Can she rely on Corbin, her friend and the one person she trusts–the man she fears she is falling in love with? And can Corbin protect his new adopted family of three against old and new enemies? When the past comes knocking on her door, Clara must decide whether to fight or run. Corbin quickly becomes a favorite with both Edmund and Alice, overcoming Clara’s defenses with his friendship, help, and gentleness.

Clara dislikes him for his reserved nature and disdainful silences but is baffled by his kindness to her and her children. She holds all men at a distance, knowing that they are only capable of causing pain. In an attempt to protect herself and her young children from their dangerous past, Clara Bentford escapes to the small town of Grompton. Bentford’s green eyes entrance him, and her situation and bravery break him out of his self-imposed silence. But his quiet life is turned upside down when a young widow with two children moves into the neighborhood. His shyness makes him awkward and taciturn in company and prevents him from getting close to people outside of his family. Like Mary Bennet, he has his own unique struggles to overcome.Īt twenty-six, Corbin Jonquil is more interested in buying and training horses than in searching for a wife. While the other two novels in this series told the tales of the eldest two brothers, Philip and Layton, As You Are tells the story of the forgotten middle brother, Corbin.

Eden’s novels) this reviewer has ventured into a Regency world unlike any other, one that is managed by the seven Jonquil brothers. Without any prior knowledge of this series (or indeed, Sarah M. Eden has created a hero who is used to being hidden in the background in her most recent novel, As You Are, the third in Sarah M. But sometimes it is the quiet character watching from the sidelines that has the most difficult problems to overcome, and the most potential to grow. What must it be like to be the forgotten sibling? The one, like Mary Bennet from Pride and Prejudice, who is forever being ignored in favor of older and more flawless siblings? Until recently with the focus on Mary Bennet in novels like The Pursuit of Mary Bennet, The Forgotten Sister, and the Return to Longbourn, authors have been ignoring this type of character, the one who at first glance has nothing to offer the reader.

The kiss of a stranger by sarah m eden