Ames‘ review of Love’s Fortress by Samantha Kane

Gideon North wants a wife. She must be practical and hardworking. But above all, she must have a hearty constitution. Horribly injured and scarred from his PeninsularWar service, Gideon does not want to deal with a wife who flinches every time shelooks at him.

Gideon’s estate manager Charles Borden was his sergeant in the war. Inseparable but almost always at odds, the two men agree that Sarah Whitley is the perfect wife for Gideon. Strong, beautiful and intelligent with a dry sense of humor, Sarah bears her own marks from a life spent in the shadows.

When Sarah learns to let go of her past fears, she frees both men to acknowledge the love and attraction that has always existed between them. The three become intimate but the eroticism of their encounters in the bedroom does not guarantee happiness.

Gideon’s defenses mire them in the past. Only together can Sarah and Charles break through to build a future with Gideon.

Love’s Fortress, book 7 in Samantha Kane’s Brothers in Arms series, was deep. Gideon lost part of his leg in the war and he’s burned on his face and arm. So his requirement in a wife is someone who can look past the scars and no one has been able to – until his neighbors set up a meeting with Sarah, a reverend’s daughter. You see, aside from the fact that Sarah knows how to run a household and raise children (she’s the eldest of a bunch), she has a birthmark on her face and that makes her singularly qualified to deal with and know to some extent what Gideon has been going through since the war. She’s used to people looking at her, and not always kindly.

Sarah is drawn to Gideon. She doesn’t judge a man by how he looks, since she’s been there enough. But Gideon, she can tell, is a leader and a strong man. He isn’t cruel, but he is hard. And they get along very well.

Gideon’s friend, Charles, is worried that now that Gideon is going to get married, that he won’t be needed anymore. Gideon and Charles are just friends, although they both want the other – but after the events that led to Gideon’s scars, these two men haven’t been able to bridge that gap between their desires and reality. But Sarah – Gideon wants things to be good for her so he invites Charles’s to their bedroom and these three hurting people quickly realize that three is better than one and with two ganging up against one, Gideon is going to have to open up and move beyond the past.

Ok, the reason I said Love’s Fortress was deep was due to all the hurt (physical and emotional) that all three characters are holding in. Charles saved Gideon’s life during the war and took care of him afterwards. He’s wanted Gideon all this time but Gideon never let anyone in because he thought he was less than a man because of his injuries. Sarah has had to deal with suitor after suitor rejecting her because of her birthmark. But these three people together worked so well and they balanced each other out perfectly. What made this book so good was Sarah’s practicality. You’d think a virgin on her wedding night would run screaming from the house if her husband brought another man to their bed, but when asked why she accepted Charles, she said because obviously her husband wanted it. So refreshing! Sarah made this book work for me, she was such a strong character and at no point did she melt into the background when the men finally acted on their attraction for each other. She was the bridge for these guys, and she was a good strong bridge. LOL

I have to give Love’s Fortress a 4.25 out of 5. Definitely a must read for those who like threesomes!

The series:

At Love’s Command	Love’s Strategy	Love Under Siege	The Courage to Love
Retreat From Love	Love’s Fortress

This book is available from Ellora’s Cave. You can buy it here in e-format.