This masked lord… Lord Jasper, younger son of a marquess, suffered horrible burns fighting in the Napoleonic Wars. He wears a mask to hide his face from the stares and screams and finds comfort in the shadows. Jasper is an exceptional bounty hunter, so when a woman summons him to her deathbed and asks him to find her runaway daughter before she passes away, he doesn’t refuse. Jasper is close to … refuse. Jasper is close to his quarry when he’s knifed by an assailant. Imagine his surprise when he regains consciousness in the arms of the woman he seeks. Except she’s not at all what he expected.
Is not the only one with scars.
On a remote cliff on the sea, Olivia Carlisle calls her five-year-old son in from an approaching storm. But the little boy is more interested in the man he’s found on the trail to their hidden cottage. Olivia fears men and wants nothing more than to leave the injured man where she found him. But his knife wound is severe, and with the approaching storm, she knows leaving him will condemn him to death. As Jasper begins to heal, Olivia acknowledges her attraction to him, even though such emotions terrify her almost as much as returning to London. Jasper must convince her that her only chance at safety is to challenge the man who pursues her. They must travel into the lion’s den—he to face his vulnerability and she to face her worst fears.
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A hero to die for and a heroine whose hand you want to hold until the end, when you stand up and cheer for her. So romantic and tender (yet also marvelously erotic at times). The little boy is adorable and vital to the plot. Content warning for some violence, including descriptions of sexual violence, but justice prevails in magnificent fashion. I am off to read the rest of this series ASAP.
FINALLY! Jasper’s story! Jasper was interesting and intriguing from the moment I met him in Third Son’s a Charm. I knew he needed a really special heroine and he certainly got her in Olivia. This book is excellently and intelligently written, well-plotted, and it has a lovely romance. The book title is also perfect – and often, that isn’t the case.
Jasper Grantham is the youngest son of the Marquess of Strathern. He had joined the military, as was expected of younger sons, and he was recruited into what was basically a suicide squad. They took on the missions nobody else could or would and they didn’t expect to survive the war. They started with thirty men and only a handful did actually survive. (Read Third Son’s A Charm for more of the history). Jasper survived but was very badly scarred. He now wears a mask to keep from terrifying the women and children who see him and think him a monster. He’s also filled with guilt because he could not save his friend as he was trying to do when he was injured. Each man in his military unit had a special skill and Jasper’s skill was finding things. It was just something he was born doing. Jasper is the most honorable, patient, considerate, kind and caring hero I’ve read in a while.
Olivia Carlisle, daughter of Viscount Richard Carlisle, has been in hiding for five years. She is the kind of heroine I love to read about. So many ‘strong and brave’ heroines are just shrewish and TSTL, but not Olivia. She has managed to survive and provide a home for her and her son. Can you imagine the strength and intelligence it would take for a very young woman, raised in the lap of luxury with everything done for her, to manage to survive on her own and to care for her son with almost no money at all? She learned to cook, clean, sew, grow a garden, care for a horse – you name it. Olivia’s one problem is that she is absolutely terrified of men and with good reason.
Jasper was hired by Viscount Carlisle to find his missing daughter because her mother was dying and she wanted to see Olivia before she died. Jasper had traced Olivia to the small village of Penbury on the coast. As he was ascending the steep trail to her remote cottage, he was stabbed and left for dead. It didn’t seem like a random attack, but who could it have been?
Olivia’s young son, Richard, comes running up to her shouting “Mama! Mama!” and when Olivia tried to get him inside before the storm started, he said, “But Mama, I found something.” He then held up a man’s boot. Olivia couldn’t imagine where that would have come from – and then Richard told her there had also been a man lying beside the boot. After he convinced her, she went with Richard and saw Jasper. Surely he was dead because there was so very much blood. She managed to summon the courage to get close enough to feel the vein in his neck and found a faint heartbeat. She knew he’d die if she left him here – but she couldn’t – she just couldn’t have him near her. She almost left him, but in the end, her humanity won out and she managed to drag him to her cottage and tend his wounds.
