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The Rumor #3
Siempre un caballero (HQN nº 127)
Lady Imogene Norwood vivía una vida tranquila y respetable… hasta que debutó en su primera Temporada. Entre la elite londinense conoció al indómito y torturado lord Atwood. Y la muy tímida rosa inglesa descubrió que un pequeño desorden podía ser justamente lo que deseaba su corazón.
Lord Nathaniel James Atwood no creía en la existencia del verdadero amor. Desde que el escándalo lo apartó de su familia a una tierna edad, se había pasado la vida peleando por lo que quería. Aquella actitud lo había convertido en una prometedora estrella del boxeo y años después lo llevaría de vuelta a Londres para reclamar la vida que le había sido robada. Pero cuando conoció a la inocente Imogene, sus convicciones quedaron aplastadas… y la salvaguarda de su corazón frente a ella pasó a convertirse en la gran lucha de su vida.
354 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 18, 2012
29 people are currently reading
609 people want to read
About the author
Delilah Marvelle
38 books524 followersI spent my youth studying various languages, reading voraciously, and playing the pianoforte. I confess that here ends the extent of my gentle breeding. I was a naughty child who was forever torturing her parents with countless adventures that they did not deem respectable. Confined to my room on many occasions due to these misadventures, I soon discovered the quill and its amazing power. I scribed endless stories that almost invariably surrounded the topic of love, for I felt an inane need to be rescued from a family that did not understand my lust for life. In my mind, King Arthur became my true love and I waited for the day when he would come riding upon his steed and invite me to sit at his round table, not as his queen, but as his knight. To my distress, King Arthur was never to be found anywhere except for in the tip of my quill. And so I led an imaginary life for many, many years. When I finally came of age, my family was further horrified to discover that I had fallen in love with an American. An American King Arthur who became my knight, my husband, my all. I have been blessed beyond reason and am grateful for each day I have with him. What is equally amazing is that I now have the opportunity to share my passion for stories with the public. The reason why I write romance is because it allows me to touch upon the subject of love on a much deeper, more intimate level. Many of the stories I write, many of the stories I will continue to write, will always evolve around love. And yes, gentle readers, it will also evolve around sex as I have no intention of becoming my parents and restraining my characters from what it is they truly desire to do. I challenge you, my readers, to let loose of those corsets that have been strung too tightly due to convention and enjoy 1830 to its fullest."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 88 reviews
January 24, 2013
Review posted at Demon Lover's Books & More
One day on twitter I saw a book trailer that rocked my socks. I don’t say this lightly because most book trailers, even those of KMM and Sherrilyn Kenyon, are crap. There are very few that (to me) do the job. This one got the job done.
That day I posted the link here and saw that it was on netgalley.com.
Trailer
http://youtu.be/iNY1Yb9JwbQ
My first thought? “Oh it’s on!”
And after finishing and losing a lot of sleep to read? I regret nothing!
This book starts out with a heartbreaking prologue and an unusual beginning, so of course, I was hooked.
At age 10, Lord Nathaniel James Atwood learns something damning about his father and in his young mind, he knows how to fix it. He threatens the man blackmailing his father, but. . .his gun misfires. The young man abducts Nathaniel, thinking to ransom him back. However, the price is too steep. His father doesn’t save him. The young man keeps Nathaniel, befriends him, and one day many years later, lets him go. What is Nathaniel to do?
Fast forward to chapter one and we see a man readying for a round of boxing. He’s nothing like the aristocratic young lord who tried to defend his father’s honor. He’s older, he’s rowdy, he’s going by a different name, and it seems, he’s married. Or rather, widowed (not a spoiler-happens in chapter 1).
He finds out his late wife, to whom he’d told every sordid detail of his true identity, had answered an ad in the newspaper about a missing lord. One Nathaniel Atwood.
He decides to go back to London after all, but only long enough to kill his father. This trip to London lands him in the arms of Lady Imogene Norwood. And what happens from there is both a beautiful and a intense, sometimes dark story. The realistic and gritty setting in this book is a first for me. And I loved it.
Imogene won’t give up on Nathaniel, and Nathaniel won’t let her close. There is so much more going on in this story than a romance, or revenge. He continues to box while in London, and Imogene wants to back him, financially. Proposing a marriage to him, the two of them become partners, friends, lovers. It’s beautiful, and totally worth the lost sleep.
Read this one, you won’t regret it!
***ARC courtesy of netgalley and HQN
One day on twitter I saw a book trailer that rocked my socks. I don’t say this lightly because most book trailers, even those of KMM and Sherrilyn Kenyon, are crap. There are very few that (to me) do the job. This one got the job done.
That day I posted the link here and saw that it was on netgalley.com.
Trailer
http://youtu.be/iNY1Yb9JwbQ
My first thought? “Oh it’s on!”
And after finishing and losing a lot of sleep to read? I regret nothing!
This book starts out with a heartbreaking prologue and an unusual beginning, so of course, I was hooked.
At age 10, Lord Nathaniel James Atwood learns something damning about his father and in his young mind, he knows how to fix it. He threatens the man blackmailing his father, but. . .his gun misfires. The young man abducts Nathaniel, thinking to ransom him back. However, the price is too steep. His father doesn’t save him. The young man keeps Nathaniel, befriends him, and one day many years later, lets him go. What is Nathaniel to do?
Fast forward to chapter one and we see a man readying for a round of boxing. He’s nothing like the aristocratic young lord who tried to defend his father’s honor. He’s older, he’s rowdy, he’s going by a different name, and it seems, he’s married. Or rather, widowed (not a spoiler-happens in chapter 1).
He finds out his late wife, to whom he’d told every sordid detail of his true identity, had answered an ad in the newspaper about a missing lord. One Nathaniel Atwood.
He decides to go back to London after all, but only long enough to kill his father. This trip to London lands him in the arms of Lady Imogene Norwood. And what happens from there is both a beautiful and a intense, sometimes dark story. The realistic and gritty setting in this book is a first for me. And I loved it.
Imogene won’t give up on Nathaniel, and Nathaniel won’t let her close. There is so much more going on in this story than a romance, or revenge. He continues to box while in London, and Imogene wants to back him, financially. Proposing a marriage to him, the two of them become partners, friends, lovers. It’s beautiful, and totally worth the lost sleep.
Read this one, you won’t regret it!
***ARC courtesy of netgalley and HQN
August 17, 2016
And here we are...the end of the Rumor series and finally we have all the secrets out and honestly, I didn't see this one coming. And for all of you that haven't read the previous books in this series which starts off with Forever Mine novella, continuing with Forever and a Day and Forever a Lady, don't fret as Delilah Marvelle makes sure this last one can stand alone, although, personally I advise you read them all.
Lord Nathaniel James Atwood had been kidnapped thirty years ago when he was only ten years old and after all these years is ready to face his father and the reasons behind his abduction. At last and with great anticipation, the readers who've followed this series are welcoming Nathaniel's story.
We are finally faced with horrors of one boy's captivity and life after it, and the picture Ms. Marvelle so painstakingly paints for us is heartbreaking for the reader as well as for the hero. After many years spent locked up in virtual darkness, entering the small cellar as a boy, emerges a young man with new name and new purpose in life: survive at any cost and never, ever go back to the life he was born to.
Years spent in the worst slums of New York teach our hero many skills, but bare knuckle boxing is what earns him respect from his new found gang and allows him to help those that are helpless and more lost than he. And then, out of the blue, the past catches up to him, and he is forced to face it, warts and all. At first, his decision to return to London is fueled with confronting his father and killing him in cold blood, but his sister's family steps in to reason with him and make him see the error of that path, so Nathaniel changes course and decides to claim his name, yet humiliate his father by becoming the most feared boxer.
