I thought that the premise of this book was a good one, the plot features a woman with what we would now call PTSD, from tending to men injured in battle, She tends to a mysterious injured man, who is a mysterious head of a criminal gang, known as Lazarus. What secrets is he hiding, and why is there a connection between them. it was also a pleasure to read about people that were not in the upper echelons of society in a historical romance.

However, I found that in parts the action did not hang together, it was a bit disjointed. The set pieces of Olivia meeting Lazarus/Will for example would be interesting, and then there would be a clunky plot device to jolt me out of the book, such as the introduction of the mystery of Olivia’s brothers disappearance.. Some of the behaviours of the characters did not ring true for me either, Will’s man Patrick was so frightening and violent, and then this was resolved too neatly, also Olivia’s brother’s mystery and appearance at the end did not really add anything to the plot at all, just made it more muddled. Olivia’s concern for her brother’s disappearance also seemed a bit superficial to me.

I think there were some really interesting ideas in this book, but it could have done with being more tightly edited.

I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

This is a touching story. Olivia is a strong woman, suffering from PTSD. Her doctor brother has disappeared! Lazarus/Will had a horrible childhood and has grown up to be a gang boss. Lots of emotions in this story...you will be cheering at the end.

The characters were well-developed & believable. Loved how Olivia's strong personality & acceptance of Will influenced him to become an even better person than he had already decided to become by leaving his criminal lifestyle behind. His tenderness & compassion with Olivia & her issues was heartwarming. Enjoyed the story except for the explicit sex scene.

An Unexpected Gift by Katherine Grey. The Wild Rose Press, 2012.

At no time during my reading of this unusual book did it occur to me to stop reading. That said, this is certainty one of the more uniquely themed historical romances that I have encountered. Olivia, sister and aide to her missing brother Phillip, a battlefield doctor tends to gunshot-wounded Will - aka Lazarus - when he turns up at her door. As each helps the other fight their own set of demons, struggle to be tolerated by the Ton and search for a missing sibling, a romance develops between them.

This is not your typical black and white historical romance, populated with heroes and villains. The plot is supported by a cast of characters, each with feet of clay and at least one redeeming feature, and historical details about the seamier side of the period.

I will remember this book.

Disclosure: I received a review copy of An Unexpected Gift via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.