The Captive Duke

An unflinching look at POWs in the Napoleonic Wars Christian is finally released after months of tortuous captivity, only to find his wife and young son have died in his absence. Gillian, cousin to his late wife, has been caring for his daughter and demands that Christian reunite with Lucy as soon as possible. Gilly is a recent widow herself, and by a coincidence not all that unusual in the insular aristocracy, the man who inherited her late husband's title is also heir to Christian's dukedom. I loved the way the treachery came virtually out of nowhere and didn't follow a predictable path. That part of the storyline really kept me guessing right up until the clue about the horse, then I was kicking myself for missing it in the first place. This whole part of the story - the profound exploration of the emotional aftermath and the cost of war on a person's psyche - was excruciatingly well done. The romance was so very sweet and tender. Christian and Gilly have an almost immediate intuitive connection, one that was far more emotionally intimate than any physical relationship could be. The way she knew exactly what to do for him - right down to peeling the oranges - was astoundingly beautiful. This is a true soulmates love story and I enjoyed every breathtaking part of it. This author is one of my favorites in the historical romance genre, and this book is a stellar example of why that is. I highly recommend it for all romance readers. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

Good