No fairy tale love for the H and h of this book. They manage their HEA only through blood, sweat and tears and the reader is along for the emotional rollercoaster ride with them. I was wowed by this HR. It's a mass market paperback "tour de force", one of those that doesn't come along very often, very well written and very deserving of the classification "historical".
Most HRs take place either in Regency England, early 1800s, or Victorian England (1837-1901) with the occasional Georgian, but the Georgians I've read usually take place during the reign of George III. This Georgian takes place in 1715, at the end of the reign of Queen Anne and the beginning of that of George I, the German-speaking Hanoverian transplanted to rule England. It's a time of unrest between the Papists and the Protestants, with the Papist Jacobites favoring Scottish James Stuart's claim to the throne rather than German George I.
Our hero and heroine are caught in this unrest. Years ago they had been lovers. Politics, religion and the heroine's own family separated them cruelly. She married another, he aligned himself politically with Queen Anne and later King George I, while her father and brother became Jacobites and are persona non grata to the English government.
Six years after their estrangement circumstances bring them together. It's not an easy romance to read. Time and misunderstandings have done quite a number on their relationship, which seems to have changed from love to distrust and even hatred. However, this is a romance and you read it assuming that all will be well at the end, though you may have doubts about the HEA many times along the way.
It's truly the best HR I've read in many moons. Duran is the equal of Joanna Bourne, Judith James and Julia Ross and has outdone herself with this, her latest work. One caveat: If you are the fan of lighter HRs such as those written by Elizabeth Boyle, Lynsay Sands, Kieran Kramer, Julia Quinn, etc., this may not be your cup of tea. If you enjoy the darker, more intense and more historical type of romance, this is definitely one to read.