So starts a sweet, poignant love story. I loved watching them fall in love. I loved how understanding and patient Jasper was with Olivia’s fears and how quickly he took to Richard. I do have to say, though, that Jasper’s patience began to wear a little thin during the love scenes. I understand Olivia’s issues totally, but when Jasper keeps asking permission, time after time after time during the same scene to do something she’s already given permission for – well – instead of enjoying the read, I was thinking “Good Grief – just get on with it!” You’ll notice that I gave the book 5-stars, so obviously, this didn’t bother me overly much.
You know, early on, who the villain is. There is certainly no effort to make it a secret. He is a villain who acts like a villain and everybody knows it. He makes absolutely no pretense at being other than he is. To me, the even worse villain is the one who enables him. The one who hides behind a curtain of love and care. The main villain got his punishment, probably all that would have been available to dish out during that time, but I wished for more. To this blood-thirsty reviewer, I would have loved it if Jasper and his friends had had the villain kidnapped and shipped off to some Pasha in the East somewhere so that he would become a sex slave. Let the punishment fit the crime! I also wouldn’t have minded if his enabler had gone with him, but – well – I can see why that couldn’t happen.
I really loved the book! Jasper got his perfect mate! Way to go!
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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.”
Olivia Carlisle had run away from her home in London five years ago. She had thought she and her five year-old son Richard were relatively safe on the southern coast of England, until Richard found an injured man on the shore. Jasper Grantham had been looking for Olivia because her deathly ill mother wanted to see her daughter one more time. Jasper is not sure what to think: was he stabbed by Olivia’s enemy or was it coincidence?
Finally, Jasper’s story! I had been waiting so long for this book, and Jasper does not disappoint! He is caring, protective, loyal, but still doubts that a woman could love his scarred face. Olivia, fearful of all men, sees the goodness in him, and for the first time in ages, begins to see hope that some happiness might at last trickle her way. Olivia is very resourceful, has managed very well on her own, and she will fight even if she is scared, but I felt she misunderstood the impact of her decision to go back to London, and I wondered why she still trusted people who had not seem to have her best interests at heart even before she fled.
UNMASK ME IF YOU CAN is a beautiful romance, with some action – albeit more subdued than I expected. The steamy episodes are lovely, however I thought they happened at awkward moments, when I personally would not have had a single thought of sexual nature; I guess it’s a matter of perspective. This is not part of my rating, but I struggled with the Duke of Withernsea’s name: I kept reading Wintersea! Anyway, all the characters are carefully crafted, and although I had a pretty good idea of what would happen when Olivia reached London, we saw a bit of Jasper’s “working environment”, a better understanding of his way of doing things, and I think a glimpse of what to expect in future instalments: a mystery woman, and a handsome blond man …
I’ve read all The Survivors books by Ms. Galen and I have to say that Jasper’s story was my favorite. Jasper Grantham, the youngest son of the Marquess of Strathern, fought in the war and came home with terrible burns and scars to half his face. He wears a mask over his scars and only takes it off for his fellow soldiers at the Draven club. When he is hired by Viscount Carlisle to find his missing daughter, Jasper, nicknamed the bounty hunter, sets out to find Olivia Carlisle and bring her back to London so she can say goodbye to her mother who is gravely ill. What he doesn’t know is that he is being tracked because Duke Withernsea is obsessed and wants his betrothed back. Olivia ran away the night Withernsea raped her and she’s been hiding with her son for the past 5 years. She vows never to allow the duke near her or her son ever again.
I absolutely loved Jasper. He’s a war hero who carries so much guilt for not being able to save his friend in the war and one hardened by his experiences since then, Jasper shows remarkable patience and compassion when he finds Olivia and learns why she fled London 5 years ago. Olivia was also a likable heroine. She was a young girl violated by a monster of a man, and in the intervening years, learns how to take care of herself and her child. When Olivia finds Jasper wounded and near death close to her hideout, she wants to leave him to his own fate, but her compassion and humanity shines through and even though she has serious reservations about taking a man into her cottage, she nurses him back to health. Both of them carry wounds, some physical, some emotional, but it’s their sweet interactions and patience with each other and with Richard that helps each of them heal and trust again. Ms. Galen is a master in pulling the reader into their most innermost thoughts and their growing attraction to each other. Fans of regency romances will absolutely love this book.
