Both wronged by their fathers . . . two damaged souls longing for love and salvation . . .Book 4 in the exciting new Soldiers and Soulmates series from bestselling author Alexa Aston has arrived. Read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited!Childhood sweethearts Desmond Bretton and Anna Browning defy their powerful fathers and elope to Gretna Green when Anna is told she will marry a viscount old enough to … she will marry a viscount old enough to be her grandfather. Caught before they cross the Scottish border, Dez is shipped off to the army, where he learns of Anna’s suicide. Though a dozen years pass, Dez still loves the girl who always held his heart.
Though everyone is told Anna died, her father places his daughter in a madhouse to punish her for her rebellious behavior. Anna retreats inside herself to a world of her own making in order to cling to her sanity. Dez, her lost love, is a huge part of that perfect world.
When Dez becomes the Earl of Torrington, he discovers Anna is still alive and with her cousin’s help, they free her from Gollingham Asylum. Dez knows the girl he loves still lingers within Anna and is determined to liberate her, as well as other women imprisoned at the madhouse.
Can Dez save the sanity of the woman he loves—or will Anna be lost to him forever?
Find the answer in bestselling author Alexa Aston’s fourth book of Soldiers and Soulmates, To Save a Love.
Each book in Soldiers and Soulmates is a standalone story that can be enjoyed out of order.
Soldiers and Soulmates
Book #1: To Heal an Earl
Book #2: To Tame a Rogue
Book #3: To Trust a Duke
Book #4: To Save a Love
Book #5: To Win a Widow
more
When Anna Browning is caught trying to elope she can’t imagine the punishment she will get. Her father is not one to be disobeyed.
After his twelve years in the army at war Desmond Bretton comes home to a very different home. His strict father who sent him away is dead along with his elder brother, so that makes him the new Earl of Torrington.
A neighbour who also recently came in to his title brings news that will turn his world upside down and gives him hope.
This is a very emotional story, more so when you realize that these things really happened. The power men had over the women was truely terrible.
Our poor heroine literally goes through Hell. Can she possibly recover fully??
Our hero is not about to let anyone suffer if he can stop it.
The characters are strong and incredibly brave. You will need the tissues and be prepared to read about the things that happened to the poor women in the asylum.
This is part of a series where each book can be read separately.
Very emotional story.
4 high
“It is by standing up for the rights of girls and women that we truly measure up as men.” ~ Desmond Tutu
A gripping historical romance that lead me through the horrific consequences of a daughter that disobeys her father.
It broke my heart and scared me. It is unbelievable what females suffered. Women had absolutely no choice in their future. None! Whew… thank you 20th century.
This was good. I loved:
*the romance.
*Dez.
*the HEA.
I would definitely read alone book by this author and recommend to historical romance lovers. FYI. This was not a clean romance.
Thanks to the publisher via Netgalley for ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Thanks goes to the publisher and Net-Galley for the complimentary copy of To Save a Love by Alexa Aston for the purpose of reading and reviewing prior to publication. My opinions are my own and no one has influenced them.
To Save a Love is a well-written Regency historical romance with compelling characters and a plot that will pull at your heartstrings. The pacing is excellent keeping me enmeshed from the first page to the last. Ms. Aston’s writing is emotional and brought me to tears.
Anna Browning’s character is amazing! Her experiences are heart wrenching and brought tears to my eyes on multiple occasions. Her indominable strength comes through in her ability to overcome her horrific adversities. Her love for the hero is unshakable and will not be denied.
Dez, the Earl of Torrington, is a fantastic hero. He is unwilling to accept defeat, whether on the battlefield or with his lady love. His patience with Anna is admirable and undaunting. His determination to dig deep to help Anna touched my soul.
The romance between Anna and Dez is sweet and based on their young love for each other at eighteen. While apart for almost twelve years, they each still possess an abundance of love for each other. The passion between them is poignant and long overdue.
If you enjoy Regency romance with deep emotions and a love that will not die, then you will love To Save a Love as much as I. The ending is so fulfilling and had me cheering. I’m so glad I have reacquainted myself with Ms. Aston’s writing. I highly recommend this book, along with her others. I look forward to reading her next novel. Happy reading!
