THE CAPTIVE

Two battered aristocrats find solace in each other’s company.

Christian Severn, Duke of Mercia, has vowed vengeance on the Frenchmen who tortured him during months of captivity, giving him a purpose now that he has returned to society “a scarred, emaciated duke.” His wife and son died during his imprisonment, and his 7-year-old daughter is struggling emotionally at his country estate. Gillian, Countess of Greendale, his wife's recently widowed cousin, travels to London to cajole him back to the estate, convinced it will benefit both father and daughter to be together. Christian agrees, provided she will go with him to help care for the daughter he barely knows and run the household, since he must restore order to the duchy. Gilly, in a pragmatic, efficient yet somehow tender way, whips the household into shape and maneuvers Christian and his daughter toward health but balks when Christian wants to marry her. She has a few scars of her own. While Gilly and Christian contemplate life together, a shadowy enemy attacks them in a number of ways; as Christian hunts down their adversary, he’ll need to look beyond his own assumptions and thirst for vengeance to keep his new love safe and find peace. The popular, prolific Burrowes begins a new series with her signature mix of emotional intensity, lush storytelling and intelligent writing. Christian and Gilly face their traumas and self-doubts, while Burrowes subtly explores some universal and relevant truths about abuse, shame, love and forgiveness.

Smart, compelling and captivating.