Claudia Stone

I swear, I have read this before, I just must have forgotten to rate it. I would have preferred more groveling and some angst, but this story, while good, doesn’t really cater to those tropes. But I enjoyed it. Polly theoretically belongs on the abused heroine shelf but she doesn’t seem affected by her father’s abuse, so I’m leaving her off.

I am really liking this author. Her romances are clean, which is not my preference, but the characters are likable and the writing quite engaging - I love the backstory that her books open with. This had a somewhat frumpy heroine with a dash of insecurity and a faux betrothal - right up my alley. It had some nice dashes of angst but isn’t very dramatic, just sweet. (3.5 stars)

This was a sweet, clean romance with the hero patiently waiting for the hero to heal enough to let him back in to her heart. I loved the protectiveness from the H and watching the heroine slowly let down her guard. And I loved the author’s note! This book did a great job with a sensitive topic. (3.5 stars)