I liked this more than the first book.
Sebastian went to war and was wounded. When he came home, it was to find his father mad and having cheaply sold off a lot of the estate. To make things worse, his father escapes and Sebastian is blamed for killing him. A large sum of money goes missing from a neighboring estate and he is blamed for that as well. His friendship with Benedict doesn't survive when his former friend doesn't stand up for him. As a result, Sebastian becomes a recluse.
Abigail and her family are regular folk. His father happened to make a lot of money and are regarded as upstarts, etc. They move into the house that border's Sebastian's. Both Abigail and her sister Penelope are in search of (titled) husbands and have sizable dowries to help.
I really liked Abigail. While I didn't like Penelope in the beginning (she was spoiled, selfish, and didn't like the country because she was so bored), I did like her by the end. She stood up for and supported Abigail when the rest of her family didn't. Sebastian is also a character that you can cheer for and are happy for the HEA.
I didn't quite get the break-up of Sebastian's and Benedict's friendship; it seemed so stupid (jealousy). I didn't like Benedict. I thought he was spineless. While the mystery (father's disappearance and what happened to the money) are solved, it was very blink and you will miss it. I would have liked more at the end, it felt rushed.
Benedict's (how will he redeem himself?) and Penelope's (she dislikes him, how does she get stuck with him?) story is next.
Sebastian went to war and was wounded. When he came home, it was to find his father mad and having cheaply sold off a lot of the estate. To make things worse, his father escapes and Sebastian is blamed for killing him. A large sum of money goes missing from a neighboring estate and he is blamed for that as well. His friendship with Benedict doesn't survive when his former friend doesn't stand up for him. As a result, Sebastian becomes a recluse.
Abigail and her family are regular folk. His father happened to make a lot of money and are regarded as upstarts, etc. They move into the house that border's Sebastian's. Both Abigail and her sister Penelope are in search of (titled) husbands and have sizable dowries to help.
I really liked Abigail. While I didn't like Penelope in the beginning (she was spoiled, selfish, and didn't like the country because she was so bored), I did like her by the end. She stood up for and supported Abigail when the rest of her family didn't. Sebastian is also a character that you can cheer for and are happy for the HEA.
I didn't quite get the break-up of Sebastian's and Benedict's friendship; it seemed so stupid (jealousy). I didn't like Benedict. I thought he was spineless. While the mystery (father's disappearance and what happened to the money) are solved, it was very blink and you will miss it. I would have liked more at the end, it felt rushed.
Benedict's (how will he redeem himself?) and Penelope's (she dislikes him, how does she get stuck with him?) story is next.
