💕Georgian #Romance Rosie’s #Bookreview of A Counterfeit Wife by @PaullettGolden #TuesdayBookBlog

A Counterfeit Wife by Paullett Golden
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A Counterfeit Wife is book one of The Sirens series of Georgian historical romances.

Set mainly in Yorkshire, this book tells the story of an impoverished Marquis and his rash decision to remedy the problem. The new Lord Pickering has inherited a title but his predecessor left the stately coffers empty. He needs a wife with a large dowry as soon as possible. A swift marriage is arranged with Pickering only meeting Miss Whittington on the eve of their wedding.

Lady Pickering is happy to throw herself into her new life; she’s not what Pickering was expecting at all and she soon wins his heart and is welcomed by the villagers. Repairs to the house, estate and village begin. Lord and Lady Pickering slip into an easy relationship and there is plenty of detail of the era woven cleverly into the plot to keep the reader interested.

Few romances in this genre occur without a problem that needs to be solved and this one is no different; I shan’t say more and spoil the story. However, I just want to say how much I liked this romance, which surprised me in places in the way the characters acted in challenging situations; this made it refreshing to read. Well done!

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Trevor Gaines, the Marquess of Pickering, falls in love with his wife. The catch? The woman is an impostor. Desperate for money, he arranges a fast marriage with the wealthiest dowry in England. Not until after the wedding does he realize he married the wrong woman.

​J’non Butler is a maid accompanying her mistress for an arranged marriage. When her mistress elopes with another man, J’non marries the marquess, posing as the man’s contracted bride.

This is the love story of Trevor and J’non as they defy convention and find passion in their bed of lies.

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#NewRelease #Romance Coming Home To Holly Close Farm by @JulieHouston2 ‏@Aria_Fiction #TuesdayBookBlog

Coming Home to Holly Close Farm by Julie Houston

4 stars

Coming Home To Holly Close Farm is a dual timeline romance. It features Charlie, a young woman spurned by her deceitful lover, and Madge, Charlie’s charming great-grandmother.

Charlie fled back to her childhood home in Yorkshire after a failed romance. While retrieving a coat for Madge, Charlie discovers an old photograph and a story that had been buried for more than sixty years unravels.

When nineteen-year-old Madge joined up during World War Two, London offered her escape from home and a boyfriend who wanted more than she did. On a night out Madge met James, who went on to be her one true love. But the war and James’s family were about to tear them apart.

Now aged ninety-four, Madge finds it’s time to reveal past secrets.

I really enjoyed Madge’s story. The way it was interspersed between Charlie’s modern-day tale was tantalising, as I was eager to get back to it each occasion the time-line changed. Madge’s family were a colourful mix of characters. I also enjoyed the humour surrounding the ‘Almost Heaven’ care home.

Ideal for those who enjoy a little mystery surrounding a sweet romance.

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Charlie Maddison loves being an architect in London, but when she finds out her boyfriend, Dominic is actually married, she runs back to the beautiful countryside of Westenbury and her parents. Charlie’s sister Daisy, a landscape gardener, is also back home in desperate need of company and some fun.

Their great-grandmother, Madge – now in her early nineties – reveals she has a house, Holly Close Farm, mysteriously abandoned over sixty years ago, and persuades the girls to project manage its renovation.

As work gets underway, the sisters start uncovering their family’s history, and the dark secrets that are hidden at the Farm. A heart-breaking tale of wartime romance, jealousy and betrayal slowly emerges, but with a moral at its end: true love can withstand any obstacle, and, before long, Charlie dares to believe in love again too…

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Rosie’s #Bookreview #Histfic Family Saga The Girl From The Mill by @WalshChrissie ‏@Aria_Fiction

The Girl from the Mill by Chrissie Walsh

4 stars

The Girl From The Mill is an historical family saga set in Yorkshire during World War I.

The story centres around textile mill employee Lacey Barraclough. Lacey is a loyal but ambitious young woman, who plays her part in fighting for the better working rights for herself and her fellow women workers.

Lacey is also an accomplished seamstress and it’s not long before her skills are noticed by prominent  woman in the Garsthwaite community. In her personal life, Lacey has caught the eye of Nathan Brearley, the mill owner’s son, but their difference in class is hard to overcome.

When the war breaks out, changes occur on the home front. Families must survive without menfolk, there are new bargaining powers at the mills for the workers, and Lacey’s own life changes when she marries Nathan.

This is an easy read story filled with nostalgia from the era and plenty of local colloquialisms. Ideal for those who enjoy historical style family sagas.

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In the drab Yorkshire town of Garsthwaite, Lacey Barraclough works hard in the textile mill, determined to fight for improvements to the dismal working conditions she and her fellow weavers face. But she hadn’t reckoned on falling in love with the boss’s son, Nathan. Nathan returns her love, but to succeed they must overcome the class divide, as well as persuade their families that their love for each other is real.

Before Nathan and Lacey can make a life together, World War I breaks out and Nathan enlists to fight. When Nathan heads off to the Front, he takes Lacey’s dreams with him, and she must find a new way to face the future. As hard times come to Garsthwaite, will there be a home for the returning heroes to come back to?

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This is my Review of the Month for the review collection on LovelyAudiobooks.info

#Historical #Romance Beguiled By The Forbidden Knight by @ElisabethHobbes #TuesdayBookBlog

Beguiled by the Forbidden Knight by Elisabeth Hobbes

4 stars

Beguiled By The Forbidden Knight is an historical romance set in Yorkshire, a few years after the Norman Conquest. King William has decreed that England shall be held and secured through marriages to create alliances. To this effect, Gilbert du Rospez has been sent to Haxby to meet his betrothed, Sigrun.  Alas, she is not there, because she was sent to a priory for safety while Yorkist rebels tried to hold out against William’s armies.

