Bethany Swafford's Blog, page 23

A Dangerous Debut

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A Dangerous Debut

By Wendy May Andrews

Edition: Kindle, 2018

Synopsis: Daisy meets Lord Seaton quite by accident while standing outside a closed employment office. The handsome viscount proposes they might be able to help each other out. He offers to hire her to accompany him to visit his parents while posing as a potential love interest. 

Being a proper lady, if only a “Miss”, Daisy objects to such an inappropriate proposition. Once the viscount is able to convince her that he will observe all proprieties, she reluctantly agrees while secretly looking forward to experiencing the aristocratic life, if even just for a week. 

When a shady character from her past shows up looking for her, Jasper’s protective instincts kick in. But will it interfere with his own reasons for the ruse? Jasper’s feelings for Daisy get even more muddled when she is abducted. 

Their masquerade could lead to true love if her past doesn’t destroy them first. 

In need of a position, Daisy Pembroke allows herself to accept Lord Seaton’s proposal that she pretend to be the woman he is interested in. The more time Jasper, Lord Seaton, spends with the cheerful young lady, the more he looses his heart to her. When shadows threaten them, can these two overcome it and find happiness together?

These two were an absolute delight. Daisy could be relied on to find pleasure and delight in anything that transpired. Jasper’s reasoning to the pretense was logical, and heartbreaking. It was lovely following them as they learn more about each other.

The plot of the story was straightforward and the writing style enjoyable. Daisy’s participation at the climax of the story seemed out of place, but that is a minor complaint. I also would have liked to see her interact with her family, but again there is only so much a single novel can contain.

I would recommend this to fans of the Regency era, who like a dash of mystery and adventure with their romance.

An Author’s Random Musing: Plans for the Year

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Well, it’s a month into the new year. I’ve had time to consider my publishing plans for the year, and hopefully, I can execute said plans.

First of all, I am looking to breath new life into my one self-published book, Emily’s Choice. So, that will mean a thorough editing and a new cover.

Second, I am currently writing a sequel to Emily’s Choice. Something I never expected to do since I always considered the story finished. However, in this sequel, we will be following Rosalind and the early days of her marriage. Don’t worry, I keep it clean as always.

The third is still up in the air. The YA Historical Western manuscript is still up on SwoonReads. If it is not selected for publication, it will return to me around April 1st. At that time, I am unsure whether I want to self-publish this summer or wait until next year.

Decisions, decisions.

I have two WIP at the moment. Rosalind’s Choice (sequel to Emily’s Choice) and also I am finishing up the final book of my trilogy.

Besides my publishing plans, I have the goal of reading 125 books this year. I am looking forward to the stories I shall read over the next 11 months.

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Love, Lies, and Spies

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Love, Lies, and Spies

by Cindy Anstey

Edition: paperback, 2016

Synopsis: Juliana Telford is not your average nineteenth-century young lady. She’s much more interested in researching ladybugs than marriage, fashionable dresses, or dances. So when her father sends her to London for a season, she’s determined not to form any attachments. Instead, she plans to secretly publish their research.

Spencer Northam is not the average young gentleman of leisure he appears. He is actually a spy for the War Office, and is more focused on acing his first mission than meeting eligible ladies. Fortunately, Juliana feels the same, and they agree to pretend to fall for each other. Spencer can finally focus, until he is tasked with observing Juliana’s traveling companions . . . and Juliana herself.

Julianna is determined to find a publisher for the research she and her father have done, and to do this she agrees to endure the tedium of London. Spencer has a job to do: find a traitor. Neither has any interest in love and romance, but their minds are about to be changed.

This is full of witty dialogue and fun characters. Not only are Julianna and Spencer enjoyable, the side characters are as well. Even the villains are colorful enough to be entertaining. The plot is quick moving and there is never a dull moment.

Is this better than Georgette Heyer, as a reviewer brags on the back cover? I wouldn’t go that far, though it is a superb story. To me, it falls into a different, little-explored aspect of the Regency genre: YA. I can only think of a few that have done it well.

