A Hero to Hold

by Sheri Humphreys

Overview

After enduring her unfaithful husband's murder and the destruction of her reputation, Viscountess Charlotte Haliday resolves to return to society, the gossip-mongers, and her disapproving father. She'll be content with her true friends and her charitable work.

She doesn't expect to be working with a man like David Scott: a hero soon to be awarded the Victoria Cross, broken physically yet still the most exhilarating and intimidating man she's ever known. From the moment they meet in a shadowy alcove, he awakens a passion she's never before felt. She in turn shows him life did not end on the battlefield...and he needn't be alone.

A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2016!

**New cover. Novel content unchanged.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781733258623
Publisher:	Sheri Humphreys
Publication date:	07/25/2019
Edition description:	2nd ed.
Pages:	370
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.82(d)

About the Author

Sheri Humphreys used to be an Emergency Room nurse, but today applies bandages, splints, and slings to the characters of her Victorian romance novels. She loves to ignore yardwork and housework and read-usually with Lucy, a Jack Russell-mix, or Mama Catt, a superb mouser, by her side. She lives in a small town on the central California coast. A Hero to Hold received a prized Kirkus Star and was named to Kirkus Reviews' Best Books of 2016. Visit her home on the web! http: //sherihumphreys.com

Editorial Reviews

"Humphreys' exceptional debut utterly stuns with its professional style, natural dialogue, and extensive research... An enthralling, nontraditional romance accented with a little mystery... The portrayal of such an unexpectedly unique couple in a scintillating, romantic, and highly erotic relationship is as refreshing as it is realistic." - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

From the Publisher

★ 2016-08-19
The establishment of a Crimean War charity unites a gentlewoman and a dashing veteran in Humphreys debut Victorian romance novel. Viscountess Charlotte Haliday suffered exile in the country following her husbands suspicious murder. After she returns to London, her work for the Royal Patriotic Fund introduces her to David Scott, a Crimean War hero whos more than capable of stirring her broken heart, despite his disabling injury: a Victoria Cross medal recipient and cavalry soldier, Davids legs were crushed under his fallen horse, leaving him wheelchair-bound. His work at the Royal Patriotic Fund assisting war widows gives him purpose, but navigating fashionable society as a disabled person remains challenging. Charlottes own search for meaning lands her a position assisting David, and their charitable natures draw them together: Davids compass was clearly his heart, Charlotte thinks. They begin as friends but quickly become lovers. They agree to an affaire de coeur without marriage, but their businesslike arrangement quickly deteriorates, both in the office and the bedroom, as their passion further ignites. When questions surrounding the murder of Charlottes husband resurface, threatening her reputation and spawning an attempt on her life, she and David must confront the true depth of their feelings. Humphreys exceptional debut utterly stuns with its professional style, natural dialogue, and extensive research. Its dotted with minute details concerning the Crimean War throughout, elucidating Davids war service. It also skillfully incorporates facts about Queen Victorias reign and the founding of the charity into the plot. The depiction of Davids disability is overwhelmingly positive, focusing on his adaptability while still addressing his daily challenges; Charlotte, meanwhile, is appropriately solicitous but never condescending. The portrayal of such an unexpectedly unique couple in a scintillating, romantic, and highly erotic relationship is as refreshing as it is realistic. An enthralling, nontraditional romance accented with a little mystery.

Kirkus Reviews