Series:
The Hastings Sisters (Book 2)
She is full of doubt. He has been created by confidence.
Obstacles are naught but stepping stones to a future they are trying to deny.
Miss Cora Hasting—middle daughter of Baron Landover—is
not happy. Having lived with reduced circumstances for a few years, she aspires
to so much more than making her position as a companion to the elderly Mrs.
Bromington. This is her lot, especially after being jilted at the altar, but
when a handsome navy man—the very same man who left her years ago— captures her
attention and makes an appearance, her malcontent doubles.
Captain Peregrine Wetherford has tried for the past three
years to put his mistakes behind him. Decorated naval officer, left with scars
and wounds for his service, he’s made a passable living attending various
social functions and accepting coin for speaking engagements. However, during
one fateful evening when he accidentally runs into his former fiancée, his past
and his future collide, and this time he refuses to run.
Sparks—and words—fly between Cora and her former beau,
but while she might be willing to forgive, she can’t forget, and neither will
her cantankerous employer allow her time for a romance. To say nothing of the
fact the captain is supposedly courting someone else. Despite that fly in the
ointment, old desires flares anew, and as scandal becomes their constant
companion, they both must puzzle out what—and who—they want the most despite
the problems that threaten to tear them apart…
…lest history repeat itself.
Good second chance romance. The story begins three years
after Cora’s fiancé left her at the altar to continue his naval career. Family
circumstances have forced her to take a paying position as a companion to a
grouchy old woman. She hasn’t forgotten Perry or the heartbreak he caused her.
Perry has returned to London after a medical retirement
from the navy. He is scarred, physically and emotionally, by what he has been
through. He has never forgotten Cora and regrets his actions.
Their first encounter after Perry’s return is volatile,
to say the least. There is no doubt that the chemistry between them is as
strong as ever, but their path to a future together is full of challenges.
I had a difficult time liking Perry. I thought he was
selfish. He never considered what leaving Cora at the altar would do to her
reputation and went on his merry way. On his return to London, he couldn’t be
bothered to check on her or apologize for his actions. It wasn’t until he
mistook her for another woman that he was forced to face up to his actions. He
then proceeded to be just as uncaring of propriety as before. Yes, he decided
he wanted to marry her, but he was more concerned with his feelings than hers.
Cora is reluctant to trust Perry after his earlier
betrayal but can’t deny her attraction to him. She has also taken her family’s
financial burdens on her shoulders and stubbornly clings to that responsibility
as her mission in life. She is loyal to her employer but can’t see how
manipulative the woman is.
Perry determinedly pursues Cora. She is torn between her
growing feelings for him and her self-imposed vision of her future. I liked his
persistence and grew frustrated at Cora’s blindness. I ached for both when
Perry issued his ultimatum. He is stunned and hurt by her decision. Cora has to
face the consequences of her decision, especially when she learns the truth
about her employer.
The ending was a little frustrating because I didn’t like
Perry’s attitude when Cora showed up to talk to him, especially considering
what a jerk he’d been before. I was happy they worked things out, but both
still have some growing up to do.
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