Lady Imogene Norwood is a sweet nineteen year old girl living with her dear brother and his unbearable wife, who they both know is cheating on him. Living with her brother who adores her, and watching him suffer in his marriage, she approaches him with a scheme they both think just might give them their freedom from the existence neither is willing to perpetuate any longer.
In order for the scheme to work, she's willing to risk her inheritance, and for his part, her brother is now on the hunt for one man that can free them all by winning the English Boxing Championship. Enter `The Missing Heir' as Nathaniel is being billed in the boxing circles. But before they hire the man, Imogene needs to make sure that she spells some of the rules to him, and he is invited to their home for the contract negotiations.
There are many reasons for Ms. Marvelle quickly becoming one of my favorite and treasured authors, but the first and foremost reason is the intensity of her writing. Every sentence, every action, from page to page, a reader is literally immersed into the world she carefully creates with her `pen'. If you're lucky to enter that `world', you'll feel, smell and touch it, that's how real it becomes!
Every character she creates, every emotion she conveys, touches one straight through the heart. This is the conclusion to a very dark yet still tender story that without a doubt deserves all of my five quills and I highly recommend you read all three books accompanied with the prequel, FOREVER MINE.
This part of the book will forever stay in my mind.
EXCERPT:
"Atwood tucked her head against his chest but said nothing. She still clung to him, unable to move. Pulling away from her, his large hands curved down the length of her arms with digging fingers until they dropped away completely.
He eyed her. `I didn't force myself on you, did I?'
Her cheeks bloomed with heat. She brought a trembling hand to her hair, sweeping long sections of it away from the sides of her face. `No.' Sweeping a hand over his mouth, he fisted that same hand and dug it against his teeth.
After a long moment of silence, he grated out past that fist, `You are inevitable, you know that?'
Why was he biting his hand?
`You don't appear to be in the least bit pleased by my inevitability.'
He dropped his hand back to his side and gave her a sidelong glance of disbelief. `No. I'm not. And I'll tell you why. Because I feel like I was put into a situation I knew I wasn't going to be able to get out of. For Christ's sake, the last thing I wanted was to be married again. And to you, no less. To you.'
She stiffened, her womanly pride prickling. To her, no less? What did that mean? What was so wrong with her that he felt a need to emphasize it aloud with so much vile annoyance? And after he had indulged himself to the brim? She knew she was odd and couldn't speak well when it was needed most but did he really have to-
It stung. More than she wanted it to.
`Leave,' she choked out. `My brother will- ' She wanted to add much, much more to the sentiment, but was too upset and her throat too tight with emotion. Her tongue was already feeling heavy and set to stutter.
He quirked a dark brow. `Your brother will what?'
She whipped a forefinger to the parlor entrance, knowing that if she spoke, it would only be in broken fragments that would make her look half-witted. And she was not going to be upstaged after that hip-grinding, breast-tweaking display her brother had to witness.
Nathaniel stared. `Why the devil are you so miffed?'
Oh, she would show him miffed, making her feel like a piece of fat he'd cut off the mutton when she was giving them all an opportunity of a lifetime. Just because she was naïve to the ways of men didn't make her naive to the ways of being demeaned. Shaking her finger rigidly at the direction of the parlor entrance, she hoped to God he would just go and spare her the humiliation of having to use words.
Lines of concentration etched his brow. He angled toward her. `Is this about your stutter?'
Her eyes widened. Oh, God. He knew. Her own brother had tattled about her stuttering as if she were some medical aberration in need of pity.
His countenance notably softened. `Imogene. I've been through far too much to judge. Believe me. I don't care what it sounds like. Say whatever you need to.'
He felt sorry for her. Henry had no doubt even asked the man to play governess to her until the championship. It was...humiliating. Like she was being passed from one set of panicked hands to another.
Nathaniel eyed her. `One of the boys in New York had a stutter.'
This just kept getting worse. She was now being compared to some American boy. Hardly a compliment.
Taking on a pensive look, he added, `I have an idea. Seeing we have four months of this ahead of us, why not deal with it now?' He lifted his shaven chin and undid his cravat, tossing it aside.She scrambled back, her throat tightening all the more. What was he doing?
He casually undid the buttons on his waistcoat. `You and I are going to play Devil's Dare. It's a game men and women play in the Five Points. The idea is that I have to get you to take the Devil's Dare through verbal bribes before all of my clothes are removed and I'm forced to walk into the street naked. The Devil's Dare is this- you have to say something. So for each bribe I issue and each bribe you reject, a piece of my clothing is removed until I'm forced to walk into the streets in nothing but my goodwill. Now I know you like me well enough not to let me walk into the street naked. Or at least, I hope you do. Are you ready?'
She gaped. Was he being serious?
`Imogene, I will buy you a necklace made of rubies after I get my seven thousand.'
She swallowed, trying to steady her breathing. What was he doing?
`Clearly, you reject.' He shrugged off his coat from each muscled arm and let it fall to the floor.
`Imogene, I'm not one for fawning, but I'll take you into a garden and pick flowers for you. Would you like that?'
Mother of heaven. Why was he-
`Clearly, you reject.' Holding her gaze, he shrugged off his waistcoat. It rustled to his booted feet.
`Imogene, I'll dance with you on the rooftop of whatever house we move into during our four-month marriage.'
He didn't expect her to play along, did he?
`Clearly, you reject.' He yanked out his linen shirt from his trousers, letting it fall past his hips.
`Imogene, I will do something I have never done for a woman. I will take you shopping and hold all of your parcels.'
She clamped a trembling hand over her mouth.
`Clearly, you reject. I'm also running out of clothing, so you better take up the next offer.' He yanked off the linen shirt with a ripple of solid movements that exposed the menacingly well-sculpted muscles of a broad chest and arms that visibly shifted and tightened against scars that bespoke years of fighting. He tossed the shirt.
She gasped, her heart pounding in disbelief, and glanced toward the opened doorway and back again at that bare chest, dreading Henry might come in and shoot them both.
`Imogene, I will always listen to whatever you have to say. No matter how you say it or why you say it.' Holding her gaze, he dragged his hands down toward the front flap of his trousers, planning on doing away with them next.
Oh, dear God. She had to save him and herself.
`I accept!' she choked out."
Book won from the author.
Melanie for Romantic Crush Junkies reviews eZine.
Lord Nathaniel James Atwood had been kidnapped thirty years ago when he was only ten years old and after all these years is ready to face his father and the reasons behind his abduction. At last and with great anticipation, the readers who've followed this series are welcoming Nathaniel's story.
We are finally faced with horrors of one boy's captivity and life after it, and the picture Ms. Marvelle so painstakingly paints for us is heartbreaking for the reader as well as for the hero. After many years spent locked up in virtual darkness, entering the small cellar as a boy, emerges a young man with new name and new purpose in life: survive at any cost and never, ever go back to the life he was born to.
Years spent in the worst slums of New York teach our hero many skills, but bare knuckle boxing is what earns him respect from his new found gang and allows him to help those that are helpless and more lost than he. And then, out of the blue, the past catches up to him, and he is forced to face it, warts and all. At first, his decision to return to London is fueled with confronting his father and killing him in cold blood, but his sister's family steps in to reason with him and make him see the error of that path, so Nathaniel changes course and decides to claim his name, yet humiliate his father by becoming the most feared boxer.
