BOOK REVIEW: The Captain's Old Love by Mary Lancaster

The Captain’s Old Love by Mary Lancaster is a lovely regency romance by one of my go-to historical romance authors.

Captain Sir Julius Vale has just retired from the Royal Navy in order to care for his younger siblings after the death of his father. (There are a lot of them!) Julius has lost an eye and injured his leg in the war against France, but he would still be sailing in spite of these maladies if not for his obligations at home. The familial solicitousness is not all one-sided. His siblings are equally worried about him. They want to see him happy. They want to see him married. But Julius is not looking for a wife. Years ago, he was jilted by a lady he loved desperately. He has never gotten over her, and he carries a grudge.

Antonia Temple is the lady. Julius has the misfortune (or good fortune?) of coming across her at the first ball he attends back in Blackhaven (the town where his home and family are located.) She is as stunned to see him as he is to see her. And she gives every appearance of being as hurt and as resentful.

Who jilted whom?

Julius and Antonia are delightfully level-headed and quick to seek out the truth rather than wallowing in self-pity and anger. They might be able to find their way back to one another if they can hold onto a tenuous trust. But whoever was responsible for their earlier estrangement is still determined to keep them apart. And tenuous trust might not be enough.

The hero and heroine make this an entertaining read. The villain is a bit over the top, but needs to be if he’s going to be able to drive a wedge between a pair so right for one another. This is book 1 in the One Night in Blackhaven series, and I have book 2 queued up on my kindle!