Betrayed and forced into marriage, the Countess of Blackbourne will never forgive the husband who abandoned her. After eight long years away, the Earl of Blackbourne, Jude Sinclair returns to England with one purpose; to find his wife and end his farce of a marriage. Hardened and cynical from his self-imposed exile, he is shocked to experience a fierce attraction to the woman his wife has become. … become. But even that will not alter his plan to finally be free of her.
Clever and determined, Anna Locke is the successful owner of the finest Thoroughbred stables in Britain. Threatened by a blackmailer desperate to ensure Jude never learns the true circumstances of their marriage, Anna must choose between fighting against her husband or fighting for him.
With a past tangled in lies, Anna and Jude’s marriage becomes a battleground as passionate anger slides too easily into bold desire. Can they overcome mutual distrust to destroy a long-held secret before it destroys them?
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06/20/2021 I immediately was pulled into and could barely put down “Rogue Countess” (nook). When Jude left after their forced wedding, Anna learned to stand on her own. He eventually decides to return and end the marriage. Anna is filled with sadness, angst, heartache. After everything, they have a HEA. Whew!!!
I was surprised by how much I liked this story. The enemies-to-lovers trope is one I usually avoid because it seems they always break my heart, and because there are usually way too many negative emotions in these kinds of stories than I am comfortable with. But this beautifully woven, emotionally complex story hit all the right notes for me. I loved Anna from the beginning… she was the perfect mix of a confident woman who worked very hard to make a life for herself, but still the lost, hurt young woman scarred by the cruelties of her family and abandonment by her husband. It took me a while to warm up to Jude because I just don’t dig mean, self righteous people, but the more he questioned his preconceived notions about Anna, the more I fell for him. There was an underlying thread of intense (initially unconsummated) lust between these two, and while it was steamy and delicious it was there for more than lust’s sake. It was the tenuous connection that kept them together long enough to truly get to know each other. On Jude’s part especially, this allowed him to move from arrogant pain in the a**, to a growing respect and admiration for Anna, which turned to deeper feelings and had me rooting for them to get the Happily Ever After they deserved. Highly recommended.
A tragic misunderstanding separates this couple on their wedding day. When they meet again, the causes are given to the reader a bit at a time, and Sandas handled the ‘but why didn’t they just talk?’ really well.
A lovely tale. I felt their pain and was so happy when they got through it. And what a wonderful villain! So self-centred as to be incapable of seeing anyone’s point of view but his own, and convinced he is in the right.
I liked the suspense of when would she acknowledge her feelings.
Excellent read! This book kept me engaged & very interested. I loved both the characters, the sex was hot & it was a very enjoyable story. I can’t wait to read more of this author’s books.
Wonderful characters, inspiring heroine. A very enjoyable story. Ms Sandas is an excellent writer with a very unique story line. Looking forward to reading the rest of the books in the series.
To end a marriage
A forced marriage results in the groom disappearing after the wedding. Eight years later he returns for an annulment. The attraction he feels for her is unexpected. For her, the attraction to him was always there. Only the thought of losing each other will keep them together. I discovered a new author who wrote an awesome romance.
My first regency romance and it was pretty good- good enough for me to want to get the 2nd one in the series.
A story of a lady who was mistreated by her sister and father. I finished it quickly because it was interesting and I wanted to see what would happen next. good romance.