Kathy Bottensek

Fearless Embrace Kathy Bottensek

It was to be a picturesque event with dinner, dancing, and reconnecting with people from the past. Except, not all acquaintances warrant revisiting. Abigail, a young, spirited woman, restricted by the rules 1898's society deemed proper for a young lady, is having trouble conforming to what is expected of her. Her idea of the perfect life differs from simply accepting the suitor considered most qualified. When Abigail declines a marriage proposal from Logan, a man she knows only as the tyrant adolescent boy she met a handful of times growing up she inadvertently puts herself in a situation both frightening and exhilarating. In the wrong place at the wrong time, Abigail is snared by two strange men, locked in the belly of a fully rigged ship, and dropped across the ocean on the shore of Puerto Rico. This was a time of anarchy on the island, and consequentially the reason for Ethan Drake's compulsion to order a distraction from the chaos of war. Abigail is a successful diversion, but Ethan quickly realizes that she is not what he expected. He is smitten by her, beauty, resilience, and her determination to find a way home. Through charm and patience, Ethan tries to win Abigail over but must do it hurdling the obstacles of evading soldiers and trying to keep his meddling Aunt, Quentina, from sabotaging his efforts. During a voyage to Spain, all hell breaks loose. On Ethan's majestic ship a storm arises in both the sky and in Quentina's jealous mind. She is determined to kill the American who does not belong there, but Abigail has no desire to be swallowed up by the ocean's fury. As they return to Puerto Rico, Ethan Drake becomes ill. As with every rainy season, Malaria is not picky about whose life it claims. When Ethan is said to be dead, Abigail finds passage home from the man who was ordered to capture her months ago. Home again, Abigail is back where she started, faced with having to marry, Logan. With time running out, Abigail prays for a miracle. Upon their wedding day, it seems all hope is lost. Abigail is sure she is doomed to live her life in domestic servitude with a man she loathes. What she doesn't know, it that her sister and father have a surprise in store.