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Kate and the Soldier
Eager to see Major David Merritt, whom she has worshiped since she was a child, Kate Millbank looks forward to his return from the wars and is shocked to discover that he has become a bitter, angry stranger
224 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published May 1, 1993
14 people are currently reading
42 people want to read
About the author
Anne Barbour
25 books17 followersAnne Barbour developed an affection for the Regency period while living in England. She now lives in the Black Hills of South Dakota with her husband, a retired lieutenant colonel. She is the mother of six children, all grown, and she loves to boast of her five grandchildren.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
January 16, 2021
We first meet DAVID MERRITT as he makes his way to his father’s sickbed. David himself is not well having sustained an injury during military service and its obvious he’s labouring under some great distress regarding his cousin Kate.
KATE MILLBANK – David’s cousin – is digging in the ruins of a Roman villa when we first meet her, the owner of “a cloud of fiery red hair and a pair of enormous hazel eyes”. She too is labouring under some distress regarding her cousin David and an argument they had many years ago.
And so the scene is set…can they resolve this distress that both are labouring under? And what about David’s illegitimacy? How can either of them look past that?
What did I like about this book?
The bits about the Roman villa.
Seriously that’s all I liked about this book sadly. Although I didn’t mind Buried Secrets (published 7 years after this book), this book really wasn’t able to hold my attention. I found myself skipping vast chunks of description (and there are vast chunks in this book) simply to get to the action.
What didn’t I like about this book?
The vast chunks of description were a major mood killer for me. It took ages to get to any action, with approximately the first quarter of the book spent reading about Kate and David’s mutual, yet unexpressed, despair, longing and unhappiness as well as descriptions of Kate’s amazing hair. (I’ll get to the hair in a minute).
There’s also some stuff about David’s unhappy childhood and horrible family but really that could easily have been cut in half and still provided us with the same information.
And then, even after the action seems to start with a twist in David’s backstory, it doesn’t. The plot point happens and then there’s more talking and internal angst and distress. For almost another 25% of the book. Yep that’s right, its almost half way through the book before we get to the next plot point.
Argh.
And what’s with the constant references to Kate’s hair being on fire?
“…so flamboyant was its color that one might have expected sparks to fly as a result.”
“…it blazed like a bonfire on midsummer’s eve.”
“…Kate’s hair seemed to take on an even more brilliant, flame-like hue until it appeared she might simply shoot skyward like a fireworks display.”
Seriously by the end of the book I fully expected Kate to have gone up in flames, courtesy of her flammable hair. Now that would have been a plot twist and a half!
But how did I feel at the end?
That’s really the important thing isn’t it? Did I feel the HEA was right? Did I feel happy or disappointed by the misunderstandings? Was I left with a warm and fuzzy feeling or wishing I could get my money back?
HEA – really by the time we got to the HEA I was so tired of the constant teenage angst and burning hair that I just wanted it over already.
Misunderstandings – they just kept on coming! And though Kate and David did talk and discuss the issues between them, there was a lot of internal despair (and description about the internal despair) before each conversation. Again, I just lost interest in them.
All in all, this book was much too slow paced for me, with too much description / internal angst and not enough action. Whilst I don’t wish I could get my money back, I won’t be re-reading this particular book any time soon.
KATE MILLBANK – David’s cousin – is digging in the ruins of a Roman villa when we first meet her, the owner of “a cloud of fiery red hair and a pair of enormous hazel eyes”. She too is labouring under some distress regarding her cousin David and an argument they had many years ago.
And so the scene is set…can they resolve this distress that both are labouring under? And what about David’s illegitimacy? How can either of them look past that?
What did I like about this book?
The bits about the Roman villa.
Seriously that’s all I liked about this book sadly. Although I didn’t mind Buried Secrets (published 7 years after this book), this book really wasn’t able to hold my attention. I found myself skipping vast chunks of description (and there are vast chunks in this book) simply to get to the action.
What didn’t I like about this book?
The vast chunks of description were a major mood killer for me. It took ages to get to any action, with approximately the first quarter of the book spent reading about Kate and David’s mutual, yet unexpressed, despair, longing and unhappiness as well as descriptions of Kate’s amazing hair. (I’ll get to the hair in a minute).
There’s also some stuff about David’s unhappy childhood and horrible family but really that could easily have been cut in half and still provided us with the same information.
And then, even after the action seems to start with a twist in David’s backstory, it doesn’t. The plot point happens and then there’s more talking and internal angst and distress. For almost another 25% of the book. Yep that’s right, its almost half way through the book before we get to the next plot point.
Argh.
And what’s with the constant references to Kate’s hair being on fire?
“…so flamboyant was its color that one might have expected sparks to fly as a result.”
