Color of Danger

The Sullyard Sisters #3

by Ruth J. Hartman

When Patience Sullyard finds a mysterious note tied to a pigeon’s leg, her commissioned panorama at a falconry flies the coop. Instead of painting in hues of brown and beige, her focus shifts to saving a troubled stranger.

Walter Bexley craves adventure from his boring life. Insinuating himself into Patience’s problem by accompanying her to the falconry might be just the answer.

Will the risk they take be worth the exhilaration, or will Patience and Walter discover the threat is too dangerous?

Kindle Edition

Published March 1, 2016

About the author

Ruth J. Hartman spends her days herding cats, and her nights spinning mysterious tales that make you smile. She, her husband, and their cats love to spend time curled up in their recliners watching old Cary Grant movies. Well, the cats sit in the people's recliners. Not that the cats couldn't get their own furniture. They just choose to shed on someone else's.

Ruth, a left-handed, cat-herding, farmhouse-dwelling mystery writer uses her goofy sense of humor as she writes tales of klutzy women who find trouble without even trying. Ruth's husband and best friend, Garry, reads her manuscripts, rolls his eyes at her weird story ideas, and loves her in spite of her insistence that all of her books have at least one cat in them.

Reviews

[Toni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Patience Sullyard is the youngest of the panorama-creating Sullyard sisters, chafing under the burden of being considered the “baby” in the family…too young to be let in on adult talk or to go anywhere alone. When she’s commissioned to paint a panorama of Mr. Wycliff’s falconry, she learns there’s an abandoned house on the estate and it may be haunted. Thinking it would be a great adventure to explore the house, Patience is chagrinned to learn that Walter, her brother-in-law Stratford’s younger brother, has been told to accompany her as her chaperone.

Walter Bexley feels much the same as Patience about his older siblings. Though he’s now graduated from university, he’s still treated as if he’s in knee britches and it galls. He covers his animosity with teasing and smart talk, when what he really wants to do is give each one a smart rap in the face. His one balm in life is accompanying Patience to her commission because young Mr. Bexley is smitten with Patience. The problem is, he’s so accustomed to teasing and flirting with her, she can’t see him for the person he really is…someone who truly cares for her.

When the two discover a pigeon among the falcons and a note tied to its leg, then learn it flies to an open window in the deserted house, they decide to discover for themselves who or what’s hiding inside. A midnight excursion, a dramatic encounter, and an amorous episode in the butler’s pantry ends with two young people discovering quite a few things, about the abandoned house, and each other…

This is the third in the series about the Sullyard sisters, Kitty and Lydia already having had their moment. Now it’s baby sister’s turn, and while Patience frets under her older sisters’ scrutiny, author Hartman weaves a truly amusing little romance in which a pigeon named Hervey plays a most important part. Patience and Walter both are victims of their elder siblings’ good intentions and their inner thoughts finally mesh after the encounter in the old house.

The story’s well-written in Ms. Hartman’s usual entertaining style with plenty of mental turmoil and outward excitement. My only complaint is: Whatever happened to poor Mr. Smythe?

Readers of this series will enjoy Patience and Walter’s adventures in this third entry in the series.


This novel was supplied by the author and no remuneration was involved in the writing of this review.

[Krys · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the things that I love about all of Ms.Hartman's on-going stories is the fact that she can bring in the same characters again and again, focusing on a different "hero and heroine" each time, and still manage to make each story a unique experience. She has a truly remarkable way of continuing a story over several intertwining books while still making each book a stand-alone (in the sense that they do not have to be read in succession in order for them to make sense - however I would highly recommend you start from the beginning). I love being able to catch up with old favorites and seeing how their lives have progressed since the last story, while all the while being completely immersed with the main characters of the current story.

Another thing I thoroughly enjoy about her novels is the way that even characters that are related to each other can be so completely different. You can tell that she spent a lot of time prior to writing getting to know these characters and what makes them tick. They all do share one common thing however - their witty dialogues!!

