Charles Wheatly, Duke of Murnane, accepts an unofficial fact-finding mission to the East India Company’s enclave in Canton, China, on behalf of the queen. He anticipates intrigue, international tensions, and an outlet for his grief over the death of his young son. He isn’t entirely surprised when he also encounters the troublesome offspring of his mentor, the Duke of Sudbury, but the profound … love he discovers for the determined young woman is unforeseen and untimely. Charles certainly doesn’t expect to also face his troubled marriage in such an exotic locale. The appearance of his estranged wife in the company of their enemy throws the entire enterprise into conflict, and tensions boil over when the woman he loves is put at risk by his wife’s scheming—and the beginnings of the First Opium War.
Zambak Hayden seethes with frustration. A woman her age has occupied the throne for over a year, yet the Duke of Sudbury’s line of succession still passes over her—his eldest—to land on a son with neither spine nor character. She follows her brother, the East India Company’s newest and least competent clerk, to Macau to protect him and to safeguard the family honor—if she also escapes the gossip and intrigues of London and the marriage mart, so much the better. She has no intention of being forced into some sort of dynastic marriage, and she may just refuse to marry at all. The greed and corruption she finds horrifies her, especially when her brother succumbs to the lure of opium. She determines to document the truth. When an old family friend arrives, she assumes her father sent him. She isn’t about to bend to his dictates nor give up her quest. Her traitorous heart, however, can’t stop yearning for a man she can’t have.
As an epic historical drama unfolds around them, both Charles and Zambak must come to terms with a love that neither expected.
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A Duke deep in melancholy from the loss of his son, an intelligent woman determined to prove she’s as capable as any man while trying to keep her brother from destroying the family name, a confrontation with an estranged spouse, a feisty landlady, Chinese unrest, and the start of the Opium War gives Charles Wheatley, Duke of Murnane, the story he so richly deserves. Be prepared to see, feel, and smell the drama and adventure as the talented Caroline Warfield gives the last of the Wheatley boys his happily ever after.
I love Zambak’s determination and strength in standing up for what she believes in, even when it gets her in trouble, and boy does she find trouble. Charles and the strength he shows despite the loss he’s suffered make my heart flutter. Though at times I wanted to yell at him to forget his sense of honor and think of himself first. But then that wouldn’t be the Charles I adore.
Thank you, Ms. Warfield for another well written, entertaining story!
Charles Wheatly, Duke of Murnane, accepts an unofficial fact-finding mission to the East India Company’s enclave in Canton, China, on behalf of the queen. He anticipates intrigue, international tensions, and an outlet for his grief over the death of his young son. He isn’t entirely surprised when he also encounters the troublesome offspring of his mentor, the Duke of Sudbury, but the profound love he discovers for the determined young woman, Zambak Hayden is unforeseen and untimely. Charles certainly doesn’t expect to also face his troubled marriage in such an exotic locale. The appearance of his estranged wife in the company of their enemy throws the entire enterprise into conflict, and tensions boil over when the woman he loves is put at risk by his wife’s scheming—and the beginnings of the First Opium War.
Zambak Hayden seethes with frustration. A woman her age has occupied the throne for over a year, yet the Duke of Sudbury’s line of succession still passes over her—his eldest—to land on a son with neither spine nor character. She follows her brother, the East India Company’s newest and least competent clerk, to Macau to protect him and to safeguard the family honour. She has no intention of being forced into some sort of dynastic marriage, and she may just refuse to marry at all. The greed and corruption she finds horrifies her, especially when her brother succumbs to the lure of opium. This is the third part of the trilogy & is as good if not better than the first two stories, whilst it could be read on its own I’d highly recommend reading the whole trilogy, you won’t be disappointed. A compelling extremely well written book that takes you through a gamut of emotions. The characters are so well portrayed they just about jump out of the page. The pace of the story flows effortlessly & caught me & held my attention from the first page. However it’s the descriptions of the places that raises this book above others you really feel that you are there. The book is very well researched & the author doesn’t overload you with fact but has, for me, an almost perfect mix of fact & fiction. This is a very fitting conclusion to the trilogy & definitely a keeper
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read
Oh! This book reached out, grabbed me by both ears and pulled me into this wonderful story that takes place just at the beginning of the first Opium War in the Pearl Delta area of China. I rarely read anything that doesn’t mostly take place in England, Scotland or Ireland, so I was a little hesitant about reading this. Well, I certainly shouldn’t have been – the author’s descriptions of the place, the tensions, and the people made me feel as if I were right there surrounded by those Chinese junks waiting to see what would happen next. One of the things that I thought was wonderful is that the author didn’t try to whitewash the English and their participation in the opium trade into China. She showed the terrible effects of opium on people and it’s near impossibility to get away from – and she did all of that without writing a dark story.
I absolutely adored both the hero and the heroine. One of the things I liked about the hero was that he wasn’t the tallest male in any room nor were his shoulders so wide that he filled a door as he walked through. He was a normal, everyday kind of person. Wow – imagine that! I also liked that he loved unashamedly – no denials, no angst, and no terrible dark secrets. How absolutely refreshing. Now, for the heroine – I loved her strength and determination. However – there is a very fine line between being strong and determined and being TSTL and this heroine was teetering right on the knife edge of that line. She was thoughtless on occasion – not considering how her actions could adversely affect someone else. She is presented as much smarter than that.
