Review: The Soldier - Grace Burrowes

Series: Duke's Obsession 2
Genre: Historical romance
Pages: 448
Published: June 1st 2011 Sourcebooks Casablanca

This Regency era battle of wits, wills, and the sexes features a wily duke determined to see the succession of his line secured. The duke can't force his sons to marry, but he can make their lives miserable until they do. Resisting his pressure, each gentleman holds out for true love.

The second book in the series features Devlin St. Just, the duke's oldest, but illegitimate, son. He arrives at his new estate weary in body and spirit only to find the previous owner's bastard daughter and her beautiful cousin are his responsibility and making his life almost unbearably complicated.

My thoughts:

As always, a little OCD book reading order speech. Trust me, you can easily read this one without having read book 1 in the series. But if you want to do it right then yes read book 1 first, or read this one and then book 1.

Now on to the book. Devlin St. Just is the illegitimate son of a Duke and now by something he did (I will not tell you what) he has a new estate and a title to go with it. He is a soldier and he is still plagued by the war, battle wounds are hard to get over. Still what was there not to like about him, he was kind  and that is the best quality in a man. The heroine Emmaline is a baker who lives near the estate. She has secrets and all she wants is to protect Winnie who is now Delin's responsibility. Since I guessed Emmaline's secret at once I had time to contemplate over her choices and I grew to understand her. I liked her because I knew what urged her on. Of course I wanted her to stop running and just live but I knew it was hard. But she deserved love.

This book is about Devlin taking on new responsibilities, how he becomes very fond of his young charge and how he falls in love. What I like about this book and book 1 is that when the man realizes that he is in love he will do anything. It is the woman who is troubled and not ready to be loved, or feels like she deserves to be loved. But the men are strong and do not care about status or power. Only love matters.

Worth mentioning are some horrible townspeople with their noses in the air, Devlin's halfbrother Valentine (book 3) and the Vicar who is courting Emmi. And I liked the Vicar, I hope he gets to live a bit and fall in love. I do hope he gets a book of his own too.

Conclusion:

A lovely book about how love truly conquers all.

Rating:

Nice

Cover
I do want to see heads

Source: Publisher

Almost forgot! My flash fiction