For readers who enjoy Historical romance with a dash of adventure and mystery, you won’t go wrong with this one.

Swept Off My Feet

My review for this week is coming a day early!

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Swept Off My Feet

by Ines Bautista-Yao

Edition: ebook, 2017

Synopsis: Why my life sucks 

by Geri Lazaro 

1. My dad left when I was a kid. 

2. My mom is in love (insert eye roll). 

3. With a guy who is like 10 years younger than her! 

4. My friends think he’s hot. (Gross) 

5. I love ballet but our dance studio has a leak and we have to dance in this smelly studio that doubles as an aikido dojo. 

6. There’s this Dojo guy who thinks the studio belongs to him. 

7. Friends think Dojo guy is cute. (Ew.) (Okay, objectively maybe but still, ew.) 

8. I’m failing algebra. 

9. Need to quit either basketball or ballet. Or both. 

10. Dojo guy keeps showing up! (Fine, he does aikido in the same building but whatever.) 

11. Dojo guy is asking me to dance with him. And maybe he is as cute as my friends say. 

12. I don’t know what to do anymore! 

Geri feels torn between her two loves: basketball and ballet. Her grades are suffering, and a choice has to be made. “Dojo guy” offers his help but can Geri bring herself to trust when her life has been shattered by men before?

This is a very sweet YA story. It is a quick read, so at times it is hard to really feel any depth to Geri. She’s an angry teenager, though there are moments when she is able to shake it off to be more than that. Her passion for two extracurricular activities that do not mix, ballet and basketball, was fascinating, and her struggle to keep them both in her life was interesting.

“Dojo guy” (his name is Bas, by the way) would have annoyed me as much as he annoyed Geri, so I found her change of heart towards him hard to believe. The combination of ballet and aikido was a fascinating part I wish we had seen more of.

Overall, this is an enjoyable read for an afternoon and I would recommend it to any reader who enjoys the young adult genre.

For Crown and Country

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For Crown and Country

by Sian Ann Bessey

Edition: ARC, 2017

Synopsis: After years spent fighting alongside King Richard in the crusades, Lord Edmund of Hawksford is finally returning to his ancestral home. But far from a joyful reunion, what awaits him is devastation. His elder brother is dead, killed in a tragic fire at Hawksford Castle—and the title of duke now falls to Edmund.

When he strives to rebuild the fire-scarred castle, Edmund learns that his was not the only life the fire shattered: his childhood friend Lady Phillipa survived the flames that took Edmund’s brother, but badly burned, she has hidden herself away from those she loves. Yet as the pair renews their acquaintance, they find that their affection runs deep—perhaps even deeper than they’d ever realized.

As Edmund and Pippa begin to question whether the fire was truly an accident, they must discover the truth of the past before they can plan for their future. While coming perilously close to the answers they seek, Edmund and Pippa find themselves at the mercy of a dangerous foe who will stop at nothing to lay claim on Hawksford—and he will destroy any who stand in his way.

 

Lord Edmund returns from several long, hard years fighting with and for King Richard to find his home a shadow of what it had once been. Lady Philippa, scarred from a tragedy, helps the new Duke find the truth.

These two characters lept from the page for me. Edmund was an honorable hero and it wasn’t hard to be on his side right from the start. Philippa was the same. She was kind and gentle and had an independent spirit appropriate for the time period.

The mystery did keep me guessing right up until the villain was revealed. The plot moved at a steady pace and was not hard to follow. It put me in mind of Robin Hood, without the outlaw part, if that makes any sense.

This is a medieval romance I would recommend to any fans of the era.

The Taster

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The Taster

by V.S. Alexander

Edition: ARC, 2018

Synopsis: Amid the turbulence of World War II, a young German woman finds a precarious haven closer to the source of danger than she ever imagined–one that will propel her through the extremes of privilege and terror under Hitler’s dictatorship . . . 

