Tag: review

My Heart Belongs on Mackinac Island: Maude’s Mooring – Review

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heartcoverWritten by Carrie Fancett Pagels

  • Series: My Heart Belongs
  • Paperback: 256 pages
  • Publisher: Barbour Books (July 1, 2017)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1683220889
  • ISBN-13: 978-1683220886

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Journey now to Mackinac Island where…
A Tangled Gilded Age Love Story Unfolds.

Although the Winds of Mackinac Inn has been in her mother’s family for generations, Maude Welling’s father refuses to let her run it without the guidance of a husband. So she seeks to prove her worth and independence by working incognito as a maid at the Grand Hotel.

Undercover journalist Ben Steffans, posing as a wealthy industrialist, pursues a story about impoverished men chasing heiresses at the famed hotel.  While undercover, he becomes attracted to an intriguing maid. By an act of heroism Ben endears himself to the closed-mouthed islanders—including Maude—and he digs deep for his story.

But when scandal threatens, will the growing love between Maude and Ben be scuttled when truths are revealed?

I was very interested in reading the book when I read the description, “Moor your heart on Mackinac Island along with resident sweetheart Maude Welling, an heiress trying to prove her worth by working incognito as a maid at the Grand Hotel. Meet Ben Steffans, a journalist posing as a wealthy industrialist who has come to the island to uncover a story about impoverished men pursuing heiresses at the famed hotel. Will a growing love between Maude and Ben be scuttled when truths are revealed in this Gilded Age romance?”

The story began by going directly into the storyline which I appreciated. However, the book pretty much went downhill from there.

My favorite character was Jack. He seemed the most realistic and interesting. I liked his personality and his interactions with other characters. Though a minor character, I also liked his little friend yet he seemed a lot younger than Jack’s age of twelve. It was funny when he told Ben that he was too old to go to Sunday School to look at Maude.

The two main characters, Ben and Maude, had a very superficial relationship the entire book. They only talked about how attractive they found one another and it jumped to thoughts of marrying each other and saying they were in love with each other without even having any real conversations. Maude’s reason for working as a maid also made no sense. The fact that she took care of the books for other family member’s businesses proved more of her ability to run the inn than working as a maid at the Grand Hotel would.

The dialogue style in this book also really bothered me. It jumped around a lot and it took me out of the story trying to figure out which character was saying what. This was especially true when there were more than two characters in the conversation.

I really wanted to like this book but there were too many issues with it and the story just dragged on with characters who had no real connection to each other. I would not recommend reading it.

I would rate this book a 2.5.

I received this book from NetGalley. This review is 100% my own opinion.

The Burdens of a Bachelor (Arrangement #5) – Review

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bachelorWritten by Rebecca Connolly

  • Print Length: 290 pages
  • Publisher: Phase Publishing; 1 edition (April 1, 2017)
  • Publication Date: April 1, 2017
  • Sold by: Amazon Digital Services LLC
  • Language: English
  • ASIN: B06XS5LHCJ

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What the eye cannot see…

Colin Gerrard has everything. He is a handsome, charming, and unattached gentleman in possession of a fortune. But what nobody knows, and would never suspect, is that he is not nearly as carefree as he seems, nor is his heart free for anyone’s taking. It was already taken long ago, and when his lost love unexpectedly reappears, in London of all places, he’s very much afraid that she still has it.

…the heart already knows.

Lady Susannah Hawkins-Dean had no intention of ever seeing Colin again after their terrible departure sixteen years ago. She never wanted to see anyone that knew her in the past. There were too many secrets, too much shame, and he, of all people, could not know them. But when Colin refuses to leave her in the past, Susannah finds that she is just as in love with him as she ever was, and it could ruin them both.

I have really been enjoying the Arrangements series by Rebecca Connolly and have been looking forward to reading Colin’s story since I found him so interesting in previous books.

It was nice to see what made Colin the person he is but he seemed to have lost a lot of his personality in this book. I still liked him, but it felt like something was missing.

I was not a huge fan of Susannah and found certain characteristics annoying. If you claim to love and trust someone, you shouldn’t hide behind a mask. However, she spent the entire book hiding behind numerous masks and wavering back and forth in her feelings for Colin.

I also didn’t like the cursing and there was too much of the physical between Colin and Susannah, even when they were not on speaking terms.

I love this series but I felt like this one fell short. I am very much anticipating Kit’s story though.

A Stranger at Fellsworth (Treasures of Surrey #3) – Review

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fellsworthcoverWritten by Sarah E. Ladd

  • Series: A Treasures of Surrey Novel
  • Paperback: 336 pages
  • Publisher: Thomas Nelson (May 16, 2017)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0718011856
  • ISBN-13: 978-0718011857

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Could losing everything be the best thing to happen to Annabelle Thorley?

In the fallout of her deceased father’s financial ruin, Annabelle’s prospects are looking bleak. Her fiancé has called off their betrothal, and now she remains at the mercy of her controlling and often cruel brother. Annabelle soon faces the fact that her only hope for a better life is to do the unthinkable and run away to Fellsworth, the home of her long-estranged aunt and uncle, where a teaching position awaits her. Working for a wage for the first time in her life forces Annabelle to adapt to often unpleasant situations as friendships and roles she’s taken for granted are called into question.

Owen Locke is unswerving in his commitments. As a widower and father, he is fiercely protective of his only daughter. As an industrious gamekeeper, he is intent on keeping poachers at bay even though his ambition has always been to eventually purchase land that he can call his own. When a chance encounter introduces him to the lovely Annabelle Thorley, his steady life is shaken. For the first time since his wife’s tragic death, Owen begins to dream of a second chance at love.

