Chien itibaren Colby, Appleby-in-Westmorland, Cumbria CA16 6BD, UK itibaren Colby, Appleby-in-Westmorland, Cumbria CA16 6BD, UK

** spoiler alert ** I found this a difficult book to get through. I liked it OK, but I almost quit half-way through. I persevered though, thanks to Goodreads reviews. I'm glad I finished it. But... The heroine, Martha, is a recent widow. It had not been a happy marriage. Her late husband's will dictates that the estate goes to his brother and his family. Martha decides it is necessary to save the servants from the brother and to continue to provide for the tenants. She cooks up a scheme to get pregnant and, hopefully, deliver a male heir, passing him off as her late husband's. Enter the hero, Theo Mirkwood, a neighbor and heir to a baronetcy. She pays him for sex for 30 days. Here's where I thought it should have gotten good. But the author did not write a predictable story. I did not like Martha at all. Never much warmed up to her until the very last few pages. A little late by then. Through most of the book she was frigid, stern, and calculating. I understood the calculating part to save her home and estate. But I really felt sorry for Theo. He came to love her-how I can't imagine. For some reason, she seemed to bring out the best in him. They get their HEA, but it was hard fought and not particularly deserving. It was OK though. I'll read the sequel, but this one won't be a reread.

One of the books that began my love affair with reading!