In early 1943, Magda Ritter’s parents send her to relatives in Bavaria, hoping to keep her safe from the Allied bombs strafing Berlin. Young German women are expected to do their duty–working for the Reich or marrying to produce strong, healthy children. After an interview with the civil service, Magda is assigned to the Berghof, Hitler’s mountain retreat. Only after weeks of training does she learn her assignment: she will be one of several young women tasting the Fuhrer’s food, offering herself in sacrifice to keep him from being poisoned.

Perched high in the Bavarian Alps, the Berghof seems worlds away from the realities of battle. Though terrified at first, Magda gradually becomes used to her dangerous occupation–though she knows better than to voice her misgivings about the war. But her love for a conspirator within the SS, and her growing awareness of the Reich’s atrocities, draw Magda into a plot that will test her wits and loyalty in a quest for safety, freedom, and ultimately, vengeance.

Vividly written and ambitious in scope, The Taster examines the harrowing moral dilemmas of war in an emotional story filled with acts of extraordinary courage.

When she goes in search of a job, Magda finds herself assigned to be a taster for Adolf Hitler. Though she had little political inclination herself, she slowly comes to see just how inhumane the war is. Somehow, she must keep her true opinions to herself as she lives in the heart of the Reich.

To be honest, this left me with mixed feelings. The story is well researched and, for the most part, well written. Magda starting off with no real opinion about the war was a brilliant move, as it makes it easier to follow her journey. She did change her mind very quick merely because the man she was attracted to showed her pictures, but they were graphic images.

I especially liked the approach of “what-if” that the author used to tell this story. The telling of the story, how it ends, made it seem likely it could have happened in a similar manner.

There is a sex scene, though thankfully it is not detailed. There is also a rape scene which was in more detail. Towards the end, Magda’s journey did seem a little far-fetched, and the end was even more unbelievable.

Overall, I found it interesting if not exactly an instant favorite.

The Vital Principles (Second Sons #1)

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The Vital Principles (Second Sons #1)

by Amy Corwin

Edition: ebook, 2011

Synopsis: When Lord Crowley sends for him, cynical inquiry agent Knighton Gaunt is more than happy to accept the simple assignment. All he must do is attend a séance and expose the spiritualist, Prudence Barnard, as a charlatan taking advantage of Crowley’s mother.

Unfortunately, instead of proving Miss Barnard is a fraud, Gaunt is made to look like a fool when Crowley is murdered after the séance. Apparently, the attractive spiritualist is not the only guest who has mastered the art of sleight-of-hand. Whoever killed Crowley managed to poison his brandy without anyone noticing and to act with appropriate concern afterwards.

The terrified guests immediately close ranks against Miss Barnard and accuse her of the murder. She is the only stranger in the house, except for Gaunt, and she’d argued with Crowley the previous day. It sounds reasonable to everyone except Miss Barnard. And Gaunt.

Then the murderer strikes again, and Gaunt must use all of his skill to expose the truth before another member of their house party dies.

Hired to prove Miss Barnard as a fraud, Knighton Gaunt instead finds himself investigating the murder of the man who had hired him. Prudence fights to prove her innocence as tension grows in the house.

I’ve read several books by Amy Corwin before this one, and I am never disappointed. Her writing style is highly enjoyable, and her characters always jump out of the page. Knighton and Pru were no exception to this. I didn’t want to put the book down until I knew how their story would unfold. I especially like that their relationship is given time to develop, and though I was a little disappointed by the ending, it made sense.

This is a must read for any fans of the Regency period and mystery.

A Wife For Humphrey

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A Wife For Humphrey

by Christina Lorenzen

Edition: ebook, 2016

Synopsis: Runaway bride Danna and her handsome new husband are happily setting up a new home and business in the small town of Harmony, where only months before they’d been stranded strangers together. While unpacking boxes Danna finds the gift from Minnie she’d never remembered to open. After finding the delicate silver locket with a young soldier’s picture in it, hopeless romantic Danna has to find out who he is. Once she finds out that the soldier was the only man Minnie had ever loved and lost, she’s determined to find out if Humphrey Lewis still loves Minnie. Is there a chance for Minnie to have her happily ever after? It couldn’t hurt to check, could it? Though she should be working side by side with her sweet new husband in their soon to be opening antique shop, Danna becomes more and more invested in this decades old love story. And when she finally tracks down Humphrey, nothing, not even his disapproving grandson or a minor fall, will stop her from reuniting these two sweet people who never stopped loving one another.