Unmask Me If You Can is my favorite book in Shana Galen’s Survivor series. It’s an emotional story filled with fabulously written characters, great dialogue, romance and intrigue.
Jasper Grantham was a member of Draven’s dozen, an elite group of men who fought in the Peninsular War. Draven’s troop was given the most dangerous assignments. Jasper was badly burned when he ran back into a burning building to save a member of his troop. He wears a mask to cover the burns. Olivia Carlisle was betrothed to the powerful, violent Duke of Withernsea. Olivia disappeared from her home and society before they were married. Lord Carlisle has hired Jasper to find Olivia because her mother is dying.
Olivia’s son finds an injured Jasper on the path leading to their remote cottage. The couple forms a tenuous bond during a three- day rainstorm. They are attracted to each other but each has a lot of issues to overcome. Shana Galen made an excellent plot choice when she compared Jasper’s visible wounds versus Olivia’s emotional wounds throughout the novel. This decision drew me into the characters and their story and made for an excellent read.
The romance between Jasper and Olivia is fabulously written. Loved that Jasper understood that he could be loved for himself; a loyal, brave loving man. He realizes that his scars don’t define him. They are invisible to those who love him. Olivia learns to trust Jasper and is able to overcome her own fears. Loved the honest dialogue between the couple. Olivia is a survivor but, she falls back into the complacent daughter role when she returns home until Withersea shows his true colors. The last few chapters are suspenseful and kept me guessing. Loved the intrigue threaded throughout the novel and the unmasking of the villains in the story.
Unmask Me If You Can has all the feels—great characters, sizzling romance and suspenseful plot.
And the teaser about Draven was perfectly executed—I can’t wait for the next book in Shana Galen’s Survivor Series!
I knew the first time Jasper appeared in Third Son’s a Charm that his story would not disappoint. Jasper and Olivia are two people that have something horrible in their pasts that they need to overcome. Their passion and understanding of each other is rare and perfect. It was amazing how easily they seemed to click and light a spark between them. The whole time they were together in that cottage was like a fairytale. When they got to London it was another creature. Certain peoples lies and plans were at work to keep them apart. I was holding my breath at so many points with kidnappings, schemes, and the prince regent. I may have cheered at the end.
Olivia is one of my favorite heroines. She is extremely strong to spend all that time on the run and to go back to London to take on the man that mad her run. I loved seeing her learn to trust again and become braver and stronger. She had no problems standing up to anyone and didn’t think twice about doing what she needed to do. She was like a new woman in that ballroom when she said no and realized she loved Jasper.
Jasper is also a favorite hero on mine. He knew he right away he would not take her back and that he would protect her no matter what. He pulled at my heart every time he was alone with Richard. When he took off his mask and learned that it was not as bad as he thought I wanted to cheer. He realized that he was a hero and deserved to be loved and to stop hiding.
I did not expect the part with the friend being married or what happened there. Hope he also gets a happy ending.
This story could be triggering to some as the topics of fires and rape play a big part in it. There is nothing graphic and they are handled tastefully and perfectly in my opinion. Both topics are in the past.
Copy provided for an honest and voluntary review.
Lord Jasper Grantham, the son of the Marquess of Strathern is a member of the Survivors Club known as the Bounty Hunter. Jasper was badly maimed during the war, he wears a mask to hide his external scars, but lives in the shadows to hide his internal ones. Jasper has a knack for finding things and currently his mission is to find Viscount Carlisle’s runaway daughter and bring her home. This should be a straightforward mission, he will find her, bring her home to her family and then slink back into the shadows.
