Part of Series
A tortured soldier, a gentle spirit, and a love that will last a lifetime. A TORTURED SOLDIER Injured at Quatre Bras, Lord Rawden Durant, Earl of Beaulieu, suffers permanent emotional and physical wounds. Hiding a dark secret, he fears exposure that would destroy him. He does not want a wife, and he never intends to marry. Like his friends, the Mad Matchmakers, he battles enemies real and imagined, which an unknown villain exploits. When Rawden discovers the dreadful circumstances faced by the lady he desires, he makes an offer he never expected and finds himself engaged to the woman of his dreams. A GENTLE SPIRIT The daughter of a disgraced general, Miss Patience Wallace teeters on the brink of insolvency and ruin. Given her position in society, which defines her as chattel, she must stand by helplessly when her father sells her in marriage to her nemesis, the Earl of Beaulieu. But all is not as it seems, as she surrenders to Beaulieu’s kisses. When the brash warrior bares an irresistible, vulnerable boyishness, she alters her course. Thus, Patience embarks on a monumental task to help the tormented veteran break free of his painful past and learn to live and love again.
Author
Barbara Devlin was born a storyteller. A Texan, through and through, Barbara hasn’t been without a book in her possession since she was in kindergarten. She wrote her first short story, a really cheesy murder-mystery, in high school, but it was a Christmas gift, a lovely little diary with a bronze lock, given to her in the fifth grade that truly inspired her love for writing. After completing part of her undergraduate studies at the University of London, Barbara returned home and began a career in banking. But the late 80’s weren’t too promising for the financial industry, and every bank that hired Barbara soon folded. So she searched for a stable occupation, and the local police department offered the answer to her prayers. Initially, Barbara wasn’t too sure about her new chosen career in law enforcement, but she soon came to love being a police officer. However, on an uncharacteristically cold and icy day in December 1998, Barbara was struck by a car and pinned against a guardrail while working an accident on a major highway. Permanently disabled, she retired from the police department and devoted her time and energy to physical therapy. Once Barbara got back on her feet, she focused on a new career in academia. She earned an MA in English, continued on a course of study for a Doctorate in Literature and Rhetoric, started writing historical fiction in her spare time, and completed five full-length novels featuring her fictional knighthood, the Brethren of the Coast. Book six is currently in the works.