Desmond Bretton and Anna Browning has always loved her, he plans to marry her one day. Anna’s father has plans to marries her to an ancient man a viscount old enough to be her grandfather who wants young bride to produce heirs. They make a made dash and run away to Gretna Green to marry. Their patents find them and punish them. Desmond is sent to the army and Anna is presumed dead. Many years later Desmond is the new Earl and Anna’s father has died and her family discovers her cruel father sent her to a madhouse to be committed as insane twelve years ago. I love the enchanting book a we see her rescued and Desmond’s love for her is quite powerful and emotional. I love how he set out to help other women. Anna doesn’t feel worthy and breaks your heart to see them apart after so many years. Desmond knows his heart and now he must convince her to take a chance on their love, to have a home and family they have been denied for so many years. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book.
One of the best books I’ve read in awhile.
As I read the first chapter, I almost had to stop because I feared what would happen to Anna and knew it would not pleasant. Two friends had grown up together and fallen in love along the way, but Desmond knew that he had to let Anna go because he was just a second son and she deserved so much more. But when he came home from school, her father was trying to marry her off to an old man for money and he could not let that happen.
What follows was almost painful to read. The treatment women were given in an asylum. Anna was put there by her father because she tried to run away and would not marry whom he wanted. “Anna knew she had been left in Hell.”
Twelve years later …. Dez returns to England due to inheriting the title since his sibling had perished. He had gotten news of Anna’s death years back, from suicide it seemed.
But Anna was alive and the journey began to help her return to herself after years of abuse.
Sadness, despair, true horror and losing herself into her on mind to survive, Anna broke my heart. But Dez was amazing and loved her so much.
Alexa Aston has such a gift with her pen to bring her stories alive to the point of feeling the emotions of the characters and visualizing the surroundings. This was a story of how much the human body and soul can take and survive with the healing power of love. I will not forget this one anytime soon.
This is not your sweet romance novel. But, I urge you to purchase this heart wrenching story because in the end, it will warm you to your toes. Talk about HEA – this has it in spades for many people!
I wish I knew if what went on in the Asylum was fictional or based on some truth. I am such a sucker for stories where they know they love each other as children and it grows when adults. The H/h had such awful father’s and punished their children because they choose their own paths. They are separated for 12 years and what the h goes through is so emotional. The love and caring the H has for her is amazing. He is so patient and knows exactly what she needs, if she doesn’t.
Many villains in this story to be sure, but also love and patience will shine through in many good people too. The last villain I wanted to know what the punishment was (no spoiler’s).
We have lovemaking, outside of marriage – heat level 2.5 out of 5 if that.
No cheating, no cliffhanger, HEA, romance, a tad of spice and a beautiful epilogue! I own 25 stories by this author and I recommend her and this story. (ljb)
To Save A Love by Alexa Aston is the fourth book in the Soldiers and Soulmates series. Desmond Bretton had been in love with Anne Browning since they were children. He arrives home from his final year at Eton to discover that her father intends to betroth her to a man four times her age and as she and his twin sister, Dalinda, conspire to keep this from happening, Des comes upon the perfect solution: he will marry her himself. They conspire to run to Scotland to marry and as they are on their journey, they are caught by both of their fathers. Des’ father immediately purchases him a commission in the army and he was off. After several days of being held in her room, Anna’s mother comes to speak with her before she is wrestled away. He father puts about that she filled her pockets with rocks and walked into the lake, but the reality it that he had her committed to an insane asylum. Twelve years later, Des is home. His father and brother have both perished and he has assumed the title. Dalinda is married and has two sons and a dying husband. Anna is dead. Or so he believes. Through a series of lucky discoveries, Des determines the truth of Anna’s situation and endeavors to rescue her.
