Wanted:

A beautiful young woman—preferably one with no connections, who won’t ask too many questions—to spend two weeks in the North of England with an obstinate, aloof, and utterly handsome man.

Must love dogs, fixing up crumbling castles, and gorgeous and complicated war heroes who may or may not be hiding hearts of gold under their gruff exteriors.

Must not, under any circumstances, fall in love . . .

Simpering misses need not apply.

My Review:

If Jane Austen was less “repressed”, this could have been her book.

When Angelina Whitcombe stumbles upon the crumbling castle in a clearing, she is unsure what she will find inside.  John Martin, the occupant of the castle is both gorgeous and infuriating.  Will he trust her with his secrets?  Why is she really there?

At its heart this is the story of two broken people trying to heal each other.  Although at times convoluted, there is an intense, romantic storyline that sucked me in.  The steamy undertones were a little more than what I usually read, but not so much as to overwhelm the story.  Still I would not recommend this book to anyone under 18. Here’s an excerpt:

Then she was open to him in the most primal of ways, his body joining with hers, hard and smooth.  She expanded for him everywhere, from the center where their bodies meshed to the tips of their fingers – to her mind, which soared with colors and undulating images, half-grasped words and phrases.

I give this book four artist’s sketchbooks!!!!

I was given a complimentary copy of this book for the purposes of review.  All opinions are 100% my own.