November 3, 2011

Review: A Love by Any Measure

A Love by Any Measure by Killian McRae
book review


Title: A Love by Any Measure

Author: Killian McRae

Publisher: Tulipe Nire Press

Source: ebook from author for blog tour

Goodreads:
August Grayson has secretly dreamt of the girl living on his family’s Irish estate since childhoods spent together in Killarney. Now a proper Lord of the British Empire, he knows that Maeve could never be more than just a distant fantasy. Still, if only...

Maeve O’Connor owns nothing in this world but her good name, which proves just enough to win a proposal for a marriage of convenience to a good, Irish lad. Until the wedding, however, she’s in dire straits. Rent on the cottage she and her father share is due, but there simply isn’t the money to pay. Driven to desperation, Maeve hopes Lord Grayson, her childhood-chum-turned-dashing-English-rogue, will prove lenient when she comes seeking clemency.

The temptation presented proves too much, and August offers Maeve a compromise: should she permit him twice as long on each succeeding visit to do whatever he wishes in pursuit of his pleasure, he will consider her rent paid. Starting with a mere five seconds, pulses soon out race the ticking clock, as August’s desires become Maeve’s own. Passion blinds them to the challenges closing in on both the Irish and English fronts, threatening to destroy the love they’ve discovered.

Working to bridge that which divides them, tempting fate with each stolen kiss, and torn between desire and obligation, Maeve and August must strive to overcome all and find a love by any measure…
My Take:
Lord August Grayson is back in his family’s Ireland home seeing to business. He hasn’t been back since his mother’s passing when he was young. And ever since then, he has never forgotten his childhood friend, Maeve, who he hurt when he left. But August is not the same caring boy from years before, yet he still yearns for Maeve.
Maeve and her father are in dire straits with a fear of losing their family’s cottage. Maeve goes to talk to the Lord’s middleman, to ask for an extension on their rent, only to come face to face with August. August suggests a compromise…Maeve and her father can stay in the cottage as long as she presents herself when beckoned. Each visit the amount of time spent together doubles. Maeve remembers the hurt August caused when he left, but her father’s health and their home must come first, so she agrees.
With each visit, emotions and unbridled passion become almost too much for both the hard headed English Lord and the strong Irish beauty. Will different upbringings prove to be a barrier for these lovers or will they find that middle ground to have what they both have longed for?
Once I started reading, I couldn’t stop and actually read the majority within several hours. I enjoyed the historical aspect and found it intriguing. I was swept up feeling as if I was walking the dirt path up to Shepherd’s Bluff right along with Maeve. I adored the well-developed characters and their history with each other. Even though August could be a major pain at times, he was truly caring deep down, and I just loved him. The whole story was beautifully written and kept my interest throughout the entire book. A Love by Any Measure has a brilliant story with an ending you won’t even begin to guess.

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