Author: Sandra Sookoo
Publish Date: June 3rd, 2021
Publisher: Dragonblade Pulishing
Source: Huge thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a review copy!
An intelligent man realizes that letting go of his anger makes him stronger.Welcome to book 1 in the exciting new series from USA Today Bestselling Author Sandra Sookoo.Andrew Charles Storme—ninth Earl of Hadleigh—has been in a monstrous temper for the better part of two years. Unable to join the fight against Napoleon due to the declining health and subsequent death of his father, his rotten mood worsened when his two brothers survived the war with life-changing injuries. Ashamed, Drew retreats to his country estate in Derbyshire to spare them his ire. Why the devil was he not worth more than his title?Miss Sarah Copeland is a poor relation. In exchange for room and board, she’s become the governess to her great-uncle’s two rambunctious offspring. It was better than being tossed in the street, but only just. Freedom and imagination are found in playing a flute, especially since dreams of her future died long ago. When she meets her handsome, growling neighbor, she believes she’s finally found her purpose. After all, didn’t music soothe the savage beast?While Drew battles with his guilt and anxiety, he finds safety and solace in Sarah’s company. As they enter into a surprising marriage of convenience, the earl’s temper slowly begins to improve, as does her outlook. But while an unexpected romance blooms over the summer weeks, responsibility to the title rears its ugly head, and his temper flares anew, threatening to tear apart everything they’ve built.Only patience, trust, and love will see them through to a happy ending.
Penelope's Review
This is the first book in a series focused around the Storme brothers. The book follows the eldest brother, Andrew Storme, and our female lead is Miss Sarah Copeland. I enjoyed this book for it's plot, but wasn't a huge fan of the characters. While I did like Miss Copeland, and enjoyed the role she played, I found it difficult to relate to Andrew. While I think it is great that this book tried to shed light on real world issues such as anxiety, panic attacks, depression, etc. I found that it missed the mark with Andrew. His outbursts, rude behavior, and inability to keep his temperature in check all made it difficult to connect to him, and while there were times when I felt sorry for him, it was not enough to overcome my general dislike.
Miss Copeland, on the other hand, I enjoyed as a character much more. I understood her desire to get out of her current situation with her great uncle, and was unsurprised when she accepted Andrew's marriage proposal. While I thought she put up with much more than she should have, I admired her strength and desire to see the best in Andrew and help him see the best in himself.
Overall, I think this book had some great ideas, but execution could have been a bit better in my opinion. I like the plot twists and will definitely read the next book in the series to see if I enjoy one of the brother's stories more. I encourage you to give this a try though, if you enjoy historical romance books with older characters (late 30's, early 40's) with some real world issues brought to light.
Rating: 3/5 Devils!
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