Not my favorite of Milan's novellas, but still a quality story brought down to 100 pages. Once again the characters have flaws - especially the hero who realizes that he's been lying to the heroine all this time. Their realizations about their own relationship were accompanied by a sub-plot involving the heroine's mistress (who she's a companion for) and the abusive husband who also controls the heroine. A good read. This was a wonderful romance about a love thought gone. Mary Chartley is forced to take a position as a lady's companion after her fathers death and subsequent revelations about his embezzlement. To make matters worse, her fiance, John, is one of the men he stole from. Devastated, she returns his ring and flees saying she has no idea where the money went. When John should suddenly show up at a neighboring estate of her new position, she is sure he is there to turn her in. But John sees how subdued Mary has become, he is determined to find out what happened once and for all. As they find scant time together, as Mary is being 'protected' by her employer and has no time for herself, they slowly find their way back to each other and a very satisfying conclusion to the embezzlement dilemma. Courtney Milan is one of my favorite authors and she has yet again crafted a romance that is beautiful and deep with an eye for detail that I enjoy. I may have learned a bit more about drainage systems than I would have liked but it sets the tone for the period very well. 4 1/2 stars
Do You like book What Happened At Midnight (2013)?
Good, but she (Courtney Milan) gets so much better in the later novels.
—sholanah
Great opener, tension filled 'routine,' but shaky on the dismount.
—cubanpete