Happily married, Danna is settling into her new home. When she discovers a locket, gifted to her by her friend Minnie, and the picture of the soldier her friend had loved, she sets out to reunite old lovers, all while helping her new husband with their store and dealing with her mother-in-law.

I didn’t realize this was a sequel when I first picked it up. Happily, it doesn’t leave a new reader confused about what happened in the first book but also doesn’t have too much repetition that would bore someone who has read the first book. The characters themselves were highly enjoyable and the writing excellent.

This is a definite read for anyone who loves a contemporary, light-hearted read.

Healing Hearts (Roselund Heights #1)

 

[image error]Healing Hearts (Roselund Heights #1)

by Miranda D. Nelson

Edition: ebook, 2016

Synopsis: Joanna Leighton has never desired a husband. She’s seen what love can do to a person and she refuses to subject herself to that pain. She’s satisfied to help her uncle, the physician of Roselund Heights, tend to his patients. When the quiet and secretive artist Colin Aldridge moves to town her resolve softens, and she begins to wonder if love is perhaps worth the pain it inevitably brings. Joanna’s wounds run deep and when secrets and sorrows arise, she’s tempted to close off her heart forever. Can she trust Mr. Aldridge enough to risk the pain and give him her heart? Or will she decide she’s better off spending her life alone?

Since her mother’s death, Joanna has fought to control everything around her, alienating herself from her sister. When a stranger arrives in Roselund Heights, Joanna must learn that not everything can be controlled and love is not something she should run from.

What I did like about this book was that it expressed how differently everyone grieves the loss of a loved one. Joanna bottled her emotions up and didn’t start to grieve until several years after her mother’s death. The interaction with her younger sister also seemed true to life, with her sister anxious for more independence and Joanna unwilling to allow it.

There were some details I found hard to accept. Primarily, it was the lack of a chaperone staying with Joanna and her sister when their father was away. Neither of them was of an age where such would have been acceptable. Also, the author leaned heavily on the use of the word ‘very’ when more descriptive words could have been used.

I would recommend this to anyone who has dealt with the grieving process and enjoys a clean, Regency read.

Havencross

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Havencross

by Juliet Daines

Edition: ARC, 2017

Synopsis: When a shocking scandal involving her father spreads through London society, Elaine Cardinham and her parents are forced to retreat to their country home in Cornwall for refuge. But Havencross is no sanctuary for Elaine. She is haunted by the mysterious disappearance of her brother—and the heartbreak she left in her wake all those years ago. It has been five long years since Gareth Kemp last saw Elaine—when she rejected his marriage proposal. Her reappearance convinces him of one thing: he has never stopped loving her. To put his feelings for her aside, he focuses his attention on the dangerous smuggling plaguing the Cornish coast. As Elaine attempts to run from her past, she ventures ever closer to a dangerous truth—and Gareth may be the only one who can save her from a deadly finish.

Elaine has been carrying the weight of her brother’s disappearance for years and she hopes the recent disgrace of her father will not ruin her chances of a secure future. Quickly she learns that the past can threaten the present.

This is set at a time when every level of society had ties to smuggling and keeping that work secret meant anything could happen. Elaine’s entry into this environment as someone who didn’t have a part to this business was believable. She was a rather difficult character to like at first, but she does progress through the story.

Gareth was even harder to enjoy, so the romance aspect of the story suffers. The mystery was rather predictable, making the suspense what I took from the story.

There was also hints of supernatural with the hinted appearance of a ghost to lead Elaine to what she needs to find.

Overall, it is an interesting novel and one I would recommend to readers who like suspense in their historical fiction.