ON BENDED KNEE is the sixth book in Celeste Bradley's Wicked Worthingtons series. Lysander Worthington is a changed man after living the life of a soldier. He returns home a different man and his family has trouble reconciling the man he was then with the silent one he is now. With his mother ill, his youngest sister sends him on a mission to fetch his brother Poll. Instead of his brother, he finds peace and an unexpected but welcome love in the form of widow Gemma Oakes. Celeste Bradley tells a moving story about two people who find each other after knowing war and loss.

Celeste Bradley injects some humor into ON BENDED KNEE to relieve the tension, but the focus is on the romance and the story about healing. Lysander is immediately enchanted by Gemma the first time he sees her. A somewhat amusing accident has him convalescing at Gemma's home and an attraction blossoms and becomes something more. Celeste Bradley tells the story from alternating perspectives, allowing the reader a window into the thoughts of the main characters. With Gemma, Lysander doesn't feel the need to conform to some previous version of himself, and Gemma is wowed by Lysander's strength, sensitivity, and hot factor. As a by- product of falling in love and meeting each other, they both gain a better sense of who they are and what they want in life. The romance between Gemma and Lysander in ON BENDED KNEE evolves from initial physical attraction, to enjoyable companionship, to a physical and emotional climax.

ON BENDED KNEE is a tender and terrific story about love, loss, and family. I like how Lysander is finally able to make a psychological breakthrough by sharing his traumatic experience with Gemma, and comparing his loss with hers. I always think it's great when the hero in a story gains a little emotional insight before the heroine. In previous Wicked Worthingtons books we've seen the zany antics of the many Worthingtons, but in ON BENDED KNEE we see how much they love each other. I look forward to reading about Poll's "happily ever after" in a future book.

Book Summary

At last! The story of healing the war-torn heart of Lysander Worthington!

Lysander Worthington has existed in a dark place since he came back from the war. His heart seems like a locked chamber, hidden even from his beloved family. Life seems like a constant battlefield. When Lysander encounters an enraged farm animal in a remote Yorkshire village, his battle instincts take over!

Isolated doctor's widow, Gemma Oakes, has a habit of taking in the bent and the broken. When a handsome stranger rides into her village and proceeds to destroy their festival, Gemma believes she can help this beautiful, damaged man cleanse his heart of war.

Lysander's darkness appeals to Gemma's nurturing spirit, while his beautiful body mesmerizes her senses. Lysander has kept his secret for so many years, but Gemma's inner strength and open heart tempt him to speak at last. Among the beloved, misfit inhabitants (not all human!) of Yew Manor, can Lysander and Gemma trust enough to understand broken hearts can mend, and shattered souls love again?