Difficult and defiant as a child, Bran Crowther, Earl of Knighton left England as a young man to pursue independence and adventure. He never expected to inherit the title and when duty calls him home, he still finds Society’s codes constricting and others’ expectations oppressive. Nevertheless, he needs a wife to be a mother to his young daughter, preferably a woman of intelligence and warmth who is, above all, immune to his idiosyncrasies–and to falling in love.
Widow Joanna Shaw isn’t interested in a second marriage, not after the loveless, passionless union she endured. She’d much rather dote on her young niece and nephew since they will likely be the only children in her life…until she meets a precocious girl, in desperate need of a mother. But her father, the so-called Duke of Defiance, is as peculiar as he is handsome, and Jo won’t take another risk with her heart. Their rules, however, are made to be broken, even when the consequences could destroy them both.

My rating:  3.5 stars out of a scale of 5

My review: I was provided a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review. Be sure to check out my BLOG TOUR post on this book as well! This book tells the story of Bran Crowther, the newly inherited Earl of Knighton, and Joanna Shaw, a widow looking for a new purpose in life. Bran’s family life was pretty rough growing up, his family was downright cruel to him because of his idiosyncrasies. Bran seems to me like he might be slightly autistic or have some other psychological condition, based on his aversion to clothing or people touching him and not being able to eat certain foods. Joanna comes with her own emotional baggage, having survived an extremely verbally abusive marriage and being recently widowed. Bran’s daughter, Evie, befriends Joanna’s niece, Becky, and through their friendship (and also their meddling) Bran and Joanna are continually thrown together. But even as the sparks fly, can they each over come their own obstacles to them being together?
Overall I enjoyed this book. I wouldn’t say the book “wowed” me necessarily but it was a good story and a good read. Bran’s character and his quirks were particularly interesting to me as they weren’t common characteristics for a hero in a romance novel. I love when authors manage to do something a little different like this, it is very refreshing. Bran’s character actually reminded me a little of Ian from The Madness of Lord Ian MacKenzie, which is a favorite of mine. I love when a hero can be that vulnerable and find a heroine who will love him not in spite of but because of his quirks. The young girls in this book were adorable too and I loved them and all the other supporting characters in the story. The conversations at first seemed a bit stilted, but I think that may have been partially due to Bran’s character’s oddities. I did enjoy this book and I’d be interested to read more by this author, I would recommend this one!

The bottom line: I really liked this book. The characters and plot line are interesting and romantic. I would be interested to read more in the series, I would recommend checking this one out!

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