NEW BLOOD
BY LORNA PEEL
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Release
Date: 3 November 2016
Publisher: Crooked Cat Publishing
Suitable
for 18+
Sophia
Nelson returns to her hometown in Yorkshire, England to begin a new job as tour
guide at Heaton Abbey House. There, she meets the reclusive Thomas, Baron
Heaton, a lonely workaholic.
Despite
having a rule never to become involved with her boss, Sophia can’t deny how she
finds him incredibly attractive.
When
she overhears the secret surrounding his parentage, she
is torn. But is it the attraction or the fear of opening a Pandora’s box that
makes her keep quiet about it?
How
long can she stay at the abbey knowing what she does?
Closing
the bedroom door, she saw Heaton crossing the stable yard. It was the first time
she had seen him dressed in anything but a suit and she stopped and stared. He
was wearing a brown wax jacket with a bottle green jumper underneath, khaki
combat-style trousers similar to her own and brown walking boots. She sighed
and shook her head. It looked as though he was one of those men who looked
fabulous in everything they wore. She reached for her mobile phone, pulled on a
waterproof jacket, and grabbed her car keys before going downstairs to join
him.
“You’ll
have to move the seat back,” she said as she unlocked the Mini.
He
got in and moved the passenger seat so far back that he might as well have been
sitting on the back seat. She looked around at him, couldn’t help herself, and
laughed.
“Sorry.
I wanted something small and cheap to run.”
He
pulled a comical expression. “I was looking to see if you had a sunroof that I
could stick my head through. Maybe we should go in the Land Rover?” She nodded
and he got out. “I’ll just get the keys from Des.”
She
got out, locked the car, and saw him emerge from Des’ office. The two of them
crossed the stable yard to the huge Land Rover.
“You’ll
have to give me directions to where we start from,” he said as they got in.
“I
will.”
Twenty
minutes later, he pulled in at a small car park. “I haven’t been up here for
years. You don’t walk too fast, do you?”
“No.
There are two routes we can take. Up to what I call the big rock, which is
eight kilometres there and back. Or up to the stone circle, which is five.
Maybe five would be enough for today?”
He
smiled. “I think so.”
He
locked the Land Rover, they climbed over the stile, and walked up onto the
footpath which ran through the heather.
“It’s
lovely up here, isn’t it?” He halted after a few paces, hands on hips, and
looked around them.
“If
you need to stop and catch your breath just say.”
“Thanks.
I’m not very fit. Walking between my office and the house isn’t really enough.”
They
set off again at a slower pace.
“Where
did you go to university?” she asked.
“Cambridge.
The Heatons have always gone there. I was halfway through my final year when I
learned that my father had cancer. I still have no idea how I got through my
finals. The last time I saw him, he didn’t know who I was, so I do understand
what it’s like. Unfortunately, he had run the estate like there was no
tomorrow. I went into his study the day after the funeral and found drawers
full of bills, invoices, and tax demands. Some went back years. It took years
to pay all the creditors and the tax bill was astronomical. I’m still
struggling to make ends meet and when the idea was put forward of opening the
house up to coach tour parties, well, you saw what I was like. I apologise if I
was rude to you. It’s no excuse, but I had to go to a funeral that day and I
loathe funerals.”
“I
hate funerals, too, and I wouldn’t like complete strangers traipsing through my
home so I can sympathise. But there are tours booked for the next three months
and Lady Heaton is scheduling additional daily tours because so many coach tour
operators want to add the abbey to their list of stops. The way things are
going, the abbey will soon have tours all year round.”
He
nodded. “I know, but I am not dressing up as a monk or in a suit of armour for
anyone.”
She
laughed. “What do people say to you when they ask what you do for a living?”
“When
people find out I have a title it is a bit of a conversation killer. I think
some people have this idea that lords are all at least fifty, frequent
gentleman’s clubs, and hunt, shoot and fish. I do none of those things. I was
twenty-two when I inherited the title; I’ve been working to keep the place
afloat ever since and I don’t want anything to spoil that.”
“It
seems to be working, though.”
“Yes,”
he agreed. “Just about.”
“Mum
and Dad remember when you went down the mine instead of your father when he
became claustrophobic.”
“Really?”
He gave her an incredulous frown. “Good God, I must have been only about twelve
or something. I wanted to go down with him but he wouldn’t let me. Then, when
he had to come back up I asked if I could go and he just waved his hand in
agreement.”
“Mum
said that you asked lots of very good questions and that Dad was impressed.
That is a huge compliment from my dad.”
“Were
you ever down the mine?” he asked.
“No,
I was never allowed, and it’s far too dangerous now. The nearest I got was the
museum. I’d liked to have satisfied my curiosity but I much prefer the open
air.
Mum’s
grandfather was killed in a pitfall and I think she always worried that the
same would happen to Dad. Now most of the time she thinks he’s dead.” She burst
into tears. “Oh, God, I’m sorry.”
“Come
and sit down.” Taking her arm, he led her off the path. They sat down in the
springy heather and she wiped her eyes. “You have to cry, and let it all out,”
he told her gently. “I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve locked myself
in the library and just…”
He
pulled a comical expression as she stared at him. It was hard to imagine him
crying his eyes out but who knows how he reacted when he left the library after
learning that his real mother was a complete stranger.
“I
used to cry for my family,” he continued. “Me; the bills that still needed
paying; the career I never had; the nightmare of possibly having to sell the
estate; the fact that I have no life…that sort of thing. You have your cry then
you dust yourself down and, in my case, head back out to the office.”
“My
friends in London didn’t want me to come back up here.” She fished a
handkerchief out of a pocket and blew her nose. “But I had to, she’s my mum.
She and Dad are all I’ve got left and I know I’m quickly losing her. This
morning she thought I was Sally, her sister. I’m really dreading a time when
she forgets that I exist.”
