An Unacceptable Demise

When a Frenchman’s bullet nearly ends womanizer Daragh Blackstone’s life, he leaves the army behind and travels home to London, making plans to marry the gorgeous woman of his dreams, only to learn of his father’s unexpected death.

Priscilla Coulter, called Cilla, spends her days serving as a companion to one of her physician father’s elderly patients. Lady Dunley is spoiled, pampered, a bit of a hypochondriac, and, as you can imagine, not an easy person to care for. Cilla still grieves for the boy she was to marry, who died from wounds received in the war.

Daragh’s and Cilla’s worlds collide when he returns from the war utterly exhausted, seriously wounded and openly astonished at the chit running his mother’s household. He abruptly brushes aside her claims about knowing something about the art of healing, only to pass out from the gravity of his injuries. They are entirely prepared to rub each other the wrong way.

So begins a Regency romp pitting Daragh’s stubbornness against that of Cilla’s. He decrees that she will travel with them to their country home to assist in his mother’s convalescence. She maintains that she will not. He bribes her with surrendering his own medical care into her hands. They oppose each other at every turn, their tempers sparking one against the other, until another kind of spark ignites and unexpected desire is kindled. Add the betrayal Daragh suffers at the hands of his manipulative intended bride to the mix, plus the possibility that his father was murdered, and prepare to watch the fur fly.

Ms. Harrison enchants and amuses as she weaves this tale of war and wounds, of weddings and wantonness, of willfulness and wonder. I love Cilla, a pert, opinionated, talented and hopelessly romantic miss with a hair-trigger temper. Handsome Daragh is a wonderful, broody, contrary character, with enough flaws to keep him human. The host of secondary characters serves only to enhance the layers in this story, with Howe and Hoskin being my particular favorites. An Unacceptable Demise is a rare treasure, a gem, and a delightful read! I look forward to reading many more books by Patricia Harrison.

Reviewed by: Michelle