When an arranged betrothal turns into a girl's worst nightmare, will a handsome acquaintance turn out to be the man of her dreams. Jilted In January was a pleasant surprise. The few books I have read by Kate Pearce have been raunchy and lacking in story. Not so with Rose and Colin. Don't get me wrong there were some steamy moments this is a tempestuous romantic relationship after all. Ms. Pearce brought to the table an engrossing story that had a complex insight that is usually lacking at least for me in her stories. I stand in awe of this short and compelling masterpiece. ( )

Everything a historical novel should be – yes – it is! The writing made me FEEL as if I were back in time with people living by different rules and yet each character was believable and interesting. I love historical novels and stories set in the past and this one was a delight.

The premise is that the Duke of Beckworth has died but nobody is quite sure who will assume his title and lands. In this first novella of the series Colin Ford, fifth son of an Earl, is working as the assistant land agent on the Beckworth estate. His superior has disappeared and left a mess that he will need to deal with. Miss Rose Leyton, a distant relation of the Duke’s, is acting as a companion to an elderly aunt while waiting for her fiancé to return from war.

Both Rose and Colin have noticed one another and are friends so when Rose’s betrothal is broken, her brother appears with ideas of marrying her off to someone else she is repelled by and Colin steps in as a temporary fiancé things become interesting. Before the story ends there are fisticuffs, a thief is caught, a treasure is found and a marriage takes place.

This story is well written, in keeping with the time period and just plain fun. I loved the quietness of both Colin and Rose and their circumspect behavior…until things changed…and oh my…how their relationship changed when it was time for it to do so!

Thank you to NetGalley and CrushStar Multimedia LLC for the copy of this ARC to read and review. ( )