Search - The Bride Sale

Verity is a heroine who discovers her inner strength, stops being a doormat, gives generously of herself to those around her, and discovers that she's okay after all.
James is a tormented hero who acts like a "monster" because of an overabundance of shame & guilt. But beneath all that, he is so honorable & noble, that Verity stays in his home for 8 months with only 1 incident, one that dumps another boatload of guilt on James & more esteem issues on Verity. Along the way, however, they become real friends, which is the best basis for any relationship. The romantic feelings are buried because of their situations. When they finally come to light, their strength has healed not only James & Verity, but the entire community.

Although I had a good idea who the villain was, there were enough red herrings to keep it interesting. My only complaint is that there should have been surviving witnesses to the villain's admission of guilt and to James' situation.

This story is not primarily about lust or seduction, nor does it heavily rely on such elements. Instead, it's about two hurting people who grow, and heal, and find abiding friendship and true love. The attraction is there; it just doesn't dominate the story or the characters.

The Cornish dialect was sometimes hard to decipher, but it added greatly to the setting and tone. Enjoy!