ARC Review: The Wayward Son (The Ashmead Heirs #1) by Caroline Warfield
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Series: The Ashmead Heirs #1
Author: Caroline Warfield
Published July 22nd 2021 by Dragonblade Publishing, Inc.
Goodreads Synopsis
She knew Willowbrook would never be hers. How can she make the heir love it as she does?
Welcome to book 1 in the exciting new series by bestselling author Caroline Warfield!
Sir Robert Benson’s life is in London. He fled Ashmead the day he discovered the man he thought was his father had lied to him, and the girl he loved was beyond his reach. Only a nameless plea from his sister—his half-sister—brings him back. He will not allow a ludicrous bequest from the earl who sired him turn him into a mockery of landed gentry. When a feisty little termagant with flashing eyes—and a musket—tries to turn Rob off the land—his land—he’s too amused and intrigued to turn away. But the longer he stays, the tighter the bonds that tie him to Ashmead become, strengthened by the powerful draw of the woman rooted on land he’s determined to sell.
Lucy Whitaker’s life is Willowbrook, its land, its tenants, its prosperity, but she always knew it wasn’t hers, knew the missing heir would come eventually. When a powerful man with military bearing rides up looking as if he wants to come in and count the silver, she turns him away, but her heart sinks. She can’t deny Rob Benson his property; she can only try to make him love the place as she does, for her peoples’ sake. A traitorous corner of her heart wishes Rob would love it for her sake.
His life is London; hers is Ashmead. How can they forge something lasting when they are torn in two directions?
Goodreads
Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.
When Sir Robert Benson uncovered the truth about his parentage, and the fact that the girl he was in love with was in fact his half sister, he fled his home in Ashmead, and never returned. But now knighted for his service in the military, he is informed that his birth father, the late Earl of Clarion, has passed, and left him Willowbrook, one of the family estates neighbouring Ashmead. When he arrives, wishing to sell it quickly, and left without being noticed, he meets Lucy Whitaker. Lucy is the sister in law of the current Earl, and custodian of Willowbrook. She's made the estate her home, and she loves it wholly and completely. She's wished that the long lost heir never returned, especially when the chemistry between her and Rob becomes too much. But soon, it's clear that someone wants both Rob and Lucy gone, and they're willing to do anything for that, even orchestrate a bridge collapse, and attempt murder. Will the people of Ashmead, and Rob and Lucy, be able to overcome it all?
I'll admit I requested this on NG as a bit of an impulse request, but I was pleasantly surprised by it. I loved Lucy, and though it took me a while to warm to Rob, soon I wanted them to be together, happy, and for the whole town to be healed from the rifts of the past. There's so much history here in the storyline, and it was slowly revealed, again and again, which really helped the reader to connect with the plot. I also liked that it was wholly a romance, that there was a mystery interwoven in the plot, which kept readers on their toes. I guessed a few of the mysteries early, though that didn't detract from enjoying the discoveries the characters made, or the conclusion to the story. I'm really glad that I have a copy of book 2, The Defiant Daughter, ready to read, because Brynn and Maddy's chemistry was immense in book 1.
Dates Read:
October 31-November 3 2021
Rating
3 Stars
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