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The English Lily
Lady Kendra Frazier is devastated. The love of her life just married another, and now all she desires is to be as far away as possible.
Viscount Lawrie, Joseph Pinetti Gray, is facing financial ruin and needs a wealthy heiress. In a stroke of luck, Kendra’s impetuous nature hands him the fortuity required to save his family’s downfall. But Joseph’s carefully cultivated plans come to a grinding halt when he finds himself falling in love for what should have only been a marriage of convenience.
And does the curse of an ancient doll hinder of help his efforts?
Viscount Lawrie, Joseph Pinetti Gray, is facing financial ruin and needs a wealthy heiress. In a stroke of luck, Kendra’s impetuous nature hands him the fortuity required to save his family’s downfall. But Joseph’s carefully cultivated plans come to a grinding halt when he finds himself falling in love for what should have only been a marriage of convenience.
And does the curse of an ancient doll hinder of help his efforts?
- GenresHistorical Romance
170 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 24, 2013
5 people are currently reading
47 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
July 4, 2016
Reviewed by Julie
Book provided by the publisher
Originally posted at Romancing the Book
This short story/ novella starts out like many other historical romances. A young girl is heart broken, does something a little rash, then finds herself in peril. But, this book as little more than first meets the eye.
Kendra is headed toward America thinking her life is over when the man she loved married another woman. But, her broken heart will be the least of her worries when she discovers she is on board a ship carrying the infamous Viscount Lawrie, Joseph Pinetti Gray, an illusionist. Joseph as been commissioned to bring the lady back to England safe and sound… and married. So, Joseph plans to do just that, by wedding her himself. He needs the money this young, dim witted chit has and is prepared to do what he has to get his hands on her fortune. What he doesn’t count on is Kendra’s spirit and verve. She is no push over and is much smarter than he first thought. When a series of strange things happen, a doll Kendra was given seems to have an ability to work a little magic. But, it would appear that neither a magical doll nor Joseph’s skill as a magician will be able to provide Kendra with the one thing she desires most in the world… true love.
This short book has a lot of potential for real depth with threads involving Kendra’s childhood abuse at the hand of governess, her reading disorder, and a paranormal element, which added mystery and bit of humor at times. However, the one main thread which involved the reading disability did not have the satisfying conclusion I had hoped for. I wish Joseph would have offered to get her more tutors or specialized teachers instead of the solution he offered, which was better than nothing, and he did make an excellent point. We need to focus on what talents we do have instead of putting ourselves down about the things we are not so gifted at. There were a few other things about the story which were left unresolved or just kind of forgotten about. I had some questions about the doll, for example and few other things, like what happened to some of the characters we met on the ship. Sometimes in a story this short things don’t get firmed up like they should, so I do wish some areas had been fleshed out more. However, a little magic does creep into Kendra’s life despite Joseph’s initial reasons for wanting to marry her and all the other problems this poor girl faced in a time when learning disabilities were not treated or even addressed, and were often chalked up to inattentiveness or lack of application on the part of the student, which couldn’t be further from the truth. I do hope Kendra will not give up on her quest to learn to read. Thankfully, Kendra and Joseph will have a life together based on love and not convenience.
Book provided by the publisher
Originally posted at Romancing the Book
This short story/ novella starts out like many other historical romances. A young girl is heart broken, does something a little rash, then finds herself in peril. But, this book as little more than first meets the eye.
Kendra is headed toward America thinking her life is over when the man she loved married another woman. But, her broken heart will be the least of her worries when she discovers she is on board a ship carrying the infamous Viscount Lawrie, Joseph Pinetti Gray, an illusionist. Joseph as been commissioned to bring the lady back to England safe and sound… and married. So, Joseph plans to do just that, by wedding her himself. He needs the money this young, dim witted chit has and is prepared to do what he has to get his hands on her fortune. What he doesn’t count on is Kendra’s spirit and verve. She is no push over and is much smarter than he first thought. When a series of strange things happen, a doll Kendra was given seems to have an ability to work a little magic. But, it would appear that neither a magical doll nor Joseph’s skill as a magician will be able to provide Kendra with the one thing she desires most in the world… true love.