This is an amazing plot…and one that is all to true for the time. Fathers and husbands had total control over the females in their care and committing an errant female to a life of incarceration happened regularly. And it was not a pretty life. Anna’s twelve years were hell but many women were there longer and had weaker minds than Anna had. It took mere days of gentle kindness on the part of Des to bring her back to her reality. The descriptions of her time in the asylum were horrifying. So interesting. That a father would do this to his daughter… This was a wonderful book, so full of injustice, but so full of people willing to fight it. It was extremely descriptive and well worth reading. I highly recommend it. Good plot, good characters.
I received a free ARC of To Save A Love from Dragonblade, through Netgalley, in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions and interpretations contained herein are solely my own. #netgalley #tosavealove
A tragic love story of love lost but fortunately found once more, this novel touches one at a deep level as Desmond and Anna struggle to find the path to healing of their wounded souls. Childhood sweethearts are separated by their cruel and autocratic fathers and whilst Dez is grateful for his time and the camaraderie he has found in the military, Anna is not so fortunate. Upon inheriting the title of Earl of Torrington, Dez discovers that Anna has not died as reported by her late father, but has been hidden away in a lunatic asylum, where the conditions are both brutal and appalling. Together with Anna’s cousin, Dez finds a way to have Anna released, but that is just the beginning of the battle. Breaking through the mental fortress that Anna has built up within her mind takes time and understanding, but bit by bit he wins Anna’s trust. It is a sad commentary on the era that women could be treated so badly and declared insane without the necessary steps being taken to prove the validity of the diagnosis. However, the story does come to a happy conclusion, and justice is served. The plot is well written, emotional, and heart-rending and I found myself wiping my eyes more than once. I received a copy of this novel as a gift from NetGalley and this is my honest and voluntary review.
Emotional Story of Hope! 5 stars
It always touches me when I read stories about women who have been unjustly locked in asylums. The reason was that they had disobeyed their fathers, brothers or spouses. Here is the touching story of one of these women, her name is Anna. Locked up very young, she created an inner world in order to hope and survive. Alexa Aston really surprised me with enthralling novel ‘To Save a Love!. Ms. Aston has surely researched details about these women locked up by mistake. She painted the asylum, the treatment done to women. Some scenes are not always easy to follow and you might say ‘Oh, no ….’! Her characters are endearing and their story is touching and filled with emotions. You will never forget their story. This emotional journey really depicts the reality that women lived during those hard times.
The friend who will help her is Dez. When Anna was a young woman, her cruel and insane father wanted to force her to marry a man over 70 years old. Dez, who has always loved her since their childhood, proposes marriage to her, they elope only to be caught. Anna and Dez’s fathers are cruel, mean and very controlling. So they send Dez to the army and Anna to an asylum. She is thought to be dead! Twelve have past, Dez comes back from the army to discover that she is living in an asylum where she suffered cruelty and awful treatments to crush her moral, soul and body. He finally finds her and nurses her to health. He then tries to get her out of her inner world that she created in order to survive and not go crazy. Will he succeed? Will he ever get her out of her world? Will Anna come back from her turmoil? Can they love each other like old times? Will they have a chance at a better future?
“I received a complimentary copy of this book from Dradonblade Publishing Group and NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.”
This story has touched me like no others have. My heart is so full of emotions and although I know the story is fiction, unfortunately history has shown that patients in some madhouses were treated abominably and knowing that many of these patients didn’t even belong in one, makes it even worse. Alexa Aston has written a story that will break your heart and yet restore it with a love story that surpasses all others.
Des and Anna have loved each other since they were children and always knew they would marry but neither one of them ever expected what was to happen to rip them apart. Twelve years….twelve long and miserable years….Anna has spent in a madhouse, placed there by her father. While she’s there, Des is in the army, fighting for his country and mourning the loss of his beloved, having been told she was dead.
When he returns home, it’s to find out that she’s alive and is devastated to find out what she has been through. Be prepared to need some tissues when you read of the abuse, it’s more than heartbreaking. I loved Des’ character, what a strong hero he makes and does everything he can to free Anna, not only from that madhouse, but from her nightmares. I also loved Anna’s character, no matter how much she was tortured and restrained, she stayed strong and true to herself.
