The Red Cottage by Hannah Linder

 

This story begins in 1818 in Cornwall England. Maggie lives with her uncle and helps him run the local apothecary shop. Her uncle is very protective of her so when Tom and Maggie fall in love, he refuses to allow them to spend time together. She sneaks out to meet with Tom, often at night, taking walks by the Cornwall coast. One night, upon returning home she interrupts a break-in at her uncles shop. She is badly injured and loses her memory. She is rescued and is given refuge in the household of Lord Cunnigham.

Fearing that her life might be in danger, Lord Cunningham keeps a very close eye on her offers her protection.

There are several mysteries that may be connected. Why does he take her in and let her stay there while she recovers? Why is someone trying to kill her? Who can she trust? Will she ever remember her past life and the love she had for Tom? And why, if her life is in danger, is she frequently venturing out on her own so much? That was confusing to me.

This is a clean, suspenseful mystery with an interesting plot. It is not a fast read and has very little faith element.

This is from the publisher’s website:

“She forgot she loved him.
He would die to make her remember.

Meg Foxcroft has never minded the tattling village gossip or her uncle’s ill-tempered rebukes. After all, she has Tom McGwen—and one day, they will build their own cottage, paint it red, and live a wonderful life.

But then the unthinkable happens. Meg is attacked, her uncle’s apothecary shop goes up in flames, and when she wakes up in the arms of an eloquent lord, she remembers nothing. Not even her own name.

In a frantic race against time, Tom plunges into dangerous water, bent on sheltering Meg from harm and discovering who wants her dead. Even if she despises him. Even if it’s now the handsome lord she casts her smile upon.

As danger swells and truth comes crashing around them, Meg must confront the past and decide who she trusts—and loves—before the enemy makes the final strike.”

The author does a great job taking the reader into Regency England. You can almost smell the spray blowing off the Cornwall coast. If you love mystery and suspense, this book has it. If you prefer more of an element of faith, this might not be your cup of tea, but you wont find anything offensive or inappropriate either.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing through their book review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed above are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Lady Graceless by Kate Archer ~ a book review

 

If you are looking for a humorous, historical story with eccentric characters this is the one for you. It is book number two of the ‘A series of Senseless Complications’ series.

This is listed as historical Christian romance but for readers who are looking for in depth faith, this might not be the one for them. However, it is definitely clean and I found nothing objectionable or inappropriate. It just doesn’t delve into the faith and doctrine that some readers might want. That being said, this is a very enjoyable and whimsical story full of interesting characters, comical situations and plot twists and turns.

This story is set in England in 1802.

Grace is the daughter of the Duke of Pelham. A notorious liar but loving, good natured father whose main desire in life is to see his beautiful daughters married and “out of his care”.

Grace is known for her sweet nature and loves her family deeply but her clumsiness frequently ends with her in a heap on the floor at the oddest times.

She has two main suitors and at times the reader is left wondering who is the good guy and who is the villain.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book with all the dastardly deeds and quirky situations and was for the most part, lighthearted.

This is from the publisher’s website:

“He’s shipwrecked himself on a beach. She happens to be standing on that beach. A beginning that dreams are made of, had he not a cousin who wants his title.

The Duke of Pelham is once more poised to bring the Nicolets to London and assault society once more. He’s got seven daughters to get rid of, and now he’s on to number two. Lady Grace Nicolet will make her debut. Unfortunately, she has the unique ability to find herself on the floor at the most awkward moments. She lives in terror that people will notice her clumsiness and make a joke of her name.

As the Nicolets set off from the Yorkshire Dales, the duke has the idea to meander to the coast so his girls might get their first glimpse of the sea. On arrival, they get more of a view than they’d anticipated. Miles Delatore, Viscount Dashlend, eldest son of the Earl of Gravesend, has spent two days adrift in his sloop and has just washed up on the beach. A duke’s daughter on her way to Town to find her husband encounters the heir to an earldom? They find each other wildly attractive and exceedingly genial? There is every reason in the world that a match should proceed.

Of course, it would, if it were not for a certain Baron Montclave. That fellow will become the Earl of Gravesend’s heir—if Dashlend dies before producing an issue. Thus far, it has seemed a likely eventuality, as Dashlend has been busy putting his life in danger in every conceivable manner. Montclave’s hopes had leapt to the sky when his cousin was reported lost at sea. But then, Dashlend did not stay lost.

Is Montclave to sit back and simply watch his future fade away?

A determined lord, a dizzy lady, and a desperate climber take the ton on another unnecessarily fraught ride through London’s season.”

If you like clean, comical historical romance, then you won’t want to miss this one.

Go HERE to read an excerpt and to learn more about the author and  the other books in the series.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley and Dragonblade Publishing through their book review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed above are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

 

As promised, a book review

Lady in Waiting by Susan Meissner


There were many things I liked about this book. There were some things I think could have been done better. Overall, it is an interesting story of two Janes, one contemporary and one historical. Susan Meissner interweaves a fictional interpretation of the historical story of Jane Grey, Queen of England and the modern day Jane Lindsay, Manhattan wife, mother, daughter and antique store manager. The author takes extreme liberty with the historical Queen Jane, of which very little is known, and makes that part of the story very interesting. I found the current day Jane much less interesting and I wish she had developed the character more.

The gist of the story is that New York Jane finds an antique ring with a puzzling inscription and the name ‘Jane” inscribed on it and she theorizes it could have belonged to Queen Jane. We are transported through the eyes and voice of Lucy Day, a dressmaker, to 16th century England and all the political and religious upheaval of the day, and a fictional account of a young girl who seemingly has no say in the choices that are made for her. Then we are brought back to New York Jane , who it seems has also let others make decisions for her. Her husband has decided they need time apart, and she is taken completely off balance, not expecting it and trying to make sense of the situation.

Meissner’s writing style is not what I am used to so it took me a long time to get the rhythm of her style. The character development of Queen Jane was fuller, albeit mostly fictional, than the modern Jane. I wish the author had developed her character more and the character of her son, Connor. It would have been interesting to see how the decisions his parents made impacted him.

I did find it difficult to keep track of all the characters in the 16th century story, and even though there was a brief character ‘tree’ at the beginning of the book, it would have been very helpful to have a complete list and explanation of characters. I also would have liked a dictionary of 16th century terms.

All in all, after I finally got into the rhythm of Meissner’s style, I found I could not put the book down. While she couldn’t change the historical outcome of Queen Jane’s life, it was very enjoyable and intriguing to imagine what her life may have been like. Even days after reading this book, I am left wondering why there is so little know about the Lady Jane Grey, Queen of England. However, the reader is left with doubts as to the outcome of New York Jane’s life.

In the end, I think what Meissner wants the reader to come away with is that life if full of choices. It doesn’t matter where you live, what century you live in, what your circumstances are, we all have choices. Even to not make a choice, to go along with the status quo, is a choice in itself.



This review is my honest opinion. Thanks to WaterBrook Press who provided me with a free copy of this book for reviewing purposes.