Colin Thorne finds his way out of a London workhouse but at the cost of losing his two younger brothers. With an uncertain future ahead of him, Colin makes seafaring his life until the inexorable pull of revenge draws him back to London. The debt owed to him by the Earl of Weybourne will be paid.
Weybourne Park has been Mercedes Leydon’s home her entire life. Now serving as the estate’s manager … estate’s manager and caretaker of her uncle’s two children, Mercedes knows the earl’s frequent absences are what make Weybourne Park a home.
But the earl’s gaming has taken its toll and she and her young cousins are faced with losing everything to a devil-of-a-stranger calling in a debt that can’t be paid.
Casting caution aside, Mercedes will make a new bargain with this devil. If it’s her soul he wants — or her body — she will give it to him and stake her own claim on his steadfast heart.
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This review is of “My Steadfast Heart”, book #1 of 3 in the “Thorne Brothers” series by Jo Goodman (a pseudonym used by Joanne Dobrzanski). Published by Zebra/Kensington (March 1997).
The book begins in London, 1820. Colin Thorne, 8 at the time who will grow up to become the hero of the book, watches his younger brothers Decker and Greyson get adopted while he is not. (The boys became orphans after their parents were killed by highwaymen). Colin is later adopted by an American ship’s captain.
Fast forward to 1841. Colin, now 29 and captain of his own ship, the Remington Mystic, is back in London. He receives a visit from Mercedes Leyden, the heroine of the book, who is trying to stop a duel between Colin and her uncle, Wallace Leyden, Earl of Weybourne, over a bet the earl lost to Colin. The duel never happens, however, as Weybourne doesn’t show.
As they spend time together, Mercedes and Colin become lovers and eventually marry. Multiple Leyden family secrets are revealed and Mercedes and Colin discover that they have a tragic connection to each other that neither knew about.
In the end, more secrets are revealed, Mercedes is able to put her personal demons to rest, and she and Colin have their Happily Ever After.
Upside: With “My Steadfast Heart”, Ms. Goodman has created a fascinating concept involving a man separated from his brothers as children, who, now that they are all adults, tries to find them. There’s a lot of places to go with this storyline.
The best part of the book, for me, is Colin. He is a good, honorable man, which can be surprising given all he has endured in his relatively young life.
Downside: Unfortunately, Ms. Goodman chose, with the first book in the series, to go to a place which is overly complicated and overly wordy. The book’s storylines go in so many different directions that it’s hard to tell what is going on, and more importantly, why I as a reader should care about any of it.The writing style Ms. Goodman uses here feels like she was asked to write a book to a word count and did her very best to meet it.
Although I liked Colin a lot, I didn’t have the same level of affection for Mercedes. Although I understood some of her behavior, I didn’t find her as likeable. She is also a woefully underdeveloped character, as are the supporting characters, who add nothing to the book at all.
Sex: The love scenes are good. They are not erotic nor graphic, but strike a good balance between love, sex, romance and the physical act of making love.
Violence: Assault, battery, stabbing, shooting and killing all take place during “My Steadfast Heart”. The violence is not graphic.
Bottom Line: There are some good elements in “My Steadfast Heart”, but the laborious writing style Ms. Goodman uses and the overall complexity of the story brings the grade down a bit. 2.57 stars.
Hero: Colin Thorne, 29. Golden-blonde hair, brown eyes. Captain, the Remington Mystic.
Heroine: Mercedes Leyden, 24. Dark brown hair, blue-gray eyes. Caretaker, Weybourne Park.
Location: London, England. Time frame: 19th Century.
Tropes: Historical Romance.Regency England Separated families. Ship’s Captain.