Series: The Survivors, #9
Traits & Tropes: tortured hero; unconventional heroine
Genre/Setting: Historical; Regency; England, 1817
Publication Date: 02/09/21
Heat Level: 3/5
Rating: 5 stars!
Nash Pope’s entire career and even his very identity has been predicated on his exceedingly superior ability as a sharpshooter. When a sniper’s bullet results in a shrapnel injury that robs him of his sight, Nash no longer knows who he is and retreats to his father’s country estate to drown his sorrows and attempt to heal. The isolation and alcohol have only exacerbated his issues, however, and his father, a powerful earl, is now threatening to send him to an asylum for his own safety. The fellow survivors of his troop refuse to allow that to happen and send one of their ranks to help Nash forge a new path. Nash is starting to believe ending things would be better since a man without sight must be useless, until he finds a young woman belting out pub songs in his garden.
Since her parents served as missionaries, Prudence Howard has lived in several different countries and experienced much, but since she caused quite a scandal in Cairo, her parents have declined to take her with them to their next posting in the Far East. Instead, she’s been all but abandoned to the guardianship of the local vicar in the small village of Milcroft. Pru means well but trouble always seems to find her. When she meets the volatile Nash Pope, Pru is instantly intrigued by his good looks and the vulnerability beneath his prickly façade. He may not want it, but Pru is determined to help him.
Nash is completely bowled over by Pru, but her efforts to teach him night writing give him hope that he can attain some sense of normalcy and her kisses reawaken feelings he thought long dead. She pushes him to escape his melancholy and he trusts her, but Nash isn’t always certain he can trust himself.
This book gave me all the feels. Nash’s world has been completely devastated, his family can’t understand what he’s going through and has completely failed him, and he’s haunted by things he saw and did in the war against Napoleon. Ms. Galen certainly didn’t pull any punches with her descriptions of Nash’s depression and PTSD. He was suffering and Pru was a bright spot of optimistic color in a world that had literally gone dark for him. Nash also gave Pru the acceptance and love she’d been missing and longing for most of her life. I also loved Nash’s relationship with his friend Rowden Payne and how that bond, strengthened by war, was adapted to his new life and also went a long way toward showing Nash how things could be if he allowed it. I still think Nash’s father needed a punch to the face for putting his son through so much anxiety and more groveling from him would’ve been most welcome. Anyway, Nash and Pru truly healed each other, this story was both heartwarming and heartrending, and I loved it. I look forward to more installments for one of my favorite series.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
https://www.bookbub.com/reviews/2946322698
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3636918250
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