Lady Imogene Norwood is a sweet nineteen year old girl living with her dear brother and his unbearable wife, who they both know is cheating on him. Living with her brother who adores her, and watching him suffer in his marriage, she approaches him with a scheme they both think just might give them their freedom from the existence neither is willing to perpetuate any longer.
In order for the scheme to work, she's willing to risk her inheritance, and for his part, her brother is now on the hunt for one man that can free them all by winning the English Boxing Championship. Enter `The Missing Heir' as Nathaniel is being billed in the boxing circles. But before they hire the man, Imogene needs to make sure that she spells some of the rules to him, and he is invited to their home for the contract negotiations.
There are many reasons for Ms. Marvelle quickly becoming one of my favorite and treasured authors, but the first and foremost reason is the intensity of her writing. Every sentence, every action, from page to page, a reader is literally immersed into the world she carefully creates with her `pen'. If you're lucky to enter that `world', you'll feel, smell and touch it, that's how real it becomes!
Every character she creates, every emotion she conveys, touches one straight through the heart. This is the conclusion to a very dark yet still tender story that without a doubt deserves all of my five quills and I highly recommend you read all three books accompanied with the prequel, FOREVER MINE.
This part of the book will forever stay in my mind.
EXCERPT:
"Atwood tucked her head against his chest but said nothing. She still clung to him, unable to move. Pulling away from her, his large hands curved down the length of her arms with digging fingers until they dropped away completely.
He eyed her. `I didn't force myself on you, did I?'
Her cheeks bloomed with heat. She brought a trembling hand to her hair, sweeping long sections of it away from the sides of her face. `No.' Sweeping a hand over his mouth, he fisted that same hand and dug it against his teeth.
After a long moment of silence, he grated out past that fist, `You are inevitable, you know that?'
Why was he biting his hand?
`You don't appear to be in the least bit pleased by my inevitability.'
He dropped his hand back to his side and gave her a sidelong glance of disbelief. `No. I'm not. And I'll tell you why. Because I feel like I was put into a situation I knew I wasn't going to be able to get out of. For Christ's sake, the last thing I wanted was to be married again. And to you, no less. To you.'
She stiffened, her womanly pride prickling. To her, no less? What did that mean? What was so wrong with her that he felt a need to emphasize it aloud with so much vile annoyance? And after he had indulged himself to the brim? She knew she was odd and couldn't speak well when it was needed most but did he really have to-
It stung. More than she wanted it to.
`Leave,' she choked out. `My brother will- ' She wanted to add much, much more to the sentiment, but was too upset and her throat too tight with emotion. Her tongue was already feeling heavy and set to stutter.
He quirked a dark brow. `Your brother will what?'
She whipped a forefinger to the parlor entrance, knowing that if she spoke, it would only be in broken fragments that would make her look half-witted. And she was not going to be upstaged after that hip-grinding, breast-tweaking display her brother had to witness.
Nathaniel stared. `Why the devil are you so miffed?'
Oh, she would show him miffed, making her feel like a piece of fat he'd cut off the mutton when she was giving them all an opportunity of a lifetime. Just because she was naïve to the ways of men didn't make her naive to the ways of being demeaned. Shaking her finger rigidly at the direction of the parlor entrance, she hoped to God he would just go and spare her the humiliation of having to use words.
Lines of concentration etched his brow. He angled toward her. `Is this about your stutter?'
Her eyes widened. Oh, God. He knew. Her own brother had tattled about her stuttering as if she were some medical aberration in need of pity.
His countenance notably softened. `Imogene. I've been through far too much to judge. Believe me. I don't care what it sounds like. Say whatever you need to.'
He felt sorry for her. Henry had no doubt even asked the man to play governess to her until the championship. It was...humiliating. Like she was being passed from one set of panicked hands to another.
Nathaniel eyed her. `One of the boys in New York had a stutter.'
This just kept getting worse. She was now being compared to some American boy. Hardly a compliment.
Taking on a pensive look, he added, `I have an idea. Seeing we have four months of this ahead of us, why not deal with it now?' He lifted his shaven chin and undid his cravat, tossing it aside.She scrambled back, her throat tightening all the more. What was he doing?
He casually undid the buttons on his waistcoat. `You and I are going to play Devil's Dare. It's a game men and women play in the Five Points. The idea is that I have to get you to take the Devil's Dare through verbal bribes before all of my clothes are removed and I'm forced to walk into the street naked. The Devil's Dare is this- you have to say something. So for each bribe I issue and each bribe you reject, a piece of my clothing is removed until I'm forced to walk into the streets in nothing but my goodwill. Now I know you like me well enough not to let me walk into the street naked. Or at least, I hope you do. Are you ready?'
She gaped. Was he being serious?
`Imogene, I will buy you a necklace made of rubies after I get my seven thousand.'
She swallowed, trying to steady her breathing. What was he doing?
`Clearly, you reject.' He shrugged off his coat from each muscled arm and let it fall to the floor.
`Imogene, I'm not one for fawning, but I'll take you into a garden and pick flowers for you. Would you like that?'
Mother of heaven. Why was he-
`Clearly, you reject.' Holding her gaze, he shrugged off his waistcoat. It rustled to his booted feet.
`Imogene, I'll dance with you on the rooftop of whatever house we move into during our four-month marriage.'
He didn't expect her to play along, did he?
`Clearly, you reject.' He yanked out his linen shirt from his trousers, letting it fall past his hips.
`Imogene, I will do something I have never done for a woman. I will take you shopping and hold all of your parcels.'
She clamped a trembling hand over her mouth.
`Clearly, you reject. I'm also running out of clothing, so you better take up the next offer.' He yanked off the linen shirt with a ripple of solid movements that exposed the menacingly well-sculpted muscles of a broad chest and arms that visibly shifted and tightened against scars that bespoke years of fighting. He tossed the shirt.
She gasped, her heart pounding in disbelief, and glanced toward the opened doorway and back again at that bare chest, dreading Henry might come in and shoot them both.
`Imogene, I will always listen to whatever you have to say. No matter how you say it or why you say it.' Holding her gaze, he dragged his hands down toward the front flap of his trousers, planning on doing away with them next.
Oh, dear God. She had to save him and herself.
`I accept!' she choked out."
Book won from the author.
Melanie for Romantic Crush Junkies reviews eZine.
Read
April 14, 2017Read 50%, can't go on anymore. Style too choppy for me. And where is the relationship development? Way too many pages on secondary characters. I couldn't keep all the secondary characters and their relationships straight. Not my kind of story. It seems that the author can't stay in one scene for more than a few pages. Every few pages we are jumping to another time and place with lame introductions like "a few weeks later, London" or "two nights later, New York". Used sporadically it is fine. But the book just reads like one incoherent story and the readers are being forced to go on this leap through time and space because the author cannot tell a story that connects.
I am debating whether to give a rating. For now I am leaving no rating. I did read about half of it and was fed up with the never ending blah blah blah about everything and everyone except the lead characters.
I am debating whether to give a rating. For now I am leaving no rating. I did read about half of it and was fed up with the never ending blah blah blah about everything and everyone except the lead characters.
July 9, 2017
Es una novela divertida y refrescante para los amantes de la romántica histórica. Aunque pertenece a una saga se puede leer de forma independiente y aunque no es una novela que os pueda "cambiar la vida", os aseguro un buen rato con él. Boxeo, secuestros, pasado duro en las calles de nueva york, elegancia y alta sociedad, tiene un poco de todo.
June 27, 2023
Delilah Marvelle always writes the strangest books, but I love them!
