... Devon countryside - the offer might not be as good as it seems though as the headmistress is her ...
591963
Evie is a newly qualified teacher at the start of WWII and is offered a temporary job teaching the infants at her local primary school in the Devon countryside - the offer might not be as good as it seems though as the headmistress is her future mother-in-law.

 Evie had a whirlwind romance with Timmy before he went off to start basic training and they got engaged but how well does she know him, and the more she finds out how can she stay with him and if she doesn't what will happen to the relationship with his overprotective mother who thinks he can do no wrong - her boss!

Meanwhile Evie keeps herself very busy organising sewing groups, tea parties for homesick Welsh soldiers in training and homes for the refugee children arriving in Devon

This is the first in a trilogy and is nice easy book about village life in the countryside during the war,quite slow paced with engaging characters and I will look forward to reading the follow ups
4827780
You can see how alot of the plot will unfold, but the author does throw some curveballs. The series isn't all flowers and gumdrops either the author is pretty realistic in some instances and issues like suicide for example.
2380254
Shannon Aimee was sure the handsome Earl of Northton was sincere in his declaration of love and his promise of marriage. Despite her parents protests, she travels to England with him to meet his family, along with her childhood friend Ian, who plans to study under the vicar in pursuing his goal to become a man of the cloth.

Gatehaven, the estate in England where Shannon is housed, is surrounded by a shroud of mystery and rumor. The manner in which she is received and treated by the earls family is puzzling and disturbing. Little does she know she has been drawn into a plot that centers around revenge and spins a web of evil.

Even though I did not sense any kind of scary element to the story, I did find it suspenseful. Gatehaven leads the reader into the world of dark practices and spiritual warfare issues. Although never graphic in its depiction of events, the book touches on the occult, witchcraft, and murder. Yet, there is a balance of the goodness of God and the triumph of good over evil. I especially liked the premise that Shannon, in pursuit of the thing she wants to obtain most, mainly her marriage to the earl, learns what has truly been her hearts dersire all along.

The author weaves historical events into her story, which takes the reader deeper into her setting of 1874 England. The brief introduction at the beginning of the book explaining the history of the people from which Molly Noble Bull draws her characters was interesting and helpful.

I recommend this book to readers who enjoy Gothic mystery and good versus evil plots.

I received this book from The Book Club Network in exchange for my honest review.
4923645
3.5 stars for my first novel by Regina Scott. This is the first book in the Lady Emily Capers series.
Hannah Alexander is an art teacher at the Barnsley School for Young Ladies. She's been assigned to be the chaperone for a group of 4 young ladies who will be visiting the recently widowed Lady Brentfield (one of the young ladies is her niece) over the Easter holidays. Upon arrival Miss Alexander and her charges meet the new owner of the manor, David Tenant, the new Earl of Brentfield, not long arrived from Boston. There are paintings and other works of art missing or moved in the huge manor. Because of her knowledge of art David enlists Hannah to help him identify what's missing. After a few days in David's company Hannah wonders if it's possible to fall in love so quickly and if it's even possible for her to be with David since she's a teacher and a portrait painter.
This book was a change of pace from what I'd been reading, and I do like Regency novels. I enjoyed David's character because he was from Boston and was still learning about how to be a Lord, like the different types of bowing depending on the person's station. He didn't care about people's stations and lording his position over others.
Hannah goes from thinking of herself as a never-to-marry spinster and lowly portrait painter to gaining courage to stand up to the overbearing Lady Brentfield.
Even the four young ladies all had some growth to their characters in the story. Even Priscilla (Lady Brentfield's niece) was less selfish by the end of the story. I liked how they all helped Miss Alexander get dressed up for David--loaning her a dress and jewelry, and helping her fix her hair.
This is a clean romance with some mystery/suspense.
4638457
The topic was moderately interesting and a bit different in that the heroine was interested in succeeding on her own rather than taking the offer of the gentry and pretending to succeed. I'm not sure whether I will watch more of the series.
3577256
I enjoy the characters in this series of Regency mysteries, though the lack of class barrier is a bit unrealistic.  Some things are simply not done.  It is rather like the spunky heroines in Medieval novels who risk blithely risk beatings and confinement to hear a minstrel, not just avoid an unwelcome marriage.  I don't buy it.  A better proofreader wouldn't hurt either.
3830549
A Great and Terrible Beauty is one of those books you pick up and you feel like you've been there before but can't quite place it.  The story is reminiscent of A Little Princess.  After the death of her mother, Gemma is sent by her family to a private girls' school, Spence, where she will learn to be a lady so that she can eventually be a suitable wife and mother.  The school is full of cliques, and eventually Gemma is accepted by the most elite of them all--headed by the cunning and charming Felicity.  Gemma struggles with what happened to her mother, who was murdered, what's become of her father, a drug addict, and the strange occurrences that have followed her since coming to Spence.  The tale is full of the supernatural, tenuous relationships between teenagers, and a vague love story that promises to achieve fruition if you continue to read Bray's books.