Olivia Carlisle ran away years ago rather than be forced to marry the man that raped her. She and her young son Richard have been living in seclusion, which is exactly what Olivia wants. But when Richard finds an unconscious man on the path to their cottage, Olivia can’t leave him to die. She nurses him back to health and isn’t really surprised to learn he has been sent to find her. She is skittish around men and forces herself to be brave while tending Jasper. But Jasper is unlike any man she has ever met and she is shock to realize she desires him. Slowly they grow close, each sharing more with the other than they have ever shared. Jasper is patient and kind with both Olivia and her son Richard (who is absolutely delightful in this book). He learns the reason she ran away and vows to protect her.
Olivia is dismayed to learn her mother is dying, but it isn’t until she discovers that Jasper’s attack may not have been a random event, that she agrees to return to London. Jasper swears he will keep them safe and will do whatever he can to ensure that the Duke of Withernsea can’t harm her or Richard. Slowly, Olivia begins to trust Jasper and finds that she craves his touch, which shocks her, she thought that Withernsea had ruined any possibility of her ever wanting intimacy.
They return to London and Olivia is welcomed home with open arms, her father swears he will find a way to break the betrothal with Withernsea and will keep him away from her. Her father sends Jasper away and then keeps them apart, each believing the other has forsaken them. But when Jasper finds a way to see her, they learn the truth, Olivia has been betrayed. But things will get worse before they get better and Jasper will have to come out of the shadows if he wants to keep Olivia in his life.
This was an amazing story, Jasper and Olivia are wonderful characters who are both dealing with painful and traumatic pasts, but rather than being a dark, depressing read, this book truly showcases the healing power of love. The book is well written, fast paced and will hold you in thrall from the first page until the final word. There are secrets, lies, betrayal, some shocking twists, a very evil villain, steamy love scenes and several laugh out loud moments thanks to Richard. I loved this book and highly recommend it, while it is the fourth book in the Survivors series, it can easily be read as a stand-alone title with no problem.
*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that was provided to me*
I’ve enjoyed all of The Survivors books so far and this latest one really tugged at my heartstrings. Olivia Carlisle ran away from home to live alone in a remote cottage with her young son and avoids people, especially men. When little Richard finds Lord Jasper Grantham, the younger son of the Marquess of Strathern, lying injured from a knife wound, Olivia doesn’t want anything to do with him but can’t leave him to die. As she nurses him back to health, she begins to trust him little by little. Jasper was horribly burned during the war and wears a mask to hide his scars, which he refuses to remove. He tells Olivia that he was looking for her because her mother is dying and her father hired him to find her. It will take all of her courage to return home, but with Jasper by her side, she might be able to do it. Jasper has begun to trust as well, and he’ll do anything to protect the two people that have become so important to him. I really felt for Olivia, she went through a lot and deserved some happiness. Jasper might have been scarred, but he was a good man who still had a lot to give to the right woman, if she could look past his scars, which was never a problem for Olivia. There is plenty of danger for both of them, as well as deceit and betrayal, but together they will get through it all – they are perfect for each other.
Jasper was youngest son of a duke. He knew the life service was his only way to make it in world.
During his time in the sevice Jasper was part of survivor group during Napolitan war. He willing sacrifice his life to stop the enemy even going over the enemy lines to help the British forces.
During one mission a fellow survivor was left in a building under gunfire. Jasper went to help save his fellow brother in arms running into a burning building.
During rescue Jasper was trapped and hit by burning debris in head. He was dragged out just in time befire the building collapse.
Severely wounded he was sent home to recover. His face and neck were severly burn. His injuries changed Jasper. He lived to wear a mask to protect himself from the way other people saw him.
Using his dislike of public life and the beau monde he sent out to become a bounty hunter who was able to find the impossible. When someone was hard to locate Jasper was sent to fond them.
Jasper got an assignment to find out if a woman who disappeared 5 years earlier was really died or hiding. He set off to find the woman only to be attacked and left for died.
