing at her slightest touch. As Samantha begins to let the light back into Gabriel's life and his heart, they both discover that some secrets -- and some pleasures -- are best explored in the dark ...

3.5 stars

This was a re-read for me, but I had completely forgotten most of the story. The beginning was slow for me, the pace picking up after the "war" started between Bannor, Willow, and Bannor's unruly brood. I didn't like Bannor much; he is a very passive hero, letting his passel of kids walk all over him, as well as disrespect his wife. He got what he deserved after Willow and the children form an alliance against him. I did like Willow and felt a lot of sympathy for her. All she wanted was someone to give a crap about her, but none of the adults in her life were there for her when she was a child, and Bannor wasn't exactly a knight in shining armor - at first at any rate.

I thought this aged rather well, and recommend it for a lazy afternoon read.

Seré una zopenca, pero, sinceramente, no me esperaba lo que fue que pasó llegando a más de la mitad.

Algo parecido se me dio con [b:A Rose in Winter|896625|A Rose in Winter|Kathleen E. Woodiwiss|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1327110426s/896625.jpg|589956], y con ése tardé una exageración de tiempo en darme cuenta de cuál era el quecosaquepasaquenosé (me da como vergüenzita admitirlo porque era bastante obvio.)

¯_(ツ)_/¯

(lo agrego ahora porque me acuerdo de casualidad de que lo había leído ya hace meses)

Some of this author's newer novels have been misses with me. Including this one. I liked the different setting (Morocco), but was pretty much it. I didn't particular care about Clarinda or Ash. I also didn't like the harem plot-line. I kept thinking I would get more into it, but instead thought, "is this over yet?" Too long, could have been condensed.

Series: Burke Brothers (Book 2)

Hell hath no fury like a bridegroom scorned...

 

Maximillian Burke has always prided himself on being the man every mother would want her daughter to marry. But after his scoundrel of a brother makes off with Max's bride, Max discovers it's more satisfying to be a rogue than the perfect gentleman. Forced to flee London after a duel gone wrong, he seeks refuge at Cadgwyck Manor on the lonely coast of Cornwall, a place as wild and savage as his current temper. The tumbledown manor comes complete with its own ghost but oddly enough, it's not the White Lady of Cadgwyck who haunts Max's heated dreams--but his no-nonsense housekeeper.

 

The last thing housekeeper Anne Spencer needs is a new master, especially one as brooding and gorgeous as the Earl of Dravenwood. Even as she schemes to be rid of her new employer, she finds herself irresistibly drawn into his strong, muscular arms. When Max vows to solve the mystery of Cadgwyck's ghost, he doesn't realize it will put both of their hearts at risk and tempt them to surrender to a pleasure as delicious as it is dangerous.

 

Fun book. Max has been running wild ever since his fiancee jilted him to marry his brother. He'd always been the good brother, but now he just doesn't care. When he finally goes a bit too far, he heads off to the furthest piece of property the family owns. All he wants is to be left alone to wallow in his misery. He arrives to find a manor in disrepair, rumors of a ghost that drives almost everyone away, the oddest group of staff he's ever seen, and a housekeeper he can't keep off his mind.

 

Anne and her coworkers have had the manor almost entirely to themselves for years, which suits them just fine. There's something at the manor that they have been searching for, and others just get in their way. Anne will do whatever she needs to in order to keep it that way. But the new owner doesn't scare easily, and it isn't long before she doesn't want him to leave.

 

Max wasn't very likable at the beginning. It had been a couple years since his fiancee had jilted him, but he was still feeling sorry for himself. He was drinking too much and doing stupid things, including the duel that was the final straw. I liked the fact that he knew getting away was the best thing for him, but his attitude was still bad. His arrival at Cadgwyck wasn't anything like he expected and it has soured his mood even more. But there's something about Anne that breaks through the wall of misery around his heart, and a mystery about the manor that gives him something else to think about.

 

It was fun to see the things that Anne and the others did to make Max's stay as miserable as possible, and how he refused to let it affect him. The confrontations between them had sparks flying that both were determined to resist; Max because she's a servant, and Anne because mistakes from her past keep her from believing she deserves any happiness. I loved Max's refusal to be driven away, and how the mystery intrigued him enough to want to solve it. I liked his determination not to be driven away, and how he started to like the craziness around him. Anne was a bit frustrated by his fascination with the "White Lady", especially when he also seemed taken with her. Their verbal battles were fun to see, but also showed that they were getting to know each other very well. I liked the protectiveness that Max developed and how he showed it. Anne also came to understand Max well, which led her to say the things she did when his brother came to visit. 

 

Things got a bit intense when a fire was set that could have killed them all. The results of that fire had some interesting consequences, involving a search on the rainswept moor, an illness and a night time visit with the "White Lady". What happened next was pretty intense. I had suspected the truth about the mystery of the "White Lady" and was happy to see that I was right. There was one twist that I didn't expect. I really liked the epilogue and seeing the changes that had happened. The surprise that Max brought home for Anne was the perfect ending.