Struggling alone on
the family farm, Abigail Tidwell knows exactly who to blame for her
hardships: the Americans. If it weren’t for their part in the war, her
father and brothers would be home rather than fighting abroad. But no
amount of antipathy could have prepared her for the shocking sight of a
wounded American soldier on her property, a man in dire need of her
help. Grudgingly, Abigail tends to the soldier’s injuries and
anticipates the satisfaction of turning him over to the authorities once
he is healed. But fate has other plans. Captain Emmett Prescott
remembers little of the ambush on his men by a group of Shawnee Indians
and even less about how he arrived in the unfamiliar barn.
After
being nursed back to health by beautiful, if reluctant, Abigail, Emmett
would do anything to save the men he left behind—including forcibly
enlisting Abigail’s help. Soon, Abigail finds herself caught between two
countries at war. And as her attraction for Emmett grows, her
conflicted heart engages in its own silent battle. But when she is
accused of treason for her actions, her survival rests in the hands of
the very man she once considered her enemy.
Opening line:
""Blast
the United States of America," Abigail Tidewell spoke in a loud voice,
feeling very self-satisfied at the echo the words produced in the empty
woodbox."
I always learn a history lesson or two from Jennifer
Moore. I had no idea how far north American armies ventured in the war
of 1812.
I enjoyed the two main characters, Abigail and Emmet, as
well as the secondary characters. They were very well written and came
to life on the page. The romance was slow and sweet and just right. The
tension in the romance, the war, the enemies kept the story well-paced
and flowing well. This may be one of my favorites of Ms. Moore.
"There were seconds, when I woke, when the world felt unshrouded. Then memory returned."
When
Jessica regains consciousness in a French hospital on the day after the
Paris attacks, all she can think of is fleeing the site of the horror
she survived. But Patrick, the steadfast friend who hasn't left her
side, urges her to reconsider her decision. Worn down by his insistence,
she reluctantly agrees to follow through with the trip they'd planned
before the tragedy.
"The pages found you," Patrick whispered.
"Now you need to figure out what they're trying to say."
During
a stop at a country flea market, Jessica finds a faded document
concealed in an antique. As new friends help her to translate the
archaic French, they uncover the story of Adeline Baillard, a young
woman who lived centuries before--her faith condemned, her life
endangered, her community decimated by the Huguenot persecution.
"I write for our descendants, for those who will not understand the cost of our survival."
Determined
to learn the Baillard family's fate, Jessica retraces their flight from
France to England, spurred on by a need she doesn't understand.
Could this stranger who lived three hundred years before hold the key to Jessica's survival?
Opening line:
"My name is Adeline Baillard, and my life may end today."
Jessica,
Vonda and Patrick have one last night in Paris and decide to have some
"fun." Fun to Patrick was going to an art gallery opening and fun to the
girls was going to a concert at the Bataclan where the 2015 terrorist
attacks happens. The girls escape but Jessica is sent to the hospital.
Patrick is with her every day and talks her into one last flea market
trip before heading to back to the states.
While doing their
"treasure" hunts, Jessica comes across an old sew basket and is
immediately drawn to it. She buys it and finds a secret drawer with old
papers inside. This draws her into another adventure and tries to find
the owners of the pages and make sure the daughter is "found" and the
family is together again.
I enjoyed learning about the Bataclan shootings and the Huguenots annihilation, PTSD, loyalty, compassion and true friendship.
This book wasn't what I expected but I really enjoyed reading the mysteries in the story.
Thank you to netgalley for the early read.
Sixteen-year old Anna
Arden was once just the magically barren girl from an elite Luminate
family. Now she has broken the Binding—and Praetheria, the creatures
held captive by the spell, wreak havoc across Europe. Lower-class
citizens have access to magic for the first time, while other Luminates
lose theirs forever. Austria and Hungary are at odds once more.
Anna Arden did not know breaking the Binding would break the world.
Anna
thought the Praetheria were on her side, content and grateful to be
free from the Binding. She thought her cousin Matyas's blood sacrifice
to the disarm the spell would bring peace, equality, justice. She
thought her future looked like a society that would let her love a
Romani boy, Gabor.
But with the Monarchy breathing down her neck
and the Praetheria intimidating her at every turn, it seems the
conspiracies have only just begun.
As threat of war sweeps the
region, Anna quickly discovers she can't solve everything on her own.
Now there's only one other person who might be able to save the country
before war breaks out. The one person Anna was sure she'd never see
again. A bandit. A fellow outlaw. A man known as the King of Crows. Matyas.
Opening line:
"There
is a feeling a hunted creature gets: a prickling of fine hairs at the
back of the neck, a sense of unseen eyes crawling across one's spine, a
shift in the air."
Ms. Eves brings Russian history and folklore
alive once again with her second book, Lost Crow Conspiracy (it's an
excellent second book!).