As Owen and Annabelle grow closer, ominous forces threaten the peace they thought they’d found. Poachers, mysterious strangers, and murderers converge at Fellsworth, forcing Annabelle and Owen to a test of fortitude and bravery to stop the shadow of the past from ruining their hopes for the future.

fellsworth2

A Stranger at Fellsworth just may be my favorite book yet from Sarah E. Ladd! I was able to read it in one day but was forced to put it down at Chapter 31 when “real life” got in the way and it was killing me until I could pick it up again. 🙂

I felt that the story had an excellent balance of dialogue and descriptions. I could really picture the locations but the descriptions weren’t excessive.

I loved both Owen Locke and Annabelle Thorley. I liked the Annabelle had a quiet yet strong personality and Owen’s personality, back story and description were so interesting. He also had some of the best quotes, like this one: “I would take the solace of a forest over the hustle of london’s streets any day. Just listen to the silence. If the mind is too cluttered, you will never hear your soul’s whispers.”

Certain events at the end were predictable but I feel they did not take away from the story at all.

I received a complimentary copy of the book, however, all opinions are 100% my own. I highly recommend A Stranger at Fellsworth!

Ruined by a Rake (All’s Fair in Love #1) – Review

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rakeWritten by Erin Knightley

It started with a kiss.

When nine-year-old Eleanor Abbington first met her uncle’s new stepson, Nicolas Norton, the boy rudely stole a kiss from her that set the tone for their contentious and competitive relationship. It wasn’t until years later when Nick introduced her to fencing that they finally had a proper outlet for their frequent arguments.

Having just emerged from mourning following her mother’s death, Eleanor is exactly where she wishes to be at the age of four-and-twenty: an on-the-shelf spinster and unofficial companion to her aunt. Unfortunately, her ambitious uncle has other plans for her future. On the eve of his house party, he lays down his ultimatum: either Eleanor marries the man of his choosing, or he’ll force her seventeen-year-old sister to do so instead.

When Nick unexpectedly arrives on their doorstep after a two year absence, Eleanor is in no mood for their normal banter. Seeming to know exactly what she needs, Nick challenges her to pick up the foil once more. During their pre-dawn matches, he shows her just how strong she can be . . . and exactly how much he’s changed since leaving. But when her old adversary becomes her only ally, she may very well find herself . . . Ruined by a Rake.

I have been reading “Hearts of Courage: A Collection of Regency Novellas to Benefit Wounded Military Heroes” and I noticed that the novella Scandalized by a Scoundrel by Erin Knightley was the second in a series.

Due to the titles Ruined by a Rake and Scandalized by a Scoundrel I had never considered reading these books, assuming they were not clean. After reading reviews saying that Ruined by a Rake was clean, I decided to give it a try.

The Prologue immediately got me into the story and was adorable! I also enjoyed the running joke of the “kiss” and I really liked the fencing scenes.

The characters were interesting and the book well written. I look forward to reading more about them in Hearts of Courage.

While the book was enjoyable, there was cursing and blasphemy in the book which brought down my rating.

Lady Helen Finds Her Song – Review

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helen

Written by Jennifer Moore

  • Paperback: 240 pages
  • Publisher: Covenant Communications, Inc.;
    1st edition (March 15, 2016)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1680478931
  • ISBN-13: 978-1680478938

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Spring 1813
The exotic splendors of India are legendary, and the colorful sights of her new home in Calcutta immediately captivate eighteen-year-old Lady Helen Poulter. Whereas many of her fellow British expatriates despise the culture they see as barbaric, Helen sees excitement in the unusual locale. It is in this vibrant, bustling city that she finds a kindred soul in Captain Michael Rhodes, an Englishman whose lifelong love of India runs deep. Their friendship quickly grows, yet despite their undeniable connection, she could never think of Captain Rhodes as more than a dear friend.

Her love, in truth, has been captured by dashing British Lieutenant Arthur Bancroft. This handsome soldier represents the embodiment of all she’s dreamed of in a husband. Preoccupied by her growing affections, Helen never dreams that beneath the glamor of the city, hostilities are reaching a boiling point. When battle ultimately threatens both of the men in her life, she must make a choice: pursue the man who symbolizes her British past, or let herself love a man who promises an unknown future in the land she loves. But amid the casualties of war, will her declaration of love come too late?


Positives:

  • There was a lot of depth to each of the characters and you could relate and root for them.  You cared about what was going to happen.
  • Chapters and sections were divided up between the point of views of the two main characters Lady Helen Poulter and Captain Michael Rhodes. Both point of views were very interesting and defined. I preferred knowing what each character was thinking and feeling rather than only having one point of view and both views were written well.
  • I liked that none of the characters were perfect.  It made it more realistic. I have always been annoyed by too perfect characters.
  • The general dialogue and story-line was excellent and I didn’t want to put the book down.

Negatives:

  • There were a number of typos in the book. Each time it distracted me and took me out of the book. Thankfully most of the typos were only in one chapter, not the entire book.
  • I honestly didn’t know why Lady Helen was still interested in Lieutenant Arthur Bancroft after his first hunting conversation.

I have read all five books in Jennifer Moore’s Regency Romance series as well as her novella A Happy Accident in the collection Spring in Hyde Park.  Moore uses the popular Regency time period but adds unique locations and events making her stories more interesting and less predictable.  I look forward to any future Regency novels she plans to write.