A temporary engagement, a lifetime in the making . . .

After years of fending for herself, Kate Taylor found friendship and acceptance in Spindle Cove—but she never stopped yearning for love. The very last place she'd look for it is in the arms of Corporal Thorne. The militia commander is as stone cold as he is brutally handsome. But when mysterious strangers come searching for Kate, Thorne steps forward as her fiancÉ. He claims to have only Kate's safety in mind. So why is there smoldering passion in his kiss?

Long ago, Samuel Thorne devoted his life to guarding Kate's happiness. He wants what's best for her, and he knows it's not marriage to a man like him. To outlast their temporary engagement, he must keep his hands off her tempting body and lock her warm smiles out of his withered heart. It's the toughest battle of this hardened warrior's life . . . and the first he seems destined to lose.

Review

Kate Taylor always thought she came from something more. Corporal Samuel Thorne has always known from where, and to spare her pain he avoids Kate at every turn. She doesn’t remember him, but is still drawn to his avoidance and censure. One moment, one kiss, and then all hell breaks loose. Add in Kate’s newly acquired aunt and 3 cousins and there’s a big mess in Spindle Cove; especially since one of those cousins has his sights set on Kate saving the family through marriage… to him.

Will Samuel allow the one woman who captivates and inspires him to enter into a marriage for the sake of family that may or may not be hers? Or will he claim this lady for his own?

The best part about this story… oh, that’s just about the whole dang book. First we have the heroine. She’s like a Marie (from The Sound of Music) mixed with a bit of Cinderella. She’s whimsical and has that dreamy, happy outlook on life. Her initial thoughts of Corporal Thorne don’t involve romance at all, in fact she’d be completely happy if he went away and never came back. Then just as she once felt indifferent to him, he changed:

The strangest thing happened during their first hour on horseback. Before Kate’s eyes, Corporal Thorne transformed into a completely different man. A good-looking one.

 She fancied him to look… not so much forbidding as protective. Strong.

From there it’s all downhill, especially since Thorne has always felt protective of Kate. When her long lost family shows up he does the only thing he can, fakes an engagement. I love this duel aspect of Thorne’s personality. He doesn’t want to get close, doesn’t want to remind Kate of the past, but he can’t help to protect her. He’s extremely stubborn and a ‘less is more’ kind of guy. He even thinks it:

Why couldn’t a woman let an action speak for itself? If he’d wanted to use words, he would have used them.

The other part of Thorne that grips me in a million ways is his transformation. He’s led a hard life, including being involved in a war that’s left scars on his person and mind. There’s no place to call home, no family for Thorne, and he wants to seek his fortune elsewhere. To see a love grow so strong he’s willing to throw his goals aside for a slim chance of happiness with Kate is heartfelt.

But that’s not all this novel is packed with. Dare wouldn’t let me read something without a belly ache of laughter. We’ve got a dog that’s good at sniffing out the most mischievous of creatures, a contingent of militia testing out the latest in weaponry with watermelons, and the usual horde of Spindle Cove women itching for shooting day. Overall, this is probably my favorite of Dare’s Spindle Cove series with the H/H being a so sweet I felt a bit of the ice melt off my heart. My only caveat is that the dialogue isn’t as good as A Week to Be Wicked. Regardless, the sweet combination of hardened hero and whimsical heroine is a great way to ring in the fall.

Reviewed by Landra