I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
To Save a Love
Soldiers and Soulmates Series #4
Alexa Aston
https://www.facebook.com/authoralexaaston/
Release date 06/18/2020
Publisher Dragonblade Publishing
Blurb :
Both wronged by their fathers . . . two damaged souls longing for love and salvation . . .
Childhood sweethearts Desmond Bretton and Anna Browning defy their powerful fathers and elope to Gretna Green when Anna is told she will marry a viscount old enough to be her grandfather. Caught before they cross the Scottish border, Dez is shipped off to the army, where he learns of Anna’s suicide. Though a dozen years pass, Dez still loves the girl who always held his heart.
Though everyone is told Anna died, her father places his daughter in a madhouse to punish her for her rebellious behavior. Anna retreats inside herself to a world of her own making in order to cling to her sanity. Dez, her lost love, is a huge part of that perfect world.
When Dez becomes the Earl of Torrington, he discovers Anna is still alive and with her cousin’s help, they free her from Gollingham Asylum. Dez knows the girl he loves still lingers within Anna and is determined to liberate her, as well as other women imprisoned at the madhouse.
Can Dez save the sanity of the woman he loves—or will Anna be lost to him forever?
My review :
When he comes to rescue her, will his love be enough to heal her soul …
Oh my!
The first part was so heartbreaking, and it angered me so much. How people could have been allowed to treat others this way. So many monsters were rooming this place at this time, even if I know there are still plenty now.
Desmond has had not an easy life, yet he was free of his moves, if not of his career. He made friends and while he witnessed horrors, he was still able to think for himself and choose his path.
What Anna faced for twelve years is just unthinkable, the ugliness of the place and the vileness of the supposed caretakers left me with the feelings of thousand of cockroaches crawling my skin. How she survived for so long, shows in itself her resilience and strength.
No one can come out from such abuses unscathed, yet she emerges from the limbos where she retreated and he has every right to hold her head high.
Anna and Dez tale is one of hurt and pain as their fates were put in the hands of vicious beings. But their love is so pure that nor time, nor distance erased it, it was the fuel in Anna’s mind, her love kept her from spiraling down.
And while the evils behind their predicaments and lost years will never be punished, the fact they are given a second chance is itself a kind of revenge, a nose-thumbing to the adversity they faced.
Yet this book is more than a romance, it is also a plea to the treatment of women over time, how they were often seen as less than nothing and easily discarded with no one to really fight to their wellbeing.
Mrs Alexa Aston paints a moving love story and an advocacy to the women’s rights, with Anna as a voice to all the abused and belittled and Dez as her hands as he helps her to stand up again.
5 stars
I was granted an advance copy by the publisher Dragonblade Publishing, here is my true and unbiased opinion.
https://www.facebook.com/429830134272830/posts/638197153436126/?d=n
If you follow Alexa Aston, you will know immediately that you will enjoy reading what she produces. To Save A Love is no different. The ups and downs that Des and Anna have are heart wrenching and unbelievable. They grew up together and fell in love but is was not meant to be. As they eloped to marry, they were found out and separated. Anna was sent to a madhouse and Des fought in the army for his country. But worse, Des was told Anna had died and for twelve years he believed what he was told. When he returns home, after his older brothers’ death, he discovers that Anna is alive. What a story Alexa Aston has given us to read and discover the truth of what happens to them.
What an incredible love story — Anna and Dez, perhaps, are the most deserving couple ever for a happy ever after. Their fathers are beyond cruel, and an attempted elopement is stopped short and the two separated. He goes off to war and she, sadly, to an insane asylum. He believes she has killed herself.
What I wish someone had done is talk to author Alexa Aston and say, this is a wonderful story — but 12 years? Twelve years in an insane asylum being tortured is so long a period, a recovery like Anna’s is just not believable. The author did explain how Anna would protect her mind, even as she was being mistreated, and described how she stayed strong. But even so, the story of how she returned to a better place did not ring true. What did work was the love story and the incredible kindness with which Dez treated his beloved. He loved her and would help her back to sanity. And in many ways, she saved herself with her resoluteness while imprisoned. Desmond Bretton and Anna Browning deserve every happiness. (I received an ARC from NetGalley. Opinions are mine.)