January 20, 2013
The more I read from Delilah Marvelle, the more I like her. This third installment in The Rumor series was a hit for me. Mostly because of its brawny, wounded hero, Nathaniel. A British viscount, he was kidnapped at age 10, by a man who was wronged by Nathaniel's father. Unfortunately, dear old dad would not bend to the kidnapper's demands, which left Nathaniel locked in a cellar for five years before being dispatched to the mean streets of New York.
Nathaniel created a new identity and a life for himself as a bare-knuckled boxer in Five Points. But when his late sister's husband seeks him out to mend the rift with his family, it sets a chain of events in motion that brings him back across the pond.
In the meantime, Imogene dreams of setting her brother free. He's been shackled in a loveless marriage as he sinks all his money into doctors to help with her poor health. Together, they come up with a plan to invest in a boxer to win the big championship fight. Enter Nathaniel.
The first time Gene lays eyes on Nathaniel, she is drawn in. He is so masculine and powerful. And he feels the same attraction. She decides she will make marriage to her, part of the investment into his training --and from there, their relationship is born.
Nathaniel is a tough nut to crack. His time in captivity did a number on him, but so did his father's betrayal, and his life on the streets. It's hard for him to let Gene in, no matter how taken he is with her. His issues run so deep that he can't even have sex without binding his partner. (This was the only part of the book I didn't love. --I would imagine being tied up while you lose your virginity isn't the best experience.) But he tries to protect her the best way he can. He honors her. He loves her. And eventually --he grows to trust her. Which is when I really fell for him.
Gene is fragile in some ways, but she is strong in the ways that really count. And she is exactly what Nathaniel needs. I really enjoyed their love story. Well done.
Rating: B+
*ARC Provided by Harlequin via NetGalley
Nathaniel created a new identity and a life for himself as a bare-knuckled boxer in Five Points. But when his late sister's husband seeks him out to mend the rift with his family, it sets a chain of events in motion that brings him back across the pond.
In the meantime, Imogene dreams of setting her brother free. He's been shackled in a loveless marriage as he sinks all his money into doctors to help with her poor health. Together, they come up with a plan to invest in a boxer to win the big championship fight. Enter Nathaniel.
The first time Gene lays eyes on Nathaniel, she is drawn in. He is so masculine and powerful. And he feels the same attraction. She decides she will make marriage to her, part of the investment into his training --and from there, their relationship is born.
Nathaniel is a tough nut to crack. His time in captivity did a number on him, but so did his father's betrayal, and his life on the streets. It's hard for him to let Gene in, no matter how taken he is with her. His issues run so deep that he can't even have sex without binding his partner. (This was the only part of the book I didn't love. --I would imagine being tied up while you lose your virginity isn't the best experience.) But he tries to protect her the best way he can. He honors her. He loves her. And eventually --he grows to trust her. Which is when I really fell for him.
Gene is fragile in some ways, but she is strong in the ways that really count. And she is exactly what Nathaniel needs. I really enjoyed their love story. Well done.
Rating: B+
*ARC Provided by Harlequin via NetGalley
May 23, 2013
Maybe 3-1/2. The thing that really held it back for me was that there was little to no tension between the hero and the heroine. They pretty much met and fell in love. The love story was sweet but not particularly "grand." Can't really tell you what "grand" is but I know it when I read it. The rest of the story was interesting. It was fun to read about the bare knuckle boxing of those days. One thing I didn't like was the simple fix of the heroine's life long health problems. The hero solved it in one go. It would have been more interesting to me if they'd had to work around her health and still lived happily ever after. Also the hero was 21 years older than the heroine but this was never mentioned at all. I know this was not uncommon in historical times but come on someone had to at least think about it. The hero could just as well have been written as 30 instead of 40 and it wouldn't have changed the story one iota but it wouldn't have left me wondering about why the age difference wasn't a bigger deal to someone.
February 10, 2022
3.5 stars
This book was a surprise. It was much better than the previous 2 books of this series, mainly because of the better bonding between Imogene & Nathaniel.
I liked Imogene & Nathaniel. However it seemed the story focused more on Nathaniel than Imogene. While I’m glad we got to see a lot of Nathaniel and his back story, I would have liked to see more of Imogene’s as well.
Nathaniel was great. He was hard and soft at the same time. It was hard for him to let anyone close to him but it was sweet to see at times he was very soft towards Imogene, showing that he isn’t all that bad. He’s just a little rough in his ways, having lived in the slums almost all his life. It was heartwarming to see him slowly open up to Imogene and trust her.
How they fell for each other felt a little vague, and I think it would be more believable to me if they spent more time courting each other.
There didn’t seem to be any climax in this story. There wasn’t any threat of them being separated at the end of their 4 months together, as they confessed their love to each other and decided to not leave, before their 4 months was up. The only climax seemed to be the boxing competition, and Nathaniel’s family problems—both of which seemed to resolve very quickly.
There were many questions left unanswered for me. Whether Imogene’s medicines really caused her to have health problems & if she was indeed better after having stopped taking them, whether Nathaniel coped with being with the ton after what happened to his parents, what happened to Nathaniel’s kidnapper (I may have missed it), how old Nathaniel was (I could only guess he was around 35-40 as the author mentioned he has some white hair), what happened with Henry’s & Mary’s divorce—the scandal, what was written in Nathaniel’s sister’s diary etc
Nevertheless, it was an enjoyable story. The epilogue covered the happy endings of all of 3 couples in this series + Imogene’s brother.
This book was a surprise. It was much better than the previous 2 books of this series, mainly because of the better bonding between Imogene & Nathaniel.
I liked Imogene & Nathaniel. However it seemed the story focused more on Nathaniel than Imogene. While I’m glad we got to see a lot of Nathaniel and his back story, I would have liked to see more of Imogene’s as well.
Nathaniel was great. He was hard and soft at the same time. It was hard for him to let anyone close to him but it was sweet to see at times he was very soft towards Imogene, showing that he isn’t all that bad. He’s just a little rough in his ways, having lived in the slums almost all his life. It was heartwarming to see him slowly open up to Imogene and trust her.
How they fell for each other felt a little vague, and I think it would be more believable to me if they spent more time courting each other.
There didn’t seem to be any climax in this story. There wasn’t any threat of them being separated at the end of their 4 months together, as they confessed their love to each other and decided to not leave, before their 4 months was up. The only climax seemed to be the boxing competition, and Nathaniel’s family problems—both of which seemed to resolve very quickly.
There were many questions left unanswered for me. Whether Imogene’s medicines really caused her to have health problems & if she was indeed better after having stopped taking them, whether Nathaniel coped with being with the ton after what happened to his parents, what happened to Nathaniel’s kidnapper (I may have missed it), how old Nathaniel was (I could only guess he was around 35-40 as the author mentioned he has some white hair), what happened with Henry’s & Mary’s divorce—the scandal, what was written in Nathaniel’s sister’s diary etc
Nevertheless, it was an enjoyable story. The epilogue covered the happy endings of all of 3 couples in this series + Imogene’s brother.
Read
August 9, 2012Rumor has it the truth is going to take your breath away...
