Brent Hammond was a distrustful, cynical guy but he couldn't help falling in love at first sight with Byrony DeWitt, soon to marry Ira Butler, a man many years her senior. It further irked him to know she was just another Laurel (his vile stepmother). At every opportunity, he would ridicule and insult her but he couldn't stem his longing for her. Byrony was in fact an innocent, who enter a farce of a marriage to avoid the punishing hands of her hateful father. The child society thought was her daughter actually was Irene's, Ira's stepsister. One night, sick with influenza, she found Ira in bed with Irene. Panic, she went to Brent, trusting him instinctively.
Click here to see the rest of this review...
Brent was stunned finding Byrony sprawled in the mud, out in the cold, rainy night. He took her back to his place and sent for Saint (a doctor and friend) to nurse her. Byrony recovered but remained tight-lipped about the events of the night. She confronted Ira but Irene who saw the softening in her lover, took matters into her hands. She poisoned Byrony's food that left her drifting in and out of consciousness. When Saint discovered her faltering health, he tipped Brent who went to rescue her. No matter how he despised her, his heart always reached out for her and he longed to protect her. When their passion overwhelmed common-sense, Brent found out she was a virgin and he had hurt her, badly. Despising himself, he made her tell the truth.
Brent approached Saint and Del about the mess she was in. They decided to annulled her marriage and let Ira bear the brunt of any future scandal. Saint reminded him that Byrony could be impregnated with a fetus, which was enough to cajole him to thoughts of marriage. To further complex the situation, Brent's father passed away, and he had to return to home, confronting the pain of his past, confronting Laurel.
The review of this Book prepared by Sharren Khoo