Upon Your Return By Marie Lavender

Fara Bellamont has been back in society for a year after leaving Cluny Abbey, where her uncle sent her long ago. When he chooses a suitor for her for marriage, she fears that she will be forced to marry a stranger and live a miserable life.

But, Fara finds herself thrust into an adventure of a lifetime when unforeseen circumstances cause her to place her trust in a strange man for protection. His intervention not only saves her, but puts her in an even more compromising position.

Grant Hill, a trading captain, is enchanted by the young heiress not only because of her beauty, but because she is hardly conventional. Underneath her ladylike exterior lies a tigress. Grant cannot help but offer his protection as she is in need and he is far from immune from her charms.

Fara just never bargained on the passion that she feels for Grant Hill. As events unfold, she must decide whether her desires and the dictates of her heart should trump the rules of society in this exciting tale.

Miss Bellmont was a young child of 8 when she lost her parents to pirates at the open seas.  She was sent to live with her uncle, a man that had no desire to be a father let alone take care of his brothers’ daughter but it was his duty as next of kin.  

Fara has always been free spirited and was always encouraged to speak her mind by her parents.  But she soon learned that behavior would not be appropriate at her uncle’s house.  She was sent to a “Girls School” to become well educated by the nuns and upon her 17^th birthday she returned to her Uncles house where he had other plans for her.

Fara thought that when time to be married came she would get to choose the man she wanted to marry, to fall in love and to have what her parents had.  Unbeknownst to her, her uncle announced her engagement to a man she barely knows let alone wants to marry.  Her fiancé asks her to meet him up alone, without a chaperone, because he wants to get to know her.  Only to have her set up to ruin her reputation.

This is where she meets Capitaine Grant Hill when he saves her from being “ruined” and takes her to his boat to attend to her wounded and delicate body.  He is the everlasting gentleman.

Once Fara returns to her uncles home all she could think about was Capitaine Hill. That is until her uncle passes away unexpectedly and leaves her unprotected.   Grant decides he wants to be her protector and takes her under his wing.   Because of her uncles will she ends up having to move and live with Madame Deveraux, her Aunt Lina who is also a widow.  Fara can’t keep away from Capitaine Hill and ends up giving herself to him; right before he is being sought after for treason leaving Fara with child.  But Fara begins to raise her son without a father. Until he returns…

Ok so here is my most honest opinion of this book.   I thought the beginning of the book had a very strong story as well as strong characters.  I liked the way Fara's character was indulged by her parents, how she was outspoken and not afraid to say what she thought; even if it got her in trouble because it made her who she was.  Not just a carbon copy of the perfect young lady she appeared to be.   

Capitaine Hill was a gentleman waiting for the opportunity to be a rogue and ravish the beautiful Fara, but ever so gentle when it came to his love for her.  The only issue I had with this book was that it seemed a little too long for me and it felt like there were a lot of details that seemed unimportant to the story.  Also it felt like the story deviated from the main objective and it became a little tedious for me to read.   I did finish the book and the happy ending did make up for some of the chapters that I felt were sort of unnecessary.