Hot Winter Sun by Jessica Russell takes readers into the heart of the English Civil War of the seventeenth century, as the Parliamentarian Army seeks to dethrone the sitting monarch, King Charles II. In southern England, on one of Cornwall’s richest estates, twins Robert and Julian Bradshaw are heirs to the Briarwood Estate and are staunch royalists. In the nearby village, the beautiful daughter of the local blacksmith, Catherine Trefelner, has been in love with the Bradshaw boys since she was just a little girl, but, between her Puritan father and the enormous social status gap, it was always destined to be an unrequited love. That is until Robert, the younger twin, declares his undying love to Catherine. When Catherine’s mother dies and leaves Catherine at the mercy of her father, Robert knows he must rescue Catherine, elope, and marry her. When Robert returns to Briarwood with his new bride, his twin brother is furious with him and Catherine. Somehow she must find a way to fit into this wealthy, class-ridden family and make a new life together with Robert. When tragedy strikes and the king appears to be losing to the Parliamentarians, the Bradshaw family must deal with not only a murderer intent on striking at their family but also the possibility of losing the estate to the Puritans. 

In Hot Winter Sun, author Jessica Russell has created a romance across the social classes that would have been scandalous to the seventeenth-century aristocracy. To marry for love was rare enough within these times but to marry “down” to a blacksmith’s daughter would have been viewed as a terrible decision. The author beautifully countered these innate prejudices with her three main characters. Catherine is well-educated, well-read, and intelligent enough to hold her own in any company, even the political discussions of men. Robert and Julian are wonderful characters, almost opposites of each other, which makes them complete as a pair. Whereas Robert was calm, thoughtful, rational, and caring; Julian was his complement as fiery, emotional, impulsive, and self-centered. The story arcs and plotting are complex and the true miscreant of the Bradshaw family was cleverly disguised throughout the narrative. I particularly enjoyed the independence Catherine displayed as she faced up to not only the tragedy that befell the family but also to the many doubters of her motives in marrying Robert. The romantic scenes are beautifully written and the descriptive prose conjures up in readers’ minds the grandeur and beauty of an aristocratic estate of the period. This is an enjoyable story with a cunning mystery woven into the plot. I highly recommend it.

Hot Winter Sun by Jessica Russell is a historical romance set during the English Civil War. In this time of conflict from religious arguments and political power plays, the story follows Catherine Trefelner, a villager, and Robert Bradshaw, a Royalist and co-heir to a mighty estate in Cornwall. Despite their differing backgrounds and the dangers surrounding them, they fall in love. However, their relationship is threatened by Catherine's Puritan father, who despises Royalists, and Robert's cynical twin brother, Julian. The novel explores themes of love, revenge, and redemption against a turbulent historical backdrop.

Author Jessica Russell's ability to weave a narrative is evident from the very first page, and her passion for the era she’s writing in shines through with plenty of vivid historical detail. The Puritan attitudes of the piece are really interesting to read and clash well with the burgeoning passion of the characters themselves. The pair of leading romantic characters are vividly drawn, and the author expertly captures the tension and unpredictability of their meetings with lots of engaging dialogue that feels accessible for modern readers, but also appropriate enough to the period. Russell’s writing is both engaging and atmospheric with a good sense of pace and does a great job of immersing us in a time of chaos while highlighting the common human themes of love and loyalty that we can all relate to. Overall, I would certainly recommend Hot Winter Sun to fans of compelling and highly engaging historical romance novels as an intense and character-driven work packed with thrills.