Mary Brendan (1)

Dawn and Jack, in love as teens are reunited as adults in an effort to protect Dawn’s step-grandchild.

The blistering pace of the plot involving the grandchild doesn’t leave a lot of room for romance, still I liked Dawn and Jack’s chemistry even if I felt like their relationship, due to how many other things were going on in the story, was a little underdeveloped. There is a secondary romance, told over even fewer pages, that I think due to that heroine’s situation and her resilience, show more ended up leaving me more invested in their the happily ever after than in Jack and Dawn.

Communication issues, be it stolen letters, an inability to write letters, or Jack’s unwillingness to explain himself (he does eventually, but doles out answers in piecemeal fashion), had a tendency to hamper the otherwise page-turning quality of this book, as did moments where Dawn made some less than intelligent decisions (I understood that she was in distress, and therefore maybe not thinking altogether clearly, and there’s something to be said for a heroine taking action, but at the same time her actions mostly made for bigger problems rather than heroic solutions, rendering her a typical damsel in distress).

Yet despite the communication stuff and Dawn’s choices occasionally seeming contrived, I mostly found this entertaining, and I downright loved the section when Dawn first arrives at her step-daughter’s home, there was a deliciously creepy gothic novel vibe to it, and while the book didn’t sustain that level, that gothic novel feeling did crop up every so often, more so in relation to the villain than in the romance.

I received this through a giveaway. show less

Emma Waverley is in a poor position, her brother died in exile after killing the man who eloped with her and her father is in debt up to his eyeballs. She desperately needs to find money and a future, but the elopment left her with a scandal in her wake and some of her father's debtors want payment and they're willing to have her as their payment. On her way from a meeting with someone late at night she mets Lance ,Earl of Houndsmere who rescues her from assailants and they discover that show more there's an attraction there. But can they overcome both of their reluctances and can they have a life of their own that will fulfil both of their lives?
I enjoyed the read with both of them and could see where they had issues and tried to come to terms with them. I'd read more by this author. show less

Dawn Fenton is a widow and trying to deal with her step-daughters fraught marriage. Into her life comes Jack Valance, a ghost from the past, no longer penniless but a Viscount. Getting to a place where they can be in a relationship will involve both of them trying hard to cope with a lot of issues.
It was a good read with character that made me want the relationship to work and some moments that had me at the edge of my seat.

Faye Shawcross is trying to bring up her siblings and hoping that her fiance will continue to wait (while he signals his dodgyness by demanding that she lose the brats before he will be willing to marry). She lost some of her inheritance by bad investments (suggested by said fiance too). She entangles herself with the rougish Ryan Kavanagh who helps her when her sister gets herself in potential trouble. Ryan troubles her and intrigues her and he wants her but she wants stability and show more propriety and he doesn't offer this, but he does offer an affair at first and then he realises that he wants her in his life.

It was a fun read with some fun characters. show less