My dearest Readers,
We all carry secrets, be they small or large, and we all carry them for very different reasons. We do it to protect ourselves and/or others. Regardless, a secret isn’t meant to be kept forever. They are meant to be shared with someone we can genuinely trust, so that the burden of the shame we feel by holding onto our secrets can be taken away from our souls. In FOREVER A LORD, welcome to the world of what happens when a secret goes too far and the burden leaches its way into everything. In this particular story, you will meet a bare- knuckle boxer who is on the path of learning that only one thing can save his burdened soul: the genuine love of a good woman. Imogene is my version of what the hero could have never ‘imagined.’ Though Imogene has seen very little of the real world due to her overprotective brother and her illness, it doesn’t make her any less viable. In fact, it enables her to see our hero in a way few can. Our hero, in turn, who never thought himself capable of love, discovers that he is capable of something even better: true love. I believe each of us has a soul mate waiting in the most unexpected of places and it is up to us to know when to cradle that one person who is meant to carry us through life with their unwavering love. I hope you enjoy reading about what happens when two very different souls meet and discover their differences is what saves them both.
That said...are you ready to unveil the truth behind the disappearance of Lord Atwood? All I can say is that in piecing together the last threads of this series, I was overwhelmed at discovering all the secrets my own characters had kept from me. I genuinely hope you enjoy the conclusion to the Rumor Series.
My dearest Readers,
We all carry secrets, be they small or large, and we all carry them for very different reasons. We do it to protect ourselves and/or others. Regardless, a secret isn’t meant to be kept forever. They are meant to be shared with someone we can genuinely trust, so that the burden of the shame we feel by holding onto our secrets can be taken away from our souls. In FOREVER A LORD, welcome to the world of what happens when a secret goes too far and the burden leaches its way into everything. In this particular story, you will meet a bare- knuckle boxer who is on the path of learning that only one thing can save his burdened soul: the genuine love of a good woman. Imogene is my version of what the hero could have never ‘imagined.’ Though Imogene has seen very little of the real world due to her overprotective brother and her illness, it doesn’t make her any less viable. In fact, it enables her to see our hero in a way few can. Our hero, in turn, who never thought himself capable of love, discovers that he is capable of something even better: true love. I believe each of us has a soul mate waiting in the most unexpected of places and it is up to us to know when to cradle that one person who is meant to carry us through life with their unwavering love. I hope you enjoy reading about what happens when two very different souls meet and discover their differences is what saves them both.
That said...are you ready to unveil the truth behind the disappearance of Lord Atwood? All I can say is that in piecing together the last threads of this series, I was overwhelmed at discovering all the secrets my own characters had kept from me. I genuinely hope you enjoy the conclusion to the Rumor Series.
May 30, 2022
Ally - per RFS
.
Dopo le avventure del Visconte senza nome, conosciamo meglio i personaggi che nel primo capitolo sono apparsi solo brevemente.
Edward Coleman sa perfettamente cos’è la sofferenza, ci convive dall’età di dieci anni. Insieme a Matthew Milton è alla guida dei ragazzi di five point, “i quaranta ladroni”, e insieme fanno rispettare le regole e difendono chi non può farlo da solo… Degli omaccioni dal cuore grande che tutto sembrano fuorché che buoni.
Quando Edward scopre che dei gentiluomini londinesi lo stanno cercando, o meglio, cercano chi era stato in passato, il suo istinto lo porta a scappare. Tuttavia viene coinvolto in una situazione in cui delle bambine rischiano la vita e ciò lo porta a contattarli.
Stanno cercando il visconte Nathaniel James Atwood, scomparso a New York City trent’anni prima e mai ritrovato.
Edward/Nathaniel dovrà affrontare i suoi demoni e tornare a Londra, dove troverà non solo astio ma anche delusione da parte di chi diceva di amarlo, la sua famiglia.
Con una madre malata e provata dai dolori della vita dopo aver perso una figlia durante il parto e un figlio scomparso in un viaggio, la donna non solo è cagionevole ma anche sulla via della pazzia. Le verrà infatti impedito di vedere colui che si spaccia per il suo Atwood.
Il padre, invece, ha troppi segreti che rischierebbero di affiorare nel caso in cui l’uomo che si è presentato alla sua porta sia veramente suo figlio. Si sforzerà per renderlo un impostore agli occhi della società londinese.
Un fulmine a ciel sereno sarà Henry Norwood che si proporrà di sponsorizzarlo per diventare campione d’Inghilterra di pugilato a mani nude, uno sport di moda nel 1830 a cui gli aristocratici guardavano con interesse, senza però parteciparvi.
Nathaniel sa che questa è la sua occasione di riscatto, ma mai avrebbe immaginato che le condizioni del suo sponsor potessero essere così singolari, poiché il vero benefattore non è il marchese squattrinato di Norwood, bensì sua sorella Imogene, che investirà la sua dote per vincere il premio in palio insieme al titolo, cioè il mezzo milione di sterline che potrebbe cambiare la vita di tutti.
Sposare il pugile è l’unica opzione che garantirà alla bella Imogene che egli non fugga con la quota che anticipa al momento della firma del contratto. Il bell’imbusto con cui sta per fare l’affare della sua vita infatti ha la fama di scappare con i soldi e non rispettare i patti.
Sarà davvero un sacrifico sposare il bel pugile dai modi rozzi ma gentili che le fa battere forte il cuore?
E lui saprà rimanere indifferente alla bella e dolce aristocratica dalla salute cagionevole che mette il proprio futuro nelle sue mani?
Chi soffre riconosce i suoi simili e queste due anime perse hanno trovato una luce l’uno nell’altra che può rischiarare il cammino e far sì che trovino un po’ di pace.
Questa scrittrice ormai mi ha conquistata con i suoi personaggi realistici e profondi. Ci guida in storie appassionanti e piene di intrighi fra una New York e una Londra d’altri tempi. Ci dà la speranza che per tutti esista un’anima gemella, anche se si deve attraversare mezzo mondo.
La Marvelle ci dona romanticismo e forza.
Un altro bel libro per questa serie che mi continua a regalare emozioni e sorrisi.
.
Dopo le avventure del Visconte senza nome, conosciamo meglio i personaggi che nel primo capitolo sono apparsi solo brevemente.
Edward Coleman sa perfettamente cos’è la sofferenza, ci convive dall’età di dieci anni. Insieme a Matthew Milton è alla guida dei ragazzi di five point, “i quaranta ladroni”, e insieme fanno rispettare le regole e difendono chi non può farlo da solo… Degli omaccioni dal cuore grande che tutto sembrano fuorché che buoni.
Quando Edward scopre che dei gentiluomini londinesi lo stanno cercando, o meglio, cercano chi era stato in passato, il suo istinto lo porta a scappare. Tuttavia viene coinvolto in una situazione in cui delle bambine rischiano la vita e ciò lo porta a contattarli.
Stanno cercando il visconte Nathaniel James Atwood, scomparso a New York City trent’anni prima e mai ritrovato.
Edward/Nathaniel dovrà affrontare i suoi demoni e tornare a Londra, dove troverà non solo astio ma anche delusione da parte di chi diceva di amarlo, la sua famiglia.
Con una madre malata e provata dai dolori della vita dopo aver perso una figlia durante il parto e un figlio scomparso in un viaggio, la donna non solo è cagionevole ma anche sulla via della pazzia. Le verrà infatti impedito di vedere colui che si spaccia per il suo Atwood.
Il padre, invece, ha troppi segreti che rischierebbero di affiorare nel caso in cui l’uomo che si è presentato alla sua porta sia veramente suo figlio. Si sforzerà per renderlo un impostore agli occhi della società londinese.
Un fulmine a ciel sereno sarà Henry Norwood che si proporrà di sponsorizzarlo per diventare campione d’Inghilterra di pugilato a mani nude, uno sport di moda nel 1830 a cui gli aristocratici guardavano con interesse, senza però parteciparvi.
