Feral

Disabled by a dog attack in her childhood, Beatrice Lockwood knows what it is like to become friends with loneliness. After years of hard work to cement herself into the small Yorkshire community of Impling, she has managed to create a meaningful, simple life with people who actually care about her.

So when James Bancroft, an outsider, makes his disdain for her clear in front of everyone in town, she knows that keeping her distance is the only option. She cannot afford to lose the crucial support she has garnered. The only problem is that the damned man can't seem to stay away from her now.

James Bancroft - stoic, chaste, and looking for nothing but peace - is not trying to make friends in Impling. Still, he had not intended to make enemies, either. After badmouthing a beloved pillar of the community at a dance, he knows he must make amends, and quickly.

But the more he tries to make things right with the morbid Miss Lockwood, the more she pulls away. As his passion toward her grows, he finds himself unable to cope with his newfound feelings.

After all, he knows quite well what it looks like when a man does not control himself.

Vibes: Foggy moors, folklore, small rural community

Tropes:
*Overheard
*Grovel
*Cynical hero

Trigger Warnings: Scenes of domestic violence, scenes of dog attacks, scenes of animal slaughtering/death

*Though this book is set in the same universe as the Gentleman's Proposal series, it is largely unrelated to the other books. Therefore, I have chosen to list it as a standalone.*