Loving Lucianna
A Hearts in Autumn Romance
Genre: Medieval romance
4.3 of 5 pearls
WARNING: Mild violence, otherwise a totally clean and sweet read.
Disclaimer #1: I am friends with the author. The author is also a cover client of mine (yes, I designed this cover). The version I read was the beta version (arc), so there might be some differences now of which I am not aware.
Summary: Lucianna has accepted the fact that she will never marry. There are things in her past she cannot undo, things that prevent marriage even if the right man comes along. When the right man does come along, it takes everything in her to resist him, and he refuses to take no for an answer.
The thing I love best about Joyce's books is the complete assurance that I will not encounter anything that makes me uncomfortable. I'll discover well-rounded characters, a well-researched corner of medieval history, and a sweet love story. This is certainly true of Loving Lucianna. And I love that this story is about a couple in the Autumn of their years.
I was immediately drawn to these characters and found myself eager to determine what this big secret was that prevented Lucianna from giving in to her desire to marry Sir Balduin. He was a charming man, and I felt the romance between them was believable and well-written. I enjoyed the flashback scenes, where we learned about young Lucianna. Ms. DiPastena did a fabulous job of easing the reader in and out of these scenes without disrupting the story flow. The end was satisfying.
I look forward to reading the final version of this story, which I'm sure is now a solid 5-pearl read. For the time being, I'll end this review here. :)
Disclaimer #2: I was not paid in any way for this review. The opinions expressed here are my own. The image does link to Amazon, and the link does contain my affiliate ID. I was given a copy of this book as a beta reader, not with the request for a review, but I decided to review it anyway. ;)
I was immediately drawn to these characters and found myself eager to determine what this big secret was that prevented Lucianna from giving in to her desire to marry Sir Balduin. He was a charming man, and I felt the romance between them was believable and well-written. I enjoyed the flashback scenes, where we learned about young Lucianna. Ms. DiPastena did a fabulous job of easing the reader in and out of these scenes without disrupting the story flow. The end was satisfying.
I look forward to reading the final version of this story, which I'm sure is now a solid 5-pearl read. For the time being, I'll end this review here. :)
Disclaimer #2: I was not paid in any way for this review. The opinions expressed here are my own. The image does link to Amazon, and the link does contain my affiliate ID. I was given a copy of this book as a beta reader, not with the request for a review, but I decided to review it anyway. ;)
A dark stranger....
(a short story loosely set in the medieval era)
When penniless Catherine Roth answers a letter for a governess position in the isolated castle of Lord Andrew Montmoor, she has no idea that madness, obsession, and secrets await her.
The mysteries of Montmoor Hall deepen with each passing day...and night. A ghost haunts governess Catherine Roth while the master, Andrew Montmoor, is away.
Someone wants her buried...for good.
"My Lady Coward" debuted as a serial romance, each installment posted somewhere online as it was written. "My Lady Coward: An Episodic Regency Romance" is a compilation of those ten installments. They have not been changed from the original postings, merely formatted into one file for those who desire to have the whole story in one convenient place.
When the dowager duchess of Marcross insists he accompany her niece, Ginny, into the country for the day to execute a special task, Sir Anthony is appalled, to say the least. Ginny, who thinks little of the fashionable Sir Anthony, is as eager to be done with the chore as he, but before they arrive at their destination they are stranded by highwaymen and launched into adventure. Forced into each other's company, Ginny begins to sense the passionate nature beneath Sir Anthony's mask of ennui, while his exasperation with the forthright Ginny turns into admiration of her wit and charm. Then beautiful Lucinda Barrington and Lord Avery, a poet, come onto the scene, sparking Ginny's imagination and revealing a way to unmask the true man behind Sir Anthony's frivolous facade. Meanwhile, the dowager duchess has plans of her own for this pair, and her special task turns into a battle of words, wills, and wit.
Ginny Delacourt felt the course of true love could not have run smoother. After all, it required only a fortnight, a pair of highwaymen, a pox quarantine, a sham betrothal, and a masquerade ball to bring Sir Anthony up to snuff. When her beloved suddenly becomes the heir to his uncle, the Duke of Marcross, protocol dictates that he drop the 'Sir' from his name. It's his uncle who insists Ginny, daughter of a lowly vicar, is not the proper bride for a future duke.
Ginny and her beloved Anthony, Lord Crenshaw, are finally married and have spent the bulk of their first blissful six months of marriage in the country. However, Ginny must now hostess a Christmas ball at Dunsmere, the estate of the dowager Duchess of Marcross. How is a mere vicar's daughter to carry off such an event with no experience and little exposure to the ways of the ton? And how is she to meet the expectations of her Grandaunt Regina, earn the good graces of Anthony's uncle the Duke of Marcross, endure the spite of the duke's new wife, manage the hysterical escapades of Lucinda, Lady Avery, and find the perfect gift for her husband, all while expecting a babe? All these questions and more are answered in Lady Crenshaw's Christmas, a short story follow-up to two full length novels, Miss Delacourt Speaks Her Mind and Miss Delacourt Has Her Day available via Montlake Romance.
When Burthred comes courting on Christmas Eve, Meg rejects his advances. She has her heart set on becoming a nun and insists that he call her Christina, the spiritual name she has chosen for herself. She tries to make him swear on her box of holy relics that he will not pursue her, but he carefully words his oath to allow him to stay in her candlelit chamber and try to change her mind.
It's the Victorian era in England, but Tessa is from the medieval past. She awakens within a castle she has never seen before. Knowledge of her name also evades her. However, even worse than not knowing who or where she is, she cannot recall how she died or why she is dressed as a bride.
Only daughter of an English lord, Sarra of Greenbriar, is used to getting her way. So when her father passes and the King begins sending suitors, she feels justified in taking matters into her own hands. Through a series of harmless pranks, Sarra works to keep the potential husbands at bay.
Destiny has placed them together, yet “the wolf” threatens to rip them apart…
5 pearls (4.7)
