Susan F. (scoutmomskf) -
Good conclusion to the Mail Order Brides series. In the earlier books, the four sisters had all taken steps to escape the horror of their lives in a Chicago orphanage after their parents' deaths. Josie was captured by renegade Sioux warriors, and in the prologue of this book is whipped by one of her captors because she resisted. Marcus, Duke of Blackthorne, and his friend David, Earl of Seaton, happen upon the scene. Horrified by what he sees, Marcus buys Josie from the Indian, determined to save her. Unwilling to leave her behind to recover, Marcus takes her with him back to England, nursing her himself during the journey. As he is to be married to David's sister on his return home, he charges his friend with making certain that Josie is returned to her family in America once she is healed.
Two years later, Josie is practically a prisoner at one of the Duke's estates, working as a maid and caring for the Duke's two orphaned nephews. She is furious at the Duke, both for his broken promise to her and for his neglect of his nephews. She has written to him numerous times with no response and her anger at him continues to grow. Her life takes a sudden and drastic change when she is visited by a Pinkerton detective. She is stunned when he informs her that her sisters have been searching for her for two years and that she has inherited a significant amount of money. She decides to use that money to bribe Marcus to allow her to take his nephews back to America with her. That decision undergoes a change when she discovers that he is looking for a rich American to marry to save his estates. I loved Josie's spirit and determination to protect the two little boys she has come to love.
Marcus's life since his return has not been an easy one. His father died, leaving the estate in debt. His brother also died, leaving Marcus to care for his two nephews. His beloved wife also died, along with their son, after an illness she had hidden from him. Though he doesn't want to marry again, he needs an heir and the wherewithal to restore his estates. Throughout it all, he has never forgotten the girl he rescued and has often wondered how she is and why she has never contacted him. Marcus irritated me at the beginning with the way he had neglected to follow up on his promise to Josie. He also seemed far too willing to depend on other people's word instead of checking things out himself.
I enjoyed the meeting between Josie and Marcus. He doesn't recognize her as the woman he rescued, and he never knew her name. Josie is determined to dislike Marcus, based on his broken promise and neglect of his nephews. Neither expects the buzz of attraction between them. It was fun to see Marcus begin to regret the bargain that he had made, promising that he would not seek out the physical side of their marriage past their wedding night. Josie keeps the secret of her identity as she still plans to leave him as soon as she can. But as they spend their honeymoon preparing to restore his main estate, they begin to get to know each other. There are some terrific scenes as Josie's American outlook butts up against Marcus's British reserve. Josie discovers that Marcus is not the unfeeling man she thought he was. Marcus is stunned when he discovers the truth about Josie. The attraction between them continues to grow as do their feelings, though neither is ready to admit it.
As Josie fights with herself over her best course of action, family crises create complications. One of Marcus's sisters disappears, and Marcus and Josie embark on a search for her. Josie receives word that one of her sisters is fighting for her life. Josie and Marcus become separated, and he discovers the truth behind what happened to Josie. I wasn't surprised by who was behind it, though the reasoning was somewhat incredible. Josie's fear for her sister causes her to act precipitously and by the time she realizes that she may have made a mistake it's too late to change course. I liked their big moment at the end as they finally admit to their feelings. I loved the epilogue as the family is reunited.
I enjoyed the occasional update on the other sisters as they waited to hear that Josie has been found and is on her way home. I also liked Marcus's sisters and their immediate acceptance of Josie into the family. There is a good secondary storyline involving one of those sisters that shows Marcus's love and protectiveness for his family, even though he sometimes has a hard time showing it.
Two years later, Josie is practically a prisoner at one of the Duke's estates, working as a maid and caring for the Duke's two orphaned nephews. She is furious at the Duke, both for his broken promise to her and for his neglect of his nephews. She has written to him numerous times with no response and her anger at him continues to grow. Her life takes a sudden and drastic change when she is visited by a Pinkerton detective. She is stunned when he informs her that her sisters have been searching for her for two years and that she has inherited a significant amount of money. She decides to use that money to bribe Marcus to allow her to take his nephews back to America with her. That decision undergoes a change when she discovers that he is looking for a rich American to marry to save his estates. I loved Josie's spirit and determination to protect the two little boys she has come to love.
Marcus's life since his return has not been an easy one. His father died, leaving the estate in debt. His brother also died, leaving Marcus to care for his two nephews. His beloved wife also died, along with their son, after an illness she had hidden from him. Though he doesn't want to marry again, he needs an heir and the wherewithal to restore his estates. Throughout it all, he has never forgotten the girl he rescued and has often wondered how she is and why she has never contacted him. Marcus irritated me at the beginning with the way he had neglected to follow up on his promise to Josie. He also seemed far too willing to depend on other people's word instead of checking things out himself.
I enjoyed the meeting between Josie and Marcus. He doesn't recognize her as the woman he rescued, and he never knew her name. Josie is determined to dislike Marcus, based on his broken promise and neglect of his nephews. Neither expects the buzz of attraction between them. It was fun to see Marcus begin to regret the bargain that he had made, promising that he would not seek out the physical side of their marriage past their wedding night. Josie keeps the secret of her identity as she still plans to leave him as soon as she can. But as they spend their honeymoon preparing to restore his main estate, they begin to get to know each other. There are some terrific scenes as Josie's American outlook butts up against Marcus's British reserve. Josie discovers that Marcus is not the unfeeling man she thought he was. Marcus is stunned when he discovers the truth about Josie. The attraction between them continues to grow as do their feelings, though neither is ready to admit it.
As Josie fights with herself over her best course of action, family crises create complications. One of Marcus's sisters disappears, and Marcus and Josie embark on a search for her. Josie receives word that one of her sisters is fighting for her life. Josie and Marcus become separated, and he discovers the truth behind what happened to Josie. I wasn't surprised by who was behind it, though the reasoning was somewhat incredible. Josie's fear for her sister causes her to act precipitously and by the time she realizes that she may have made a mistake it's too late to change course. I liked their big moment at the end as they finally admit to their feelings. I loved the epilogue as the family is reunited.
I enjoyed the occasional update on the other sisters as they waited to hear that Josie has been found and is on her way home. I also liked Marcus's sisters and their immediate acceptance of Josie into the family. There is a good secondary storyline involving one of those sisters that shows Marcus's love and protectiveness for his family, even though he sometimes has a hard time showing it.
