He prayed this might never stop. This now, here in Spain with Alejandra in his arms. Severely wounded Captain Lucien Howard, Earl of Ross, had a boat waiting to take him home. If she remained in his company, the beautiful woman who had saved his life would be compromised. The harsh light of dawn would send each of them their different ways. Lucien thought of his family and his ancient … family and his ancient crumbling estate. He couldn’t stay in war-torn Spain. Yet neither could he stop his arms from tightening about Alejandra as he breathed her in…
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Good book, though it dragged a little in a few places. I did like the different perspective of the Napoleonic wars. Lucien was critically injured in a battle between the French and English during the war in Spain. Found by Alejandra, she took him back to her home to recover. It wasn’t a comfortable situation, as her father was the local guerilla leader and wasn’t especially pleased to have an English officer on his premises. There was a good bit of tension in this part as Alejandra worked on healing Lucien before her father decided what to do with him.
There was a connection between Alejandra and Lucien from the very beginning. Something about him called to her. She didn’t understand it, and she didn’t like it, but she couldn’t resist the pull. Years of war scarred her and made her cynical, but Lucien sparked a desire in her for something better. Lucien was fascinated by Alejandra’s strength and spirit.
I liked the development of their relationship. Alejandra was protective of Lucien as he healed, watchful and wary of getting too close. As Lucien healed, he became more intrigued by Alejandra and what made her the way she was. Lucien’s pride pushed him to regain his strength as quickly as possible, as he didn’t want to look weak to her. They grew closer over his healing time as they shared some of their painful pasts. The tension picked up when it was time for Lucien to return to England. There were some nail-biting moments on the journey to the coast as the danger was never far away. There was also an increase in the attraction between Lucien and Alejandra. I ached for them both as they realized that nothing could come of it, even as they gave in to the heat between them.
Four years later, Lucien hasn’t forgotten Alejandra. Though he had told her to contact him if she needed him, there had been nothing. Determined to find out what happened to her, Lucien used his connections only to discover that her home had been attacked with no survivors. It wasn’t until his signet ring showed up in an unexpected place that he began to suspect she might have survived, and he returned to Spain to look for her. Alejandra’s life after Lucien’s departure hadn’t been easy. Attempts to reach him failed, leaving her questioning her faith in anything. Her new life in Madrid was complicated by the continuing war and had some intriguing twists to it.
This section of the book was far more intense and maintained my interest more than the first half. From the moment that Lucien found her again, I was invested in seeing how they would achieve their happy ending. The intensity of their escape from Madrid had me on the edge of my seat. Lucien’s need to make sure she was safe was clear, as were his feelings for her. Alejandra was warier, especially of being a foreigner in Lucien’s world. I liked the scene where she was introduced to his friends, their wives, and Lucien’s sister. Their acceptance went a long way to easing her fears. The ending was good, with an unexpected twist that threatened their happy ever after. I loved Alejandra’s part in ending the threat, and Lucien’s support of how she did it.