Zambak Hayden is the oldest child of the Duke of Sudbury. She chafes at the restraints placed on her by society just because she is a female. Why can’t she be the heir since she is the oldest child – instead it goes to her younger brother? Why can’t she be included in the discussions on politics and strategy, etc. – after all it fascinates her and she is better at it than anybody else. There is a woman on the throne, so why can’t women have more prominent roles in society? Why is her only option to marry and become an irrelevant broodmare?
Charles Wheatly, the Duke of Murnane, has spent the last year in deep mourning for his son. He’s still mourning and he needs something to do to pull him out of his fugue. When his uncle, the Earl of Chadburn and his mentor, the Duke of Sudbury deliver a missive to him – from Queen Victoria – he cannot refuse the mission that it contains. He must go to Macao, China and gather information on the rising tensions between the Chinese and the English over the opium trade. Opium is totally illegal in China, yet the English keep filling the Chinese ports with opium and addicting the Chinese population. The Chinese pay for the opium with silver – and then the English use that silver to pay for Chinese tea. For the English, it is all about the tea and the Chinese be-damned. The Chinese government is starting to make noises about taking firm action to cut out the opium trade and Charles must investigate for the Queen to see where things really stand.
It really turns out that his mission is threefold.
• First, of course, is the Queen’s mission.
• Second is to find and keep safe the Duke of Sudbury’s two children. Sudbury’s son and heir, Thorn, became addicted to laudanum when it was given to him as a painkiller after a very serious accident. He can’t shake it and has taken a ship to Macao, China – supposedly to work for the East India Company, but it is really for the access to opium. Zambak knew what Thorn was doing and dressed as a male and snuck aboard the same ship.
• The third is added after Charles is underway to China. He discovers that his wayward wife, Julia, is in the area. It is his intention to find her and drag her back to England and divorce her. She left him after a few months and has whored herself out all over the continent for the last twelve years. He hasn’t dealt with her before now, because he didn’t want his son Jonny to go through the scandal of a divorce because Jonny had a congenital heart condition. However, Jonny died a year ago and his mother didn’t even come to see him or to attend his funeral. “The woman who deserted her son for a lover, who found Jonny’s illness disgusting.”
At first Charles and Zambak are at odds with each other because she believes that Charles is there because her father sent him to spy on her and to take her back to England. As they come into contact more and more, they become attracted to each other. It was nice to see that they fell in love slowly and each knew that they couldn’t do anything about it because of Charles’ marriage. No, there is no adultery (other than Julia’s) – so if adultery is one of your trigger points, know that you are safe with this one. They do get their HEA, but it isn’t in the way you think it might be.
The tensions are palpable, the danger will make your heart beat faster and the love that grows between Zambak and Charles is lovely. I highly recommend this wonderful book!
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“I requested and received this e-book at no cost to me and volunteered to read it; my review is my honest opinion and given without any influence by the author or publisher.”
I liked the whole series. Great read. The entire series kept me up way too late.
Excellent Historical Background.
Charles Wheatley, Duke of Murname has a mission. So does the wilful and brilliant daughter of the Duke of Sudbury, Lady Zambak Hayden. If they want to get out of China alive they need to join forces.
Set in the early years of Queen Victoria’s reign, Zambak and Charles’ love story is played out in China during the first year of the Opium Wars. The author took me to places I never knew I wanted to visit. I loved every moment of this well-researched, fascinating book.
There is so much to say about this book that grabbed my heart and did not let go until the end. All of the reasons I love historical romance were found in this story that was rich in history and took me to a place not often visited, China in 1838. Charles Wheatly, Duke of Murnane was summoned by the Queen to go on a fact finding mission to China, but unfortunately if was right in the middle of the opium wars that were devastating to so many. I was so happy to see Charles get his own story and so hoped that he could find happiness. Almost broken from the death of his young son he had not been able to contain his grief. So this gives him a purpose, not only his missive from the Queen but he is also going to help find Zambak Hayden and her brother, the children of his mentor, the Duke of Sudbury. But what he finds more so much more.
I loved both Charles and Zambak with each of them having their own troubles. Zambak is such a determined, strong soul that does everything she can to help her brother and others as the challenge of being in country she is not welcome. Charles is desperate to get out of China and bring her and her brother home safely. He has such a strong sense of honor and goodness that just melted my heart.
Caroline Warfield has such a gift for historical descriptions and strong dimensional characters, that I could picture the surroundings and see history in the making. With several twist and turns and many surprises, the journey to the end will keep you entertained and only wanting more from this author. Well done Caroline!!
We met Charles in the prequel to the Children of the Empire, then again in both of the series’ earlier books. Even though he was a secondary character he always commanded attention, much to do with the tragedy of a wrecked marriage and sickly son. I could hardly wait for his own story; and what a story it has turned out to be!
Bringing so much history of the opium war and the different customs of the Chinese to the story only compounded my enthusiasm for Charles and Zambaks’ story.
I loved Zambak’s character, a woman of my own heart, to want her independence but at the same time missing what she would lose in not finding a love match with children.
The backdrop of China with their customs and the war on opium was a stunning eye opener! Charles being caught up in the politics and the social implications made a fascinating read!
How many of us can relate to knowing someone who has been affected by the hideous effects of an opium extract. Opium has had heart breaking consequences in so many lives even though it is useful to alleviate extreme pain when used cautiously.
Let me assure you, there is so much more to the story than just the war on opium. The author sprinkles in humor, excellent subplots, interesting facts and loads of well developed characters!
I wish I could give it more than 5 stars! Charles and Zambak are my favorite Children of the Empire so far!!