A Man Most Worthy (Steeple Hill Love Inspired Historical #17) [Mass Market Paperback]

Ruth Axtell Morren (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 14, 2008

He was her father's poor bank clerk. She was a wealthy young lady. Though they were worlds apart, their innocent friendship bloomed into a mutual admiration. Then suddenly Nicholas Tennant was wrenched from Alice Shepard's life.

Now, years later, he has returned to London society wealthy and influential, determined to seek revenge on Alice's father—and Alice herself. But she is no longer the spoiled schoolgirl Nicholas remembers. She is a beautiful young widow of conviction and faith, raising a son on her own. Now Nicholas must look deep into his heart. For only in abandoning his thirst for revenge can he finally become the man most worthy of her love.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Steeple Hill (October 14, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0373827970
• ISBN-13: 978-0373827978
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #617,436 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Ruth knew she wanted to be a writer ever since she wrote her first story--a spy thriller--at the age of twelve. She studied comparative literature at Smith College, spending her junior year at the Sorbonne in Paris. After college, she taught English in the Canary Islands then worked in international development in Miami, Florida, before moving to the Netherlands, where for the next several years, she juggled both writing and raising her three children.
In 1994, her second manuscript was a finalist in Romance Writers of America's Golden Heart competition. In 2002, her sixth manuscript took second place in the Laurie Contest of RWA's Smoky Mountain chapter. The final judge requested her full manuscript and this became her first published book, Winter Is Past, which was spotlighted in Christian Retailing magazine. Since then, Ruth has gone on to publish thirteen historical romances and one novella. Her books have been translated into Dutch, Italian, Polish and Afrikaans . Her second historical, Wild Rose, was chosen by Booklist as a "Top Ten Christian Fiction" selection in 2005.
Ruth lives on the coast of Maine where she enjoys gardening, walking, reading romances and gazing at the ocean plotting her next romance.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Nice, quiet read, December 7, 2008

By 

cocopuff482 (Trinidad, West Indies) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

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This review is from: A Man Most Worthy (Steeple Hill Love Inspired Historical #17) (Mass Market Paperback)

This was a good, quiet read. The first part of the book where they were falling in love was sweet and passionate but after they met again after how many years, I found that Nick was a bit too sedate and introverted. After they both realised that they still had a torch for each other he should have confessed his undying love and devotion, begged her forgiveness for his abandonment and his not trying to contact her during the past years and then he should have promised to love her always if she would have him despite his short-comings! It did end nicely though so all in all, an OK read.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good, quick read, November 23, 2009

By 

R. Stoddard (Colorado) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: A Man Most Worthy (Steeple Hill Love Inspired Historical #17) (Mass Market Paperback)

I loved this book. The beginning was both sweet, innocent, and tense with passion not acted upon. I liked seeing Nicks assumptions fall away as he grows to know and care for Alice. And when they get caught during a chess match by her father, WOW!!! One of my favorite book moments EVER.

It is no wonder that he comes back with a desire to flaunt his achievements, his wealth, to her father. And it is no wonder she felt shunned and abandoned by him. I enjoyed the "courtship" that took place upon his return. His patience and her apprehension paired perfectly to make a nice book. It is impressive to get a book like this in a short-length novel.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars First half great... second half not so great..., August 30, 2009

By 

Tams - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Man Most Worthy (Steeple Hill Love Inspired Historical #17) (Mass Market Paperback)

I generally like Ruth's books but this one was not as good as her other books. As the title of the review suggests, the first half of the book is wonderful. The two meet and Alice, the heroine, is carefree and really easy to like. All in all, you really enjoy their budding love story.

The second half is just plain frustrating. Nick, the hero, is actually really enjoyable in my opinion. He's very kind and forgiving, but Alice is irritating through and through. She constantly doubts Nick--some of her doubts are fair--but others are just a bit way over the top. Personally, I believe her doubts are a bit beyond the character because of what she knows and has known of Nick.

At first her feelings are easy to understand but as you progress through the novel she begins to grate on your nerves with a certain emotional ridiculousness that doesn't seem true to her character. Without giving too much away she ends up coming off like one of those idiotic females a lot of author's put in their novels to progress the book forward. Propelling the book forward by sheer stupidity. Tedious.

She was smarter at 16 than she was at 30 and that's pretty scary. She constantly has Nick chasing after her--and I really have no idea why he's interested--she never really owns up to her mistakes as well as she could. Don't get me wrong, she admits them but she's the "victimized" heroine and gives him the cold shoulder far more than necessary. And there's nothing wrong with being a victim from time to time but this went too far. Alice makes you want to gnaw your fingers off.

Lastly, the novel drags quite a bit after the first 50 or so pages of the second half of the book when they meet again. Somehow you read a lot of pages and nothing is truly interesting. If this is your first book of Ruth's don't judge her work solely by this. Try "A Bride of Honor" or "Dawn in My Heart." Those are two really good ones. At least those two were my favorites. "Wild Rose" is also good if you don't mind the odd "scene cliche" or two about walking in on someone in half dressed and suddenly recognizing the person is attractive (I hate scene's like that!).