Overall, I felt there were too many different elements going on with this book for any of them to have been completely successful.  The catty relationships that exist between girls of a certain age are at the forefront of the novel when Gemma first reaches Spence, but eventually she forgets how she was mocked and mistreated by the same girls she now calls friends.  A lovely lesson for today's youth, to be sure.  The underlying supernatural elements never fully connect and it's quite obvious that the readers are being set up for a sequel.  There's no real resolution, and no sense of accomplishment at completion because things are still up in the air.  This book was enjoyable and has quite few good intentions, but that's really not enough for this reader.
4072401
Patience Creighton is just who every English school girl would want for a headmistress. She's kind, considerate and loves her young charges. Managing the girls' school that her father founded seems to be her life's calling, but Patience is restless. Since her father's death she's shouldered her family's burdens - absent brother, depressed mother, and the never-ceasing demands of a score of girls. Will her daily sacrifices keep her isolated at Rosemere?

William Sterling is in trouble. He's not proud of the life he's lived and now that his beloved estate is in jeopardy, he realizes he must change. Although he's the landlord of Rosemere, he is cash poor and faces some difficult decisions concerning his holdings.

This story has it all...realistic characters, an intriguing setting and surprising disclosures. I really enjoyed my time at Rosemere and Eastmore Hall and can't wait for the next book.

(I was given a copy of this book because someone at Thomas Nelson thought I would enjoy it. They were right.)
3058611
This is a classic Cinderella story, sort-of. Verity is shuffled off to her uncles home after her father takes his life. Her unlce family is just a bit odd though. She's not treated as part of them she's treated worse than the servants - she's even forced to give up her name and use another. Until years later when Max comes to check on her.

However, the plot does take a few steps up from that. Max wants Verity as his mistress - until he finally figures out who she is. Then he takes her as his wife but for all of the wrong reasons.

Some parts of this book are really silly, some are a bit slow but overall - if you can stay interested enough to get though those parts and continue to read - it's really not a bad book. Though I will admit that the characters could have a bit more personality than they seem to.
2950011
I'm still not sure if I liked this more or less than Julianne Donaldson's first book, Edenbrooke, but I read it just as fast. Although it was still a regency romance, it had a very different tone. It was more intense and a bit darker, a little more grown up from Edenbrooke. As I was reading, I was reminded of Bronte sisters and Northanger Abbey. There are cold and windy moors, dark ruins, and secret passages. The episodes of humiliation from her family are acutely painful. I was struck by the main conflict of the story and how there was no obvious solution. Although I was happy with the ending, I'm not sure if it was totally satisfying. I'm looking forward to reading this a second time, but I would love to see another Julianne Donaldson proper romance even more!
1229960
In Heartstone, William Shardlake is asked by Queen Catherine Parr to investigate a case involving a young ward, Hugh Curteys, and his landowning guardian, Nicholas Hobbey, who live in Hampshire. While travelling to Hampshire, Shardlake hopes to find out more about the mysterious past of Bedlam inmate, Ellen Fettiplace, who grew up in a nearby area. All this being done under the shadow of a possible French invasion.

Although the writing is vivid, it took a few hundred pages before this story got going...and when it does, there is a lot of to-ing and fro-ing between one place and another. There is a big twist in the story, which I found a bit implausable.

Having said all that, the story overall is pretty good, with solid enough characters, but I can't help thinking if this was another author or series, I would be giving this review three stars instead of four.
3509020
Although I quite liked this book I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would.  I felt the author rushed the character introductions at the beginning of the book which meant I didn't feel any connection with any of them until a fair way into their story.  The frequent jumps between the past and present story lines was distracting at first until I became familiar with the characters.

I enjoyed the setting and Ms Courtenay bought the countryside to life easily.  The present day characters were very likeable and I found myself favouring their tale over that of the characters in the past.  The story was somewhat predictable with all lose ends tied up nicely in the end but it was an enjoyable ride and I will probably read it again some time in the future.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys ghosts, time slip and romance.
319155
This is the second tale in No Ordinary Hero series and I was truly looking forward to reading it because it of the heroine who was the sister of the Duke from the first book. I must admit that the premise was what gave me hope that this one might be as good as the first. Plus, this story had even more in common with Outlander book series. And while the romance in Outlander outshone any plot, subplot or setting, for some reason I found the romance in this story lacking in chemistry between the leads.