Nathaniel sa che questa è la sua occasione di riscatto, ma mai avrebbe immaginato che le condizioni del suo sponsor potessero essere così singolari, poiché il vero benefattore non è il marchese squattrinato di Norwood, bensì sua sorella Imogene, che investirà la sua dote per vincere il premio in palio insieme al titolo, cioè il mezzo milione di sterline che potrebbe cambiare la vita di tutti.
Sposare il pugile è l’unica opzione che garantirà alla bella Imogene che egli non fugga con la quota che anticipa al momento della firma del contratto. Il bell’imbusto con cui sta per fare l’affare della sua vita infatti ha la fama di scappare con i soldi e non rispettare i patti.
Sarà davvero un sacrifico sposare il bel pugile dai modi rozzi ma gentili che le fa battere forte il cuore?
E lui saprà rimanere indifferente alla bella e dolce aristocratica dalla salute cagionevole che mette il proprio futuro nelle sue mani?
Chi soffre riconosce i suoi simili e queste due anime perse hanno trovato una luce l’uno nell’altra che può rischiarare il cammino e far sì che trovino un po’ di pace.
Questa scrittrice ormai mi ha conquistata con i suoi personaggi realistici e profondi. Ci guida in storie appassionanti e piene di intrighi fra una New York e una Londra d’altri tempi. Ci dà la speranza che per tutti esista un’anima gemella, anche se si deve attraversare mezzo mondo.
La Marvelle ci dona romanticismo e forza.
Un altro bel libro per questa serie che mi continua a regalare emozioni e sorrisi.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 8, 2014
An enthralling, gritty and emotionally charged story.
This is the last book in the addictive The Rumor series and we finally discover the truth of the mystery surrounding Lord Nathaniel Atwood’s kidnapping and what happened to him during all the years he was presumed dead.
Nathaniel’s experiences…being locked in a windowless cellar for five years, his father’s betrayal and abandonment of him and the years spent surviving the dangers of New York’s notorious Five Points…have left him with deep emotional scars and a scandalous secret he can never share. Caught between two worlds…'He was neither fop nor street boy'…he has never felt that he truly belongs anywhere. He enjoys sex but love isn’t an emotion he has ever felt or wanted to. Boxing is the only thing in his life that makes sense…it is what kept him alive on the streets of Five Points. Beneath that tough exterior, Nathaniel’s heart is in the right place. Together with his friend, Matthew Milton, he created the Forty Thieves and is committed to protecting those vulnerable people living in the slums.
Imogene is an unusual heroine. The abuse she suffered at the hands of her governess when she was a child has left her with health problems…fainting spells and a stutter. She is tired of being defined by her illness and longs to be independent and, therefore, no longer a burden to her brother, Henry. Imogene knows the sacrifices Henry has made to ensure she gets the medical treatment she needs and she longs to see her brother happy.
Delilah Marvelle’s stories are always refreshingly different and her characters infinitely fascinating. The brawny, tough, bare-knuckle boxing Nathaniel seems an unlikely pairing for the sweet, innocent, fragile Imogene who is twenty years his junior, but Ms Marvelle makes their romance work so beautifully. Imogene reveals a maturity beyond her years when she shows Nathaniel the patience, understanding and respect that he has never known before. I love how protective Nathaniel is of Imogene and how he gives her a sense of worth and confidence in herself so she no longer has to rely on others. Nathaniel’s desire to be in control all the time extends to the bedroom and adds some spice to the love scenes. I enjoyed seeing him come to love and trust Imogene enough to relinquish that control.
The boxing scenes are so visually compelling and Ms Marvelle conveys the brutal reality of the fights so powerfully.
I guessed the reason for Nathaniel’s kidnapping before it was actually revealed but there is a very dramatic scene towards the end of the book which I certainly didn’t anticipate.
The Epilogue provided the perfect ending to the series.
How I Imagine Nathaniel…
How I Imagine Imogene…
Memorable Moments
Everything about him was so beautifully raw and real. She didn’t realize a man could make a woman’s toes curl in her own slippers.
It was divine. He was divine.
♥♥♥
Now take your fancy prick of a wig and get him before I put your liver into your hand and make you swallow it through your nostrils.”
♥♥♥
“You underestimate a woman’s worth and her ability to redefine a man. A woman can give you hope in a world that has none. She can fight for you when you have ceased fighting for yourself and everything you believe in.”
♥♥♥
“I’m trying to save your pretty ass from getting spanked.”
Her brow creased. “You shouldn’t use words like that. Or tea is out of the question.
” He rolled his eyes. “Unless tea involves you fully naked with your arms tied behind your back, I’m not interested.”
She gasped. “No waltz for you, either.”
♥♥♥
God, but she was stealing away pieces of his heart. A heart he didn’t know he had to give.
♥♥♥
I am sad to see the end of this series but I will be eagerly waiting to see what other reading pleasures Delilah Marvelle has in store for me.
REVIEW RATING: 5/5 STARS
The Rumor series (click on the books for more details):
Important Note from Ms Marvelle’s Website:
Bonus Chapters from Forever Mine that were not included in this Prequel Novella are available for free download. These two bonus chapters are the untold story of what happened to Nathaniel from Augustine’s point of view. The publisher removed these two chapters from Forever Mine, despite my insisting upon their importance to the series and the novella. Which is why I am offering them for free. I feel this story and the entire series is incomplete without them, and in my opinion, are critical in understanding Nathaniel’s story whom the entire series is based on. I have provided the link to her website:
http://www.delilahmarvelle.com/#!fore...
This is the last book in the addictive The Rumor series and we finally discover the truth of the mystery surrounding Lord Nathaniel Atwood’s kidnapping and what happened to him during all the years he was presumed dead.
Nathaniel’s experiences…being locked in a windowless cellar for five years, his father’s betrayal and abandonment of him and the years spent surviving the dangers of New York’s notorious Five Points…have left him with deep emotional scars and a scandalous secret he can never share. Caught between two worlds…'He was neither fop nor street boy'…he has never felt that he truly belongs anywhere. He enjoys sex but love isn’t an emotion he has ever felt or wanted to. Boxing is the only thing in his life that makes sense…it is what kept him alive on the streets of Five Points. Beneath that tough exterior, Nathaniel’s heart is in the right place. Together with his friend, Matthew Milton, he created the Forty Thieves and is committed to protecting those vulnerable people living in the slums.
Imogene is an unusual heroine. The abuse she suffered at the hands of her governess when she was a child has left her with health problems…fainting spells and a stutter. She is tired of being defined by her illness and longs to be independent and, therefore, no longer a burden to her brother, Henry. Imogene knows the sacrifices Henry has made to ensure she gets the medical treatment she needs and she longs to see her brother happy.
Delilah Marvelle’s stories are always refreshingly different and her characters infinitely fascinating. The brawny, tough, bare-knuckle boxing Nathaniel seems an unlikely pairing for the sweet, innocent, fragile Imogene who is twenty years his junior, but Ms Marvelle makes their romance work so beautifully. Imogene reveals a maturity beyond her years when she shows Nathaniel the patience, understanding and respect that he has never known before. I love how protective Nathaniel is of Imogene and how he gives her a sense of worth and confidence in herself so she no longer has to rely on others. Nathaniel’s desire to be in control all the time extends to the bedroom and adds some spice to the love scenes. I enjoyed seeing him come to love and trust Imogene enough to relinquish that control.
The boxing scenes are so visually compelling and Ms Marvelle conveys the brutal reality of the fights so powerfully.
