Lieutenant Lucien Jones, son of a viscount, returned from war, to find his wife and child dead. Blaming his father for the commission that sent him off to fight Boney’s forces, he was content to languish at London Hospital… until offered employment on the Marquess of Drake’s staff. Through his position, Lucien found purpose in life and is content to keep his past buried. Lady Eloise Yardley has … Yardley has loved Lucien since they were children. Having long ago given up on the dream of him, she married another. Years later, she is a young, lonely widow who does not fit in with the ton. When Lucien’s family enlists her aid to reunite father and son, she leaps at the opportunity to not only aid her former friend, but to also escape London.
Lucien doesn’t know what scheme Eloise has concocted, but knowing her as he does, when she pays a visit to his employer, he knows she’s up to something. The last thing he wants is the temptation that this new, older, mature Eloise presents; a tantalizing reminder of happier times and peace.
Yet Eloise is determined to win Lucien’s love once and for all…if only Lucien can set aside the pain of his past and risk all on a lady’s heart.
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I have yet to read a Christi Caldwell book that disappointed. She’s master at developing lovable characters and emotionally gripping prose. I know I will always be satisfied when I am done. This book was no exception. I adored every word.
This is the first book in the Lords of London Series. Lady Eloise has been searching for her childhood friend, Lucien Jones, who hid himself away when he returned from the war. Purposely estranged from his family, especially his father, he took a job as a butler after recovering from his injuries. Sadly he had lost part of an arm. Eloise, now a widow, was tasked with finding Lucien because his father was dying and his brothers hoped to have them reconcile before he passed. Just as importantly, Eloise had loved Lucien since they were children so she had a personal reason as well.
Lucien had become a hard, bitter man. He was angry that she found him, and wanted to be left alone in the miserable life he’d made for himself.
This is an emotionally intense story. The deep pain and loss they had both suffered was terrible. Each had responded in a vastly different way.
I enjoyed the book. The characters are genuine in their emotions. It’s well-written with a good storyline. I also listened to the book on Audible, but wasn’t too impressed with the narrator. Overall I would recommend the written over the audio versions.
I had to read this book after finishing FOREVER BETROTHED NEVER THE BRIDE. Lucien ‘Jones’ introduced in that book was waiting for death in a London Hospital, missing an arm due to injuries fighting Napoleon. Lady Emmaline never gives up and finally reaches him. Unknown to her and her husband, Lord Drake, Lucien Jonas is the youngest of 3 sons of Viscount Hereford. Lucien blames his father for buying him a commission and leaving his young wife. While at war, she dies of a fever as well as the little son he never saw. Racked with grief, he vows to cut off not only his father, but his 2 brothers and hides in service to his commanding officer, Lord Drake. Growing up with his brothers they also included their neighbor’s daughter, Eloise Gage, in their games. But a special bond began between Ellie and Lucien when she first punched him and he taught her the proper way to defend herself. Best of friends, she assumed they would marry some day until the new vicar came with his lovely daughter, Sara. That was the day Lucien fell in love and forgot his best friend. But Ellie never did, in spite of the fact she did marry Colin, Earl of Sherborne. Their marriage was based on friendship and respect until he died at 29. Now a widow for 5 years, she tries to find Lucien since his father is dying. What ensues is the slow appeal of Ellie to the now hardened and gruff man she hardly recognizes. His anger and grief are making him an unfeeling bitter man. Ellie time after time tries to convince him that this attitude will not bring back his lost family or missing limb. Finally she takes the one step that Lucien will consider a betrayal – she approaches Lady Em with the truth and Lord Drake orders him to leave for a 3 week period – hopefully to reconcile with his family. Through all of this, Ellie never waivers in her love for her friend even though she knows that love will never be returned. She herself has experienced great loss in not only losing her best friend, but her father and husband. The difference is Ellie never allowed the hardships and difficulties of life to change her spirit. Can she convince Lucien to do the same and reclaim the life to which he was born? Enchanting story of an everlasting love, tragedies of war, forgiveness and peace. Wonderful story!
This was a very clean romance with no sex scenes, but maybe that’s what it needed to spice it up. This book/story left a lot to be desired. There was the long suffering Eloise who loved Lucien all her life. Then there was Lucien, the “damaged” male who never saw Eloise as anything but a friend. The whole book played to Lucien’s great love for his dead wife & son but at the end he realized he loved Eloise all his life? Lame! And then the story just ended. I felt the main characters finally fell in love with each other then BAM! it ended. I did not care for this book.
I’ll read anything by Caldwell!
This really touched my soul. The way this story was written with such emotion, such feeling it was easy to identify with the characters. The main characters, Lady Eloise and Lord Lucien, are wonderful. They are realistic and down-to-earth. They have experienced a joyful childhood, an unending friendship, marriage and death. Eloise experienced death in her life by her father dying, then her husband, then her dear friend, Lucien’s wife and his child. Lucien went to war. It tainted his life with the deaths of his fellow soldiers. When he returns from battle, he finds his wife and son gone. Broken and feeling alone he blames his father and retreats into himself. He lives a life of servitude, determined to put everything in his past behind him. And yet his demons haunt him until years later Eloise returns into his life and forces him to face everything he despised. This is an unusual romance filled with so much feeling it was hard to put the book down. I really enjoyed reading this and highly recommend it.
You can’t go wrong with a Christi Caldwell book…they’re all GREAT!! Read this book in 2016.