Reviewed by Sadonna

TITLE:  The Love and the Anger

SERIES:  Crofton Chronicles

AUTHOR:  Rebecca Cohen

PUBLISHER:  Self-published

LENGTH:  194 pages

RELEASE DATE:  November 17, 2022

BLURB:

William, Viscount of Crofton, is missing, feared taken. Anthony Redbourn, 1st Earl of Crofton, is beside himself with worry and anger, and sets out with his lover, Sebastian Hewel, to find his fourteen year old son and bring him home.

Only William hasn’t been stolen away by a gang preying on the heirs of nobles. Enthralled by the theatre, he’s run away to join a troupe of travelling players, and all goes well until someone realises who he really is…

This novel is to mark ten years of my Crofton men. Anthony and Sebastian first appear in The Crofton Chronicles, and this story is set several years after Anthony, Earl of Crofton chronologically.

REVIEW:

NOTE:   This story takes places in the historical Crofton Chronicles world.  It’s best to have read that series first.

Anthony Redbourn is frustrated with his teenage son.  William wants to break free.  When he doesn’t return to school as he is expected to, the Earl is convinced that he has been snatched.  There has been a rash of these snatching of the children of the nobility and demands for exorbitant ransom.  Anthony is beside himself.  After word surfaces that William may be somewhere else, Sebastian is determined to try to find him before Anthony does and all hell breaks loose.

Sebastian is able to find William – who has not been snatched.  He lets William have his fun while waiting for his father to arrive.  Anthony is none too happy about William’s little foray into the theater.  But he does understand it.  All seems to be falling into place.  Then another threat surfaces that is far worse than they imagined and Anthony will do anything to protect William and Sebastian.

This is another delightful tale from the Crofton Chronicles universe.  I am a huge fan of both the historical and the modern Crofton series and I thoroughly enjoyed this episode written to celebrate the ten year anniversary of the first Crofton book.   Reading about Anthony and Sebastian is always a treat and this story is a great example.  I loved the unexpected twist of this story that made it that much more exciting.  William, the Earl’s teenage son is a written so well – a child desperately wanting to prove that he is his own man, but of course he doesn’t know nearly as much as he thinks he does 😉  Sebastian as a “bonus” parent is so good with him and helps him to understand the world a little better.  The other supporting characters and the villains in the piece were also very well written and I can see another potential story already brewing here with some side characters – at least I’m hoping so 😀  Highly recommended.  Fans of the historical series will thoroughly enjoy this story of the Earl and Actor and their exploits.

RATING: 

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