Emily Flynn
Jul 24, 20202 min
Florence Prescott and her family live in fear of her father’s vicious outbursts. Lord Prescott rules his household with a cruel and violent hand, and when one of his drunken rages leads to the abuse of Florence’s beloved younger brother, Florence boldly confronts her father—and pays the price for her insolence. Broken and hopeless, Florence feels like a prisoner in her own life.
As a former stablehand for the Prescotts, Evan Avery is all too familiar with the vicious nature of his old master . . . and the gentle kindness of Florence and her younger brother. Desperate to save his friends, Evan boldly returns to the estate to help them escape. Though Lady Prescott refuses rescue, Evan successfully spirits Florence and her brother away to his family’s farm. There, they quite naturally adjust to the rigors and rhythms of farm life as the bond of friendship between Florence and Evan flourishes and soon deepens into romance. But the couple’s happiness is overshadowed when they receive a shocking correspondence that changes everything.
Anita Stansfield never fails to amaze me with the stories that come from her heart. This story starts harshly with a situation that no one should have to endure, but what follows is nothing short of miraculous in it’s beauty and healing.
There was a twist at the end that surprised me and was quite unexpected. I won’t say any more about that.
I will say that this book touched me more deeply than many stories in that it is real and addressed some rather sensitive issues in a time when those issues would be swept under the rug. It dealt with both abuse and disability in a way that only Anita Stansfield could.
I received an eARC from the publisher and this is my review.
Of further note - Those that are triggered by abuse may find the beginning of this book difficult. It is a beautiful story about healing and recovering from that abuse. As such it's not a typical Regency Romance, but it is a beautiful story that needed to be told.
You can purchase this book on Amazon, Deseret Book, Seagull Book, and Barnes and Noble