The Soldier by Grace Burrowes

Title: The Soldier (booke 2 in The Duke’s Obsession Series)
Author: Grace Burrowes
ISBN: 978-1-4022-4567-1
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Release Date:” June 2011
Format: Mass Market
$6.99
Genre: Historical Romance
Pages: 448
How I Read it: Mass Market ARC from publishers
Rating: 5 Crowns A ROYAL READ

HE IS WEARY IN BODY & SPIRIT

Devlin St. Just has tried everything to escape his demons. But his responsibilities are multiplying and his despair deepening, until beautiful, enigmatic neighbor Emmaline Farnum steps in…

SHE’S GOT EVERYTHING TO HIDE…

Devlin’s torn spirit calls to Emmaline, but even as she gives in to his irresistible caresses and her own growing desires, she’s keeping a devastating secret…

Protecting Emmaline becomes Devlin’s urgent mission, if only he can over come the forces that are driving them irretrievably apart…
(from the back of the arc)

My Review:

Devlin St. Just is a wounded man, yet his wounds have left no mark upon his body, it is his heart and soul that bare the scars of his past. After the war, Devlin returns home by force bringing with him the ghosts of his past. After aiding his brother, Gayle Windham, Earl of Westhaven Devlin now finds himself the newly created Earl of Rosecroft. With the peerage comes the problems associated with it, not only does that include the dilapidated estate of Rosecroft, it also includes a stubborn little girl who has been shunned for being illegitimate and allowed to run free for far too long.

An illegitimate son, who believes his mother, abandoned him, a solider with wounds you cannot see, a broken man in need of his saving grace. Devlin St. Just has mountains to overcome, but with the aid of his family he begins to heal.

Emmaline Fernum, or Emmie as she is known, is the town baker who lives in small cottage upon Rosecroft estate. Like little Winnie she too is shunned because of the actions of her family. When Devlin arrives and assumes responsibility for Winnie, Emmie is determined to make sure that she is well cared for. She is also determined to keep the secrets that she holds. Although the more she is around Devlin, the more she finds herself drawn to him yet she still runs/


My Thoughts:

I have to start by saying that THE SOLDIER is the second book in Grace Burrowes, The Duke’s Obsession series. THE SOLDIER reads as a standalone novel, although I highly recommend that you read THE HEIR first.

With that being said, let me tell you my thoughts on the book.

When reading The HEIR, the first book in the series, I found that I was drawn to Devlin St. Just. I wanted to know more about this man who seemed so burdened by his past. I could not wait to read this book. And let me just tell you that once I got my hands on it, I devoured it.

My heart bled for Devlin as he struggled with the unseen wounds war left upon him. You see him making progress only to have an event as simple as a thunderstorm pull the rug out from underneath him. Yet he prevailed. He knew that those around him depended upon him, especially little Winnie. I also enjoyed the family connection portrayed in this book. Family is front and center in this book, and you feel the ties that bind them together as well as the love they shared, and the fact that they would do anything for those they loved.

It was almost as if Devlin were a soul laid bare, his thoughts and feelings being very prevalent in this book. The hero’s in The Duke’s Obsession series are very emotional and I believe that is why I have enjoyed this series thus far.

Emmie was also likable, although I wished that she would have stopped trying to run a bit sooner, but with the secret she held (I figured out her hidden fact early on) I could see and appreciate the reasons behind her actions. In the story she was viewed as an outcast by the villagers, although I found it funny that they could buy her baked goods and have her to make their wedding cakes while ostracizing her. I found myself wanting her to scream make your own bloody bread/cakes, to standup for herself a bit more, but like I said before I knew the reason behind her actions.

This is my favorite book thus far in The Duke’s Obsession series. Well paced, well plotted, brilliant characters. I truly hated to see this book come to an end, although I am anxiously waiting for Val’s story




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