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Come What May: A Novel
Come What May
Her life depended on his name. His heart depended on her love.
It was a most humiliating situation. Mistress Claire Curran of London arrived at the Virginia office of her uncle’s solicitor knowing nothing of the private correspondence she bore. With a simple break of the seal, she was hopelessly trapped in a shameless her hand given in marriage to a stranger to clear an unpaid debt. Alone and penniless, at first she has no means of escaping her lowly fate. But she pledges to be no man’s pawn in such a dishonorable game--and certainly no man’s wife. With a sharp mind and an unbreakable spirit, Claire devises to play the part of Rosewind’s mistress...but only until she can find a way out.
Devon Rivard finds himself in a maddening he can either sell his ancestral home to pay his brother’s gambling debts, or marry one Claire Curran, the fiery-tempered messenger who has so innocently tossed the black-hearted ultimatum into his lap. Resigned yet furious, he vows to annul the marriage once the debt is cleared. But as he comes to know the independent yet vulnerable and undeniably lovely Claire, an even more difficult dilemma arises. She wins his heart, a prize he thought forever safely walled away. He knows he can’t make her love him, but he can’t bear to lose her. Can he convince her to stay by his side as the clouds of war gather, or will circumstances beyond his control take her away from him forever?
Her life depended on his name. His heart depended on her love.
It was a most humiliating situation. Mistress Claire Curran of London arrived at the Virginia office of her uncle’s solicitor knowing nothing of the private correspondence she bore. With a simple break of the seal, she was hopelessly trapped in a shameless her hand given in marriage to a stranger to clear an unpaid debt. Alone and penniless, at first she has no means of escaping her lowly fate. But she pledges to be no man’s pawn in such a dishonorable game--and certainly no man’s wife. With a sharp mind and an unbreakable spirit, Claire devises to play the part of Rosewind’s mistress...but only until she can find a way out.
Devon Rivard finds himself in a maddening he can either sell his ancestral home to pay his brother’s gambling debts, or marry one Claire Curran, the fiery-tempered messenger who has so innocently tossed the black-hearted ultimatum into his lap. Resigned yet furious, he vows to annul the marriage once the debt is cleared. But as he comes to know the independent yet vulnerable and undeniably lovely Claire, an even more difficult dilemma arises. She wins his heart, a prize he thought forever safely walled away. He knows he can’t make her love him, but he can’t bear to lose her. Can he convince her to stay by his side as the clouds of war gather, or will circumstances beyond his control take her away from him forever?
403 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published August 27, 2002
16 people are currently reading
79 people want to read
About the author
Leslie LaFoy
38 books25 followersHi everyone! Here are a few facts about me:
I am a multi-published author in mass market historical fiction, or in other words, I write historical romances. I have a background in education, specifically social studies, but I've also dabbled in directing a public television station and serving as a police liaison officer.
I've been married to my wonderful husband, David, for twenty years and I have a teenage son who has yet to encounter a sport he doesn't love. Basically, when I'm not frantically writing and eyeing deadlines, I'm running a taxi service to various sports venues around town. Heck, around the entire state of Kansas.
Speaking of which, I live in a small town on the prairie where everyone gathers at the football field for Fourth of July fireworks and the Lions Club serves free ice cream and watermelon. Where going to the ball diamonds, the grocery store, and the truck stop for dinner is always a social occasion. Where the police department is all of three guys and the Chief drives a PT Cruiser.
My life is full of love and adventure, which always carry into the historical romances I pen.
I am a multi-published author in mass market historical fiction, or in other words, I write historical romances. I have a background in education, specifically social studies, but I've also dabbled in directing a public television station and serving as a police liaison officer.
I've been married to my wonderful husband, David, for twenty years and I have a teenage son who has yet to encounter a sport he doesn't love. Basically, when I'm not frantically writing and eyeing deadlines, I'm running a taxi service to various sports venues around town. Heck, around the entire state of Kansas.
