REVIEWS
"Absolutely beautifully written. A gentle love story, but also a story of family love and values..."
"Reid excels at the slow, careful picture of two complex personalities..."
"I thought I knew all the Regency tales by heart but this one is different..."
"A beautiful journey of family and love. Flawless! Do not pass it by..."
"Romance at its sweetest, with true, honest people who deserve the happiness their love brings..."
"A stunning and refreshing novel in the Regency genre."
First Place Regency, Chatelaine Awards (Chanticleer Book Reviews)
Deborah Moore has learned her lessons well—feel nothing, reveal less, and trust no one. Now widowed with a child of her own, she leads a lonely, cloistered existence, counting her farthings and thinking she is safe. When five-year-old Julian is lost one bitter December day, she discovers how tenuous that safety is.
Evan Haverfield has lived thirty carefree years, hunting, laughing, and dancing among London's high society. His biggest problem has been finding excuses not to marry. But his life changes when he finds Julian Moore half-frozen under a hedge and carries him home to his mother. The young widow hides behind a mask, hard and reserved, but Evan sees glimpses of another woman, wistful, intelligent, and passionate. She's vulnerable, desirable—and completely unsuitable for the heir to Northridge.
Alone in the earliest hours of a new year, Evan teaches Deborah to waltz—that’s child’s play. Can he teach her joy and laughter? Can his love sweep away the shadows of her past and reveal the luminous woman she was meant to be?
EXCERPT
"Julian!" She tried to call out but had no breath to carry the sound. God, please let this be a nightmare. She had plenty of experience with those.
The lane stretched longer with each gasp, each stumbling step. She would never reach Whately. The stitch in her side tore her ribs apart. Her skirts were wet to the thighs, tangling themselves around her knees and ankles. Her old boots, soaked and broken, scooped up dirt and ... (more)