First story two thumbs up. The little girl was so cute and precious. The second story on the other hand. hmmm...I have mixed feelings. I mean, you could say all is fair in love and war but damn! Of all the people in the world, you just really had to fell in love with the one person you shouldn't. I feel bad for the groom, I really did. But at the same time I was also secretly rooting for the hero and heroine. Though I'm still like damn! Your best friends girl huh.. tsk tsk...

The book was spilt into two different stories. The first story had a victorian poor widow finding a cold & collapsed soldier at her door. She takes him in and cares for him with her little girl. It's cute. The little girl thinks that the hero is her papa because a gypsy gave her a magic candle that would bring her papa. Since it's winter and there's only one bed for the hero to sleep and the heroine can't sleep with her daughter because the bed is too small, she sleeps beside the hero for a couple of nights till one night, the hero gets all hands on because he thinks that he is married to the heroine. The heroine is so surprised that she jumps out of bed. We find out from the hero that he's her husband but he can't remember his own name. The heroine deduces that the hero has had amnesia and the reason why he thinks that he's her husband is because the daughter called him papa. I liked seeing from the perspective of the hero and how he interacts with the daughter. It's cute. The cute little girl calls him Mr. Bruin, which is adorable. The heroine goes to get help for the hero but once she realizes that she left her daughter in the hands of a stranger, she rushes back thinking the worst, only to find the hero in a bonnet and hand puppets. The scene was so funny and cute, I was laughing. The heroine realizing that there her little girl is okay, collapses and starts to cry. The hero earned some major brownie points: he takes the heroine by the hand, leading her to sit on the bed and letting her cry on her shoulder, while comforting her with encouraging words. I am surprised at the hero said next to the heroine. It wasn't anything bad but not something I would suspect. The next morning, some jerk comes over demanding crap and tries to manhandle both heroine and her daughter, I was so glad that the hero defended not only mother and child, but also the honor of the heroine. The hero turns the scary situation into a heroic triumph so the little girl can not be so scared. More brownie points for the hero. The heroine has fallen in love with him. Then a man who knows the hero comes to the heroine's home and explains everything and by everything: the hero has wife and kids. The shock on the poor heroine's face is harsh. The heroine handles the situation perfectly, doesn't take compensation money from the man for taking care of the hero and tells the hero that he should go back for his wife. The woman earned some major brownie points from me. The next day, the hero comes again with his memory returned, including the knowledge that he has no wife, intact, he's never been married. Now, he wants to marry the heroine. It's so sweet. They get married in a church that very day. I don't blame because the way things were done back are different from today. Then the heroine gets the surprise when she learns from the mother of the hero who is also a dowager that her new husband is a lord. The ending is amazing. Malone's vow, I didn't want to waste my time on it because it was so bad. The heroine meets the hero the day before her wedding, and the hero is the best man to the groom. Then the day of the wedding comes and after the hero and the heroine meet and kiss on the lips in the garden, the bride runs off. it's basically Alice in wonderland where you feel sorry for the poor deserted groom. I mean come on. Only buy or rent this book to read the widow because it's worth it, not Malone's vow.