The Prodigal Hero

by Nancy Butler

MacHeath, a former sailor, regains his honor by rescuing the daughter of his former employer. But he never imagined that he'd also rescue her heart...

Genres: Regency, Romance, Historical, Historical Fiction, Christmas, Disability, Historical Romance

240 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published November 1, 2000

About the author

Nancy Butler also writes under her real name, Nancy J. Hajeski.

Nancy Butler has been an Anglophile since she was nineteen, when she traveled to England to see Carnaby Street. (“I blame it on the Beatles!”) Her frequent visits to an American friend living in London have furnished her with enough inspiration to keep writing Regencies well into the new millennium.

Butler resides in northern New Jersey with two cats, Aja and Puck, surrounded by her collection of artwork, funky antiques, and books. When she manages to get away from her computer, she can usually be found riding her quarter horse mare, Ginger, through the scenic wilds of Bergen County.

Butler is the 1998 Golden Leaf Award winner for Best First Novel.

Reviews

[Ynis Ainu]

I reread this just now and liked it even better than the first time. Both protas are very likeable and well-written, and the story setting is plausible and entertaining although it sounded a bit far-fetched to me at my first reading. The hero has serious case of stubborn and stupid pride isolating him from what he wants, but it's one of the plotlines of the story that he learns to understand this and grow beyond it - this doesn't happen often in this way, and I like the story better for it being done this way.
It's a plus that the hero's disability is not glossed over but plays a plausible role in the narrative. On the other hand, though, I find my suspension of disbelief overtaxed with his competence in everyday's life and his ability to hide the loss of one of his hands so successfully, while being firmly convinced on the other side that he can no longer do things that are important to him due to his loss.

[Cary]

So this is one of the books I got after I checked out the All About Romance website that Kristin told me about. It was short, clean and a quick happy read. I like ones where the women are strong and independent types which is saying lots for the Regency Era!

[Sylvia]

Regency

[Seema]

A bit stretched but the ending was really good. The hero was a very interesting character.