But he’s been thrown from his horse and injured, and Arabella reluctantly takes him to Rosemont, her home. No sooner is Lucien ensconced in the house than Aunt Jane and Aunt Emma begin matchmaking. Arabella has more than her aunt’s schemes to trouble her, however. Rosemont needs repairs, she owes money on a loan, and Robert is confined to a wheelchair for reasons the doctors can’t determine. Loyal servants and smuggled shipments of fine cognac are providing her with some answers to her problems.

Lucien is astonished to find himself back in Arabella’s proximity. For ten years he’s anguished over the way they parted, and his guilt and frustration have been constant companions. He’s now a widower, free to try and recapture their lost love, but Arabella keeps him at arm’s length. And the worst part is, he can’t blame her. Forced into an unwanted marriage by his father’s death and subsequent overwhelming debts, he never wanted to leave Arabella. Now he’s in possession of a fortune in his own right, of his own making, and Fate has given Lucien a second chance to win Arabella’s heart.

As Lucien’s suspicions deepen regarding the smuggling activity in the area, and as the two aunts plot and scheme, Arabella and Lucien are drawn together in ways they hadn’t expected.

Lucien was the standout in this story. Hawkins does a fine job of making the reader feel his sense of frustration and loss. His longing for Arabella is palpable, and one gets the feeling that he really will do anything to win her back. Arabella, for her part, is determined not to listen to a word Lucien says, including any explanation as to his sudden disappearance ten years earlier. This skated perilously close to “plot device” in my mind. Several times he’s about to tell her the truth, and she insists she doesn’t want to hear it, leaves the room, runs away, etc. This can be exasperating for the reader, while making Arabella look a bit immature for the first half of the story.

There are a host of interesting secondary characters in the mix. Robert, the brother, is searching for a treasure supposedly buried by a long-ago ancestor. The aunts fuss and twitter, and one of them has a love interest of her own. Lucien’s younger sister comes for a visit, and finds an unexpected romance. Even the servants are fun. The story is richly populated with characters that are well-developed and entertaining.

On a side note, what’s with the silly cover art and the back blurb which gives away most of the plot? We sometimes get accused of telling too much story in our reviews; it’s disheartening to see it on the cover of a book. And the cover, though pretty, was annoying, like it was placed on the wrong book. Surely there could be some effort to get a few details right.

A Belated Bride is a clever, engrossing romance with a lot to offer. The sexual tension between Lucien and Arabella steams; they do have a past history, and the author makes the most of it. Lucien’s struggle to break down the walls of Arabella’s defense will leave you rooting for him. And there’s another book coming, starring Nick, the third character in The Abduction of Julia. Karen Hawkins is fast proving herself to be an enduring talent in historical romance. Watch for her.

--Cathy Sova