A Reckless Redemption

Laura Trentham

Dec 2017 · Laura Huskins

About this ebook

Can a single night’s deception lead to a lifelong love?

On the eve of her wedding to a man she detests, Brynmore McCann can think of only one way to escape—by ruining herself—but the local lads leave her wholly uninspired. Just as she’s ready to accept her fate, she spots Maxwell Drake, home after nearly a decade. Even though he had loved her sister when they were young, Bryn has always considered him hers, and she can’t think of anyone she’d rather have bed her for the first time. Only she never intends for him to uncover her real name.

Upon returning home, Maxwell is stunned by the news that his father may have left him an inheritance. As the unacknowledged by-blow of a local nobleman, Maxwell struggles with resentment over the way he and his mother were treated by his father and the village. To add to his troubles, he discovers the lass he spent an incredibly satisfying night with was not the village whore, but the high-born sister of his first love. He insists Brynmore travel with him to Edinburgh until they determine if she is with child. Because if she is, she’ll marry him whether she wants to or not.

Along the road to Edinburgh, they are attacked by persons unknown. As the list of suspects who want them dead grows longer and his worries deepen, Maxwell prepares for an even more personal battle—how to keep from surrendering his heart to Brynmore.

Warning: Contains a broody Scotsman, a fiery-haired lass, and a night of passion that changes everything. Readers are encouraged to bring a fan.

Ratings and reviews

Without her consent, Brynmore McCann has been promised in marriage to a brute that makes vile promises to her. She doesn’t realise that there are manoeuvres afoot that make her a pawn in a much larger scheme, one where she hardly matters at all. Bryn will do anything in her power to avoid the marriage, to the extent of having herself ruined by a stranger. When the stranger she targets to take her most prized possession turns out to be the late Earl’s by-blow, someone she had always admired from afar, she considers herself lucky. However, the next morning when Maxwell Drake wakes up and finds the enchanting miss who spent the night in his bed has gone missing, her leaves no stone unturned to find out whom she is. The story takes the reader on an adventure, with Maxwell having to draw on all his training to keep Bryn safe in the face of danger at every turn. As the story evolves, the question of why her sister is so intent on her marrying the despicable Dugan Armstrong becomes more and more pertinent. When danger is at its peak, it is Bryn’s past that saves them and keeps her safe. A Reckless Redemption has a well written intricate plot, one that keeps the reader guessing to the end. As the story wound up, there were no loose ends and both Maxwell and Bryn get what they most need. Maxwell is a wounded warrior with a wounded soul, but he is a man of honour. Although Bryn pushes his patience to the limit he finds that he cannot take his frustration out on her, and always remains a gentleman. Brynmore on the other hand, has never stood up to her intimidating sister, but after escaping bullets and certain death, she finds that she has more backbone than she ever thought. This is a well written adventure romance, with a strong hero and a heroine who finds her destiny with him. I received a copy of this book as a gift and this is my honest and voluntary review.

WOW!!! I loved, loved, loved A Reckless Redemption, a historical romance by Laura Trentham, book three in her Spies and Lovers series. This story has the all the fixings one would expect from a historical suspense. We have the mystery of why Brynmore McCann’s half-sister is forcing her to marry Dugan Armstrong, a bully and uncaring man. We have the virgin, Bryn, who thinks if she “ruins” herself with another man she will be able to escape this horrific marriage. Then there’s the war hero, Maxwell Drake, returning after a decade, who is in the right place, at least for Bryn to give herself to him. Things then go awry when Maxwell discovers who was in his bed the night before. Being an honorable man, he is determined to do the right thing by Bryn, in case she is with child, even if it messes up her sister’s machinations. When they find Bryn being forced against her will to marry, he takes her and escapes to Edinburgh. On the road to and once in Edinburgh they are attacked by unknown people, adding to the list of suspects who want them dead. In Edinburgh these two discover an alive grandmother of Bryn’s; an inheritance and acknowledgement as the illegitimate son of a nobleman for Maxwell; the marriage contract Bryn’s sister forced her to sign; a chance for kind and caring Bryn to bring love into grumpy Maxwell’s life and he into her hard, sad life. I really loved reading this book and had a great deal of trouble putting this book down. Ms. Trentham is a wonderful story teller who draws me into her books, making me forget the world around me and not letting me go until I turned the last page. I highly recommend this book to other readers. I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.

About the author

An award-winning author, Laura Trentham was born and raised in a small town in Tennessee. Although, she loved English and reading in high school, she was convinced an English degree equated to starvation. She chose the next most logical major—Chemical Engineering—and worked in a hard hat and steel toed boots for several years. She writes sexy, small town contemporaries and smoking hot Regency historicals. KISS ME THAT WAY, Cottonbloom Book 1, won the Stiletto Contest for Best Long Contemporary and finaled in the National Readers Choice Award. THEN HE KISSED ME, Cottonbloom Book 2, was named an Amazon Best Romance of 2016 and was a finalist for the National Excellence for Romance Fiction. TILL I KISSED YOU, Cottonbloom Book 3, is a finalist in the Maggie contest. LEAVE THE NIGHT ON, the latest Cottonbloom book, was named an iBooks Best Book of the Month and a Recommended Read from NPR. When not lost in a cozy Southern town or Regency England, she's shuttling kids to soccer, helping with homework, and avoiding the Mt. Everest-sized pile of laundry that is almost as big as the to-be-read pile of books on her nightstand. Visit her at www.LauraTrentham.com or connect on Twitter at @LauraTrentham or on Facebook (www.facebook.com/LauraTrenthamAuthor) or Pinterest (https://www.pinterest.com/lauratrentham/)