Sara Ramsey

Originally published on Tales to Tide You Over

I enjoy historical romance. It's been a favorite genre of mine for a very long while. This book, however, takes the genre to another level. It is truly, beyond all others, about mature love. Beyond the fun glimpse into the period through the eyes of the various characters, including a look at the cross-continent trading as well as the lives of the ton, the novel is filled with characters who are complex and compelling, who have stories of their show more own to tell even if they're not the focus of this book. And Nick and Ellie are definitely among those complex characters.

The story looks at the consequences of two soul mates who found each other when they were too young and still under control, actual and manipulation, of her father. Torn apart by this, neither has been able to move beyond that young love despite the passage of ten years and a lot of maturing. The "coming home" theme in contemporary romance is one I enjoy because there's time for their emotions to mature. I just never expected to find it in a historical romance.

At first, Nick is bent on revenge for how Ellie broke his heart, and she's determined never to let herself be that vulnerable again. They have very real reasons for their attitudes, and both are guilty at least in part, but the book is about how they move past old pains and open themselves to a new future. It's not simply explaining what happened, or even taking responsibility for each of their choices. It's complicated both by the need for self-preservation and by wounds that stab deeper than rational thought.

The Marquess Who Loved Me has the sensual/sexual content people have come to expect, but maybe not in the way they expect. Unlike the latest trends, the initial encounters are all about dominance as in Nick taking the control over Ellie that he thought she had taken over him when she dismissed him as unworthy of her hand. There's a lot more to that particular story, of course, but Nick saw only her cruel cut and comes back determined to own her in every way. It could have gone very dark. Instead, love rears its ugly (to both of them) head and undermines both of their plans to stay untouched and safe.

On top of all of the witty dialogue mixed with social commentary and deep soul searching, there's also a murderer afoot, the need to keep it secret, and the possibility of betrayal from all sides.

It might sound a bit crowded, and in another's hands, it might have been, but every piece from Nick's revenge to Ellie's paintings fit together smoothly. Where something might come from the outside such as the murderer, it is even more likely a result of the blend of relationships and hatreds in their inner circle. Every phrase has a double meaning, and every meaning only serves to offer a plausible, if unwanted, answer to the questions stewing in the minds of the characters.

I started reading another title I'd received through NetGalley and found myself unable to finish for reasons other than craft. Though Sara Ramsey's novel was not next on the list, I thought it might serve as, shall we say, a pallet cleanser. It did that and more. I found myself making excuses to extend my reading time just that bit further, and even got back on the elliptical to capture ten more reading minutes. While I enjoy much of what I read, I don't always seek out other books by the author immediately. In this case, I'm planning to pick up the rest of this series which, I hope, will offer the rest of the tale for certain of the other characters I met and enjoyed.

P.S. NetGalley provided this title in return for an honest review. show less

Ramsey's titles are cute and her ideas are good, but her writing could use a bit more polish. Honestly, for most of the book I was tempted to give it 2 stars--there is a lot more telling instead of showing, and the characters really felt wooden throughout a lot of it. I wasn't even sure they were as invested in their own story as I was, and I spent more time than usual while reading checking just how far I was in the book! The last third or so got better, though, and overall it left me with show more a more positive impression in the end than I would have thought possible given the first half. I'm willing to give the first book a try, because this one referred back to its events enough that I do want to see what exactly happened in Madeline and Ferguson's story, and of course we get just enough of a teaser here of Ellie's story in book three so that I'll probably pick that one up too, if given the chance. show less

I reviewed this novel for my blog at www.bookworm2bookworm.wordpress.com

The blurb above summarizes the story well, and rather than going into it, I'll tell you why I liked this story.

First, you don't need to read the first novel to enjoy this story, but the dynamic between the muses, their heroes and the story in itself will be more exciting if you do. Let me tell you, I wasn't a big fan of Amelia's in Madeline's story, but by the end of it, I loved her tenaciousness and honesty, and you show more will too.

Ms. Ramsey continues to impress me with her portrayal of the friendship of her muses. These women seem real because of that. Their feelings toward each other are honest and at times contentious, but deep down their respect and love of each other and their passion for their art is something that will always keep their friendships strong.

Malcolm is a hero to die for! He's a strong, smart and ambitious man full of wit that would be a God-given gift to any london season `mama', yet Amelia is full of doubts as she struggles with her feelings for him. It was fun to watch these two very strong-minded people fight the atraction and in the end succumbing to it.
If you're in a mood for a fun and entertaining, sensual and romantic story of two very strong characters who will take you on their fast paced HEA, this story is just the ticket!

Melanie show less

A very interesting book about a woman and her husband who were committed to mental institution for being christian street preachers voluntarily living extreme poverty with the help of other christian churches. Apparently because they were neither married by common law nor civil law they were deemed insane because their internal "voices" said they were truly married (misinterpreting certain Bible passages). The story itself has no dates but the book jacket states that this occurred in show more December of 1912. Psychiatric science was horrendous back then with absurdities being taken to the extreme by Medical sadists being used by the Nazis in Germany during the early part of Hitler's regime. Freud also mentions lots of bizarre treatments for mental illness in his writings. This book's narrative purportedly took place at now called Patton State Hospital, San Bernadino California (Highland Insane Asylum). Sara Ramsey tells her story and those of others throughout the book. The book is essentially her testimony of how her study of scriptural New and Old Testaments helped her to survive and cope through her stay at Patton. Basically Ramsey started to interpret the scriptures from her own experiences of inhumane cruelty and physical torture. Ramsey had been pregnant but hid her condition until the medical staff were forced to let her give birth and then foster cared by a friend until Ramsey herself was released from Patton. I've never read a book such as this but narration is always suspect given time lapses and the inaccuracies memory. Los Angeles also has a mental hospital which I visited a few times as a volunteer. That facility is for the ultra violent or criminally insane. Criminally insane refers to people who have been convicted of felony crimes judged by a legal court by reason of insanity. I also worked with mentally ill persons held for treatment and before being released into the general public. This book portrays the "patients" more as "prisoners" and disposable unless they had wealth to be collected for their so-called medical treatments. show less