An Enduring Love

An Enduring Love, by Wareeze Woodson, is a great romance with a mystery mixed in. Which makes it a fun read.

This is a tale about the faith in the deep passionate love two people once shared. After believing his wife deceased, Rebecca surprises her husband Rhys after arriving in England unexpectedly with their son from Latvia.

Then while they struggled to get to know each other again, an unexpected arrival threatened their future.

I really enjoyed the twist with a hidden treasure in the story and the fun of learning about how it was gained by Rebecca’s family.

I also enjoyed the trip into an unfamiliar location in any book I have read. It was truly enjoyable.

An Enduring Love is a great historical romance novel by Wareeze Woodson. I have recently become a fan of Wareeze Woodson and her books have made me a fan of historical romance which I wasn’t very keen on before.
I really enjoyed Rebecca and Rhys’ story. I have to say that for a while I was not a fan of Rhys at all. He really annoyed me with his reaction to Rebecca’s return and his pining for another woman. Thankfully he redeems himself and I loved him by the end of the book.
There is so much more than just a historical romance going on in this book. I really enjoyed the storyline that’s filled with drama, intrigue and danger. I was pulled into this story from the very beginning and was entertained right up to the very end.
I’m always a fan of children in books and young Johnnie is adorable. He’s such a little scene stealer.
This is a really great historical romance that I would definitely recommend to others.

Rebecca Balodis is a happy young woman who is married to Rhys Sudduth, they met in her native Latvia and married in one of their most revered and famous churches, however, only a few months later, Rhys receives word that his father is deathly ill and that he needs to return to England at his earliest convenience. He doesn’t want to leave his wife behind any more than she wants to be left there, however, her mother is also sick and needs her to stay, as a compromise, Rhys has booked both Rebecca and her mother onto a ship to England in a months time, where they will be reunited, as they both say their tearful goodbyes and watch each other as they part, they are torn with conflicting emotions and hope they will see each other soon, although, Rhys does not know that Rebecca is pregnant with his child because she knew if he did, that he would not leave her and would regret not seeing his father one last time.

As the weeks progress, the political turmoil in Latvia comes to a head and it is too dangerous for Rebecca to travel, even after her mother passes away, so over the next four years she survives and raises their child with the help of a serf belonging to a nobleman in the area. While Rebecca is counting down the days until she can return to her love, Rhys receives the news that Rebecca and her mother have died in the conflict, he is devastated and falls into a deep, dark pit of grief, he allows himself a week to wallow in this before he has to start to engage with the outside world again, this is easier said than done and so he has to bury his grief so far down in his heart that he also forgets the love he and Rebecca shared in the process.

As time moves on for Rhys and Rebecca, she is wondering why she never heard from Rhys and whether he still thinks of her, until one day, the nobleman who lives nearby makes his intentions towards her known, even though he is aware that she is married, this terrifies Rebecca and when she is offered help to leave Latvia with her son, she jumps on the chance, no matter what the danger is. As this is occurring Rhys has found a new life with a new woman and he has intentions of his own, however, this is well and truly disrupted when Rebecca turns up on his doorstep just as he is about to announce his engagement and to make matters worse, she has a young child she claims to be his, this hits him hard and fast, but not in the way either of them expect and he is barely polite as he interrogates her about the past four years and explains why her arrival is so awkward.

Rebecca is astounded by the reception she has received at Rhys’s hands and she is both outraged and filled with despair, but she hopes that she can turn the situation around once morning arrives and she has time to talk to Rhys, but will he accept this new and yet old future, or will too much time have passed for them to rekindle what he thought lost? This is a historical romance which will hit you hard and keep you hooked throughout the story as you are on tenterhooks to see whether their supposedly enduring love will be just that.

I found this historical romance both enjoyable and maddening. This book made me feel multiple emotions throughout, I could feel the passion Rhys and Rebecca at the beginning, fear, anger, and astonishment at the ending because I’m not sure I could as a woman do what Rebecca did after the way she was treated. This book is an emotional rollercoaster. Personally I had a difficult time fully getting into the book but it was brilliantly written with good visualizations. I definitely grew to truly like Rebecca’s character and admire her for her determination and continued ability to remain sweet and caring despite how she was being treated. The only downfall of this book was Ryhs character, for a romance novel his character does not fit what I typically gravitate towards but the writer did do a tremendous job of making me feel strong feelings of dislike to him if that’s what she was aiming for.

An Enduring Love is a romance novel, but there is so much more to it. If you like time period romances that have twists that make you feel for the characters, this is the book for you. Rebecca is a citizen of Latvia while Rhys Sudduth is the son of a politician in London. Rhys and Rebecca fall in love and get married. Not long after, a parent of each lies on their deathbed, so they must separate for family. However, due to unnatural circumstances, they are forced to live their lives separate for four years. Now, they suddenly reconnect, however, moving on was inevitable. Can they rekindle their love? Can they keep their family safe? There is so much more to this book than romance.

