The Headmistress of Rosemere (Whispers on the Moors #2) - Sarah Ladd

After reading the first book in this series, The Heiress of Winterwood, I looked forward to reading more from this author.  Book 1 was about Graham Sterling and this one is about his brother, William.

Patience has been running a girl's school since her father died.  Her brother abandoned them and her mother won't leave her room.  She feels like her efforts are taken for granted and wishes her life was different.  A bit of excitement comes to the school when the master of the property is found beaten in their stable.  Patience knows his reputation, but is drawn to him anyway.

William has been reckless and now is in trouble.  He owes a great deal of money and the person he owes WILL get that money back.  Scrambling for an answer, William is forced to consider selling some of his land or letting his friend "borrow" some of it for a textile mill. While he wants to be free from the debt, he also wants to be a more honorable person than he has been in the past.

These two are brought together again at a fire.  William is a hero and Patience is more attracted to him.  Many obstacles stand in their way.  Her brother not only returns, he brings with him people that cause Patience pain simply by their presence.  There is also the mystery of little Emma.  She's a sweet child with no family.  That part isn't particularly difficult to figure out, but it's interesting the way the characters discover the truth.

I did enjoy this book.  I liked William's character the best.  He made his mistakes but was at a point in his life where he could move forward with the help of God.  Patience wasn't very patient and jumped to conclusions a few times where it would have been more prudent to wait for more information.  But we're all guilty of that at one time or another, right?

I didn't read anything about Graham or Amelia from book 1 in this one, making it a great standalone.  The next book in this series is called A Lady at Willowgrove Hall and comes out October 7, 2014.  I didn't recognize either of the main character's names, which was something of a disappointment for me.  Cassandra's story was not finished and I had hoped the third book would revolve around her.  The female character is hiding her identity, so there may still be a connection to this book.  In any case, this was a well written book and gets my Good Book! review.