Claiming the Rebel’s Heart

Deliverance Felton is a crack shot as well as a book-smart student of military maneuvers. Her family is siding with Parliament against the king in England’s 1643 civil war. Headstrong with her success at defending the family home in her father’s absence, Deliverance bristles when Capt. Luke Collyer appears on her doorstep, ordered by her father to help her out. But the royalists are armed with the massive Thunderer cannon, so Deliverance accepts Luke’s garrison, and soon they are in love, their furtive, romantic trysts a pleasant distraction from ongoing attacks. Enamored, Luke declares Deliverance his equal, but she’s actually considerably better than that. He is stalled at captain’s rank and loves wine, women, and gambling; Deliverance is whip-smart and running a castle like a CEO, even when that means contending with treachery and danger. Though Stuart falls short at times, such as with her less than incisive character portrayals, her robust display of military and historical knowledge helps compensate. (BookLife)