Unexpectedly Wed to the Officer

When Sebastian Fortini returned home after years of serving in the Navy, he never expected to be accosted in his family’s bakery by the most beautiful woman he has ever seen! Nor was he prepared to learn that his mother and sister no longer resided there and that not only had his mother reconciled with her aristocratic family, but his sister was now a Countess!

Henrietta Gardiner has worked for Belle’s since she lost her previous position without a reference and Sebastian’s sister Anna took her in and trained her. She has worked hard and when Anna married, she was promoted to manager. Henrietta is a good person and a beautiful woman, who has unfortunately learned the hard way that her beauty isn’t always an asset and that most men cannot see past it to see the woman beneath and because of that, she has been hurt and no longer trusts men who sing praises to her looks. So, despite being attracted to Sebastian, she lumps him into that category of men and refuses his offers of friendship.

But when things get difficult with her brother and his sons, Sebastian steps in and proves he is a man worthy of her attention. He spends time with her nephews and even postpones visiting his mother to help her. Their friendship grows and trust begins to bloom, so much so that she agrees to travel with him to visit his family. And when he gets news that her brother boarded a ship for America, he offers marriage and she accepts. It seems like love is blossoming, but when her brother returns unexpectantly, will their burgeoning love survive, or will their own insecurities crush it?

This book was a great addition to the series, I just adored Sebastian and Henrietta, they are both likable and relatable, even though I sided more with Sebastian than Henrietta when her brother returned. Overall, this was a well-written, nicely paced story with a lot of emotion, great secondary characters, reunions, surprises, warm love scenes, and a heartwarming HEA with a glimpse into the next book. It is the second book in the series, but it can easily be read as a standalone title.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.*

Good book. We met Henrietta in the first book of the series, An Unconventional Countess, as the heroine’s assistant. Henrietta is a beautiful young woman who is also somewhat naïve when it comes to men, which gets her into trouble. At the beginning of this book, she has taken over running the biscuit shop now that Anna is married. After too many encounters with men who see her pretty face and shop girl status as a license to seduce, Henrietta has grown up quite a bit. Now she’s wary of anyone who tries to flatter or sweet-talk her and shuts them down hard. She’s become very good at protecting herself, which is a good thing when she hears a strange man in the bakery late one night.

Sebastian has been away with the navy for several years. Now that the war is over, there is no need for so many officers, and he finds himself adrift. After more than a year of no communication with his mother and sister, Sebastian decides to visit them at the bakery. Since he arrives late at night, he lets himself in with his key, planning to sleep in a chair until they awaken. Sebastian doesn’t understand what happened when a beautiful stranger attacks him with a door and a pair of fireplace tongs.

I loved that first meeting between Henrietta and Sebastian. The whole confrontation was amusing, especially once they figured out what was going on. I ached a bit for Sebastian, who was blindsided by all the changes in his family’s lives. I liked Henrietta’s sympathy for him and her willingness to help him, though that backfired a little the next morning. However, Sebastian is intrigued by Henrietta, and since he has friends he can visit, he decides to stick around a few days and see if he can get to know her better.

I liked the development of the relationship between Henrietta and Sebastian. She has a good head on her shoulders and manages the bakery very well. However, she also has a brother who recently lost his wife and drowned his grief in alcohol. This leaves Henrietta to pick up the slack with her three young nephews, leaving her feeling somewhat overwhelmed. I loved how Sebastian stepped in and helped her take care of the boys. There are some great scenes with them and Sebastian, who connects with the boys very quickly. I loved watching all five spend time together. Sebastian finds a purpose for his days, Henrietta gets much-needed help, and both get to know each other.

I liked seeing Sebastian’s kindness and honorable nature ease Henrietta’s distrust. The more time they spend together, the more feelings grow between them. When Henrietta’s brother disappears, Sebastian invites her and the boys to go with him to visit his family. Both of them are a little unsure of what to expect, and I liked how they supported each other. I enjoyed following the steps leading up to their marriage, as it was easy to see how they felt about each other, even though neither realized it themselves. I loved their time at Gretna Green, where Sebastian once again showed his finest qualities.