Speaking of which, I live in a small town on the prairie where everyone gathers at the football field for Fourth of July fireworks and the Lions Club serves free ice cream and watermelon. Where going to the ball diamonds, the grocery store, and the truck stop for dinner is always a social occasion. Where the police department is all of three guys and the Chief drives a PT Cruiser.
My life is full of love and adventure, which always carry into the historical romances I pen.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
December 6, 2012
Reviewed for THC Reviews
I've had Come What May on my TBR list for quite some time, and based solely on the synopsis, I honestly couldn't remember why I'd put it there in the first place. Once I started reading it, I finally figured out that it was because the book is a rare colonial-set historical romance and even rarer still, it takes place just before the American Revolution. There is a strong historical element present with a few real-life personages as characters. The hero is a member of the House of Burgesses, and both he and the heroine are well-versed on the political climate of the era. This and many historical details of the events leading up to the Revolutionary War are included, giving the novel a bit of a historical fiction feel. It was very enjoyable and different to read a romance set during this time period.
In spite of this, the story got off to a rather slow start for me. Initially, I didn't think there was much to recommend any of the characters. Devon could be somewhat boorish, his brother, Wyndom certainly wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, and his mother and Aunt Elsbeth are two shallow, self- absorbed women. Claire had some admirable qualities, but even she was a little too stubborn for me. Luckily, as the story progressed, Devon and Claire grew on me, although I still thought their romance could have been a bit stronger. In the beginning, these two fight like cats and dogs. They do share a mutual physical attraction, but not much else, although I suppose that's somewhat understandable since both of them were essentially forced into a marriage neither wanted. They are two willful, independent people who each have their own agenda of things they'd like to accomplish and tend to see the other one as a hindrance to achieving those goals. Gradually, they begin to develop a mutual respect for one another. Claire sees that Devon is a responsible man who has taken the weight of the world upon his shoulders in caring for his ungrateful family. Devon sees Claire make his home come alive in a way it never has before as she puts her skills to work setting everything to rights even though she doesn't intend to stay. Out of this respect, their love slowly begins to grow until neither of them wants to end the marriage after all. They finally share a few romantic moments and one moderately descriptive love scene before everything comes crashing down around them, very nearly ending their newfound love before it has a chance to fully blossom.
As I mentioned, Devon begins the book with a rather disagreeable temperament and treats Claire (and pretty much everyone else for that matter) in a somewhat uncivil manner. He is the only responsible person in an extremely irresponsible family. Devon inherited a mountain of debt from a profligate father who didn't know how to temper either his spending or his libido. His mother and aunt are constantly bellyaching about not having nicer things and his brother is a wastrel much like their father. When Devon is forced to marry Claire to pay off his brother's gambling debts, it's basically the last straw for him. He sees her as simply adding to his already overburdened plate, but then she surprises him by showing that she can pull her own weight and then some. She brings a much-needed light into his darkened corner of the world, and makes him feel like she really cares which is something no woman has ever done for him before. Slowly, Devon begins to lighten up and appreciate Claire's contributions. I really liked how Devon respected Claire's intelligence and knowledge of current events and how he treated her as an equal. When armed rebellion appears to be imminent, Devon makes some difficult and perhaps unfair decisions borne out of his deep-seated sense of responsibility for Claire's safety, but luckily fate had something better in store for them.
Claire is a very independent, progressive-thinking woman for her era. After the death of both her parents, she became a ward of her uncle, an unsavory man who was known for his shady business dealings. Claire became caught up in helping him with his business (although I have to admit that I either missed the finer points of how this occurred or it wasn't explained well, since she was a woman navigating a man's world). As such, she often disguised herself as a young man to avoid unwanted advances. When she carried papers to Devon from her uncle, she had no idea they would seal her fate into an arranged marriage. She doesn't want the marriage any more than Devon does, and is eager to get an annulment as soon as they receive word from her uncle that the debt has been cleared. In the meantime, she decides to make the best of it and earn her keep by taking care of Devon's home and family. Claire is talented and knowledgeable about household chores, and very intelligent in a more general sense too. She fully understands business and politics and can definitely hold her own in a discussion of either topic. The longer she stays at Devon's plantation the more clear it becomes that someone doesn't want her there. Several mysterious attempts are made on her life, but luckily, Devon is always there to save her.
