I actually didn't expect to enjoy this as much as the others in the series. In their prequel novella they meet when she holds him at gunpoint with a sort of hairbrained scheme in mind, and at the end of the last book (which this one immediately follows) she had a big reaction based on a quick assumption, (which honestly, even if it had been accurate would still have been unfair), and she stormed out. That's a little excessively emotional for my taste, and seemed like some cliche about fiesty Southern foreigners or something as well (she's Portuguese). Their actual story ended up having more nuance to it, and their relationship grew on me. She still isn't my favorite, but it was well written and I liked the hero. They have a significant age gap, I know some seek those out and some avoid them, he's 45 I believe and she's 25. I thought it was handled well here though. ( )

I don't know that I would call Catarina a shrew. She is a smart, independent woman who does whatever it takes to survive - including sneaking into a tent in the middle of the war to ask a stranger to marry her. Lttile did she know that Benedict Draven would not only finally agree but actually come to care for her.
What was supposed to be a sham marriage just to get her out from under her father's control changed her life forever. Five years later, she shows up on his doorstep again, this time in London, looking for an annulment. Not that she wanted it but only because she was being blackmailed.
Benedict steps up to the plate to save her again and in doing so they fall in love and decide to have a marriage for real.
This was a fun read and you can help but want to see these two find their Happily Ever After. ( )

This author never disappoints! I’ve loved The Survivors series from the very first book and I’ve loved every book since then – including this one. Draven has been a continuing character in each of the books and he’s been a bit of an enigma. He is always there, always supportive, but also always somewhat aloof – mostly because he feels so responsible for the survivors of his group of soldiers from the war. So, it was wonderful to meet the woman who could make him do what is the only impulsive thing he’s ever done. They are opposites in so many respects – but alike in so many others – they are the perfect match. She’s wild, impetuous and free and he is staid, stoic and contemplative. I am so happy that I got to learn his background and see his HEA. BTW – the book included an excellent little short story at the beginning of the book. It is the story of how Draven and Catarina meet. Definitely, don’t skip that part.

In the middle of the previous book, Unmask Me If You Can, Ms. Galen dropped a bombshell and I have been anxiously waiting with bated breath for Draven’s book to find out how that came to be! Draven’s wife unexpectedly showed up at his flat. That is Draven the BACHELOR’s wife. Say what! I could hardly wait to begin reading, then I couldn’t put the book down until I read the last word.

Lieutenant Colonel Benedict Draven was tasked with forming what was basically a suicide squad to defeat Napoleon at any cost. The squad consisted of thirty men – all unmarried and basically expendable. Draven has thought of the eighteen men who didn’t survive each and every day and he feels responsible for the twelve who did survive. He opened The Survivors Club so those survivors would have a place to gather, find solitude – whatever they needed. They are a very tight-knit group, but Draven has never really considered himself a part of the group because he didn’t have to go on those missions – he only had to send them out to die. The survivors don’t feel that way, but somehow, Draven isn’t aware that they feel the way they do.

** From the short story ** While in Portugal, just before he actually formed the suicide squad, Draven found himself in his tent with a young woman pointing a gun at him. She wanted him to marry her! She was looking for a way to escape her abusive father who was trying to marry her off to an even more abusive older man. To say she was desperate would be an understatement. Her plan was to marry Draven and then they’d go their separate ways because the marriage, performed by a Catholic priest, wouldn’t be recognized in England – so basically, Draven would still be a bachelor. Draven, of course, said no and the girl left – only to turn up again trying to marry one of his men. Draven ended up agreeing to marry her – as I said – the only impulsive thing he’d ever done. They married – he kissed her and immediately rode away and he and his soldiers left the next morning.

Five years later, Catarina Ana Marcia Neves Draven is in trouble – again. She’s in London to see Draven to ask him to sign the papers for an annulment. Draven believes there is something more going on – besides, he doesn’t want an annulment, so he declines. She’s persistent – he stands pat – and finally, the full story comes out. He will protect her no matter what – and maybe, just maybe – she’ll decide she wants to stay with him as much as he wants her to.

In the five years they've been apart, Catarina has become a very successful lace maker. She makes a nice living and is making a dent in the lace market - much to the detriment of other lace makers. One of those comes up with a creative and dastardly way to counteract that dent in his business.

It is a wonderful journey to their HEA – long in the making – and I loved every minute of seeing Draven find his HEA. I highly recommend the book!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. ( )