Rakes and Roses by Josi Kilpack

Harry Stillman is the most profligate of Lord Elliot's nephews. When Lord Elliot presents to him the marriage incentive and refuses any more support until Harry cleans up his life, Harry is angry and defiantly continues his dissolute practices. A gambling habit soon leads to trouble with a loan shark and between that and a drinking problem he hits rock bottom.  When he hears of a benefactor, Lord Damion, who helps undisciplined young men like himself improve their lives, he hopes he has found a way out of his troubles.  Little does he know that Lord Damion is just an alias for a very wealthy widow, Lady Sabrina. Having escaped an abusive marriage by the timely accidental death of her husband, she seeks to use her inherited wealth to help others.  She tries to stay emotionally unattatched from the men she helps, but that doesn't work so well when she find Harry beaten half to death and takes him to her own home to recover.  She has secrets, he does too, and both have prejudices about the other that only time and hard won mutual respect will overcome.

Here is the third in the Mayfield Family series.  It is much like the others.  The heroine is a pargon of moral rectitude, and the hero is burdened with challenges and hangups that only the love a good woman can overcome.  It is cotton candy literature, but some weeks that just what I want.  I can't say the Kilpack is my favorite historical Christian romance writer, but I like her well enough I will probably return to her the next time I am having a stressful week or am waiting for another book that I have on hold to come available. (320 p. 2020)