Synopsis
It was love at first site when Devon Munroy first laid eyes on Lotte Higgins as she swam in the local waterhole. He wanted nothing more than to spend his future with her. He would have
defied his father to do so too had she not been shot, lying bleeding and dying in his arms. The woman he loved was dead and Devon no longer cared what was to become of his
Four years passed and Devon’s life had become little more than a drunken haze. All he wanted was the woman he loved back in his life and in his bed. When he reluctantly went to the
local Hotel to spend the night with a woman, he didn’t expect her to look so much like Lotte Higgins. He certainly didn’t expect her to turn up at his estate as his wife’s new handmaiden.
When Lotte started work at Devon’s estate, she thought only to uncover the secrets and reveal the monster who had tried to kill her four years before. She could never have imagined the
whirlwind of passion she would be swept up in with Devon Munroy, the man who still owned her Lotte knew if she were to succeed in targeting her attempted murderer, she would have to
keep her true identity hidden from Devon, never revealing to him that she was in fact the woman he had thought died in his arms all those years ago. Lotte wanted nothing more than to tell him
the truth, but she feared if she did than Devon’s wife, the woman whom had already tried to kill her once, would discover she had survived that night. When more bodies began turning up around
the town, all brutally murdered, Lotte knew she had let things go on long enough. She would have to tell Devon the truth about his wife and about herself and hope he loved her enough to forgive her deception.
Review:
The premise and plot of this original historical is on the mark. After reading the synopsis, I was anxious to read it. I wondered how Lotte’s appearance would change enough to fool Devon, and I wanted to know how his wife’s dastardly deed would be uncovered. The prologue is gripping, and there was a lot going on. I despised George from the get-go, and although David tried to stick up for himself, he ended up doing the very thing he didn’t want to do. I was glad to be able to “witness” the family secret that held the power to destroy so many lives.
As the story continues, however, it became less captivating. I found the redundant use of names bothersome, as it slows the pace considerably. Also, the constant reminding of things the readers have already been told shows the author’s lack of faith in the ability of the readers to keep up. At times, the dialogue is unnatural, and I found there was no real relationship development between Devon and Lotte prior to their discovery of being in love. It is obvious that they’re physically attracted to one another, however, the readers are not privy to any meaningful conversation between the two.
I found it difficult to relate to Devon and Lotte because there’s not much known about them – their likes, dislikes, habits, plans for the future, or even their background. Information is known about their fathers, but I can’t relate to one character based on the background of another. This caused it very difficult for me to root for them, as I did not feel their passion for one another.
My review is based on an arc, not the final version.
0: You won’t need any coffee to stay up for this one. It’s intriguing enough all on its own.
1: You’ll stay up late, but not all night. Brew one cup.
2: You’ll read as long as you’re not tired. If you are, two cups should do the trick.
3: I hope you got plenty of rest; you’ll need it, or at least 3 cups.
4: If the cable goes out, read the book. It’s better than nothing, I guess. Oh, don’t forget your brew!
5: Find anything else to do- it doesn’t matter what it is. Don’t waste your coffee. Too much caffeine is bad for you.
My rating: 4 cups of coffee
Buy links
http://beachwalkpress.com/faye-hall/
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00DPIMSMW
Excerpt:
He walked up behind her, his arms going around her waist and down to the apex of her thighs, his
fingers gathering up her skirts searching for the bare flesh beneath.
She struggled against him, finally pulling away freeing herself.
His stare was dark and confused. “Is my touch no longer welcomed?”
“I am not some whore for you to play with at your will!” she spat at him, her anger obvious.
Slowly he stepped towards her, again closing the distance between them. “Are you so sure of that,
my dear?”
“You bastard!” she cursed at him. “You would fuck near on anything if you were given half the
chance!”
Reaching out to her, he again pulled her to him, her rear pressing into his already strained mound in
his trousers.
“I would fuck you…here…now…but it appears my attentions are no longer welcomed.” He whispered
near her ear, his breath hot against her face, his hands holding her hips as he ground himself into her
suggestively.
Pushing against him, she struggled to again free herself. He grabbed at her arm, holding her wrist,
stopping her escape.
“You son of a bitch!” she spat at him, holding her tears at bay. “You have fucked your way through
your serving staff until there is none left. You would even fuck that woman…that thing…you share
your bed with…the thing you call…”
“My wife.” He finished for her.
He stood there for what seemed hours holding her, studying her. Finally he let her wrist drop from
his hand.
“You should get back to work,” he said steadily, knowing he was not ready for this moment.
She stood there, a single tear falling from her eye. “You should go back and crawl between your
wife’s thighs.”
Stepping towards her, his hands went to her face cupping it, his fingers lacing in her hair, his lips
hungrily taking hers. Walking her backwards, he laid her on the bed behind her, one hand leaving
her face to gather up her skirts. Despite having returned his kiss, she fought against him as he
gathered up her skirts.
“Get off me!” she shouted at him, her hands trying to push him away as her feet kicked at him.
Struggling against her, he finally grabbed both of her wrists in his hands, holding them above her
head. Looking down at her, her cheeks flushed, her breasts moving with her ragged breathing –
never had he seen her look more beautiful. And never had a wanted her more.
“If I wanted little more than a quick fuck I would go to the tavern and pay for it.”
“Why not go to your wife?” she asked, her fight calming.
“My wife was a contract, nothing more. Our parents thought we’d make a profitable match.”
“Yet you will still sleep with her.” she spat at him.
He couldn’t stop his slight smile at her words. “Until I met you…until you came here…the only
woman my body burned for was a girl from my youth…a girl so uninhibited and unconvential…you
are so much like her…yet you are so much more as well.”
His words trailed off.
“What happened to her?”
His smile began to fade as reality returned to him. “I killed her. There was a struggle…my gun went
off…and she died in my arms.”
“If you loved her so much…desired her so much…why did you marry Elizabeth? Why come to me?”
He let go of her wrists, his hands moving over the swell of her breasts. His fingers began
unbuttoning her blouse.
“Since you have come into my life, I desire no other woman. You are everything I have ever wanted
and more…”
“Your wife…” she reminded him.
“You are the only woman to have touched me since I shot that girl.” Unbuttoning her blouse, he let
the fabric all away from her, revealing the light shift covering her, still hiding her breast from him.
“I have not lain with my wife…ever.”
She tried to stay strong. “When you can fuck your way through your servants, I suppose why would
you?”
His fingers circled her nipples, hardening them, making her reveal her want for him. “If I wanted to
‘fuck’ you, I would have when I first walked in this room. I would have bent you over that table you
were cleaning until I spilled myself inside you.”
She bit her lip. “Why didn’t you?”
His fingers stilled, his gaze holding hers. “I want to give you pleasure. I want to see your passion.”
He held his breath. “I want to give you what was taken from me all those years ago.”
“I-If your wife comes in here…if she sees us…” she tried.
He kissed her softly. “I do not care who sees us.”
“I am not this girl from your past, Devon,” she tried to remind him.
Gathering up her skirts, he revealed her naked thighs to him. “I know who you are, Lotte…and
what.”
He kissed her then, silencing her, his fingers caressing her thigh.