To Win a Widow by Alexa Aston
Soldiers and Soulmates #5

This is book 5 in the series. Okay as a stand alone novel, but probably better in order as characters are in this story from previous books.

Dalinda is going to be forced to marry a man old enough to be her grandfather, and with terrible manners to boot, all because of 'the incident'. Luckily she is saved from that fate by befriending a handsome widowed duke, who offers for her first. While not a love match, they have a friendship and have 2 children together. The story picks up after she is a widow.

Rhys begins this story as a groom working hard taking care of horses for a nobleman. He is shocked when he is contacted on behalf of an Earl, stating that he is the next closest living relative and must attend school and be ready to take up his place if the current Earl's son passes. He has a commission bought for him and spends a dozen years fighting the war on the Continent before returning to England.

Give this book a try if you like
-soldiers – hero has served plenty of time in the Continent during the war
-class differences - though they aren't 'really' class differences, the hero is very open about his beginnings and doesn't see himself as any more than that, a simple groom that took care of horses
-an experienced heroine - she's been married, widowed and has 2 children
-moderate steam - a few kisses and a few full scenes. The scenes aren't long at all and not extremely explicit, though one happens very early in the book.

Sadly this book was NOT my thing. While the beginning was rather interesting getting to know their backgrounds, it was a long time before the characters even meet each other. Over 20% into the book before they even know each other exist in this world. That's a long time. And I could forgive it if there wasn't even more separation further into the story.

The fact that they have just met and barely know each other and then fall into bed with each other was also a turn off for me. I thought the book was going to border on erotica with the way it started like that, but then there is a very, very, very long dry spell. Not even close to erotica. And the scenes aren't extremely long, detailed or explicit really so it didn't even have that going for it. I just totally lost interest. I couldn't see what was drawing them together other than pure physical attraction. Once they had sex the book lost any sexual tension it had. Which wasn't much. :(

I give 2.5 stars rounded to 3. Thanks NetGalley for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.