The Warning Bell by Tom Macaulay
Book Review

Synopsis

A son seeks to uncover the secrets of his father's wartime past, but the truth is more dangerous than he can imagine...

Iain Madoc should be a happy man. Having successfully sold his business, he can look forward to an exciting new chapter in his life with his beautiful wife and teenage daughter. But his father shunned him as he was growing up, and the old man's coldness still causes deep pain.

His father spent the war ferrying SOE agents across the channel into occupied France, and Iain knows that his change in personality dated from a mission in 1944 that ended in

My Latest Discovery: A Regency Romance by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss

I should have been writing book reviews, but decided to log onto Facebook and see what was happening there instead. There were a few posts in response to The Historical Romance Network's latest event, Fall Back in Time, held on November 1st. Authors and readers were invited to post selfies while reading a historical romance novel.

So I headed over to their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/historicalromancenetwork and scrolled through more posts noting what people were reading. One post in particular caught my eye: a reader holding a battered copy of a book by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss entitled THE RELUCTANT SUITOR.  I had read some of Woodiwiss’ other works, but had no idea this Regency romance existed and decided I needed to know more.

An internet search provided the following synopsis:

For as long as she can remember, Lady Adriana Sutton has adored Colton Wyndham, to whom she has been promised by an agreement of courtship and betrothal since childhood. As a young girl, she was wounded by Colton's stubborn refusal to comply with his father's wishes and by his angry departure. He was too proud and too stubborn to accept a future not of his own choosing. Rather than submit, he fled from his ancestral home for a life of adventure and danger as an officer in the British army.

The years have been immensely kind to Lady Adriana. No longer the plain, thin tomboy Colton had spurned, she has blossomed into an uncommon beauty desired by nearly every eligible bachelor in the land. Yet the only man she desires is the decorated hero who has finally come home to claim his rightful title. Arrogant, unmoved, and seductive as ever, he remains averse to the idea of their betrothal in spite of his growing desire for her.

To demonstrate his belief that love cannot be forced, Colton agrees to court Lady Adriana for ninety days, after which time he will be allowed to keep his precious freedom if he so wishes. But much has changed since he balked at his father's plans. Forced into a courtship with this stunning, spirited woman, who is as different today from the young chit he left behind as spring is to winter, the heroic heart that was once closed to Adriana is moved by her charm, her grace, and her sensuality ... and begins to yield. But a secret from Colton's past may doom their burgeoning love ... even as the treacherous schemes of a sinister rival threaten to steal the remarkable lady from his arms forever.

The reviews for this novel were mixed: well, most were uncomplimentary. Never one to be put off by bad reviews,  I await my copy. Look out for my review.