My review contains spoilers and they're mostly my thoughts as I went with the book...

Major Westhaven’s Unwilling Ward, book 2 in the Westhavens series by Emily Bascom, proved to be a major improvement from book 1. This had much more to offer to me; a sexy and broody war hero and a feisty little heroine who won’t give up on him, even when I was getting exasperated with him. It made the whole affair sweeter, and I enjoyed watching the stubborn oaf fall.

Major Westhaven’s Unwilling Ward is set in the early 1780s. Major Daniel Weshaven has seen it all, even though he’s only in his early 30s. He sure feels like an ancient man! He’s a war veteran, whose career ended swiftly after an injury, though failed to take his life, left him maimed. This harsh reality, apart from the fact that he’d lost many of his good friends and comrades including Robert Penvensey, made Daniel’s life unbearable. The truth that he’d always have to be without a leg hit him hard. Daniel didn’t know if he’d ever be able to keep the promises he made to Robert about his younger sister, Lilliana, before his death. He always wanted Daniel, whom he held on high esteem, to become Lilliana’s guardian. The Penvensey siblings were orphans and she’d be basically left all alone in the world if Robert’s not there for her. But a broken, angry and frustrated with life Daniel returned home and became a complete recluse. He was recuperating at his family estate Oakridge with only a few faithful servants like the old butler, John, in attendance. He didn’t want anyone to know about his weakened state. The prideful man in him wouldn’t let him, for you see, Daniel was battling not only the demon’s of war, but also the depression of being made to feel ‘less of a man’ due to its adverse affect on his body.

My review contains spoilers and they're mostly my thoughts as I went with the book...

I have been meaning to read Emily Bascom’s The Rogue’s Kiss, book 1 of the Westhavens series, for quite a while now. And now that I’ve read it, have to say I’m quite disappointed. If it wasn’t the writing style, it was the lead characters that drove me bonkers. I never quite connected with Christopher or Kit and Roisin, neither did I feel their attraction to one another.

The setting is in the early 1740s. Roisin, who recently lost her Earl of a father, is in London for a season that basically her mother wants much more than her. Roisin is not really Irish, though they’ve made a home there. Ireland is more her home than England. She loved spending time gallivanting around their big estate with her older brothers. And this, her mother can’t stand. She wants her daughter to have a season, grab a husband and become a true lady, once and for all. But Roisin... well, she’s headstrong and right now, sitting in this shabby old inn, she feels bored and miserable, while her ancient chaperone doses in the other room. So she makes a plan to escape and return to Ireland. Silly I’d say, but that’s how she meets this highwayman, Ewan MacHamilton, who accosts her hired carriage bounding through the lonely road in the middle of the night.