Trial by Desire / Courtney Milan / 360p.

Okay, so I’m a sucker for a pretty face. 

This quick read is pretty straightforward.  Young Ned Carhart marries the lovely Lady Kathleen (Kate) and then promptly leaves her for a job located in China; in hopes he can prove to be a mature, trustworthy man.  Kate feeling completely abandoned spends the following three years running the household and learning to be independent.  She also rescued a few local women escape their abusive husbands.  When Ned returns home, Kate happens to be in the middle of a rescue of the wife of one of Ned’s closest childhood friends.  Ned and Kate have to rebuild their relationship and trust, which is difficult when both are keeping secrets. 

I liked the story, but of course the “secrets” that the main characters are hiding about themselves is never as horrific as the characters think they are.  This makes the second half of the book kind of drag as you just want the character to come out and just say what’s bothering them instead of whining and holding back all the time.  ;)