“Do
you not have any other family?” he asked.
“Mum’s
brother, Martin, died when he was twenty,” she explained. “Sally lives in
Cornwall. They were never close, anyway. Dad was an only child.”
“So
why did you go to live in London?”
“I
followed a man down there.” She shook her head at her stupidity. “I thought I’d
found ‘the one’ at long last and I thought I’d be able to persuade Dad to come
and live in London, even though I knew deep down that he’d never leave Mum up
here and he’d never move her down there. Anyway, needless to say, it didn’t
work out between Lee and me, and I was packing up down there when I got a phone
call telling me that Dad had fallen and badly broken his arm and he couldn’t
live on his own anymore. That was six months ago. He said himself that he
should go into sheltered accommodation so he sold the house and he’s in The
Beeches Complex now. Finding a job which has a flat going with it is
fantastic.” She smiled. “Do you feel like going on?”
He
returned a smile. “To be honest, I’d rather sit here and talk to you. I haven’t
had a conversation about anything but estate business in…I don’t know how
long.”
“To
be honest, I think you work too hard.”
He
nodded. “I think you’re right. But I have to work hard. I’m not going to be
remembered as the Heaton who had to sell up. And if that means coach parties
and teas, then it means coach parties and teas.”
“Did
you find the fridge in the end?”
He
rolled his remarkable eyes. “Yes. It’s now built into the kitchen cupboards in
the pantry. Integrated, I think Mrs Fields called it, so no wonder I couldn’t
find it.”
“At
least you can raid it now,” she teased.
He
shrugged. “There’s no Branston Pickle.”
“I
can make you a sandwich if you get a craving.”
“I
might just take you up on that.”
She
smiled and looked away, hoping that he couldn’t see her blush.
“I
rang the opticians in the town,” he announced and she turned back. “They gave
me an appointment for tomorrow morning.”
“Oh.
Good.”
“I
hope I don’t pick the most hideous frames there.”
“Would
you like me to come with you?” she asked, hoping she wasn’t overstepping the
mark, and he failed to hide his relief at her offer.
“Thank
you. I’d welcome another opinion. Even if I could ask Stephanie, God knows what
I’d end up getting.”
“I
suppose I should have mentioned it before,” she began. “Properly, I mean. But I
was sorry to hear about Stephanie. A friend of mine in London lost a baby. It
was awful.”
“I
suppose you’ve also heard that it was because her boyfriend hits her?”
Sophia
nodded.
“She
won’t leave him. I’ve begged her, Lady Heaton has begged her, her friends have
begged her, but she won’t. I’m terrified that one day he will kill her. She
went home to her apartment the other day, refused my offer of coming here for a
bit. Stubborn to the last.”
“I
take it that she doesn’t know?” she asked.
“No.
And that’s the way it’s going to be.” He sighed. “Look, I’m sorry you’re caught
up in all of this.”
“I
have to say this: I just can’t help but feel you’re burying your head in the
sand over it all.”
“Well,
what can I do?” he demanded. “Turn up on your friend’s doorstep and introduce
myself?”
“Her
name’s Michelle,” she told him.
“Michelle’s
doorstep, then. Her whole family could fall apart. It sounds dramatic but if
it’s anything like what’s happened between Lady Heaton and me—” He stopped
abruptly realising he’d said more than he had intended to. “For now,” he
continued quietly. “I just want to try and get my head around it all and let
sleeping dogs lie.”
She
shrugged sadly. “All right.”
“I
would love a coffee, thank you.”
“Good.
I’m freezing.”
“Why
didn’t you say?”
He
just shrugged comically and they returned to the Land Rover.
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My Review
The slow build up in their relationship was written well. Both characters and the story held my interest most of the time. The romance took a little while to develop but this isn't really a negative thing.
Thomas has a quick temper and it could be a bit annoying at times. Especially as sometimes he could fly off the handle at the smallest thing! Although as his character develops you get to see the real person behind the title.
Sophia is likeable especially as she is going through a tough time and she manages to handles everything that is thrown at her. I really enjoyed it when they started to research the family tree. I love anything to do with ancestry research so I thought this bit was great!
The secret within the story ends up concerning Sophia and it was interesting to see how things would turn out. I don't want to spoil it so I will leave it at that!
Overall:
I enjoyed getting to know the characters and to see if Sophia and Thomas would end up together.
So curl up in a comfy chair and enjoy this intriguing romance!
Four stars from me!
Thank you to Lorna Peel and Brook Cottage Books for my copy. This is my honest and unbiased opinion.
BUY LINKS
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Lorna Peel is an author of
contemporary and historical romantic fiction.
Her debut novel, ONLY YOU, a
contemporary celebrity romance set in London, England, was published in 2014.
INTO THE UNKNOWN, a World War Two romance set in London, the south east of
England, and Ireland, was published in 2015 and reached Amazon’s top 20 best
sellers in 20th Century Historical Romance. THE IMAGE OF HER, a romantic
suspense set in rural England about a woman’s search for her birth mother, was
published in May 2016. NEW BLOOD, a romantic suspense set in a stately home in
Yorkshire, England, will be published on 3 November 2016.
Lorna was born in England and lived
in North Wales until her family moved to Ireland to become farmers, which is a
book in itself! She lives in rural Ireland, where she writes, researches her
family history, and grows fruit and vegetables. She also keeps chickens (and a
Guinea Hen who now thinks she’s a chicken!).
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PeelLorna
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/lornapeel
websites: http://lornapeel.com
GIVEAWAY
cotton
tote bag, magnetic postcard, and a signed postcard
Thank you for hosting New Blood today, Rachel, and for your review.
ReplyDeleteYou're very welcome! 😀
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