The secondary characters were well-rendered, with a clear distinction between the good guys and the bad guys. All I can say is holy dysfunctional families, Batman!:-) Both Devon and Claire had some really bad apples on their family trees. Devon also had a former mistress who tried to make life miserable for Claire, but she weathered through it with grace and dignity. Devon's best friend, Edmund and his servant, Ephram, were good sounding boards for him and the voice of reason when he was being a little too stubborn. Devon's other servants, Hannah and Meg, were a mother figure and best friend respectively to Claire, offering her sage advice when she most needed it. Then there were Richard Henry and Francis Lightfoot Lee, as well as Peyton Randolph, all real members of the House of Burgesses at the time, and a brief sighting of Patrick Henry too.
There definitely aren't enough Colonial/Revolutionary War romances, so that alone made Come What May interesting to me. For those who might be concerned, Devon is a slave owner, but the issue of slavery is given a gentle touch here. Devon isn't a proponent of slavery and only owns them due to his sense of responsibility and the law forbidding him from emancipating them. The mini-mystery of who was trying to kill Claire produced some decent suspense for part of the story and ended with a few unexpected twists. At times, the writing style was a bit wordy and narrative heavy, but overall, Come What May was a good read that held my attention. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who is interested in romances set during this time period or readers who enjoy a healthy dose of history with their romance.
I've had Come What May on my TBR list for quite some time, and based solely on the synopsis, I honestly couldn't remember why I'd put it there in the first place. Once I started reading it, I finally figured out that it was because the book is a rare colonial-set historical romance and even rarer still, it takes place just before the American Revolution. There is a strong historical element present with a few real-life personages as characters. The hero is a member of the House of Burgesses, and both he and the heroine are well-versed on the political climate of the era. This and many historical details of the events leading up to the Revolutionary War are included, giving the novel a bit of a historical fiction feel. It was very enjoyable and different to read a romance set during this time period.
In spite of this, the story got off to a rather slow start for me. Initially, I didn't think there was much to recommend any of the characters. Devon could be somewhat boorish, his brother, Wyndom certainly wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, and his mother and Aunt Elsbeth are two shallow, self- absorbed women. Claire had some admirable qualities, but even she was a little too stubborn for me. Luckily, as the story progressed, Devon and Claire grew on me, although I still thought their romance could have been a bit stronger. In the beginning, these two fight like cats and dogs. They do share a mutual physical attraction, but not much else, although I suppose that's somewhat understandable since both of them were essentially forced into a marriage neither wanted. They are two willful, independent people who each have their own agenda of things they'd like to accomplish and tend to see the other one as a hindrance to achieving those goals. Gradually, they begin to develop a mutual respect for one another. Claire sees that Devon is a responsible man who has taken the weight of the world upon his shoulders in caring for his ungrateful family. Devon sees Claire make his home come alive in a way it never has before as she puts her skills to work setting everything to rights even though she doesn't intend to stay. Out of this respect, their love slowly begins to grow until neither of them wants to end the marriage after all. They finally share a few romantic moments and one moderately descriptive love scene before everything comes crashing down around them, very nearly ending their newfound love before it has a chance to fully blossom.
