Another great book in the Enchantress series. It was great to see the characters from the other books in the series, but in such a way you would not be lost if you read this book as a standalone.

There were parts of this book that hit on some very deep and important topics that should honestly be discussed more today. I wish there would have been more spice, but that may be biased by my current reading habits.

I loved Duncan & Mary's book. It was an entertaining read. I got a copy of the book. And am voluntarily leaving my review.

Different format to the usual romance - the couple had a romance at the beginning of the book, then meet up 5 years later, when Duncan has returned (highly injured) from active service. They are married before half way through the story and the rest of the book is spent working out how to be a married couple.

There are several obstacles to the marriage working fully - in part because Mary is of a higher class than Duncan (so both have class issues); Her fractious relationship with her mother (with an interesting backstory), etc. The second half of the book had potential, as the two newly weds got used to being in a partnership, but sometimes I felt like running through treacle - plenty of detail but perhaps too much detail

The epilogue is a little overwhelming in having SO MANY children suddenly introduced in the last chapter of the book. It is set up as if there is or will be a sequel (or a prequel that I'm somehow missing out on).

One thing that did annoy me (very minor point) is to the repeated referral to the butler as "Mr x". Bollocks. No Servant (even Butlers) would have the "Mr" designation, Valets are perhaps excepted from this rule. This is clearly for the American Market. For those who care, I would trust Julian Fellowes (and things like Gosford Park and Downtown Abbey) for clues.

another great book in a series, the characters were great and I really enjoyed getting to know the world. i look forward to more from the author.

I really enjoyed Paullett Golden's fourth installment from The Enchantresses series, The Colonel and the Enchantress. I am giving it four stars.

The book was enjoyable and entertaining. Not realizing this was the 4th book in the series I thought I would miss quite a bit. But that wasn't the case and so the Duke's daughter and her love for someone beneath her status was just right! My thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Lady Mary falls in love at a very young age with Colonel Duncan Starrett. He leaves to go to war and Lady Mary pledges to wait for him. The story becomes complicated when the colonel returns with severe injuries that cause him to feel unworthy of his lovely Mary. The characters were steady and realistic and combined with a great story line, this book is perfect for historical romance buffs to add to their summer reading list!

***Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review***

I love Regency romances, and this one did not disappoint.

I liked the characters and I liked the writing, but I had a problem with the plot. The relationship between Mary and Duncan was realistic and they were both likable. Conversations seemed authentic and I liked how they worked through their problems. There were some great quotes. This one describing a nightmare Duncan experienced was visceral:

"In a moment of lucidity, he recognized the effects of laudanum wearing off. A nightmare was coming, Horrors he could not face. Oh, sweet Angel of Mercy, I cannot face it. He begged, he thrashed, he cajoled until a liquid the sound of red and color of a creaking door met his lips, and he was back in the meadow with Caesar beneath him, Mary riding at his side, his men singing in chorus."

And I loved this amusing comment regarding Mary's breeding: "Politeness was ingrained. She could make a rat feel welcomed and comfortable in a drawing room."

As I said, the writing was really good, but the plot had one significant issue.
****Spoilers may follow****
A person who is paralyzed from the waist down, specifically having no feeling below the waist, will by definition be incontinent. There is no way of getting around this. If Duncan were, in fact, paralyzed from the waist down, his ability to walk or get an erection would be the least of his concerns. His incontinence would be his greatest embarrassment and discouragement. If he was embarrassed his valet had to help bathe and dress him, the humiliation of having someone change his diaper would have been unbearable.

Getting past this very real side effect of paraplegia was impossible for me. I could not ignore the implications of his paralysis and that made it difficult for me to see walking (and eventually, sex) as concerns. I can still believe Mary would love him, but things would be very different. This one blunder brought what could have been a five star story down to just three.

2.75 stars
Duncan goes off to war and leaves Mary behind. She waits for ... five long years. There has been some correspondence but when they meet again, they feel like strangers. Both are in love with the person they used to know but is the person in front of them, the same? Will they find common ground or should they part and go their separate ways? The writing is as detailed as ever but unlike previous books, I didn't feel chemistry between the two of them and if they met in modern times & married, they would most likely divorce. By the end of the book, I didn't like her. While I liked him a bit better, I didn't like some of the choices he made. Since I liked other books in this series, I look forward to reading more by this author.