An Enduring Love by Wareeze Woodson
4 of 5 Stars
I found this historical romance both enjoyable and engaging and was hooked from start to finish. Rebecca Balodis has been born and raised in Latvia and marries an English diplomat Rhys Sudduth. Soon after they are married Rhys has to return to England as his father is dying, meanwhile Rebecca stays in Latvia but becomes trapped in the turmoil of the country. Rhys is informed of his wife’s death and four years later believing he is a widow is courting Susan, a young debutante. Planning to announce his betrothal at his sister’s ball, Rhys is shocked when Rebecca arrives along with his son, having escaped and travelled to London to find her husband. The storyline flowed well and had an intriguing plot with plenty of action that kept me happily turning the pages. I liked Rebecca and felt a connection with her but unfortunately I just could not warm to Rhys which made it difficult for me to feel totally immersed in their romance . The chemistry between Rebecca and Rhys didn’t really come across in the story for me, making their relationship a bit unrealistic. However, as always I enjoyed the period details that the author puts in her novels and her descriptive narrative really bought both the Latvia and England settings alive for me.

An Enduring Love by Wareeze Woodson is a historical romance of how time away from the one you love can change how you feel. Rebecca and Rhys met and married in Latvia when Rhys was there as a British diplomat. Soon after the wedding, Rhys travelled back to London because his father was very ill. Rebecca’s mother happened to be sick and Rebecca stayed in Latvia with the plan to join Rhys in a month. Unfortunately, Rebecca was being held in Latvia and did not make it to England. About this time Rhys was notified that Rebecca and her mother had passed away. What a horrible situation for both of them. Four years later, Rebecca gets a chance to leave Latvia with the help of her maid’s brother. When she finally reaches England and shows up at the door, Rhys is shocked and acts as though he is unhappy Rebecca is alive. This becomes very apparent to Rebecca and she feels like all the pain and trouble she had to go through to get to England was a complete waste.

Although this historical romance wasn’t exactly what I usually expect from Ms. Woodson, I did get sucked into Rebecca’s experience in Latvia and her troubled travels to get away. I was sad about Rhys’ reaction but can also understand that he thought Rebecca was dead and had grieved for her already. I’m not sure How I would feel in his place.

3 Stars

An Enduring Love by Wareeze Woodson is an historical romance packed full of so much drama and angst it gave me a headache reading it. I have to be honest here, this book frustrated me to death. It had so much potential. But Rhys ruined it lol…. I hated Rhys with a passion and just wanted to throttle home the whole way through the book. He was just such a jerk, so cruel to Rebecca- and quite unnecessarily so!! The push-pull gave me whiplash, and there was so much manufactured drama and contradictions that I really did have to force myself to keep reading.
I have enjoyed the other books of Ms. Woodson’s that I have read previously, so I was hoping the whole way through the story that Rhys would redeem himself- but in the end he didn’t, and the little he did do was too little too late.
I found the story hard to get into and couldn’t connect with the characters at all. I did feel sorry for Rebecca and all she went through- but I thought she could have done so much better than Rhys!
On to Wareeze Woodson’s next book. Stay tuned.

Thank you, Wareeze Woodson!

Rebecca Baldois marries Rhys Sudduth while he is in Latvia. Rhys needs to go home to London as his father is very ill. Rebecca stays behind to nurse her own mother then is to follow Rhys. Rebecca’s mother passes but she is not allowed to leave Latvia. A guard is watching her house at all times. Rhys gets news that Rebecca’s mother passes but that Rebecca did also.
Rhys is engulfed in grief, losing his father, losing his wife, and trying to be what his family needs. Four years later, the night he is to announce his betrothal to another woman, Rebecca walks back into his life, with his son. The emotions from Rebecca and Rhys, trying to find their way back to each other. A tragedy occurs and will it make them or break them?
This was a great story. I think sometimes I get lost in our technology. Reading a book like this reminds me of how it used to be. Looking for someone or trying to solve a crime? There is no computer, you must ride your horse and talk to many people. Hopefully you find a clue that leads you to where you need to be.

I love historical romances, and I love Wareeze Woodson’s writing. I spent much of the book angry with Rhys! How can this man be so obtuse?! Rebecca and Rhys had only been married a few months when they were separated through no fault of their own. Rhys believes Rebecca to be dead and is stunned to find out this isn’t true. It was a horrifying situation for them to be in. Overall, I loved the mystery and how it all came together in the end. But that Rhys!