"To love or not to love. That is the question.”
I swear Charlotte is a warrior woman, a lioness in her defence of Ewan Hoffstead, Duke of Donburrow.
Right from when they met, Ewan a terrified ten and Charlotte Undercross, a perceptive seven, Charlotte has defended and encouraged Ethan.
Even years later, when he turned his back on her she still loved him and wanted only the best for him.
Ewan cannot get past the terrible burden his despicable father lay on him. Taunted as being deformed, defined by his muteness as less, this words have been poisoned darts that have burrowed their way into the deepest corners of his psyche. Not only his father's angst and derision did Ewan have to endure, but the coldness of his mother and the same bullying as his father, inflicted on him by his brothers. His brothers have been brought up to disregard Ewan as the heir. It's only his uncle's pursuit of justice that has Ewan declared the rightful heir and Earl.
Now widowed, Charlotte the Countess of Portsmith hopes for one last time to convince Ewan that her love would be enough.
The story of Ewan's banishment is heart wrenching. Ewan's sense of abandonment that cemented the knowledge that he was 'wrong' governed his life. Unfortunately that emotional, gut wrenching response negated the real point that he was loved, just not by his parents or siblings. This love was evidenced in the way his uncle and aunt opened their arms and home to him when his father cast him off, their support for him over the years.
The challenges Charlotte faces to bring Ewan to an understanding that he is a complete person are difficult. But Charlotte is determined to give their relationship one last attempt before admitting defeat and throwing herself back onto the marriage market.
I must admit that spread liberally throughout the book is Ewan and Charlotte's physical pleasure in each other. But this is a Jess Michaels' book.
****
Comments
Post a Comment