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

Lady Aubrianne is a young lady who is no stranger to duty, but her upbringing was full of love and honour, so when she is married to a wealthy Lord, she is hoping for the same thing, however, he seems to be quite upright and polite in all of their interactions and when they are wed, however, on their travels to his home, there is no passion, unlike her only taste from when she was younger. Larkin is a young man who is the second son of a wealthy family and so has the freedom to do whatever he wishes, including playing games with the ladies within his families court, however, one encounter changes things for him and although he never saw the woman again and didn’t have chance to even giver his name, it is something he has never forgotten.

As soon as Lady Aubrianne enters her husbands keep, she has a feeling that something isn’t quite right, it is too quiet and there is nobody to welcome her, but she still does not let that bother her when she is shown to her room and asked to prepare for her husband to visit her once she has freshened up, but her experience is not one of a love filled marriage, it is not what she prepared herself for and nothing like her imaginations, but she has some support from her lady in waiting, even if it starts off as distant. As the time passes and a routine is established, Lady Aubrianne begins to befriend the servants, especially while her husband is away, which he frequently is and this is where she finds out what struck her when she arrived and she is determined to help those around her, so she uses her unconventional upbringing to her advantage, especially when her talents as a healer are needed and this continues, albeit in a more secretive manner when his lordship is around.

Larkin is up to his old tricks and competing with his best friend at the same time, but his mystery lady is always at the back of his mind, however, when he is given the chance to investigate a certain Lord Roger due to some suspicions of treason and misuse of his prosperity, the last thing he expects is to see his mystery women living with him as his wife, but not as surprised as Lady Aubrianne is to see him. As Larkin’s investigations continue, Lady Aubrianne is doing her own investigating as to what her husband has been doing on his trips, mainly so she can stop him before she is drawn even deeper into his plans, so when she is confronted by Larkin about her complicity, she agrees to help him, but only if he helps her in return. As the two become closer, can they work out what Lord Roger is doing and who is also complicit in his machinations, or will they find themselves in deep trouble and dangerous waters? This is an action packed fantasy adventure which spans countries and kingdoms to bring justice to those doing wrong with a romantic undertone which will leave you wanting more as you read along to its conclusion.

Reviewed by @roxsannel

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