Title: An Affair at Stonecliffe
Author: Candace Camp
Publication: May 24, 2022
Publisher: HQN Books
Genre: Historical Fiction
Pages: 356
SYNOPSIS: (From Goodreads)
Noelle Rutherford will never be accepted by the London ton. Her late husband, Adam—a free-spirited aristocrat with bohemian tendencies—married her for love, much to the dismay of his well-heeled family.
In the wake of Adam’s death, Noelle is approached by Carlisle Thorne, who was raised as a brother to Adam. Noelle is horrified when the severe, irascible Carlisle offers her money in exchange for taking her young son, Gil, to be raised at the Rutherford estate, Stonecliffe.
Convinced that Carlisle will use any means necessary to take Gil from her, Noelle flees, hiding from Carlisle and the Rutherfords for five long years. But Carlisle never stopped looking for them.
When he finally catches up, it’s clear that each has made wrongful assumptions about the other, and grudging mutual respect gives way to a close bond that is both lively and tender.
And when Noelle and Gil find themselves in danger from someone after Gil’s inheritance, she and Carlisle must work together to protect what matters most—even if it means losing their hearts.
REVIEW:
**A copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**
When the request for this review came across my email, I couldn’t wait to read it. It looked so interesting and the author was a popular one, even if it is one that I have never read before.
Noelle’s husband died suddenly, leaving her to raise their very young son alone. He was disowned by his family when he married Noelle. After his death, Noelle is under the impression that someone was after her son and trying to steal or buy him. That is not the case.
Full disclosure, I did not finish the book. I could not get past 21%. It literally put me to sleep. I could not read more than a few pages before I could no longer keep my eyes open. I thought the character of Noelle was a whiney woman who was constantly on the edge and over-thought every single thing. She always assumed the worse and never trusted anyone.
I honestly don’t know what it was about this book that made me not enjoy it. Honestly, it is totally something that I would normally read. It is Historical Fiction and it was Romance. The characters just seemed shallow and one-sided. I really wanted to like it. Carlisle was just an over the top brute that somehow was just a pussy cat underneath. He pursued her for five years but never once approached her to explain what he actually wanted. Take what I have said with a grain of salt and read the book for yourself before making a decision. I honestly don’t know if I will read another book by this author or not.