This short book has a lot of potential for real depth with threads involving Kendra’s childhood abuse at the hand of governess, her reading disorder, and a paranormal element, which added mystery and bit of humor at times. However, the one main thread which involved the reading disability did not have the satisfying conclusion I had hoped for. I wish Joseph would have offered to get her more tutors or specialized teachers instead of the solution he offered, which was better than nothing, and he did make an excellent point. We need to focus on what talents we do have instead of putting ourselves down about the things we are not so gifted at. There were a few other things about the story which were left unresolved or just kind of forgotten about. I had some questions about the doll, for example and few other things, like what happened to some of the characters we met on the ship. Sometimes in a story this short things don’t get firmed up like they should, so I do wish some areas had been fleshed out more. However, a little magic does creep into Kendra’s life despite Joseph’s initial reasons for wanting to marry her and all the other problems this poor girl faced in a time when learning disabilities were not treated or even addressed, and were often chalked up to inattentiveness or lack of application on the part of the student, which couldn’t be further from the truth. I do hope Kendra will not give up on her quest to learn to read. Thankfully, Kendra and Joseph will have a life together based on love and not convenience.
June 19, 2013
Lady Kendra can’t believe that the one man she’d ever loved had just married another lady. Distraught over the loss, she buys her way onto a boat, using a fake name, and sets sail for America. Once aboard the ship, none other than Joseph, Viscount Lawrie, a known illusionist, appears and announces that Kendra’s father has sent him to see her safely returned to English soil. What Kendra doesn’t know is that Joseph plans to bring her back to England as his wife. Finding that Kendra isn’t as simple minded and impulsive as he believed, Joseph discovers that convincing Kendra to marry him won’t be as easy as he thought. When mysterious and unexplained things start to occur Kendra and Joseph find themselves thrown together in a marriage of convenience, but what Kendra really wants is love. How can a doll help Kendra get all she truly desires?
While this is a very short, quick read, it still manages to have well developed characters and a plot that keeps you interested. This is an easy story to read and can be read in an afternoon. I loved having a main character that had a disability. All too often the main characters seem almost too perfect, but in the case of Lady Kendra, her disability is referred to often and shows how debilitating and frightening it can be for someone who suffers from a reading disorder. I loved how Joseph didn’t balk at the idea of having a wife who struggled with reading, but instead accepted her uniqueness and focused on her strengths. The Scrimshaw Doll adds a humorous, yet mysterious air to the story. This is my first novel in the Scrimshaw Doll series and I look forward to reading the others.
There were a few events in the book that I wish would have been tied up a little better than they were. At one point in the story, the ship Joseph and Kendra were aboard was seized by pirates. Just as the pirates were coming into Kendra’s room, they wake up to find themselves in Gretna Green, a destination point for those who wished to be married quickly. It is eluded to that the doll is responsible for this magical journey but it never states the fate of the others who were aboard the ship, such as Kenra’s faithful maid, and the brother to Kendra’s previous love interest. I would have liked the story to have had some type of closure to this event, however, maybe another book in the series will provide this detail. Overall, I enjoyed reading this book and feel that it is a book worth reading and can certainly be read as a stand-alone. This book was received from the publisher for the purpose of an honest review.
Rating: 4
Heat Rating: Sweet
Reviewed by: AprilP
Review Courtesy of My Book Addiction and More
While this is a very short, quick read, it still manages to have well developed characters and a plot that keeps you interested. This is an easy story to read and can be read in an afternoon. I loved having a main character that had a disability. All too often the main characters seem almost too perfect, but in the case of Lady Kendra, her disability is referred to often and shows how debilitating and frightening it can be for someone who suffers from a reading disorder. I loved how Joseph didn’t balk at the idea of having a wife who struggled with reading, but instead accepted her uniqueness and focused on her strengths. The Scrimshaw Doll adds a humorous, yet mysterious air to the story. This is my first novel in the Scrimshaw Doll series and I look forward to reading the others.
There were a few events in the book that I wish would have been tied up a little better than they were. At one point in the story, the ship Joseph and Kendra were aboard was seized by pirates. Just as the pirates were coming into Kendra’s room, they wake up to find themselves in Gretna Green, a destination point for those who wished to be married quickly. It is eluded to that the doll is responsible for this magical journey but it never states the fate of the others who were aboard the ship, such as Kenra’s faithful maid, and the brother to Kendra’s previous love interest. I would have liked the story to have had some type of closure to this event, however, maybe another book in the series will provide this detail. Overall, I enjoyed reading this book and feel that it is a book worth reading and can certainly be read as a stand-alone. This book was received from the publisher for the purpose of an honest review.
Rating: 4
Heat Rating: Sweet
Reviewed by: AprilP
Review Courtesy of My Book Addiction and More
August 7, 2017
It is a great book to read
November 23, 2014
Look for my review of this book on Romancing the Book Blog sometime in the near future!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews