Maggi Andersen's Blog, page 58

**** Review: A HIDDEN AFFAIR by Pam Jenoff

 

PAST WARS, PAST LIVES, PAST LOVES . . . CAN WE EVER REALLY LET THEM GO . . . AND SHOULD WE?

Ten years ago, U.S. State Department intelligence officer Jordan Weiss’s life was turned upside down when she was told her college boyfriend, Jared, drowned in the River Cam. In a shocking discovery, though, she realizes that things weren’t as they seemed and that she had been lied to and betrayed by those closest to her. Reeling from the shock— and the knowledge that Jared is still alive—Jordan resigns her State Department post and sets off in search of answers. Traveling to Jared’s last known whereabouts on the French Riviera, she encounters Nicole, a mysterious woman who flees after refusing to disclose what she knows about Jared.

Following Nicole across Europe, Jordan soon discovers that she is not alone in her pursuit— Aaron, a handsome and enigmatic Israeli, is chasing Nicole for his own cryptic reasons. Though distrustful of each other, Jordan and Aaron join forces on a journey that takes them half a world away, and only steps ahead of grave peril.

As Jordan draws closer to finding the answers that have eluded her for a decade, larger questions remain: Can she reconcile her attraction to Aaron with her unresolved feelings for Jared, the only man she ever loved? Will the truth be too devastating to handle or finally set her free?

Will she have a chance at happiness at last? Thrilling, romantic, and impossible to put down, A Hidden Affair gives us a brave and relentless heroine who never gives up on her search for the truth.

My **** Review: Pam Jenoff continues Jordan's Weiss' story from her first novel,  THE OFFICER'S LOVER. As she says in her acknowledgement, her first novel is about Jordan coming to terms with her past, A HIDDEN AFFAIR is where she meets Aaron, and is the other half of the story, the future.

I enjoy Jenoff's descriptive style of writing and the locations where she set this fast-paced novel. It's a well crafted romantic suspense. I didn't guess who the villain was and neither did I predict the ending.
Ten years have passed. After Jordan finds out from a friend who initially betrayed her that Jared is alive, she resigns from her State department job and heads to Europe to search for him in the last place he as been seen.  She believed their relationship was special, that nothing could ever come between them, but Jared has lied to her and left her believing him dead. Jordan is compelled to find out the truth,  unsure how she'll feel when she finally catches up with her former lover. Even the handsome Israeli Aaron, the who seeks Nicole, Jordan's only connection to Jared, doesn't sway her from her quest. Strongly attracted, she and Aaron join forces with danger lurking at every turn, but they aren't always truthful with each other. Who is Aaron really, and what does he really want with Nicole? Jordan's not sure if he's a friend or working against her until almost the end.
There are nice historical touches which ground the book and create an intriguing mystery.

I can recommend this for a rainy day read. It was raining buckets here on a Sunday afternoon as I keenly scanned the final pages.

A satisfying read. I look forward to reading more of Jenoff's books.

Like to walk in this? 18th Century shoe.

Like to walk in this? 18th Century shoe.

Susan has won a copy of my novel The Folly at Falconbridg...

Susan has won a copy of my novel The Folly at Falconbridge Hall on the English Historical Authors blog giveaway. Congratulations, Susan! Vanessa Ashley felt herself qualified for a position as governess, until offered the position at Falconbridge Hall.

I have a new contract! Cover Reveal coming soon.

With Taming a Gentleman Spy - The Spies of Mayfair coming in September, I've revisited my short stories. Each one was written to accompany my books. I have a new short story coming soon.

Free Regency Story - The Earl Takes a Ward

Free short story.
When Brendon Fathersham, 6th Earl of Trentham, is shot escaping highwaymen, he finds himself tended by an angel, Miss Katharine Hawthorne. Wishing to save her from her untrustworthy step-father, he removes her to his home, Lilac Court with the intention of making her his ward. Clutching Molly, her pet goose, Kitty arrives at Lord Trentham’s magnificent estate. The handsome earl is a divorced man. What did he really want of her? Was it a case of out of the frying pan into the fire?

 Available on Goodreads, Knox Robinson Publishing and Maggi's Website

Review of Caroline and the Captain - Free Regency Story

Caroline and the Captain is a short story that fits into the historical romance genre by Australian author, Maggi Andersen. I’ve read a couple of her titles previously and though I preferred her romantic suspense novel more than her historical romance, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed Caroline and the Captain which falls into the latter category.

The story begins at the funeral of George, Earl of Haworth who died during a riding accident. His betrothed, Miss Caroline Mirrington grieves the man she’d hoped to marry and worries that the secret she disclosed when he proposed would not be accepted as sensitively by any other man who may wish to marry her.

Captain Nicholas Bonham, brother of the deceased is in disbelief over George’s death and now as sole heir is left with the untimely decision of marrying a woman for financial convenience. After brief deliberation he accepts the offer made by Caroline’s father and agrees to marry her in his brother’s place. There’s an instant attraction between them, though Caroline is weary of fulfilling the intimate role of a wife and Nicholas had hoped to marry for love. She partly discloses her secret to Nicholas and is surprised to find her new husband-to-be is just as considerate as his former brother.

