Lady Emma's Campaign by Jennifer Moore

She would follow him through peace and war.

London, 1811

The London Season is ushered in with a thrilling flurry of invitations, gowns, and parties. But despite her status as belle of the ball, lovely socialite Emma Drake simply cannot fathom becoming entangled with any gentleman of her acquaintance. For in truth, since childhood her heart has belonged to Captain Sidney Fletcher, a man of the sea—and her brother’s best friend. Emma knows that Sidney’s directive to free the Spanish city of Cadiz from French occupation will be dangerous, but when word arrives of his capture, she is frantic. Determined to aid her brother in Sidney’s rescue, she hides aboard his ship and sets a course to Spain. But the realities of war are a far cry from the drawing rooms of London, and Emma finds the man she loves a mere shadow of his former self. When a series of events leaves them trapped together behind enemy lines, Emma and Sidney must embark on a journey fraught with danger—from a bloody hunt for Spanish treasure to the battlefields of war-torn Spain, new threats lurk around every turn. As their flight becomes increasingly perilous, Sidney and Emma must trust each other with their lives—but can they trust the other with their heart?

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Jennifer Moore is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors.  Her first book, Becoming Lady Lockwood, was fantastic and I knew she was an author I wanted to read again.  

We meet Lady Emma and Sidney Fletcher in the first book of this series, Becoming Lady Lockwood.  While they are not the main characters, we get a sense of who they are.  I'm so glad they got the starring roles in this book.  When the book begins, Emma is a girl on the cusp of womanhood.  Sydney loves Emma as he would love a sister.  But Emma loves Sydney as a woman loves a man.  She is just waiting for the day when she steps out into society as a woman so Sydney can take notice.

Emma begins this book fairly naive.  She makes choices led by her heart and finds herself in some serious trouble.  Her lack of worldly experience allows her room for growth though.  The inner strength she has shines through when she needs it the most.  Sydney helps bring out that strength in Emma but it is her gentleness that pulls Sydney through the tortured spots in his soul.  I love that together they are the thing the other needs the most.

This is a clean romance.  Just a really good, clean romance.  The romance develops slowly and it just feels natural.  The book is set in the middle of a war so things get bloody and difficult but provide the exact things this book needs for the characters.  I loved it.  Love, love, love.

I read this book through Deseret Bookshelf.  It magically appeared there for me to review and I'm so glad.  This book was one of my favorites.