That said, even though the setting is what kept my interest (because I am a sucker for men in kilts), it is some of the more unique secondary characters who provided some excitement and added plenty of fun to the story.

In the end, I do recommend it because it's fun and entertaining. Oh, and MEN IN KILTS!

Melanie for b2b

Gift ARC provided by the publisher
3561647
A scandal rocks Alec Valcourt's family. He and his mother and sister are forced to move in with his penny-pinching uncle. Alec expects to resume his occupation of dancing and fencing master in this new town, Beasworthy, but his efforts are doomed. The town noblewoman, Lady Amelia Midwinter, has prohibited dancing long ago, and there's enough of the feudal system left in eighteenth century country towns that others will go along with her.

Lady Amelia's daughter, Julia, is a lively girl and a bit of a flirt. She doesn't know that this year, she and Alec are going to discover the twenty-year-old secret which explains why dancing has fallen out of favour. It involves several members of her family, not to mention herself.

I've got to be honest and admit that, in spite of its fairy-tale sounding premise, this isn't my favourite Julie Klassen novel. I did like Alec, with his strong work ethic and sense of family responsibility. However, something about him seemed to be lacking for a hero. He didn't have the daring heroism of Henry in 'The Tutor's Daughter' or the cute smartness of Francis in 'The Apothecary's Daughter.' Even the heroine, Julia, kept thinking of him as a bit of a dandy, even after she fell for him.

Perhaps it's because, at heart, this book is more about the older generation than Alec and Julia's age group. Even though the snippets of their romance were promising, I did think Klassen could have revved it up another notch or two. Lots of potential seemed to go begging.

Still, it was a fun read just the same. For ballroom dancing enthusiasts, it would be great, often delving right into the intricacies of the steps and execution. I'm glad we have Julie Klassen. With Jane Austen and the Bronte sisters long gone, I appreciate it that someone has taken up their mantle and put in the meticulous research, to make these stories so authentic.

I received a copy from NetGalley and Bethany House in return for an honest review.
1208174
This was a well written, well thought out story about friendship and how life sometimes gets in the way.  Lucinda and Anna met at boarding school and formed a bond that would be tested time and time again.  Each girl had a different personality and a different vision of what they wanted out of life, but their paths seemed to keep crossing no matter what road they took.  This story was set in an earlier time period then I was expecting and the storyline seemed to drag in places.  The characters were well developed but I felt they may have been one sided as Lucinda came off like a spoiled brat and Anna was more saintly.  However, this made them more realistic as friendships are often configured that way in real life.  Even with the slow storyline, I am glad I took the time to complete it as I enjoyed the tale.  I would rate this book 3.5 stars.
4923245
I am a little torn about how to rate Tempting the Marquess.  Parts of it were really lovely and then others, due mostly to the heroine, were less than stellar.  Overall this rates 3  stars.

Olivia Weston (Livvy) has decided to save a man from himself.  She arrives at Lord Jason Traherne's Welsh home in the company of her aunt; Jason is her aunt's stepson.  Livvy feels she almost knows Jason through a diary left behind by his deceased wife that she discovered when she was organizing an estate library.  Livvy read the diary and came to the decision that Jason needed her.

Jason on the other hand believes he does not need anyone and he is more than put out that Livvy has invited herself to his home.  He is reclusive and not welcoming.  Moreover, he is sparring quickly with Livvy as she has a tendency to forget that she is a guest in his house and engages in a verbal match with him within a day.

Jason can be chauvinistic but that is a malady most peers possessed in his time period.  What distinguishes him from other peers is his deep love and affection for his son and his appreciation for a woman's quick wit.  He has a teasing nature with no malicious intent.

Livvy can be trying.  I believe she is eighteen or nineteen and she acts like it.  This was a bit of a surprise as her inner thoughts are of a much more mature young woman, her actions, though do not match.  She is idealistic to the point of being a perfectionist, love has to be perfect with a perfect hero in a perfect setting, and she expects this even though she is far from perfect herself.  Livvy is supposed to be rational and a planner yet there is very little forethought in some of her actions.

What is really admirable in this novel is the basic story of a man carrying a heavy load from his past who needs the affection, love and patience of a strong woman to help him release weighty issues.  In this regard, the novel works well; it's just that heroine Livvy gets in the way of this a little too much with immature conversations and plans.
3485431
This is a fun read, seems to be shaping up as an intricate tale, although Lysander defection was a bit hollow and easy. That morph could have had more depth. Rockford s writing needs development, but as a new author her storyline is different with opportunity to keep the reader interested as the adventures unfold. I'd probably read the next book to see how her writing improves and how the tale progresses, provided I'm not waiting too long for its arrival.