Caroline and the Captain has all the elements of a good novel, packed into a short story of only 60 pages. There’s enough conflict within the relationship to create empathy for the characters and a desire to see their marriage a success. There’s the little mystery sub-plot surrounded George’s death which is soon revealed to be under suspicious circumstances. This ties Nicholas and Caroline closer together when the scope of her past is fully unveiled. This creates suspense and immediacy in solving the problem. Though I did feel Caroline’s emotional difficulties were overcome rather quickly, this is to be expected in the structure of a short story. Nevertheless, I felt satisfied with how the story was paced and how the conflict was resolved. It’s a story I probably would have enjoyed in full-length too.

An entertaining short read which will appeal to historical romance fans and is a great way to spend a free hour in your day.
Lauren Murphy



Free story available on Goodreads, Knox Robinson Publishing and Maggi's Website:

Review of Belinda's Secret

Review of my free short story Belinda's Secret.
Belinda has read her father’s newspapers, listened at keyholes, and learned all the scandals attached to Derrek, Lord Hawkestone’s, name. She decides he’ll fit her requirements perfectly. Not that Belinda’s requirements are likely to match her father’s plans for her, but she just wants to succeed in two insignificant things before settling down into a miserable boring marriage.

From nicely formal dialog in pleasantly formal gardens, to the unsettling needs of orphans in a run-down mansion, author Maggi Andersen recreates a long-ago world with vivid clarity. Rumors, arranged marriages, poverty and aristocracy all play their part. Society rocks to the sound of finance and propriety, and Belinda plans to be obedient eventually, but just for now… Meanwhile Derrek plans to play the part laid out in rumor, until things change.

A lovely quick historical romance, Belinda’s Secret is the perfect accompaniment to your morning coffee or afternoon tea.

Disclosure: I was lucky enough to find a free ecopy. 
Sheila

Available FREE on Goodreads, Knox Robinson Publishing and my MY WEBSITE

Review of Virtue of a Governess by Anne Brear

 BLURB:

In 1867 Nicola Douglas attends a London lecture that inspires her to change her life. With no family, but a good education, she boards a ship to Australia with high hopes of a fresh start in a new country as a governess. But Sydney is full of young women with similar hopes and equally poor prospects. When Nicola is at her lowest, she meets Nathaniel West. Try as she might, her attraction to Nathaniel West grows. She also meets a visiting American, Hilton Warner. As both men shower her with attention, Nicola reaches a crisis. She came to Australia expecting to be a governess, but finding love, and being married, shows how empty her life has been since her parents' death. Her achievements at the Governess Home are vital to her. Can she have both? To reject both men would relegate her to spinsterhood, but if she makes that choice, would her career ever be enough to sustain her?

RHL Classifications:Victorian Romance/sagaHeat Level: 1Rating: 5 stars/Top PickReview by MaggiWhen I read Anne Brear’s novels, I never know where they’ll take me. They are never predictable. I wasn’t even sure there would be a happy ending in this one, but there is and it’s very satisfying. This is a wonderfully descriptive story about late-Victorian life in Sydney, Australia, where governesses have made the long journey from England in search of work, only to be disappointed and left destitute. Heroine, Nicola Douglas is a resourceful, strong woman, something of a feminist, who has no wish to marry. She finds herself in the same boat, unable to find a position, but meets a kind benefactor and soon has a thriving business helping the less fortunate in her profession. Frances West, who runs a soup kitchen for the poor, befriends her. Frances is another lost soul, as is her brother, the scrumptious but sarcastic, Nathaniel. They have come to Australia to escape bitter family experiences. Two men vie for Nicola’s hand, but she does not intend to give up her important work. People have come to depend on her. Anne Brear doesn’t pull any punches in this story; it is her usual heart tugging, raw at times, fare. A very good read.Kindle price $4.99 at the time of this review. 
Buy for Kindle or paperback from Amazon UK :http://www.amazon.co.uk/Virtue-of-a-Governess-ebook/dp/B00COW2A64/ref=sr_1_2_bnp_1_kin?ie=UTF8&qid=1368645906&sr=8-2&keywords=anne+brearAmazon USAhttp://www.amazon.com/Virtue-of-a-Governess-ebook/dp/B00COW2A64/ref=sr_1_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1368646928&sr=1-3&keywords=Anne+brear Tags: Anne Brear, Virtue of a Governess | Categories: 5 STAR TOP PICK, CLEAN/SWEET/MILD,   VICTORIAN |

Giveaway! Comment on English Historical Authors blog for a copy of THE FOLLY AT FALCONBRIDGE HALL

Vanessa Ashley felt herself qualified for a position as governess, until offered the position at Falconbridge Hall. Left penniless after the deaths of her artist father and suffragette mother, Vanessa Ashley draws on her knowledge of art, politics, and history to gain employment as a governess. She discovers that Julian, Lord Falconbridge, requires a governess for his ten-year-old daughter Blyth at Falconbridge Hall, in the countryside outside London. Lord Falconbridge is a scientist and dedicated lepidopterist who is about to embark on an extended expedition to the Amazon. An enigmatic man, he takes a keen interest in his daughter's education. As she prepares her young charge, Vanessa finds the girl detached and aloof. As Vanessa learns more about Falconbridge Hall, more questions arise. Why doesn't Blythe feel safe in her own home? Why is the death of her mother, once famed society beauty Clara, never spoken of? And why did the former governess leave so suddenly without giving notice?

GIVEAWAY: 

AMAZON

Anne Rice on whether to outline or not.

I like the idea of sitting down wondering where the story will take me.