A RELUCTANT COURTSHIP by Laurie Alice Eakes is the
third installment in The Daughters of Bainbridge House. Following the haphazard life of Honore
Bainbridge was a rollercoaster ride of adventure and emotion. I couldn’t help but want to see her redeemed
in the eyes of her family and countrymen.
Honore Bainbridge’s choice in men has tainted her reputation. Being courted by a traitor and then a
murderer, her heart anxious for love has always steered her wrong. When she meets Lord Ashmoor, she is sure her luck
has changed. When she finds out he is
under suspicion for helping French prisoners escape, she feels once again
betrayed by her heart. Not willing to
give up so easily, she decides if she can prove Lord Ashmoor’s innocence, he
will gain acceptance and her family will allow her what her heart wants.
Lord Ashmoor finds himself under suspicion by unsubstantiated
circumstances. Because of his American
upbringing, and the fact that his father died falsely accused of murder, Lord
Ashmoor must figure out a way to regain his place in society. Knowing a marriage to the right woman, with
the right bloodline could ease him back to good-standing, he sets out to find
such a match. Unfortunately, his heart
keeps steering him towards Honore Bainbridge, a young woman with a tarnished
reputation. He tells himself she is off-limits,
and that he needs to secure a relationship with someone who will elevate his
standing. But the heart wants what the
hearts wants even though it could mean they both are accused of treason.
A RELUCTANT COURTSHIP was truly a love story of underdogs. Honore has been banished to the family home
in order to keep her out of trouble, and Ashmoor lives with a cloud of
suspicion hanging over him because of his father’s sins. While both Honore and Ashmoor’s intentions
are to clear their names, they can’t seem to keep themselves on the right side
of the law.
I enjoyed the story, complete with all the ups and
downs. I would’ve liked to see more
interaction between Honore and Ashmoor, but because of the period in which the story
takes place, the two characters had to stay at arm’s length as much as
possible. Though I guessed who the true villain
was in the story, it didn’t diminish my interest in seeing how this person came
to light. The only person I had real
objection with was Honore’s brother. He
seemed a bit too cruel to me, something I don’t remember from the previous
books in the series.
Book provided for review purposes.
Available October 2013 at your favorite bookseller
from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group
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