When finding yourself suddenly with wards changes everything

Synopsis

Bath, 1810.
Lord James Brotherton, the charismatic Earl of Avon, is wealthy, intelligent—and marked for death. His own cousin believes him an imposter and has enlisted corrupt lawyers and treacherous servants to remove him permanently.
Enter Sofia Brotherton.
Unconventional, outspoken, and entirely irresistible, Sofia turns James’s ordered world upside down. He falls for her instantly. She follows a week later.
As danger closes in, their growing attraction becomes both a refuge and a risk. With enemies plotting murder and passions running high, James and Sofia must fight for love—and survival.
A witty, action-packed Regency romance filled with intrigue, danger, and deliciously sensuous tension.

My review

Lord James Brotherton is the Earl of Avon. But being an Earl is not an easy task, but in James’s case, his own cousin believes him to be an imposter and thus James is fearing for his own life. Not being married or otherwise attached to someone, it also means that he can do as he pleases, and does not have to take in account that his own behaviour is not always Earl – like, with outbursts of anger. When he learns that there are young women, sisters, that are in fact related to him, but have no guardian, James does not hesitate to take up his own duty. As the sisters themselves do not know about James’s existence, they have made sure that their future is somehow protected by taking up jobs. The first sister that James finds, is the eldest, Sofia Brotherton. What for James is love at first sight, Sofia slowly also starts to have growing feelings towards James. But with danger lurking around every corner, and Sofia’s determination to not wed, the both of them have not only to fight for love, but also for survival..

In these kind of stories, my heart always goes out to the characters that have faced a loss, and suddenly their lives as they used to know, is over. How will their lives change, and how will they make the best out of their new situation?

And I liked reading how from the very start, the sisters are taking matter in their own hands, looking for jobs and not just wallow in sorrow. It shows already a certain kind of determination and sense for independence.

Especially Sofia, the female main character in this book, shows her independence, her need for it especially. She doesn’t long for a marriage, like everyone else does. She wants to stand on her own feet, not depend of somebody else. And that I admired, because now it is obvious, but in 1810 it for sure wasn’t!

I could understand her somewhat reluctance to go live with James as a ward. Sofia understand why she doesn’t really has a choice in the matter, but she also makes it very clear from the start that she will only agree with it until she has come of age, and can live her life as she wants.

And I admired James, as he does not hesitate to take in complete strangers in his home, even if they are family. I don’t know, even in those times, if I would do the same (beside the fact that I am a woman and I would never find myself in James’s situation 😊).

But I have to also admit, while I liked James for doing the right thing, several times in fact, I also got a bit frustrated with him on several occasions. There are moments where it seems he lacks interest in how his household is being run, resulting that people are sabotaging him on several occasions. And also his ‘violent’ reactions at moments made my brows frown. Not that he is an actual violent person, but let’s say he likes to break things in his home…

And yes, I was even a bit surprised at how fast feelings between James and Sofia are developing. For James almost just one look has been enough to make him fall in love with his ward, and for Sofia it takes a little longer, but still, for me, a bit too fast. But that can also be because I have never fallen head over heels in love, so that can be why I cannot imagine happening like this 😊.

James and Sofia are very different, and that is not only because they have had different upbringing. But they also disagree on several aspects. So you would think that they wouldn’t work on paper, but somehow, they also agree on so many other things. They connect in an unexpected way.

Living together, make the both of them more mellow in a way. Sofia act towards people and animals in a way James never saw before, and makes him also understand that things can be handled differently. And Sofia at the same times learns how the world works. And Sofia learns about how love looks like.

It was sweet reading how Sofia and James are bonding, over music, horses and dogs. It shows that the attraction goes beyond and their connection is real, even if there are bumps on the roads.

A connection that brings out a protective side to both of them, as it becomes clear that James’s life is at risk and puts also Sofia in jeopardy. But it shows once again how deep their feelings are.

We see in this book how also in the past, how quickly things can develop, how unexpected. But just because something happens fast or unexpected, doesn’t mean it isn’t genuine. And that former ideas or resolutions can be changed, because that is the power of love.