The Gentleman’s Keeper

Title:  The Gentleman’s Keeper

Authors:  Bonnie Dee and Summer Devon

Publisher:  Samhain Publishing  July 2013

Rating:  B+   Cher   

Blurb:  After years gadding about Europe, Everett Gerard can no longer avoid his responsibilities. Word has come that a child bearing the unmistakable Gerard stamp has shown up at the family estate-and he realizes it’s time to face his demons.

As his carriage nears the gates of home, he fights the urge to flee the memory of the horrible crime he witnessed as a child. Yet the Abbey delivers surprises and delights he never expected.

Miles Kenway was content with his quiet life as the Abbey’s bailiff, until the wild child, clearly a bastard son of some Gerard, upends his peace with constant pranks and mischief. And when the master of the house arrives, an unsettling attraction heats Miles’s blood.

As they clash over the fate of the ancestral land, they battle a powerful desire to grapple in ways that could disrupt the delicate balance between master and servant. But when the boy’s real sire appears, they must unite as only true fathers can to protect the boy whose mischievous charm has captured their hearts.

Review:  What can bring two men together better than a young boy in need of a father? In a world that doesn’t accept them, and with pasts that can bring them to their knees in fear, these men were able to find each other and hold one another up. A page turner, this historical romance is a step above the rest.

Miles was hired by Gerald as bailiff to keep and maintain his ancestral home, but after hiring him, Gerald walks away giving the abbey minimal funds and ignoring Miles letters for help. When a wild boy claiming to be Gerald’s son appears, Miles knows he has to get Geralds attention. I fell in love with Ispial from the first scene, just like the men of this book did. He is broken and frightened but lovable and in need of stability.

When Gerald finally shows up, he has demons he must battle. And then there is the boy, lost and left alone in a world, he neither knows nor understands, completely wild and afraid. Gerald understands the boy’s fight with fear and temper. Together with the surprising Miles they work as a team, to not just tame Ipsial, but show him a home and care.

What a surprise when Gerald sees something in the large ballif, desire. It’s risky to take the chance to be affectionate, but these two can’t keep their hands off each other.

This story brought so much into play. The historical aspects were well done. The fear of exposure and censure, the life of a bastard child, and the role of a gentleman with land and how that can affect the lives of so many, was beautiful. Miles, the bailiff and caretaker of the ancient abbey was strong and able, but with an amazing tenderness and passion that was truly stunning. He wooed Gerald with truth and action. He showed him that he didn’t have to be afraid, but if he ever was, Miles was there to lean on without guilt or shame.

Gerald knows who he is attracted to, and had escaped England to be able to live the life he wanted, and try and free himself of the ghosts of his pasts. Now that he is back and has to take on the duties of his title, he is struggling.  Gerald thinks this will be like his usual emotionless affairs, but finds himself confronted with a lover that is also his friend and confidant, he sees a future and home for the first time.

Just a beautiful story with so much in it that I adored. I was brought into the world the authors created and felt captivated from the first page all the way to the last.

Reviewed by  Beans