Series:
Duke's Guard (Book 14)
Marriage is the farthest thing from Flaherty's mind…
On a rain-soaked morning, patrolling from Wyndmere Hall
to the Village, a shadow shifts at the base of an oak by the graveyard. Ready
to defend, or chase down a vagrant, Flaherty is shocked to discover an
exhausted widow shielding her four-year-old daughter from the rain. In that
moment his life irrevocably changes.
Exhaustion has Temperance pausing to rest near the
church…
The deep rumble and harsh tone of the huge man garbed in
black has her springing to her feet, poised to run. His order to stop in the
name of the duke, has her glancing over her shoulder into eyes the color of a
springtime sky. The irresistible promise of tea and cake for her daughter
tempts her to tentatively trust him.
Danger stalks in the night, but it will have to get past
The Duke's Sharpshooter before he will let harm come to those he has sworn to
protect with his strength, his honor, and his heart.
The men of the Duke's Guard continue to fall fast and
hard and Rory Flaherty is no exception. On a rainy day during his regular patrol,
he discovered a young woman and her daughter shivering near the graveyard. The
pair immediately rouse his protective instincts.
Temperance is on her own after her husband died in a
mining accident. However, finding work when you have a child to care for can be
difficult at best. By the time she reaches the Wyndmere area, she is near the
end of her rope.
I enjoyed watching the relationship between Temperance
and Flaherty develop. Flaherty is immediately smitten with Maddy and Temperance.
Sweet little Maddy enchants him with her directness and her attachment to "Just
Flaherty." Temperance touches him on a much deeper level. He admires her
strength and resilience and her determination to provide for Maddy. His
frustration was evident when he couldn't immediately fix whatever bothered her,
and when he would run up against her independence. It doesn't take him long to
realize the depth of his feelings for her, but convincing her won't be easy.
Temperance falls just as hard for Flaherty, his kindness
to Maddy causing the first crack in the wall around her heart. However, the
difficulties of the last few years had left her doubting herself and her
worthiness of an honorable man like him. I ached for her as she remembered her
past. Her surprise at being well-treated by the Duke and Duchess and their
staff was heartbreaking. I loved the interactions between Flaherty and
Temperance. The sparks are obvious, though Temperance's self-doubts hold her
back. A little well-meaning advice helps her get past those fears. The intensely
emotional proposal scene gave me goosebumps.
Matters become complicated when nasty rumors about
Temperance surface. I loved Flaherty's refusal to give up on her and how
everyone rallied around her. An unpleasant twist put Flaherty in danger, and it
didn't take long to figure out who was behind the trouble. While the resolution
was satisfying, I feel like the culprit got off easier than they deserved.
The ending was great, followed by a terrific epilogue. I
love catching up with characters a few years down the road. I can't wait for
the next book, even though it brings me closer to the end of the series.
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