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If you really love historical romance novels, you’ll likely agree that single parent books are far too rare in the genre. But I’m happy that there are authors out there filling what I see as a gap.
Personally, I love a good single parent romance because we get to see how the characters interact with children, and I think it just adds something special to the plot.
It grounds the characters and keeps things emotionally real. And, this particular novel handles that dynamic with warmth and care.
This story takes us to the beautiful Scottish Highlands, where we spend time with Joane, Benneit, and his little son, Jamie.
Joane had a disastrous coming-out several years ago, and while we’re not told exactly what happened, it’s clear she had some kind of interaction with Benneit that scarred her.
She had feelings for him even back then, but Joane was – and still is – very much a wallflower. Benneit ended up marrying her much more animated cousin, Bella, while Joane met and married Langdale before his untimely passing. His marriage wasn’t a happy one, and after Bella’s death, Benneit became the sole caregiver of their son.
Bella’s relatives weren’t happy that Benneit was raising the boy by himself. After pressuring him for a long time to either remarry or send Jamie to live with them, one particularly ferocious aunt manages to strong-arm him into taking Joane with him to a Scottish island, where he’s preparing to marry the daughter of a clan leader for political and business reasons.
To say more would risk spoiling the story, but the main conflict lies in the fact that Benneit is bound by duty to marry another woman, even as Joane’s presence in his life begins to shift everything he thought he knew.
She steadily breaks down his walls, and in doing so, makes him reconsider everything from his responsibilities to his heart. Little by little, both he and Jamie become deeply attached to her and eventually, Benneit realizes he simply can’t imagine life without her.
As I said earlier, single parent romance novels feed that part of my soul that loves emotional character interactions, and that’s exactly what we get here. All their interactions feel natural and organic to the story.
I did find it a bit odd that Jamie, at just four years old, spoke with the polish of a seasoned aristocrat. It pulled me out of the story a bit, but not enough to dampen my enjoyment.
Joane really grows into herself during her time at the castle. In many ways, she learns how it feels to love and be loved in return. For a perennial wallflower, you can understand how important it is for her to feel like someone’s first choice. No matter what happens, for once, she’s steering her own destiny.
I loved the fact that she and Benneit had amazing chemistry – even though they kept pushing back against each other. Her relationship with Jamie was undoubtedly one of the high points of this book.
I like it when everything in a story works together. Joane had been bounced around from house to house as an itinerant housekeeper and companion for her relatives, caring for different children – so she’s very good with kids. That really helped her bond with Jamie.
Interestingly, Benneit becomes quite expressive when he’s in love. He was definitely the more emotionally open one, while Joane was much more guarded, which makes sense, given her background.
It takes a while for her to truly give in to her feelings, but Benneit, flustered and overwhelmed, realizes this might be the first time in his life he’s been completely disarmed by a woman. Joane keeps surprising him, and that curiosity eventually grows into love.
I really, really loved this single parent historical romance novel, and I think anyone would enjoy it too – it really hit the right emotional notes for me.
My only complaint is that I wish we’d gotten a bonus chapter or some kind of epilogue to show what happens after they get together. But I’m content knowing they found the kind of love they didn’t think was ever possible.