I guessed the reason for Nathaniel’s kidnapping before it was actually revealed but there is a very dramatic scene towards the end of the book which I certainly didn’t anticipate.
The Epilogue provided the perfect ending to the series.
How I Imagine Nathaniel…
How I Imagine Imogene…
Memorable Moments
Everything about him was so beautifully raw and real. She didn’t realize a man could make a woman’s toes curl in her own slippers.
It was divine. He was divine.
♥♥♥
Now take your fancy prick of a wig and get him before I put your liver into your hand and make you swallow it through your nostrils.”
♥♥♥
“You underestimate a woman’s worth and her ability to redefine a man. A woman can give you hope in a world that has none. She can fight for you when you have ceased fighting for yourself and everything you believe in.”
♥♥♥
“I’m trying to save your pretty ass from getting spanked.”
Her brow creased. “You shouldn’t use words like that. Or tea is out of the question.
” He rolled his eyes. “Unless tea involves you fully naked with your arms tied behind your back, I’m not interested.”
She gasped. “No waltz for you, either.”
♥♥♥
God, but she was stealing away pieces of his heart. A heart he didn’t know he had to give.
♥♥♥
I am sad to see the end of this series but I will be eagerly waiting to see what other reading pleasures Delilah Marvelle has in store for me.
REVIEW RATING: 5/5 STARS
The Rumor series (click on the books for more details):
Important Note from Ms Marvelle’s Website:
Bonus Chapters from Forever Mine that were not included in this Prequel Novella are available for free download. These two bonus chapters are the untold story of what happened to Nathaniel from Augustine’s point of view. The publisher removed these two chapters from Forever Mine, despite my insisting upon their importance to the series and the novella. Which is why I am offering them for free. I feel this story and the entire series is incomplete without them, and in my opinion, are critical in understanding Nathaniel’s story whom the entire series is based on. I have provided the link to her website:
http://www.delilahmarvelle.com/#!fore...
March 30, 2013
I'm going to warn you before I start this review, this is about to get a bit gushy. If you've read my reviews for the previous two books in the Rumour series (Forever and a Day, and Forever a Lady), then you'll know that I've been REALLY looking forward to reading Atwood's story. And it didn't disappoint!
So, we start with the delicious Nathaniel, the long-lost Lord Atwood, who returns to London to claim his life back.
In an effort to be able to free themselves from the unhappiness in their lives, Imogene and her brother Henry decide to invest Imogene's inheritance in a boxer who can become the Champion of England, and win a quarter of a million pounds. Edward Coleman a.k.a. Nathaniel is that Champion.
Nathianel is an amazing hero for this story, he has demons and is very troubled. He's trying to claim back the life that was stolen from him when he was kidnapped as a child. He doesn't particularly trust women, and isn't used to anyone genuinely caring about him. At heart, he is a wounded man who has never truly belonged anywhere. I do love a tortured hero. Imogene is the ideal woman, to soothe those wounds, and make him happy.
I really loved Imogene. She's so sweet, and has an innocent strength that surprised me. She has health problems stemming from abuse from her governess when she was a child, but she tries to shield these problems from her brother because she doesn't want to be more of a burden. I loved Imogene and Nathaniel's first meeting! The chemistry between them was electric!
Imogene treats Nathaniel with patience, understanding and a respect that has long been missing from his life. I love that she sees beneath his gruff demeanor, to the core of the man- 'You have a depth of compassion within you that reveals itself at the right time every time. 'Tis what I admire about you most. Your compassion.' I love this bit :)
Forever A Lord is, of course, written in that wonderful style I've come to associate with Ms. Marvelle's writing- it's gritty, explosively sensual, and intensely emotional. I love it.
The sex scenes in this book were dynamite, and really suited Nathaniel's character. He needs to feel in control all the time, which extends to the most intimate of situations. But when he realises how much he loves Imogene and how much he trusts her, he happily relinquishes that control and I thought it was a beautiful moment.
I also really enjoyed the epilogue. It was so sweet, I won't ruin what actually happens but it was a lovely way to round off the series!
This lived up all to my expectations, and more. I cried, I laughed, I rejoiced- and I was reading this at work on my break, so I looked like a mad woman, laughing out loud on my own. I've had this book sat on my shelf for almost 3 months and I'm thoroughly ashamed of myself for not reading it sooner!
I was lucky enough to win a copy of Forever A Lord from Maire Claremont, on her blog.
Originally posted at The Rookie Romance Blog
So, we start with the delicious Nathaniel, the long-lost Lord Atwood, who returns to London to claim his life back.
In an effort to be able to free themselves from the unhappiness in their lives, Imogene and her brother Henry decide to invest Imogene's inheritance in a boxer who can become the Champion of England, and win a quarter of a million pounds. Edward Coleman a.k.a. Nathaniel is that Champion.
Nathianel is an amazing hero for this story, he has demons and is very troubled. He's trying to claim back the life that was stolen from him when he was kidnapped as a child. He doesn't particularly trust women, and isn't used to anyone genuinely caring about him. At heart, he is a wounded man who has never truly belonged anywhere. I do love a tortured hero. Imogene is the ideal woman, to soothe those wounds, and make him happy.
I really loved Imogene. She's so sweet, and has an innocent strength that surprised me. She has health problems stemming from abuse from her governess when she was a child, but she tries to shield these problems from her brother because she doesn't want to be more of a burden. I loved Imogene and Nathaniel's first meeting! The chemistry between them was electric!
Imogene treats Nathaniel with patience, understanding and a respect that has long been missing from his life. I love that she sees beneath his gruff demeanor, to the core of the man- 'You have a depth of compassion within you that reveals itself at the right time every time. 'Tis what I admire about you most. Your compassion.' I love this bit :)
Forever A Lord is, of course, written in that wonderful style I've come to associate with Ms. Marvelle's writing- it's gritty, explosively sensual, and intensely emotional. I love it.
The sex scenes in this book were dynamite, and really suited Nathaniel's character. He needs to feel in control all the time, which extends to the most intimate of situations. But when he realises how much he loves Imogene and how much he trusts her, he happily relinquishes that control and I thought it was a beautiful moment.
I also really enjoyed the epilogue. It was so sweet, I won't ruin what actually happens but it was a lovely way to round off the series!
This lived up all to my expectations, and more. I cried, I laughed, I rejoiced- and I was reading this at work on my break, so I looked like a mad woman, laughing out loud on my own. I've had this book sat on my shelf for almost 3 months and I'm thoroughly ashamed of myself for not reading it sooner!
I was lucky enough to win a copy of Forever A Lord from Maire Claremont, on her blog.
Originally posted at The Rookie Romance Blog
December 17, 2012
We finally get the story of what happened to Lord Nathaniel as a child and we get to meet the man he has become. Kidnapped as a child by a man holding a secret of Nathaniel's father, he is taken from London to New York City. Once he is released years later, he doesn't go back to his family (he has a reason), but stays in America and takes on a new identity and boxing. It isn't until his deceased sister's husband and son come looking for him that Nathaniel goes back to London to confront the life he once lived and the father he has come to hate.
Nathaniel continues his boxer identity in London and there meets Lady Imogene Norwood. She and her brother are looking for a boxer to sponsor as an investment. Imogene has suffered much of her life with an illness and she leads a pretty sheltered life. She becomes very intrigued by Nathaniel. He can be extremely flirtatious one moment, and the next very sweet. Nathaniel has a tough exterior and some trust issues, especially in an intimate setting. But Imogene trusts him from the beginning.