As for this story itself? I felt that this was a wonderful conclusion to the Sullyard Sisters trilogy! I loved watching the romance between Patience and Walter grow from mild annoyance to attraction - and the mysterious note sender only added to my enjoyment of this story (although not in the way I had originally imagined). That is another thing that I love about her work - you never know when you pick up one of her stories just how it is going to turn out. I was expecting a totally different outcome than the one that I got - and that made the story even more enjoyable for me.

My only complaint is that there was no epilogue! I would have loved to see a glimpse into their future together - did they finally bring a daughter into the ever growing household of boy babies? Were they able to help a certain "old friend" beyond providing him with their company? Those are the two things I would have liked to learn more about.

I would highly recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys a well-written and sweet story with a dash of mystery thrown in.

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

Color of Danger by Ruth Hartman is #3 in her exciting "Sullyard Sisters", but can be read as a stand alone. Each book brings all three sisters together weaved into the story. This is the youngest Sullyard sister, Patience and Walter Bexley, a family friend who craves adventure, and he enjoys Patience company.
Patience, is a self -absorbed young lady. being in the Sullyard family, she has been cuddled and sheltered her entire life. Well, she is tired of her family's interference, so agrees to accepts a commission to do a panorama at a falconry. If course, Walter, companies her as a chaperone, then the fun begins...
Patience finds a note tied to a bird's leg, of course, she can't miss investigating who sent the note and why. So off she goes, with Walter. What they find could be more dangerous than just danger, can they find their HEA?
While, a bit slow in the beginning, it picks up nicely and I found it was well worth the time to read.
Filled with laugh-at-loud moments, a bit of danger, some mystery, a bit if suspense and the dialog between Patience and Walter, is priceless.
Ms. Hartman is an amazing author and storyteller, who brings her characters to life on the pages of her stories. I loved how she brings the panoramas to life for the reader, and enjoy how she brings the main characters to life for the reader.
An enjoyable and satisfying read! A heat read for fans of Clean Historical Romance, and unique but fantastic reads. Masterfully written. A great read!


*Received for an honest review from the author*


Rating: 4
Heat rating: Sweet
Reviewed by: AprilR

[Vicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Sullyard Sisters series was awesome! I loved each book in this series and felt that Ruth J Hartman did an amazing job with each book. The last book, Color of Danger was my favourite! I loved Patience Sullyard- her attitude, love of life and need for some adventure. Walter Bexley is a young man who has just come home from being away at school and has is eye on a certain young lady. He has fallen for her but is having a hard time giving up his rakish ways. These two are so much fun! They're ease to have fun, joke around and banter is so much fun to read. I was laughing out loud, along with these two. Both have a need for an adventure that they can help the other with.
If you love a sweet read, with humor and a few twists added in, this book is for you! Thank Ms Hartman for another wonderful romance.

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet romance

There is an apparent mystery, and an overriding malevolent person, but mostly, this is the story of two young people with strong feelings. Due to their places in their respective families, their behavior has been more than guided by others, but as they mature, they also rebel. Luckily, this author handles them gently, allowing them to develop to their full potential, yet realizing, if they were faced with real malevolence, they don't (yet) have the ability to handle it.
The story is a lovely conclusion to the Sullyard sister saga, and ends with a strong reiteration of happily ever after for all, evil men get their just desserts, and good triumphs over bad.

[Patricia Kiyono · Rating 5 out of 5]

The third book in the Sullyard Sisters trilogy features the youngest of the artistic siblings. Patience, at 17 years of age, is tired of being treated as a child. When she is sent to paint a panorama at a nearby falconry, she is annoyed when Walter, a member of her brother-in-law's family, is sent with her. But her annoyance fades when she realizes her feelings for him have changed. Add a bit of mystery and a bit of danger, and you have a pleasant few hours of reading entertainment!

[Ricki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Color of Danger had some of the makings of a good gothic, but the story arc stayed just a little too flat. As expected from Hartman, Patience and Walter were great characters, but the story could have benefited from a little more mystery and suspense. Overall, this was a fitting conclusion to The Sullyard Sisters trilogy which will delight fans of Ruth J. Hartman’s brand of regency romance.

[Teresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very sweet historical. A little mystery, a little boy/girl crush...And I learned a little about birds and painting.