Labor of Love: 4

Olivia Beresford married once for love, and as a result of her husband's profligate and uncaring ways, she's now a homeless and penniless widow, eight months pregnant, and has to somehow think of a way to support not only her unborn child and herself, but her younger sister, and aunt as well!On their way to their aunt's cottage, Olivia contemplates her unfortunate state of affairs, and decides that since marrying for love has brought her nothing but woe, she was going to marry for money and security the next time. But of course she's going to have to wait until after she had given birth, and regained her looks. An angry storm and an accident however, cause Olivia, and her sister Susannah to seek shelter at the estate of the notorious Viscount Sheldrake, who rumour has it, got away with murdering his stepfather. The sisters are wary and cautious about being forced to seek hospitality from such a man, but Sheldrake's kindness and courtesy causes them to rethink their previous assumption that he is a vicious murderer. For Olivia especially this sudden stay at Sheldrake Hall is proving serendipitous, as Sheldrake is exactly the kind of gentleman she would like to be married to: kind, thoughtful, handsome and rich. If only she could discover if there is any substance to the rumours that he is a murderer! Otherwise, how can she afford to place the well-being of her unborn child as well as that of her sister and her aunt in Sheldrake's hands?"Labor of Love" was a rather enjoyable read. Jenna Mindel did a wonderful job of portraying the inner turmoil that both Olivia and Sheldrake face -- Olivia wondering if she should ignore all the rumours and follow the promptings of her heart, and Sheldrake torn between his desire for Olivia and his need to keep the events surounding his stepfather's death secret. I'll admit however, that while I admired Olivia for her good sense in wanting to know more before she committed herself and her family into Sheldrake's care, I did get a little impatient for her lack of trust. Which was not really fair to Olivia: I had the advantage of knowing that this was a romance novel and that Sheldrake was the hero after all! "Labor of Love" is a rather romantic novel that tells of how two scarred souls find love and solace in each other. Both Olivia and Sheldrake are prefect foils for each other in character and temperament, and it made for satisfying reading to watch them overcome all the obstacles in their path and find happiness. A truly satisfying read.