"Three officers who find love during and in the aftermath of war"
THE MAJOR'S WIFE by Merline Lovelace
Sir Charles Trent married the very young Marianne a short
time before he left to fight in the Crimea War. He was
pleased to know that he left her pregnant with his child.
She lost the baby when she was four months along and was
bereft and determined that Charles should get a divorce
upon his return. She began to help the poor children of
London much to the consternation of her sister-in-law.
Now, three years later, she has changed from a young girl
to a desirable woman. Sir Charles is in for a surprise! THE COMPANION by Deborah Simmons
Captain Kit Armstrong came home after Waterloo, battle
worn, battle scarred and in deep depression. His brother
is dead so he must assume the title of Earl of Hawthorne.
His grandmother tries to get him out of the doldrums and
wants him to marry and assume command of his title but Kit
has no interest. His grandmother hires a destitute
relative as companion to Kit. Chloe is determined to help
Kit whether he wants help or not. AN HONEST BARGAIN by Julia Justiss
Lieutenant Bryan Langford's childhood friend, Jeremy
Saybrook, has been killed in the war. Bryan has always
loved his widow, Audra, from afar. Now, he goes to her
as a friend to attend the funeral during the campaign in
Spain. He finds Audra trying to pay all of Jeremy's gaming
debts and men offering to help her for a price. He
persuades her to marry him so that he can protect her and
pay off the debts. They strike a bargain and he agrees to
have the marriage annulled when they get to Lisbon even
though it is the last thing that he wants. If he can only
get her to fall in love with him along the way..... Three separate novellas with a central theme, all very well
written and interesting to read. The characterizations are
strong and well thought out. It is usually thought that it
is much more difficult to flesh out the characters in short
stories but the three authors did an admirable job. Of
special interest is the grandmother in THE COMPANION -- she
was a crusty old woman who loved her grandson more than he
would ever know. Bryan in AN HONEST BARGAIN is such an
honorable man -- a perfect romance hero. An excellent book
with a fetching cover.
Reviewed by Marilyn Heyman
Posted July 14, 2001
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