As I mentioned, Devon begins the book with a rather disagreeable temperament and treats Claire (and pretty much everyone else for that matter) in a somewhat uncivil manner. He is the only responsible person in an extremely irresponsible family. Devon inherited a mountain of debt from a profligate father who didn't know how to temper either his spending or his libido. His mother and aunt are constantly bellyaching about not having nicer things and his brother is a wastrel much like their father. When Devon is forced to marry Claire to pay off his brother's gambling debts, it's basically the last straw for him. He sees her as simply adding to his already overburdened plate, but then she surprises him by showing that she can pull her own weight and then some. She brings a much-needed light into his darkened corner of the world, and makes him feel like she really cares which is something no woman has ever done for him before. Slowly, Devon begins to lighten up and appreciate Claire's contributions. I really liked how Devon respected Claire's intelligence and knowledge of current events and how he treated her as an equal. When armed rebellion appears to be imminent, Devon makes some difficult and perhaps unfair decisions borne out of his deep-seated sense of responsibility for Claire's safety, but luckily fate had something better in store for them.
Claire is a very independent, progressive-thinking woman for her era. After the death of both her parents, she became a ward of her uncle, an unsavory man who was known for his shady business dealings. Claire became caught up in helping him with his business (although I have to admit that I either missed the finer points of how this occurred or it wasn't explained well, since she was a woman navigating a man's world). As such, she often disguised herself as a young man to avoid unwanted advances. When she carried papers to Devon from her uncle, she had no idea they would seal her fate into an arranged marriage. She doesn't want the marriage any more than Devon does, and is eager to get an annulment as soon as they receive word from her uncle that the debt has been cleared. In the meantime, she decides to make the best of it and earn her keep by taking care of Devon's home and family. Claire is talented and knowledgeable about household chores, and very intelligent in a more general sense too. She fully understands business and politics and can definitely hold her own in a discussion of either topic. The longer she stays at Devon's plantation the more clear it becomes that someone doesn't want her there. Several mysterious attempts are made on her life, but luckily, Devon is always there to save her.
The secondary characters were well-rendered, with a clear distinction between the good guys and the bad guys. All I can say is holy dysfunctional families, Batman!:-) Both Devon and Claire had some really bad apples on their family trees. Devon also had a former mistress who tried to make life miserable for Claire, but she weathered through it with grace and dignity. Devon's best friend, Edmund and his servant, Ephram, were good sounding boards for him and the voice of reason when he was being a little too stubborn. Devon's other servants, Hannah and Meg, were a mother figure and best friend respectively to Claire, offering her sage advice when she most needed it. Then there were Richard Henry and Francis Lightfoot Lee, as well as Peyton Randolph, all real members of the House of Burgesses at the time, and a brief sighting of Patrick Henry too.
There definitely aren't enough Colonial/Revolutionary War romances, so that alone made Come What May interesting to me. For those who might be concerned, Devon is a slave owner, but the issue of slavery is given a gentle touch here. Devon isn't a proponent of slavery and only owns them due to his sense of responsibility and the law forbidding him from emancipating them. The mini-mystery of who was trying to kill Claire produced some decent suspense for part of the story and ended with a few unexpected twists. At times, the writing style was a bit wordy and narrative heavy, but overall, Come What May was a good read that held my attention. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who is interested in romances set during this time period or readers who enjoy a healthy dose of history with their romance.
May 18, 2020
okay but- this was great! halfway through i was so confused about what was going to happen and than the plot twist happened and like- wow
also- the politics being important to the story was great, i wasn’t expecting that at all and actually at some point so much was going on that I thought it was impossible to resolve everything but damn i was wrong
the ending is good, but i would 100% read a sequel... wait is there a sequel? i dont think so
anyway, highly recommended if your looking for a cheesy romance with a solid plot
also- the politics being important to the story was great, i wasn’t expecting that at all and actually at some point so much was going on that I thought it was impossible to resolve everything but damn i was wrong
the ending is good, but i would 100% read a sequel... wait is there a sequel? i dont think so
anyway, highly recommended if your looking for a cheesy romance with a solid plot
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 5, 2012
Rating = B+
May 1, 2019
This novel tried to be too much. Claire Curran of London was given in marriage to the older Virginia son of Rosewind to pay for the gambling debts of the younger son. Then, things start to happen to Claire. However, who is the perpetrator? In the final pages, the beginning rumblings of the Revolutionary War started to play out between Claire and Devon. In the meantime, there were three odious characters to gum up the works.
