First impressions can doom second chances. Bran Roscarrock has been living in the closet all his life. As heir to an expansive family legacy in the town of Porthkennack, old-fashioned ideals of respectability and duty were drummed into him since childhood, and he's never dared to live -- or love -- openly. Sam Ferreira, an old friend of Bran's brother, Jory, is a disgraced academic desperate to leave his dead-end job. When Jory asks him to take over as curator of a planned exhibition on Edward of Woodstock, the fourteenth-century Black Prince, Sam leaps at the chance to do what he loves and make a fresh start. But Bran's funding the exhibition, and though sparks fly between the two men, they're not all happy ones. Bran idolises Prince Edward as a hero, while Sam's determined to present a balanced picture. With neither of them prepared to give ground, a hundred years of war seems all too possible. And if Bran finds out about Sam's past, his future may not be bright, and their budding romance may be lost to history.
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9 primary booksPorthkennack is a 9-book series with 9 primary works first released in 2017 with contributions by Joanna Chambers, J.L. Merrow, and 3 others.
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This book should be subtitled The Reform of a Roscarrock, as J.L. Merrow tries but not quite succeeds in redeeming Bran Roscarrock, who was mean and spiteful in Porthkennack #1, [b:Wake Up Call 34093960 Wake Up Call (Porthkennack, #1) J.L. Merrow https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1487206286s/34093960.jpg 55111104] and slightly less horrid but still homophobic in Porthkennack #9, [b:One Under 35598278 One Under (Porthkennack, #9) J.L. Merrow https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1513943794s/35598278.jpg 57032625]. Turns out the poor bloke was just closeted all of these years, and all torn up from the pressure from his cold, demanding father. Merrow even throws in several flashback scenes to key episodes in Bran's youth and early adulthood to show those turning points that shaped him so we'll feel extra sorry for him. Maybe readers unfamiliar with earlier books in the series will buy the turnaround, but as a reader who had experienced the full extent of Bran's awfulness, I needed to see a lot more groveling and apologizing than he displayed here. The man who sees through Bran's hard shell to the decent guy underneath is Sam Ferrreira, disgraced academic and recovering gambler who went to school with Bran's brother Jory. He has come to Porthkennack to serve as curator for an exhibit on a 14th century prince, who just happens to be Bran's idol. Sam is desperate to experience some redemption himself, and he wants to portray Prince Edward and his time realistically, warts and all, but not surprisingly Bran wants nothing to do with anything that suggests his beloved prince was anything less than a hero. After all, he did everything, good and bad, for his Daddy, just like Bran did...Sam is a nice guy who has made some bad choices (mostly in trusting the wrong guy), and while it's refreshing to see him stand up for himself in arguments with Bran, it's hard to see why he falls for the lout at the same time, other than some strong physical attraction. So both the romance and Bran's transformation are less than convincing. Still, I enjoyed being back in scenic Porthkennack, visiting with Jory and Mal (from One Under), and experiencing Merrow's dry British wit. I hope that if she provides more entries for this series, she chooses to do so with a different family; I think this one is all tapped out.ARC received from Net Galley in exchange for honest review.