Duncan has been away for several years fighting in the war. His sweetheart Mary waited for him. Five years apart have changed them both. Did they grow apart or is there still hope? The premises is good, but though the story is a little slow paced. What disappointed me is the lack chemistry between the two main characters. What annoyed me was that for a large part of the book Mary stood on the sidelines, because Duncan wanted to recover on his own. To me it felt like Duncan and Mary were in love with a memory and didn't wait long enough before they made big about their future. For me this was an okay read. I enjoyed the previous books more. Hopefully the next book will be better!

I received this book from NetGallery in return for a honest review

I really liked this book that dealt with what happens after war and the changes that they both face as individuals and as a potential couple.

Lady Mary is far above Duncan in the aristocracy.
He goes off to war with the hope of becoming something more in order to offer for her.

When Duncan does come back, he has to deal with PTSD and wounded, though he does succeed at becoming a hero.

Can they work through all the changes they face?

4.5

Excellent treatment of a timely topic. My husband is a retired Air Force officer. Our story could have been similar to this.

A historical romance that captured my heart right away. Enjoyable reading with an unconventional love affair. These two were crazy about each other and had great chemistry. It had all the regency drama to make a good story.
I felt like it was a 5 star read up until about 60% and then dropped to about a 3 star. So I’m settling on a 4 star review. This is also book 4 of a series and can be read as a stand-alone.
I’ve already obtained book 1 and will be starting it shortly. This author is talented and I would definitely recommend this book if you love historical romance.

This is a NETGALLEY gift and I’ve given an honest review and all opinions are my own.

I received this book from netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Overall, I had high hopes for this book, but unfortunately my experience was a fairly mixed bag.

I love the trope of people meeting, falling for each other, then being separated by time/circumstance and having to figure out what's next when they reunite. My biggest issue with this book was that there were SO many external conflicts that the relationship development took a back seat so many times to the "crisis of the moment". I think that the editor could have been a bit more judicious- there was just a LOT happening that didn't necessarily tell me more about the characters. Overall, this was a pretty average book that I finished out of principle rather than feeling especially excited to see how the story ended.

This story is deeply moving as well as being very romantic. Duncan and Mary fall in love when He is 21 and she is 16. He is country gentry while she is the daughter of a duke. Duncan also has no money, so in order to be worthy of her, he joins the army as an officer in order to develop a career that will allow him to support her. Five years later, Duncan is badly wounded and has paralyzed legs, Mary still wants a life with him and so must fight with and for Duncan to make an effort to create a life and a future. The book goes into Duncan's physical rehabilitation as well as his PTSD.. Mary must adjust to new realities beyond her romantic dreans and privileged background. An involving story with more realism and depth than the average romance.

Reality check!
I was impressed when I started reading this book. I enjoy Regency Romances and am also somewhat of a history buff for this time period. Having spent 27 years in the Army I am somewhat familiar with the trauma of war. The story seems to be more true for returning soldiers, especially wounded ones. Most regency romances have a lot in common with Cinderella or Snow White.
I am one for all the texture I can get and there was a lot. But this book could also be considered Sweet and Clean, or even YA or even Teen Romance.

This is the first book by this author that I've read. I'm adding her to my TBR list. Duncan is injured in a war and struggles with still feeling like a man. I liked that it was different from other books. Duncan isn't nobility and has a serious injury. He and Mary love each other but she's a duke's daughter and he's not going to be permitted to marry her. I loved Mary and Duncan. They were well-developed and likeable. This author writes beautifully. I feel I can't do her any justice. I can't wait to read more by this author. I don't usually start in the middle of a series, so I'll start at the beginning while waiting for the next one to be released (bright side). I volunteered to read an ARC of this book and this is my honest opinion which I'm voluntarily leaving.

"The Colonel and The Enchantress" is in a series of books,but can be read alone! Read,you must! You have young love that goes through so many tests,will they finally be together? War separates them and Mary waits for Duncan's return only to find he is hurt. You will fall in love with Duncan and Mary,and go through all the adventures in their relationship and it will pull on your heart strings so hard! Make sure you have the tissues handy! Again,never fails,you will be there with these two on their rocky love story and will they make it? You will just have to read,and you so will enjoy the story and think of Mary and Duncan often!Received from Net Gallery!🙈🙉🙊

The wonderfully written storyline and the well created characters made this book a very enjoyable and entertaining read! I look forward to reading more from this author!