“…it blazed like a bonfire on midsummer’s eve.”
“…Kate’s hair seemed to take on an even more brilliant, flame-like hue until it appeared she might simply shoot skyward like a fireworks display.”
Seriously by the end of the book I fully expected Kate to have gone up in flames, courtesy of her flammable hair. Now that would have been a plot twist and a half!
But how did I feel at the end?
That’s really the important thing isn’t it? Did I feel the HEA was right? Did I feel happy or disappointed by the misunderstandings? Was I left with a warm and fuzzy feeling or wishing I could get my money back?
HEA – really by the time we got to the HEA I was so tired of the constant teenage angst and burning hair that I just wanted it over already.
Misunderstandings – they just kept on coming! And though Kate and David did talk and discuss the issues between them, there was a lot of internal despair (and description about the internal despair) before each conversation. Again, I just lost interest in them.
All in all, this book was much too slow paced for me, with too much description / internal angst and not enough action. Whilst I don’t wish I could get my money back, I won’t be re-reading this particular book any time soon.
November 6, 2023
Nice but
I liked the story and lead characters but the misunderstandings and angst bogged down the story. Going over the same thoughts and feelings from the main couple was tedious.
I liked the story and lead characters but the misunderstandings and angst bogged down the story. Going over the same thoughts and feelings from the main couple was tedious.
July 21, 2015
Kate and David have been friends since they were children. Through childhood, it was David along with Phillip and Kate who were brother and sister who had wonderful times together. The three were inseparable, in spite of the fact that David was the illegitimate son of an earl.
David has returned from war with a terrible wound which gives him constant pain. His father has requested he come home for a visit.
I am a fan of Anne Barbour. This is a regency romance that has an interesting plot possibilities and is filled with characters who provide action and color for the story. For me, at times I felt pretty sure I knew where things were going.
David and Kate are very nice people who hold the reader's interest. Each of them are “good” people who try to do what they believe to be the right thing for everyone. At times doing good is difficult.
There is a step-mother who is not a nice person at all, a younger brother who appears to be rather slow witted in his attitude toward life, and some good friends who want what is best for both David and Kate.
At times the plot seemed to move too slowly for me. The characters are what kept me interested in finding what happened.
If you want a sweet romance which does have a happy ending, this is a book you will enjoy.
David has returned from war with a terrible wound which gives him constant pain. His father has requested he come home for a visit.
I am a fan of Anne Barbour. This is a regency romance that has an interesting plot possibilities and is filled with characters who provide action and color for the story. For me, at times I felt pretty sure I knew where things were going.
David and Kate are very nice people who hold the reader's interest. Each of them are “good” people who try to do what they believe to be the right thing for everyone. At times doing good is difficult.
There is a step-mother who is not a nice person at all, a younger brother who appears to be rather slow witted in his attitude toward life, and some good friends who want what is best for both David and Kate.
At times the plot seemed to move too slowly for me. The characters are what kept me interested in finding what happened.
If you want a sweet romance which does have a happy ending, this is a book you will enjoy.
January 30, 2016
Per David figlio illegittimo del conte di Falworth la vita è stata ricca di amarezze. privo di mezzi, odiato dalla matrigna e dal fratellastro, è tornato dalla guerra ferito nel corpo e nell'anima...
Alla morte del padre si svela una scioccante verità, è lui il legittimo erede al titolo.....
Ho trovato questo romanzo su una bancarella pubblicato dai tascabili Mondadori con il titolo "Il ritorno del soldato".
Piena di aspettativa dopo aver letto la trama (l'eroe ferito e tormentato confesso sia uno dei miei temi preferiti), sono rimasta molto delusa perché in questo romanzo NON SUCCEDE UN BEL NIENTE. Quasi 254 pagine di noia, sono riuscita ad arrivare in fondo sgranocchiando chicchi di caffè ricoperti al cioccolato ....
Consigliato ..... come rimedio naturale all'insonnia
Alla morte del padre si svela una scioccante verità, è lui il legittimo erede al titolo.....
Ho trovato questo romanzo su una bancarella pubblicato dai tascabili Mondadori con il titolo "Il ritorno del soldato".
Piena di aspettativa dopo aver letto la trama (l'eroe ferito e tormentato confesso sia uno dei miei temi preferiti), sono rimasta molto delusa perché in questo romanzo NON SUCCEDE UN BEL NIENTE. Quasi 254 pagine di noia, sono riuscita ad arrivare in fondo sgranocchiando chicchi di caffè ricoperti al cioccolato ....
Consigliato ..... come rimedio naturale all'insonnia
December 28, 2011
Not a bad read overall but not something that I would reread.
May 18, 2015
3,5 stars.
March 20, 2016
3.5 out of 5 stars
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews