The formerly spirited—and even wild—naval man Horace Langworthy returns to England having lost his best friend and two years of his life as a prisoner of war, only to find his childhood sweetheart engaged to another man. And though the promises made to him have been broken, he determines now on keeping his own. He will care for the widow and orphan entrusted to him by his late friend Sebastian Barstow. But his attempt at being a new man meets unexpected obstacles, including the very widow and orphan he is trying to save.
Two years after losing her beloved husband Sebastian, Sarah Barstow has learned to be content with what remains: her young son Bash and a permanent home with her late husband’s lively and affectionate family. But when little Bash falls for the new curate, Sarah wonders if she should follow suit. Certainly he would be a wiser choice than the young man who appears out of nowhere, offering to marry her and claiming Sebastian entrusted her to him! Horace Langworthy, whom Sarah always thought set such a bad example to her husband and other navy men? Utter nonsense.
But when Langworthy’s thwarted duty becomes thwarted love, can the belle-passion prove stronger than her prejudice?
She’s working two jobs to get through college. He’s the golden boy who doesn’t know the meaning of struggle.
One fateful night at the family’s restaurant, Lissie Cheng accidentally serves a dish containing shellfish paste to an allergic customer, running afoul of the wealthy Lin family and wonder boy Preston in particular. Preston Lin, star swimmer and Stanford Ph.D. student, who is as handsome as he is self-righteous. When his response to the incident threatens the family livelihood, Lissie must scramble to outwit him. If only he didn’t keep popping up in her life, so she could despise him in peace!
Preston’s life hasn’t always been picture-perfect. Before Lissie came on the scene, he worked hard not only at school and at swimming, but also at burying a few things he’d rather forget. But that girl–! The past isn’t the only thing she’s stirring up.
In this sparkling contemporary riff on Austen’s classic, the beloved story gets a fresh spin. Who will prevail over Lissie’s heart? Her pride or Preston Lin?
"This was wonderful, heart wrenching, heart warming, angsty and fun. Thank you Austenesque Reviews for tipping us off to this series. Romantic and clean at the same time."
"This is an exceptionally well written book laced with humor as well as drama. The leading characters come to life, and the reader is invested to the very end."
