Dorothy McFalls

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I picked this one up in the kindle store. This is Regency period historical romance. This book as released in 2009. The author is Dorothy McFalls. Elsbeth is taken in by her uncle after the death of her monstrous husband. She is left in debt and to earn her keep she agrees to chaperone her two cousins during the season. Nigel was orphaned and raised by his uncle. Now he is in control of his estate. He is also responsible for the mysterious painter Dionysus. When the show more painter spotted Elsbeth he rushed back to his studio and did a portrait of her. The only thing is he painted her in the nude. The painting was his personal fantasy and meant for his eyes only. However, the painting was displayed at a showing and Elsbeth's reputation was in ruins. But, not only that, her cousins chances of making good marriages were also in jeopardy. Elsbeth makes it her mission to discover who this Dionysus is and why he is out to ruin her. Nigel is mortified when he finds the painting was displayed. He feels it is his responsibility to restore Elsbeth's reputation and that of her cousins. In the meantime, Nigel is dealing with a sinister plot to have him murdered. Several mysteries are at play here. One mystery is obvious to the reader, but the characters remain ignorant. The other mystery is left up to all of us to try and solve. The focus of the story is on the romance between Nigel and Elsbeth. The mysterious painter lurks in the background of their relationship continuing to reek havoc and the murder plot may be linked to the painter. Danger and intrigue increases as does the love Nigel feels for Elsbeth. For her part, Elsbeth must learn to trust Nigel and let go of her shame and pain and allow herself to heal emotionally. I loved Nigel! He was not a perfect man. He had made his mistakes in life, but he was not an overbearing alpha male type. He was strong willed, stubborn at times, and naïve and too trusting in some cases, but he was also a man of principles and did whatever he must to protect the lady he loved . He questions and doubts his abilities and his worth at times and is really hard on himself. Can Elsbeth help him overcome his doubts and restore his confidence? Elsbeth lives a lie where her first marriage is concerned. She keeps the secret of her abuse feels as though she can never marry again because she is barren. She doesn't know if she will ever be able to trust a man in a normal way . Can Nigel's love help her heal? Will they be able to have a normal relationship? They will have to come to terms with the other issues such as Nigel's being the target of a murder plot and of course the mysterious painter of The Nude. This is a very enjoyable historical romance. Not the usual fluff Regency period romances can be. There are real issues at play here, and are handled very well. Love conquers all is always a sigh worthy story that leaves you with a good feeling when the book is finished. Overall I give this one an A. show less

What a pleasant surprise! I grabbed this book because it was on the free list, and YEAH!!!!!! I will buy more books like this from this author. I would have been ok paying for this one:). How often does that happen?

Vega was fantastic. I loved how strong she was, and while she had major Daddy issues they helped rather than hindered her. She was competent and driven. She didn't whine, hallelujah! She did not have to tell anyone how awesome she was, she just was!

Grayson::sigh::. Great hero. You show more were completely rooting for him from the beginning. He was a strong hero that respected Vega's abilities. The way the book is set up is they are respectful adversaries. Loved Him.

Really pleased to read a book with a strong woman and man that respect each other. While I was able to put this book down, and did not HAVE to finish it this second, I wanted to keep coming back to it, and I did not start another book while I was reading it. I really hope this becomes a series, it has that potential, both with Vega and Grayson as well as Fiona.

Characters were real and believable, just solid book. Get this one it will not be a disapointment. (Sex scenes were not graphic, you knew what was happening but it was a preview then on to the next chapter, and I was glad because you wanted to find out what was happening in the book show less

Historical being my favorite in the romance genre I can say this book is a pretty good one. I actually give it a 3.5 stars. It has all those traditional elements that make you like the heroine, despise the villain and love the rogue. I'll definitely be reading more from this author.

Book ♥♥ 2 Stars
Author ♥♥♥ 3 stars
Total ♥♥ 2.5 stars
Bored Lady Amelia finds out things about her true self. She is bored of being a socialite but, can she handle the truth. Can Dimitri kidnap her and give her excitement. I loved the sexual chemistry between the hero and heroine but I could not get into the book. I think that the author has great potential and so does the book. I think maybe if there was more development to the book I would have enjoyed it much more. I give the show more author 3 stars and the book 2 stars. I like the author but, the book was okay. show less