Review of "Trial By Desire" by Courtney Milan

 I'm back from vacation! Back, and with a host of reviews to share. So let's get right down to it!

Disclaimer: I won this book in a contest. I was not given this book in exchange for a review, positive or negative. But I am an Amazon Affiliate.

Type: Historical romance, Strong women, Tortured men, Trust, Misunderstandings, Reunion

Why this book?: When I first started seeing reviews of this book, I desperately wanted to read it. It just sounded so good! I love reunion stories - where couples were together in the past, but something pulls them apart, and they reunite down the road. Lucky me, I won this book in a contest, and the author signed it for me.

About the book: Lady Kate Carhart has been alone for the past three years. But Kate refused to pine her life away, waiting for her husband to return from China. Instead, she came up with something that kept her more than busy - saving women from their abusive husbands. Up until now they were all women Kate knew only by aquaintence, but this last case was her only friend Louisa. In fact, it is after securing Louisa away in a small cottage that Kate happens gets in the middle of a terrible accident, a horse goes wild after being startled and Kate is almost trampled. She's saved by a kind gentleman who gets her out of harms way and frees the horse from the buggy, and it's only later that Kate finds out the man is none other than her wayward husband. Ned expected things to be different when he came home- he thought he could pick up where he left off, just slightly more in control, but Kate still leaves him feeling powerless. And after a walk down to a cottage that should be abandoned yet now hides Lady Louisa, Ned knows there is way more to his wife than he and everyone else thought. So Ned comes up with a plan to seduce his own wife, learn her secrets, and hopefully earn the right to her heart.

I really enjoyed this book, both of these characters are strong and real - if these two fictional beings were real people I would love to be friends with them. Ned has a great sense of humor, witty little comebacks and such that had me giggling every few pages. And Kate has had to withstand so much in her time alone, and while she has her own set of failings and weaknesses, she is a driven woman who will risk herself to help others. And the villain of this story - Harcroft, is so deliciously evil. He's the type of smarmy, demented man that any reader will love to hate, and the ending is all the more sweet because he's so dark and awful. The characters were what really made the story for me, and while the plot is almost as good, the characters were what really stood out to me as a reader.

And speaking of plot, I knew I would probably like it since I'm such a fan of reunion stories, but this one surpassed by expectations because of the intensity of what these two great characters have to go through to get their happy ending. There are many obstacles in the pair's way, Harcroft and Lady Louisa, the couple's past, and even Ned's mental health, and it was a delight to be caught up in Ned and Kate's story. This is one of those books you just can't put down, because you need to know the characters are alright, that they get some sort of happy ending, that the bad guy doesn't win in the end.

This is the first book I have read by this author, but I know she has another book, "Proof By Seduction." I'll definitely be checking that one out as soon as possible. And be on the lookout for "Unveiled," coming out January of 2011. Trust me, this is definitely one of those authors to watch, especially if you're a lover of Historical romance.
I'm going to give "Trail by Desire" a FIVE out of FIVE (5/5). It has a good, complex plot, it had characters I fell in love with almost instantly, I'll recommend it to any lover of Historical romance (or romance in general!), I'm so going to pick up anything and everything else by this author, and it was just a danged good book. So be sure to pick up your own copy of "Trial By Desire" asap!

Have you read it? Share your thoughts in the comments! Want to read it? Pick a copy up at Amazon.com!

Happy Reading!
~!~ Morning Glow