Sprig of Thyme

by Jenna Dawlish

England, 1853. Jilted five years ago by a man masquerading as a tutor, Adella believes she has come to terms with her loss. She has moved on with her life, no longer a governess, she is happy in Bath helping her brother, a doctor.
That same man moves to Bath under his true identity; a rich landowner. Fate throws them together and she discovers the secret behind his betrayal. Can she live with the consequences it holds for both of them? Can she learn to forgive him?

Genres: Historical Romance, Historical Fiction, Romance, Historical, British Literature, Regency, Ebooks

248 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 22, 2011

About the author

I began writing at the tender age of thirty years old whilst commuting into London. I started with a Harry Potter fan fiction as I eagerly awaited the release of the next Potter book. Eventually, I decided to take the next step and create my own stories and characters. The result was my first novel - Love Engineered.

I love writing and researching into the Victorian Era, adding to my huge pile of books regularly.

I now live in Devon with my family in a quaint (and sometimes drafty) english cottage.

Reviews

[Ruth · Rating 1 out of 5]

I need to resist the urge to download books just because they are free for Kindle. Although this has worked out fairly well more often than I would have expected, Jenna Dawlish's Sprig of Thyme is decidedly not one of those success stories.

Dear Ms. Dawlish,

Bless your heart. Take some friendly, well-meaning advice. First, learn what an apostrophe is and how it is used. Second, do a bit more research than merely reading other Regency novels. Third, hire a proofreader.

Then try again.

[Jody · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was either not edited or very poorly edited for grammatical and spelling errors. I could not get beyond the first 2 chapters because each glaring error stopped me cold. Note to author: Make sure your book is ready before you publish it!

[Katherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good romance book that reminds me of a Jane Austen (that verges into Charlotte Bronte) novel, rather than the Harlequin historical romances of today. Although the book had several grammatical errors, for the most part, author Jenna Dawlish propels readers with a plot rife with mystery, intrigue and misunderstandings of the heart. Readers who have even the slightest bit of perception will know how this love story will end. Despite that knowledge, however, one can't help but turn each page to find out how the two lovers will meet their destiny.

One of the hugest criticisms I have of the book, though, is that Dawlish rushed to end the book, or a sense that she did not know how to end it gracefully. I almost gave it 2 stars because of it. Quite unfortunate, because this is the last impression that the reader will take at the end of the book. I decided to give it three stars, though, because overall, this book is a good attempt at writing historical romance akin to Austen or Bronte (though not quite so well-written as theirs).

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sprig of Thyme by Jenna Dawlish has introduced me to a writer that I had never heard of before. I am so glad that I found her, as her book was awesome!!
Adella and Joseph/Joel are such interesting characters. They meet when they are governess and tutor to two children. Adella is someone that you want to be there for, help her out. Joseph/Joel was someone that you wanted to find out more about. He seems to be mysterious, leaving the reader to try to figure him out. Both are great characters, supported by Adella's brother Dr. Preston, Joel's friend Frederick, Joel's wife. Each page brings you closer to finding out what will happen to Adella and Joel with lots of twists and turns along the way.

I loved the writing..I could picture myself where Adella nd Joel were.

Great book Jenna.....I look forward to reading another book you have written.

5 STARS!!

[JustSomeGal · Rating 5 out of 5]

I downloaded this book from amazon needing something to read. I was shocked at how good the book was. I had previously finished a book by Jude Morgan that was very slow in moving the plot. Not so with this gem. It jumps right in and you are hooked after the first few pages. I Loved the main characters in this book. The heroine made the book for me as she was neither too whiny or too stoic. The plot is not your normal run of the mill which I liked as well. This is a clean book with wonderful characters. It is hard for me to find books that I love, but this one I did. Hope the author comes out with more.

[Trudy Nye · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dawlish spins an interesting tale with strong characters...it dragged a bit in spots, but it commanded my attention to the end. The Kindle version needs a good edit, though. It had quite a few grammatical and punctuation errors, wrong word usage (e.g, wondered for wandered), and places where words had clearly been inadvertently omitted. It was a free Amazon download, though, so I can't complain too much.

[Mirah W · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Historical fiction is probably my favorite genre and this one was a pleasant surprise. I got it as a freebie for my kindle but I was really pulled into the story. Adella was a sympathetic character and her story was the center of the novel. There were some twists and turns in the plot that kept me interested and I wanted to keep reading to see how things would turn out. Overall, a really good read.

[Joyce · Rating 2 out of 5]

I generally don't read Victorian novels and in reading this remembered why. They tend to be long drawn out and tedious reading with plots that lack humor of any kind. This fit the genre perfectly. The heroine is a spinster (aren't they all?) and is one because of a broken engagement five years earlier. The hero is the former fiance. Naturally there were 'good' reasons for the broken engagement and for them to redevelop their stilted relationship with each other. The ending is as expected.

[Beth · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was boring. I can tell why it was a free book on Kindle. That's about as much of a review as I can bring myself to write about this book because it really wasn't that great. The plot line was thin, the characters, while discussed in depth, lacked "likeable" qualities. The word I would use to describe this book is mediocre.

[Melissa’s Bookshelf · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked this story and thought that the characters were engaging. My only criticism is that the kindle version of this really needs a lot of editing. It was difficult to read in some places because words were missing or clearly misplaced. It would be a much better read if not for the typos, mistaken words, etc.

[Sheila · Rating 2 out of 5]

I should be more careful about downloading the free Kindle books, because my track record with them is poor.

This book doesn't help matters. While I wanted to like the main character (and do, in some ways), it was so hard to get past the typos, grammatical errors, and historical inaccuracies.

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

The fact that Joel\Joseph is married and in love with Adella, who is not his wife would usally steer me away. But, it was free on Kindle, so I gave it a shot. It was wonderful. The characters were strong and well developed. There was a second love story included in the book, which is always good. Sprig of Thyme had a Jane Austen feel, which I do like. The writing and flow were wonderful!

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This regency era romance has a great premise--a governess falls in love with a tutor, who, of course, is found to be the heir of some big estate, and jilts her. The "tutor" and his ailing wife, move to Bath where the governess has turned into a nurse/assistant for her physician brother. A mystery and romance or two occur.

[Desiree · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a free Kindle download, so I wasn't expecting much. A few chapters in, the story finally took hold and I was motivated to continue reading. In the end, I was completely hooked on the story line and invested in the characters and the plot. It became a "meh" book to one that I wanted to keep reading. I stayed up until 1AM to finish the darn thing.

[Misfit · Rating 2 out of 5]

A reasonably good start, but about 1/3 of the way through things went a bit sideways, sidetracked and overly melodramatic - and too much telling instead of showing. A promising start for a new writer, but we're not quite there yet.

[Robyn Echols · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun read for anyone who likes tasteful historical romances with an emotional impact. Good characterization for the most part, not your cookie-cutter cast of characters. No smut--always a plus for me.

[Alison]

kindle 248 victorian romance

[Lady Wesley · Rating 2 out of 5]

So-so Kindle freebie.

[Stacy Dempsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute, fast read. A little lacking in back story and the main reasoning for the original betrayal seemed to me a bit far fetched and unconvincing, but a good fast read that was enjoyable.

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall a good book. I did lose interest in a couple of parts but managed to finish it.

[Jenny Hardesty · Rating 1 out of 5]

The best part of this book was the title.

[Tanya · Rating 1 out of 5]

Glad it was a free Kindle read. Boring, slow ... didn't finish it :(