by Jody Hedlund
Lady Isabelle doesn't want to marry Sir Thomas Neville, but she's trying to reconcile herself to it in order to save her people--she must marry well in order to provide for the peasants who depend on her. But when she visits his castle and sees that his true nature is even crueler than she realized and that he intends to take the land her peasants live on to create hunting parks for himself, she knows she needs to get away. Her plan is to escape to her sister Olivia's home, but the servant who is supposed to help her is captured and Isabelle gets hurt and lost in the forest. When Cole Warwick, a handsome peasant, finds her and takes her to his home to heal, Isabelle hides her identity--first because she's trying to escape Sir Thomas but then because she learns that Cole hates nobility.
Cole Warwick has been training fellow peasants so they can rise up against cruel Sir Thomas. When he finds Izzy in the woods, he can't not help her, especially when she tells him she's running away from an unwanted betrothal, but he needs to find a cover story for her presence and winds up saying his father and hers arranged their marriage. Although he and Izzy are only pretending to be engaged, Cole's feelings for her are real--and he can't help but hope that she'll stay with him.
I really enjoyed this story! The romantic element was terrific, the historical details were interesting, and the plot was engaging. I also really liked seeing Isabelle come to understand some of her strengths and purposes and work on not comparing herself to her sister, which was a good message that was wrapped up in a great story. Really enjoyable.
4.5 stars.
I read a copy from the author; all opinions are my own.
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