In the remote cliff on the sea, Olivia Carlisle calls her five-year-old son in from an approaching storm. But the little boy is more interested in the man he’s found on the trail to their hidden cottage. Olivia fears men and wants nothing more than to leave the injured man where she found him. But his knife wound is severe, and with the approaching storm, she knows leaving him will condemn him to death.
Olivia nursed Jasper back to health and tried to keep her secrets at bay. Slowly Jasper was able to get Olivia to trust him. Both Jasper and Olivia had to deal with the demons of pass to find happiness they both desperately wanted.
I love Olivia! Strong heroines are the best! Both the hero and heroine have fears to face and risks to take and Shana Galen tells the story perfectly. I was drawn into their story and was rooting for a good outcome. There were definitely some tense moments! I look forward to reading about the other Survivors as the series continues.
Another wonderful story in the Survivors series. This is Jasper’s story (the Bounty Hunter), who can find anything/anyone yet hides his disfigured face behind a mask because of the guilt and responsibility he feels for the death of a friend. In a similar vein, Olivia has disappeared and hidden away for five years with her small son over the humiliation and fear from a rape.
These two characters learn to trust again and help each other heal by seeing past the brave facades and addressing the vulnerabilities beneath. I especially liked that Galen began their story in seclusion (just Jasper, Olivia and her son Richard), giving them (and the reader) no other distractions but to focus on each other. As they begin to know and trust each other in isolation, they are then re-integrated back into the ton’s social scene to navigate more obstacles as a team (along with some of Jasper’s troop friends).
My favorite parts of the story were in the first half of the book, but it was well-written throughout, with Olivia’s empowering moment of confronting her rapist toward the end being a stand-out as well.
Nicely done.
Couldn’t wait for Jasper’s story and it did not disappoint. Loved this book!
I have loved all the books in this series, but I think this one may be my favorite.
his is a great book. I hadn’t read any of the series but after reading this book I have had to read the series from the beginning. I love how each book has it’s own plot but is connected by friendships. It can be read as a stand alone but the book is so well written that it makes you want to start with Book 1 of the series. Loved it!
I’m so glad Jasper got his own story in Shana Galen’s Napoleon war series. He’s so damaged, and needs to realize how special he is. Single mother, Olivia, and her five-year-old son are just the pair to do it. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
Unmask Me If You Can is the fourth entry in the Survivors series by best-selling author Shana Galen. It is a delightful Regency Romance between two people who have scars that need to heal before they truly find love.
Olivia Carlisle had built a good but very modest life for her son while hiding out on the southern coast of England. She left home and her place in London’s society after being brutally raped by the man she was expected to marry. Her world was changed forever when her son, Richard, found a critically injured man on the rain-soaked path up to their secluded cottage. Since he had been stabbed and was mysteriously wearing a mask over part of his face, she knew that it could be dangerous to help him. She also knew that he would certainly die if she left him there, so she and Richard took him up the cliff to their home with the help of their old mare, Clover. Little did she know that this unconscientious stranger was someone that she knew and that he had been hired by her father to find her and bring her back to London.
Lord Jasper Grantham had no idea who stabbed him on that rainy path on the side of a cliff, but he suspected that it was someone working for Olivia Carlisle’s fiancée who was following him as he tried to find her. What he didn’t suspect was that he would be rescued by Olivia Carlisle. How was he going to explain to her who he was and what he was doing there? And, maybe more importantly, how was he going to deal with the growing attraction he was feeling for her?
The strength of Unmask Me If You Can is in its two main characters. Olivia was very young when she was raped by her fiancée, someone she should have been able to trust, but she still found the strength to do what she felt was necessary to stay safe and to save face for her family even though they forced her into an engagement with someone she didn’t love. She managed to find a home and keep food on the table for herself and her son while hiding from everyone she knew. She took in the injured stranger at great risk because it was the right thing to do. She, however, was also very vulnerable. Due to the rape, she had serious trust issues and had not formed any close relationships with anyone. She was also very reluctant to begin any kind of romantic relationship, even with someone she was very attracted to.
