Series: After the War, #2
Traits & Tropes: casual to serious; emotional; tortured hero; house party
Publication Date: 12.14.21
Genre/Setting: Historical; Regency; Yorkshire, England, 1816
Heat Level: 5
Rating: 4/5
Lord Redmond Wodehouse is happy to be home and relieved of his duties to the navy. He doesn’t believe he deserves the honorary title bestowed upon him for his courage in battle and is plagued by terrible memories. He is hopeful that spending the summer at his family’s country seat with his brother and friends will help assuage his guilt over a shipboard accident that occurred during his watch. He’s most looking forward to being reunited with Lucas, his sometimes lover and friend, who is sure to ease the worries from his mind.
Lucas Salterford is eager to return to sea and only accepted the invitation to summer in Yorkshire because he has been head over heels in love with Red for years. He’s hoping this lengthy house party will be the perfect opportunity to declare himself to Red and show that he’s more than a casual good time.
But Red is willfully oblivious to Luc’s stronger feelings, keeping him at arm’s length despite Luc’s attempts to get Red to discuss what is troubling him. But when Luc is badly injured in a game gone wrong, it only solidifies Red’s every negative belief about himself and his inability to protect those he cares about. Luc refuses to accept that negativity and becomes even more determined to open Red’s eyes to the truth, even as Red continues to resist him at every turn.
I really enjoyed the depth and emotion of this book. Lucas was an especially endearing character and his openness and refusal to be shamed for his feelings made it impossible not to root for him. Red was harder to deal with, simply because his negative feelings about himself were difficult to read in and of themselves. The grief surrounding my own life right now made reading about Red’s grief resonate with me but also made it a challenge for me to read. For that reason, it took me a while to get through this one, and some of Red’s dialogues and inner monologues on how he viewed himself became a bit repetitive at times. Overall, though, I enjoyed these two characters and I think this is one of the strongest book’s Merry has written yet in terms of emotional depth and development.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4398350855
https://www.bookbub.com/reviews/649906731
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