The book goes between Anna's point-of-view
and the Crow King's (loved it). So many characters--both new and
familiar to the reader--to distinguish and learn from and come to
hate/love. I was a bit lost because of the foreign names and history but
it all rolled along into a very enjoyable story of trying to do what's
right and the consequences (can't everyone just get along??).
I can't wait for the next book!
I loved this quote:
"There was no conduct manual for how to live with oneself after changing the world."
Thanks to netgalley for the early read!
Three brand new Regency Romance novellas by Sarah M. Eden, Annette Lyon, and Heather B. Moore
Another great Regency antholgy from three fantastic authors!
A Match for Princess Pompous by Sarah Eden
"If
Adelaide Northrop had to listen to one more ode praising Charity
Goddard's eyes, she was absolutely going to strangle the offending
amateur poet with his own overlarge cravat."
Love this one about the matchmaker!
Confections and Pretense by Annette Lyon
"In
the back of Gunter's Tea Shop, Anne eased the back of mold into a basin
of tepid water, then slowly counted to ten before pulling it out again,
just long enough to release the ice cream from the metal."
Loved the American hero!
Little London by Heather B. Moore
"Harpshire
Village was a far cry from London in both architecture and
entertainments, and the type of people who lived in the village were
simple fold."
I LOVED how the two love birds meet in this story.
Thanks for the early read!
A MATCH FOR PRINCESS POMPOUS by Sarah M. Eden
Matchmaker
Adelaide Northrop may be embarking on her greatest challenge yet. Miss
Odette Armistead has been dubbed “Princess Pompous” by Society’s elite,
and Odette’s parents are desperate to see her married off to a
respectable gentleman. When Adelaide first meets Odette, she is
expecting a young lady who fits the pompous description. Instead,
Adelaide discovers that Odette is far from conceited, but has chosen to
wear a mask in a desperate attempt to hide her love for a gentleman who
has been chosen for someone else. It seems that Adelaide has far more
than matchmaking to accomplish.
CONFECTIONS AND PRETENSE by Annette Lyon
Anne
Preston dreams of opening her own dessert shop some day and saves every
spare penny she earns working at Gunter’s Tea Shop. She makes ice cream
molds to perfection, bakes and decorates cakes, and hopes to one day be
an independent shop owner. When an American man orders an ice, Anne is
immediately taken with Davis Whitledge, but he is far above her station
in life, so she tries to forget about his cordiality. Soon, she finds
herself in a dangerous situation when confronted by two troublemakers,
and Davis happens to be nearby. He sends the scoundrels on their way,
but this only makes Anne more of a target. He doesn’t understand London
ways, and his generosity has the potential to steal Anne’s dreams, or to
make them soar.
LITTLE LONDON by Heather B. Moore
Ellen
Humphreys has never had a Season, has never danced the waltz, and will
likely never do so while confined to watching over her ill mother at
their country estate. Therefore, Ellen creates her own Little London,
and imagines all the gentleman she’d dance with and all of the
friendships she’d have with other young ladies, if only she were allowed
to have a Season. When Quinn Edwards, the Marquess of Kenworth, comes
upon her quite by happenstance while Ellen is imagining herself in a
London ballroom, she is mortified about her playacting. But a chain of
events is set off from this one meeting that has Ellen questioning if
her reputation would ever survive a Season or another encounter with the
marquess.
Books in the Timeless Regency Collections:
AUTUMN MASQUERADE
A MIDWINTER BALL
SPRING IN HYDE PARK
SUMMER HOUSE PARTY
A COUNTRY CHRISTMAS
A SEASON IN LONDON
FALLING FOR A DUKE
A NIGHT IN GROSVENOR SQUARE
ROAD TO GRETNA GREEN
Books in the Timeless Victorian Collections:
SUMMER HOLIDAY
A GRAND TOUR
THE ORIENT EXPRESS
Ashes on the Moor is
the inspiring love story of one Victorian woman's courage to fight
against all odds, and the man whose quiet strength gives her the
confidence to keep trying.
Opening line:
"Through a thick fog of grief, Evangeline Blake suffered the blow of each clang of the distant funeral bells."
Another lovely romance from Sarah M. Eden.
Evangeline
Blake lost almost everyone in her family, except her younger sister,
whom she promised would always be with her. Her mean, bullying aunt has
different ideas, however.
Dermot McCormick is an Irish man in
England and feels very excluded in the little village where he and his
son are now living. He keeps to himself and works hard to prove himself.
And he's just fine staying away from everyone--until he meets
Evangeline.
This is an interesting story about change; not only in
circumstances and of the heart, but change that makes us a better human.
Evangeline came from wealth and privilege and is thrust into poverty
and hard work. She's stubborn enough and determined enough to make her
way that she changes and her heart is opened to the village and their
children. The same can be said of Dermot and of the village. They all
find they can be strong and change (except maybe on person who I wanted
to kick really hard).
I really enjoyed learning the history of the
era and the dialect and hardships these people faced. And I REALLY loved
what Evangeline did to help the children.
Thank you for the early read netgalley and Shadow Mountain!