Jasper was strong, loyal and honest, which made him perfect for the special suicide missions his unit took on in the military. He did not leave his men when they were in danger, even when it meant probable death. When he was severely burned on one of these missions, however, he became very vulnerable also. He felt that people would either be repulsed by him, pity him or make fun of him, so he wore an uncomfortable silk mask over parts of his permanently scared face. Because of his unique skill at finding people and things, he was known as the “Bounty Hunter” in the military. This reputation followed him after he left the service and he continued to make a living by finding people, a job that let him travel and avoid making close connections with anyone.
Jasper’s and Olivia’s romance was beautifully written from the start. He understood that she had been badly hurt and he didn’t rush her into anything. He also liked to play with her son which endeared him to her even more. Olivia understood how self-conscientious Jasper was about the scars on his face, and she continually reassured him that it didn’t make a difference as to who his was inside. Their attraction went far beyond the physical want. There was an emotional need. They both saw the hurt in each other and they instinctively knew what to do to help.
The pace was slower than what we’ve come to expect from a usually action-packed Shana Galen novel, but it was appropriate for the storyline. It accentuated the slower pace of Jasper’s and Olivia’s romance, which was instrumental in their healing process. There were still plenty of twists and turns, and the reader will be hooked from the first page. The story is often told with humor, especially concerning Olivia’s delightful son, Richard. The mysterious stranger who stabbed Jasper leads to a sub-plot that appears to be predictable but there are surprises along the way.
Every time I read a Shana Galen novel, I’ve come to expect an exceptionally well-written story, complete with delightful characters, engaging romance and compelling mystery. Unmask Me If You Can lived up to my expectations and more. Another five-star read for Ms. Galen!
I voluntarily read an Advanced Reader Copy of this book and the views expressed are my honest opinions.
I loved this one! Do yourself a favor and grab it! Just make sure you have some reading time blocked out because you won’t be able to put it down once you’ve started. I’ve read all the books in the series thus far and this one is now my favorite. I’m a sucked for a good tortured/scarred hero and Ms. Galen sure knows how to write one. Jasper has been skulking around the shadows of previous books and it was great to see him step into the light and have his story told this time. I already can’t wait for Draven’s story and those of the rest of the Survivors. I’m sad there are only twelve of them.
Although Lord Jasper Grantham is the son of a marquess, he takes work as a bounty hunter and has a reputation for his skills at finding people, objects, information, what have you. Wounded and badly burned in the Napoleonic Wars, he wears a mask to cover his badly scarred face and avoid the horrified gasps and stares of those who are frightened by the sight of him.
Whilst searching for the daughter of a viscount in a small village in the south of England, Jasper is attacked, stabbed and left unconscious to die. He is discovered by Richard, a young boy, who brings his mother, Olivia, to help. Olivia, who is deathly afraid of men, sets out to defend her cottage and ensure her son’s safety. She would rather the man just be dead so she can go about her business and forget him, but his weak pulse is undeniably still present and she finds herself unable to leave him to die. When he regains consciousness, Jasper recognizes Olivia as Miss Carlisle, the woman he was seeking in the first place, one he knew in society before the war. Olivia nurses him back to health and slowly begins to trust him not to harm her.
It becomes apparent that Olivia is no longer safe in her cottage and she’s grown tired of hiding anyway so she agrees to journey with Jasper to her parents in London. Along the way the two acknowledge that they care for one another, but neither is exactly suitable for marriage and they know they must part once Olivia is settled with her parents. Faced with the influences and machinations of others, Olivia and Jasper must decide what is worth fighting for and begin to overcome their fears and heal together if they are to ever have a future and overcome the manipulations of those who are determined to keep them apart.
Jasper was fabulous and everything you could want in a tortured hero: vulnerable and haunted, but patient, gentle and kind. Olivia was a very independent woman, but without that nagging, annoying air the typical “independent, strong woman” is written with, therefore you just like her and root for her without being annoyed by her. You can really feel her emotions and Jasper’s and their growth as a couple and as individuals made this a superb read.
