Ian Staton, the spare in the heir and a spare in society, has been a dutiful son all his life. He studied hard, obeyed his elders, and when his father bought him a commission in the military he went to war. The only thing that Ian has ever done that belies his façade as a proper son of society is love Nicholas Chatham. But the consummation of that love left Ian sure that their desires were unnatural and never meant to be. Five years later Ian has returned home less of a man. He has seen horrors that no man should see and has lost not only his arm but part of his soul as well. The only thing he can cling to is his role as brother and dutiful son.

Nicholas "Nicky" Chatham can't understand why the man that he loved left him and believes that the love they felt was wrong and shameful. But now that Ian is back Nicky and Charlotte, Ian's sister, have set into motion a plan that will give them both what they want-their heart's desire. If successful the plan will allow them to remain in society and save themselves from a life of cold, hard duty. They only have twelve days to bring their plan to fruition; will it be enough time to overcome Ian's stubbornness?

So....I'll be completely honest and say that I'm not a fan of historical romance. I wouldn't have chosen this story if it hadn't been written by a favorite author. Honestly, I liked the story. I liked Ian and Nicky. I liked the angst that the societal norms caused; I liked the tension that was deftly built by the author. I still didn't like the setting, I tried to ignore it as much as possible, which given the solution to the problem of the men being together, was rather difficult. K.A. Mitchell is a very talented writer and even with a genre I strongly dislike, her writing talent carried the story along enough for me to enjoy it. The way she described Ian's wounds, both physical and emotional, resonated with me. I truly felt his pain and frustration. Ian needs the healing that only love can bring. Nicky was a bit shallow for me and I thought that there was a little bit too much focus on Ian's sister and her subsequent relationship. I understand the need for it but thought that it could have remained more in the background. On the whole this is a story that people will like, even if you aren't a fan of the genre. Fans of the historical fiction subset will love it.

Reviewed by: Hayley