Reviewer Comments: Wow! Ms. Hoyt knows how to write historical romances right! She blends the details of a historical setting with all the romance a reader could want. Her books pull you in from the first page and her style of writing allows contemporary speech patterns to seamlessly tell the story without detracting from the history of the story.
In her latest offering, Beatrice Corning faces a decision. She has been living with her uncle since she was a child. Now she is 24 and must think about her future. Her uncle inherited the title of Earl of Blanchard when word returned that Viscount Hope, the late Earl’s son, was killed in an American Indian attack. She would like to be married, but hasn’t found the one man that loves her with a passion and who will do anything for her. She gave her heart to Viscount Hope even though she only knows him through his portrait that hangs in the hallway. Imagine her shock and awe when Viscount Hope stumbles into the room during a ball that her uncle is throwing looking like the savages who were rumored to have killed him.
Reynaud St. Aubyn survived seven years of torment and torture at the hands of the Native Americans who captured him. He survived solely through the determination to return home to England and his family. Now he is back and he vows to regain control of his title and his life. Unfortunately, Reynaud is troubled by nightmares and memories of his time with his captors. His difficulty in readjusting to life in London leads some to think he is mad. Then there are the attempts to kill him. Reynaud must figure out who wants him dead and how to prove his sanity. Of course, his growing attraction to Beatrice only serves to complicate matters.
I am in awe of Ms. Hoyt’s ability to describe a man’s struggle with PTSD before it was diagnosed or recognized as a medical condition. She shows the horrors that Reynaud suffered and the aftermath that he continues to suffer in a compassionate way. By having Beatrice see through his tough exterior to the man he really is, Ms. Hoyt allows her readers to understand his struggle and how difficult it is to re-acclimate himself to London and his prior life. This is only one of the many aspects of the book that keeps the reader immersed in the story.
The use of a mysterious villain who is trying to kill Reynaud adds to the suspense and danger of the tale. We want to know who is hunting Reynaud and who he will trust to help him. We want him to figure it out and the clues left help us suspect who it is. The challenge that Beatrice faces in trying to get to know a man who doesn’t talk about himself lets us also get to know Reynaud as Beatrice does. This makes our experience in reading the tale more engaging. We feel as though we are part of the conversations she has with Reynaud.
This book is a must read for fans of historical romance!
