Wild Lavender (Heart & Hand Series Book 1) by Nicole E. Kelleher – Review by Jaimie Salmon-Colburn

Wild Lavender by Nicole E. Kelleher
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I just finished this book and let me tell you that I didn’t want to put it down! Of course I had to many, many times for normal life stuff, but every free chance I got, I grabbed it to read a little more. One chapter at a time I slowly finished it. Not because it was slow going, but because I was just crazy busy this week! If I had the time I’m sure I would have finished it within a day or two. Aubrianne (aka Anna) isn’t prepared for her marriage to Lord Roger of Stolweg. The fantasy of a loving home and husband is dashed away as soon as they arrive at the Keep. He’s so cruel to everyone when he’s home and frequently gone to unknown places otherwise. He’s hiding something and she and her new found friends (the servants that keep Stolweg running) fear him and his plans. She knows that her life will be coming to an end soon, just like his first wife. Roger only had two uses for her. Breeding horses and providing him with an heir. She starts a breeding program that flourishes, but providing an heir not so much. When the stable boy is tied to a post for lashes, Anna jumps in and takes his lashes for herself, not realizing that she fuels Roger’s sadist’s desires more. He becomes increasingly ugly and sadistic to her and she has the scares to prove it. Uncovering what he is up to and killing him before he kills her are her focus. When the Royal Guard show up unannounced to look into her husband and his dealings with forbidden realms, she fears she may have missed her chance. Larkin, one of the guards there to investigate Lord Roger, realizes that he knows Anna from years before. He caught her sneaking about court and he’s never been able to forget her since. Unfortunately for her, if her husband is punished for the treason they suspect, she could very well be implicated and put to death as well. Larkin’s gut tells him more is happening at the Keep, but how can he prove it? It’s a race to figure out what Roger is up to and stop him before it’s to late. Lord Roger or the King himself will be the end of Anna if she’s not careful. This book will have you on your toes! Trust me, it is that good! I was sad for Anna, but also wished the best for her and all the Keep’s people. Well, not Roger and some of his men, but the rest of them! I can not wait to read more of this series!! If you like epic fantasies, hot romances, murder, secret passages, love and war, and of course horses you will fall in love with this book too!

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