In truth Gilbert would prefer to be off hunting and admiring horses than chasing after a bride he doesn’t want. So he asks his friend, Gui, to take his place. Shrewdly, he promises Gui a place of his own, once he returns with his bride-to-be.

There follows a complex and entertaining web of mistaken identity, escape, and conflicting emotions.  This is a delightful easy read romance, the reader can guess the probable outcome quite early, but the pleasure is in the tantalising build to the final denouement. Not a book for those who prefer their romance hot and spicy; I’d say this one sits among the slower simmer style storylines.

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He’s her enemy…

…and she must not fall for him!

When her mistress is claimed as an enemy knight’s betrothed, handmaiden Aelfhild knows it would be too dangerous for her lady; she must go in her place. But there’s more to the scarred knight than she first thought—she isn’t expecting to fall for him! As the line between friend and enemy blurs, Aelfhild realizes she might be protecting her mistress, but not her heart…

I grew up in York where I spent most of my teenage years wandering around the city looking for a handsome Roman or Viking to sweep me off my feet. Sadly it never happened but I developed a love of the past and went on to read History and Art History at university before venturing into the world of teaching. These days I hold down jobs as a teacher and mum. I live in Cheshire with my husband, two young children and two cats with ridiculous names.
I love historical fiction and have a fondness for dark haired, bearded heroes. When I’m not writing, I spend a lot of my spare time reading and have become something of a pro at cooking one-handed while holding a book!

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Mild #thriller My #Bookreview of Girl Without A Voice by @ChrisBridge313

Girl Without a Voice by Chris Bridge

4.5 stars

Girl Without A Voice is a suspense thriller set in Yorkshire. It opens with a past scene: a family picnic with a traumatic event that caused nine year old Leah to stop talking.

In present time Leah is now thirty-four, and hasn’t spoken since that day, twenty-five years ago. Her father has just died and the family gather for his funeral. Years of silence have made Leah almost invisible, particularly to her three siblings who ignore her, and are not reprimanded for this by their grieving mother, Izzy. After a long illness her father’s death was expected, but everyone was shocked when Izzy revealed she had another son.

Izzy becomes excited about the possibility of reuniting with her long-lost son and asks his forgiveness for giving him away. However, she’s being furtive and this behaviour makes Leah extra worried. Her observational skills have developed in place of her ability to speak, and when the family finally meet Patrick he concerns and shocks her; Leah suspects that she and her mother are both in danger.

I jumped at the chance to read this book because I know how well this author can write, having read Back Behind Enemy Lines a few years ago. This book didn’t disappoint. It is written in several significant parts. Leah’s story and the effect on her life of her disability are scripted very well; I was appalled at how her siblings treated her. In part two we learn more about Patrick and a religious cult which brought him up. The author does an excellent job building the layers of suspense and tension, it was obvious just how much research had gone into making the plot and characters really believable.

I would describe this as a mild thriller, for those who enjoy character-led plot lines. I was very interested to learn about Leah’s elective mutism, and whilst the religious cult aspects left me pretty uncomfortable the storyline had me abandoning other duties just to finish reading. I highly recommend this book.

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Childhood trauma robs Leah of the power of speech and forces her to be a watcher on the margins of society. But when her mother goes in search of the child she gave up for adoption, Leah is tempted out of the shadows. At first Patrick is everything she could hope for from a half-brother, but is he too good to be true? Leah makes a shocking discovery that leaves her with a moral dilemma and the need to take on not only her half-brother but the ruthless cult he belongs to.

Chris Bridge was born in Hull, England in 1947. He studied English and Philosophy at Nottingham University and became a teacher after graduating. He eventually became Headteacher of Huntington School, York, and finished his school career as a National Leader of Education. He has been a regular contributor to poetry magazines and his poems have featured in the winning lists of Hippocrates and Stanza poetry competitions. Back Behind Enemy Lines is his first novel. He lives in North Yorkshire.

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My #Bookreview of sweet #Romance RESOLUTIONS by Carol Warham @Tirgearr

Resolutions by Carol Warham
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Resolutions is a light, easy read romance set in Yorkshire.

Carly Mitchell is returning to the small town of Yeardon, which she left abruptly a year ago; she has now come back to face her demons and make apologies.

As the story unfolds we learn that Carly jilted her fiancé at the alter and no one has heard from her since then. Most people in town are still angry and unwelcoming towards her. However, Ben Thornton, the new young Doctor, offers her friendship, even after hearing the rumours.

Whilst Carly tries to sort out the complex mix she left behind, the situation becomes worse before it gets resolved. Her blossoming friendship with Ben is also tested by the arrival of his ex-partner.

This was a sweet little romance, but the story and the dialogue felt a little old-fashioned for the implied age of the main characters. I would also have enjoyed less repetition of characters ‘needing to talk’ out their concerns. I thought the story could benefit from deeper character development which would have allowed me to feel more empathy, particularly for Carly. But, overall, an okay debut novel from which the author can further develop her writing style.

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A few days before the New Year, Carly Mitchell returns home to the small town on the Yorkshire moors. Her intention for the short visit is to make her apologies and offer an explanation for her action. A year earlier, she fled, leaving her bridegroom and friends bewildered.
She’s met with mixed reactions, ranging from curiosity to open hostility. However, when an emergency arises, Carly agrees to change her plans and stay a little longer. Falling in love with the new local doctor, Ben Thornton, was not part of her original plan either. Especially when it appears his past is shrouded in mystery.
Complications and tensions increase during the town’s New Year celebrations and she begins to doubt whether she has done the right thing by coming home.
Can she find the resolution she needs to overcome the challenges facing her, or will she run away again?

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