Sebastian and Henrietta just start to recognize their feelings when an unexpected arrival throws their lives into turmoil. I wanted to shake Sebastian for being such a bone-headed idiot and hoped that he would quickly get over it. Meanwhile, Henrietta finds her old fears coming back and thinks that he regrets their marriage. I loved that it was a conversation with Henrietta’s oldest nephew that helped both Sebastian and young Peter get past their problems. I liked how the reunion between Sebastian and Henrietta gave them the chance to share their feelings and see their way to a future together. There was also an unexpected twist that affects that future. I hope to see more of them in the next book.

This was a most refreshing and welcome read – A gem among the many dark, intense, grim, and depressing books that seem to be releasing in abundance during this lockdown and COVID pandemic period. It is a delightfully well-written, romantic, well-plotted, and well-executed read. The characters are all wonderful – not a clinker in the lot of them. I am so very happy to have found and read this book!

In the first book of the series, An Unconventional Countess, we met and got to know Henrietta Gardiner a bit, and we also learned a little about Sebastian Fortini though we didn’t actually get to meet him. Anna Fortini, Sebastian’s sister, managed their family-owned bakeshop until she met and married her hero, Samuel. When Anna married and became a Countess, she made Henrietta the manager of the shop. I tell you this only to give you a tad of the background – but – you don’t need any of it. This book is part of a series, but it can totally stand alone.

Henrietta Gardiner is so grateful to have been made manager of Belle’s Biscuit Shop, the very best biscuit shop in Bath. She loves making the biscuits and she loves the new assistant, Nancy MacQueen, who is working with her. All is right with her world, except for her troubled brother, David, who has gone off the deep-end with drinking since he lost his wife. Henrietta does her best to help with her three young nephews, but she can’t be in two places at once. Henrietta is very, very leery of men. She doesn’t trust them and she has good reason to feel that way. In her experience, all men want to do is compliment her, flatter her, and seduce her without ever getting to know the real her. So, she discourages them, vehemently.

Sebastian is feeling rudderless at the moment – and suffering from a great deal of guilt. He’s rudderless because his naval career is at an end – it seems they don’t need as many officers without a war. He feels guilty because his father died shortly after he had joined the navy and he couldn’t get home to help his sister and his mother run the shop and deal with all of the issues involved. With his mother incapacitated, he knew everything fell on Anna – and couldn’t be there to help. Well, that is all changed now because he’s back to help run the shop. Won’t Anna and his mother be surprised! They haven’t been able to communicate in over a year – no letters at all – so they have no idea he’s even coming home.

After an arduous journey by stagecoach, Sebastian arrives at the bakery in the middle of the night. He knows his mother and sister are asleep, so he’ll just let himself in and then sleep in a chair until they awaken. He’ll be so excited to see their faces when they find him home! Except – when he steps inside, he starts tripping over things – so many things have moved – he’s making more noise than he wants, but … Then, as he approaches a door, it slams open and hits him in the face, and knocks him to the ground. There stands the most beautiful angel he’s ever seen – and she’s carrying tongs as a weapon – and … she’s NOT his sister. What is going on?

After a number of shocking (to Sebastian) revelations regarding his sister’s whereabouts and status – as well as his mother’s – Sebastian isn’t sure where his future currently lies. The termagant intrigues him and he has friends with whom he wants to visit, so he’ll delay his leaving for another few days. Wise move dude.

I loved seeing Henrietta learning to trust Sebastian – something that is so very hard for her. I also loved seeing Sebastian come to terms with his sister and his mother’s choices since he’d been gone – not to mention his growing regard for Henrietta. Both of these lovely people are just that – lovely. They are giving, caring, concerned for others, and so very supportive of each other. As I said earlier, this is a delightfully happy book and it was so very welcome in this time where most of the releases from authors I read seem to be filled with dark, grim, and intense things. Now, I cannot wait for the next book.

I definitely recommend the book and hope you will enjoy it as much as I did.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.