Essentially, there was too much going on in the story. I thought the last pages with the difficulties between the Americans and the English government seemed to be added to lengthen the novel.
Essentially, there was too much going on in the story. I thought the last pages with the difficulties between the Americans and the English government seemed to be added to lengthen the novel.
March 14, 2018
Truly remarkable
This book was great from beginning to end. I must read another book by this author. It was exciting and romantic.
This book was great from beginning to end. I must read another book by this author. It was exciting and romantic.
December 22, 2012
Laid up with a sore tooth I read this novel from cover to cover in one day!
Claire Curran has been traveling on her underhanded uncle's business since her father died. Her errand to colonial America is just another trip until she discovers the contents of the message says she is to be given in marriage to a stranger to cover a debt. The stranger she is to marry is not very happy with this state of affairs as his own affairs are in disarray and the debt is his younger brother's.
Married willy nilly he takes her to his estate where he finds he can't take his eyes off her. For her part, Sarah is a thoroughly exasperating woman, stubborn, highly opinionated, educated and had long ago shrugged off what society thought of her. although her marriage is supposed to be a sham until they can get it annulled, Sarah sets herself to setting the estate to rights and teaching the bound servant to cook.
She is unaware at first that her life is in danger but after several attempts she becomes very aware indeed. Her husband, determined to find out who is trying to harm Sarah and angry at his former mistress for trying to continue an affair he thought behind him find himself in a rare quandary. This woman he hadn't wanted to marry is becoming special to him and so --- I'll just let you read the rest.
The plot is very convoluted!
Claire Curran has been traveling on her underhanded uncle's business since her father died. Her errand to colonial America is just another trip until she discovers the contents of the message says she is to be given in marriage to a stranger to cover a debt. The stranger she is to marry is not very happy with this state of affairs as his own affairs are in disarray and the debt is his younger brother's.
Married willy nilly he takes her to his estate where he finds he can't take his eyes off her. For her part, Sarah is a thoroughly exasperating woman, stubborn, highly opinionated, educated and had long ago shrugged off what society thought of her. although her marriage is supposed to be a sham until they can get it annulled, Sarah sets herself to setting the estate to rights and teaching the bound servant to cook.
She is unaware at first that her life is in danger but after several attempts she becomes very aware indeed. Her husband, determined to find out who is trying to harm Sarah and angry at his former mistress for trying to continue an affair he thought behind him find himself in a rare quandary. This woman he hadn't wanted to marry is becoming special to him and so --- I'll just let you read the rest.
The plot is very convoluted!
August 3, 2014
Devon Rivard is furious when he finds out his brother has once again accrued a large gambling debt that must be paid off now. With the family home near bankruptcy, Devon must accept Claire Curran's hand in marriage to clear the debt. Claire is an innocent pawn in her uncle's scheme, and there is nothing she can do but marry this stranger. Devon and Claire pledge to annul the marriage as soon as the debt is cleared. But when they become friends living under the same roof, both begin to think that this marriage business may be just the thing they need.
This was an enjoyable historical romance set in Colonial Williamsburg. Claire and Devon are both interesting characters who I kept hoping would soon drop the idea of an annulment, since it was clear they were both in love with each other. Devon's family is very memorable and their story has some twist and turns. My rating: 4 Stars.
This was an enjoyable historical romance set in Colonial Williamsburg. Claire and Devon are both interesting characters who I kept hoping would soon drop the idea of an annulment, since it was clear they were both in love with each other. Devon's family is very memorable and their story has some twist and turns. My rating: 4 Stars.
March 20, 2008
I barely remember this book, but I know I didn't hate it or anything, it was a pretty easy read.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews