By Lisa Henry
*Suffolk, 1817.* In addition to a fine estate, Oliver Fitzwilliam has inherited a nineteen-year-old ward, Simon Cavandish. Oliver has no time at all for Simon—the feeling is very much mutual—but he can no longer ignore the boy’s reputation as something of a hellion. When Simon embarrasses Oliver at a neighbour’s ball, the brat’s just asking for a spanking. It turns out that might just be the best thing for both of them.
Severity reflects intensity, not value — “central theme” means a warning is a core part of the book, not that the book is bad.