by Mary Balogh
First published 2025
Clarissa Ware has finished her duties as a mother. The Dowager Countess of Stratton has launched her youngest daughter into society and now claims her freedom. She travels to Ravenswood for a quiet summer alone. Matthew Taylor lives in the village as a carpenter. He was born a gentleman but chose a craftsman's life. Years ago, he and Clarissa shared a dangerous closeness that society would never have permitted. She married the wealthy Earl of Stratton while Matthew wed another woman and was quickly widowed. Their paths cross again at Ravenswood. Matthew remains as compelling as he was in their youth. Clarissa has fulfilled every expectation society placed on her. Their friendship rekindls over the summer months and grows into something deeper. Both carry the same hearts they possessed decades earlier, but now they face a choice that could reshape everything they thought their futures held.
Genres: romance, historical-fiction, 20th-century, adult-fiction, historical-romance, 19th-century
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, second-chance
Setting: Ravenswood
Period: 19th-century, 20th-century
368 pages · Hardcover · Berkley