December Heart by Merry Farmer
At twenty-seven years old, Mariah Travers has become what she most feared—a spinster and a perpetual adolescent in the eyes of her family and the law. But her fortunes change when her father announces that he has promised her hand in marriage to an old friend and colleague in the House of Lords. Lord Peter deVere, Earl of Dunsford, is not at all who Mariah imagined marrying, but she is willing to take a chance on the older man in order to gain the freedom that only married women are allowed.
After a tragic marriage that stretched on for two decades, Peter is hesitant to marry again. But he needs an heir, or else his dastardly nephew, Lord William, will inherit everything he’s worked his entire life to build. But when he meets Mariah, sparks fly that neither of them expected. Their unlikely match stands a chance of giving each of them all the things they never realized they needed.
But trouble abounds when the mine that has provided Peter with his fortune is exhausted and the search for new veins of copper begins.
On top of that, Lord William isn’t about to stand by and watch his inheritance disappear. His efforts to drive a wedge between Peter and Mariah cause havoc and heartbreak at Starcross Castle, which will take an act of heroic devotion to overcome as Peter sets out to prove that true love is ageless.
- File Name:december-heart-by-merry-farmer.epub
- Original Title:December Heart
- Creator:Farmer, Merry
- Language:en
- Identifier:3766239310
- Date:2018-01-26
- File Size:380.818 KB
Table of Content
- 1. Copyright
- 2. Table of Contents
- 3. Chapter 1
- 4. Chapter 2
- 5. Chapter 3
- 6. Chapter 4
- 7. Chapter 5
- 8. Chapter 6
- 9. Chapter 7
- 10. Chapter 8
- 11. Chapter 9
- 12. Chapter 10
- 13. Chapter 11
- 14. Chapter 12
- 15. Chapter 13
- 16. Chapter 14
- 17. Chapter 15
- 18. Chapter 16
- 19. Chapter 17
- 20. Chapter 18
- 21. Chapter 19
- 22. Chapter 20
- 23. Epilogue
- 24. About the Author
- 25. Acknowledgments
December Heart, Book 1 of The Silver Foxes of Westminster series, was about Mariah Travers, the eldest daughter of Sir Edmund Travers, and Lord Peter deVere, the Earl of Dunsford. 27-year-old Mariah had been considered "on the shelf" ever since her fiance had died five years earlier. With no other offers of marriage, she was expecting to spend the rest of her life as a spinster...until she arrived home one day to find out that her father had arranged a marriage for her and she would be getting married by week's end. Nothing she could say or do would change her parents' minds. Peter, having been a widower for several years after his wife of twenty-plus years had died in childbirth, was close to losing hope of ever having an heir. When his friend, Sir Edmund Travers had mentioned nearly two years prior that he had a daughter who would make a good wife, he gave it some serious thought. After some time had passed, he and Edmund came to an agreement and the wedding date was set. However, when he arrived at his friend's home, he was met not only with the surprise of his fiancee but also the absolute horror on the face of her younger sister, who made no attempt to hide either her expression or her words regarding his age. She found him ancient...at the age of fifty. When Peter realized that Mariah had only just learned about their impending nuptials the day before, his hopes were nearly dashed yet again. However, to escape all of the mundane conversation going on in the house, Mariah invited him for a walk in the gardens, during which time they got to know each other a bit better without the interference of her family. The more they talked, the better they understood one another and much to Peter's relief, Mariah agreed to the marriage. When Peter's nephew and current heir learned of his marriage, the man raced to Peter's home and began a campaign to tear the two newlyweds apart. Though Peter had made a legal codical with his late brother to always provide the man's son with a home, whether or not he had an heir, there were times William pushed Peter to the edge, especially when he began to systematically attack Mariah's mentally and emotionally, determined to separate the newlyweds at all cost. This book was full of angst, drama, and intrigue, with touches of humor, fear, betrayal, sadness, passion, love, and the whole gamut of other emotions. The twists and turns kept the reader coming back for more...or just not putting it down till the end. The passion was off the charts and it was enjoyable to read about a May/December relationship that ended well instead of one or the other hating the other or being mistreated by the other. The two main characters were a joy to read about. They both had the maturity and integrity most characters lack in such novels. Their emotions were, understandably, on a rollercoaster ride because of the situation, but it was delightful to see play out. The villains(nesses) were easy to hate/dislike, but it was also to see other minor characters that were supportive of the two main characters. Mariah's sister, on the other hand, was a ridiculously immature, naive, and self-centered young woman even for being all of 19 years old. She put a crimp in the whole works, but at least she didn't detract from the romance. This was definitely worthy of a five-star rating and to be added to the Keeper for the Shelves collection. I can't wait to read the rest of the series.