Condemned for murder, Dez Moore awaits the hangman’s noose. Though he killed to defend a woman, the court shows no mercy, and, resigned, he attempts to make amends with his estranged sister. His letter bidding his sister good-bye falls into the wrong hands, and suddenly, he is facing another future—one that may exist, thanks to a man he doesn’t know.
Once a poor mudlark, Carl Reis is a powerful businessman with an erratic impulse to save desperate people. When Dez’s letter comes to him, he takes an interest in the prisoner. But the charming and disruptive Dez Moore proves to be more attractive than any of his other rescues. He stirs urges Carl has long suppressed, and makes him yearn for a future even he could not foresee. One with the lively Mr. Moore by his side and in his bed.
Long used to doing for others—some might say controlling them--while maintaining his solitary existence, Carl struggles to keep Dez from breaching his walls. But the tenacious Dez will do all it takes to capture his rescuer’s heart.
💦This is an expanded version of The Scent of Hope, a goodreads free read.💦
Dez Moore is waiting for his date with the hangman but would like to see his sister one last time. Carl Reis receives a letter not intended for him but once he reads it, his desire to help overtakes his time. Will Carl be able to break Dez's date with the noose?
It's heartwarming to discover that postal delivery is just as reliable today as it was back then 😉 but then again maybe fate had a hand in the mix-up, but whatever brought it about, when Carl receives a letter meant for Dez's sister lives are changed forever. As for the sister, I am an only child but I can't imagine turning my back on my brother as she has but I also am not living in that time with the moral views of the era so who knows how I would have reacted in the situation but my heart broke for Dez. When we meet Carl he may be living a solitary existence on a personal level but he has quite an interesting crew around him at work, whether they consider themselves employees, assistants, or friends doesn't really matter because they have his back whatever their label.
I understand that this is an expanded version of a previous Goodreads free read, The Scent of Hope but I never read that so I can't speak to how much of an expansion this is but The Hanged Man's Hero is a brilliant read. There is a little bit of everything here: romance, humor, drama, and a healthy dose of lust wrapped in a big beautiful historical bow that one comes to expect from Summer Devon and her obvious respect for the era. It's one of those tales that even though you pretty much know how it's going to end up, the journey getting from point A to point Z is what really will get the blood pumping.
RATING:
Summer Devon is the pen name writer Kate Rothwell often uses. Whether the characters are male or female, human or dragon, her books are always romance.
You can visit her facebook page, where there's a sign up form for a newsletter (she'll only send out newsletters when there's a new Summer Devon or Kate Rothwell release and she will never ever sell your name to anyone).
EMAILS: summerdevon@comcast.net
katerothwell@gmail.com