I received an ARC from the author in exchange for a review. Thank you!! All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Jasper Grantham is the youngest son of the Marquess of Strathern who suffered horrible facial burns fighting in the Napoleonic Wars. He wears a mask to hide his face from the stares and screams and finds comfort in the shadows. Jasper is an exceptional bounty hunter, so when a Viscountess Carlisle summons him to her deathbed and asks him to find her runaway daughter before she passes away, he doesn’t refuse. Jasper is close to his quarry when he’s knifed by an assailant. Imagine his surprise when he regains consciousness in the arms of the woman he seeks. Except she’s not at all what he expected.
Living in a remote cottage on a cliff top Olivia Carlisle & her five-year-old son Richard are safe from the man who raped her. Olivia fears men and wants nothing more than to leave the injured man where she found him. But his knife wound is severe, and with the approaching storm, she knows leaving him will condemn him to death. As Jasper begins to heal, Olivia acknowledges her attraction to him, even though such emotions terrify her almost as much as returning to London.
Jasper has appeared in the earlier books in the series, a shadowy figure who was there when help was needed & I’d been waiting for his story & it certainly didn’t disappoint. A lovely story of two injured people finding each other & themselves. It’s another very well written page turning novel with characters who have plenty of depth. Richard is a joy & his incessant questions bring a light heartedness to the book. Both Jasper & Olivia are damaged in different ways. It’s the gradual trust building & learning to be at ease with each other that’s the highlight of the book. Jasper is so caring & gentle although his repeated asking for permission whilst in the bedroom did grate a little, whilst one part of me was screaming she’s said yes, get on with it, another part understood how he wanted to ‘get it right’. I would have loved for the two villains, yes I really felt there were two & to my mind the worse one wasn’t the perpetrator, to have suffered far more. I’m loving this series & look forward to the other Survivors having their stories
It almost broke my heart when Richard asked Jasper if he could be his Dad because he didn’t have one. Shana Galen writes books that goes straight to the heart. The Survivors series is especially precious to me for personal reasons. Olivia and Jasper are survivors of different kinds of wars. She has an outward scar, Richard, and inner scars which are emotional. Jasper bears the physical scars on his face and also emotional scars. Together they form a bond and begin to heal together.
They first have to overcome all the obstacles and outside manipulations that are taking place to try to keep them apart. I love that Olivia and Jasper are able to lean on the other Survivors and find the inner strength to bare their scars to the public and claim their joy. Richard gets his Dad and they make a beautiful family.
I can’t wait to read Draven’s story, next, I hope.
I think Jasper, The Bounty Hunter of Draven’s suicide troup, is my favorite hero so far. He doesn’t see himself as a hero but his face is badly scarred from failing to save one of this troup brothers pinned down in a burning house. All of the survivors of Draven’s hand picked “black ops” troup are scarred by the war, each differently. Jasper Grantham is the younger son of the Marquess of Starthern who has a knack of finding things. He has since he was a child. Draven used his gift in the war and now he hires himself out to find whatever anyone will pay him to find.
Olivia Carlisle is the only child of a Viscount who found herself betrothed to the Duke of Withernsea, a man of violent vices. When he rapes her she runs when her father won’t cancel the betrothal contract. She’s hidden herself away in a cottage on a remote hill overlooking the sea. As Jasper climbs the only path to find her he’s attacked and gravely wounded. Olivia’s 5 year old son finds him and Olivia nurses him back from death’s door. As he recovers, Jasper gains respect and love for this strong, brave survivor. This debutante has managed to forge a thriving independent life. When it becomes apparent someone followed him to her and it’s no longer safe to stay she decides to face and condemn the Duke in front of the Ton. Shana crafts a rich tale of how they manage to trap the Duke into confessing what he did in front of the Prince Regent and guests at a ball. Thank you Shana for the privilege of ARC reviewing this story for you. I eagerly look forward to the next adventure.