I didn't completely buy the actions Imogene and her brother settled on to make sure Nathaniel did not walk out on them as their boxer or follow their regiment. But it ends up putting Nathaniel and Imogene together a lot, and I did really enjoy these two together. Marvelle writes really great sexual tension and hot sex scenes. It's not just the sex, though, they're pretty adorable together.
Nathaniel also deals with his family, confronting his father and getting to know his nephew. I'll tell you, the secret his father was keeping, I did not see coming. What an awful reason for abandoning his son.
I had a small gripe involving Imogene's illness. It was such a major part of her life and the reason her brother married a woman he ends up hating. It just seemed a little too easily resolved by Nathaniel.
Overall, though, a great ending to this series.
ARC provided through NetGalley.
Nathaniel continues his boxer identity in London and there meets Lady Imogene Norwood. She and her brother are looking for a boxer to sponsor as an investment. Imogene has suffered much of her life with an illness and she leads a pretty sheltered life. She becomes very intrigued by Nathaniel. He can be extremely flirtatious one moment, and the next very sweet. Nathaniel has a tough exterior and some trust issues, especially in an intimate setting. But Imogene trusts him from the beginning.
I didn't completely buy the actions Imogene and her brother settled on to make sure Nathaniel did not walk out on them as their boxer or follow their regiment. But it ends up putting Nathaniel and Imogene together a lot, and I did really enjoy these two together. Marvelle writes really great sexual tension and hot sex scenes. It's not just the sex, though, they're pretty adorable together.
Nathaniel also deals with his family, confronting his father and getting to know his nephew. I'll tell you, the secret his father was keeping, I did not see coming. What an awful reason for abandoning his son.
I had a small gripe involving Imogene's illness. It was such a major part of her life and the reason her brother married a woman he ends up hating. It just seemed a little too easily resolved by Nathaniel.
Overall, though, a great ending to this series.
ARC provided through NetGalley.
January 29, 2015
3.5 stars ... i am torned between giving it 4 stars ...
SO this novel definitely had a refreshing plots , considering historical romance genre.
First of all the hero is not a gentleman when comes to manners .. he is raw ... he has to be .. he is a fighter after all ... but he is as much gentle and caring.
than there is our gal , always been sheltered in her home because of her illness , but that never broke her spirit , she is strong & she is determined , that 's a trait I always love about the character
And the chemistry is awesome
SO this novel definitely had a refreshing plots , considering historical romance genre.
First of all the hero is not a gentleman when comes to manners .. he is raw ... he has to be .. he is a fighter after all ... but he is as much gentle and caring.
than there is our gal , always been sheltered in her home because of her illness , but that never broke her spirit , she is strong & she is determined , that 's a trait I always love about the character
And the chemistry is awesome
December 10, 2012
Dark and gritty seems to be the new trend in historical romances. And let me tell you now, I am totally liking it. While there will always be room for the glittering ballrooms of the ton, it is nice to see authors paying attention to the underbelly of society. Delilah Marvelle does a fabulous job introducing us to a very realistic world in Forever a Lord, Book Three of her Rumors Series.
Lord Nathaniel James Atwood was kidnapped at the age of 10 and ransom was refused by his father. Left in the hands of his kidnappers for years until finally being released into the streets of New York. He has decided that Nathaniel Atwood is dead and he spends years in the worst gutters just trying to survive and yet he still does all he can to protect those whom society seems to have thrown away. Earning a meager living by winning as many underground boxing matches as possible. Until one day he sees a flyer that says someone from his past is asking questions.
Lady Imogene Norwood was abused by her governess as a child and still has issues both health and mental left from it. Living with her brother who adores her but is miserable in his less than pleasant marriage, she offers her inheritance to him.. to back a boxer, find a champion and maybe free them both. But once she meets the boxer in question, more than fists fly..
Deciding to return to London and regain his name, Lord Atwood is resurrected.. but he refuses to live on the handouts of family, the family that acknowledges him, he wants more. He wants to make his own way and when an offer of a lifetime is presented to him, he accepts it..
Billed as the Missing Heir.. he begins to make a name for himself on his way to becoming the Champion of England.. and gentle sweet, kind Imogene is his backer. Oh what lines these two cross.. he is a Lord who boxes for money *gasp* and she attends all of his training sessions *double gasp* oh the wicked ways of these two. Sizzle and snap there is so much spark in this story that it is a wonder the pages don't spontaneously combust!
Add that to the mystery of why he became the missing heir.. and what secrets he is hiding.. And that was the true shocker of this story. No way did I expect such a reason. And yet, I can see this happening.. I can see some arrogant, proud, idiot of an aristocrat with nothing but his name and his "honor", said scathingly, to behave in such a contemptible manner.
Ms Marville does a wonderful job crafting this story, I was lost to the reality. I didn't even realize that this was a part of a series until I started gathering information for this review... So yes it can and does stand alone but the early books tell the story of those around our missing heir and how they reacted to him. So I am thinking they need to be read.
I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did
Shauni
This review is based on the ARC of Forever A Lord provided by netgalley and is scheduled for release on December 18, 2012
For more reviews by Shauni check out Tea and Book and
Bodice Rippers, Femme Fatales and Fantasy
Lord Nathaniel James Atwood was kidnapped at the age of 10 and ransom was refused by his father. Left in the hands of his kidnappers for years until finally being released into the streets of New York. He has decided that Nathaniel Atwood is dead and he spends years in the worst gutters just trying to survive and yet he still does all he can to protect those whom society seems to have thrown away. Earning a meager living by winning as many underground boxing matches as possible. Until one day he sees a flyer that says someone from his past is asking questions.
Lady Imogene Norwood was abused by her governess as a child and still has issues both health and mental left from it. Living with her brother who adores her but is miserable in his less than pleasant marriage, she offers her inheritance to him.. to back a boxer, find a champion and maybe free them both. But once she meets the boxer in question, more than fists fly..
Deciding to return to London and regain his name, Lord Atwood is resurrected.. but he refuses to live on the handouts of family, the family that acknowledges him, he wants more. He wants to make his own way and when an offer of a lifetime is presented to him, he accepts it..
Billed as the Missing Heir.. he begins to make a name for himself on his way to becoming the Champion of England.. and gentle sweet, kind Imogene is his backer. Oh what lines these two cross.. he is a Lord who boxes for money *gasp* and she attends all of his training sessions *double gasp* oh the wicked ways of these two. Sizzle and snap there is so much spark in this story that it is a wonder the pages don't spontaneously combust!
Add that to the mystery of why he became the missing heir.. and what secrets he is hiding.. And that was the true shocker of this story. No way did I expect such a reason. And yet, I can see this happening.. I can see some arrogant, proud, idiot of an aristocrat with nothing but his name and his "honor", said scathingly, to behave in such a contemptible manner.
Ms Marville does a wonderful job crafting this story, I was lost to the reality. I didn't even realize that this was a part of a series until I started gathering information for this review... So yes it can and does stand alone but the early books tell the story of those around our missing heir and how they reacted to him. So I am thinking they need to be read.
I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did
Shauni
This review is based on the ARC of Forever A Lord provided by netgalley and is scheduled for release on December 18, 2012
For more reviews by Shauni check out Tea and Book and
Bodice Rippers, Femme Fatales and Fantasy
December 15, 2012
This review also appears on my blog at http://www.thegoldenruleof666.blogspo...
Absolutely excellent historical romance! This book is SO sweet. I adored Forever a Lord.
I read the previous book in the series and I really loved it, so I was hoping that the next book would be just as good. Let me tell you, it was even better. One aspect that I really liked is that the books occurred simultaneously. As Imogene and Nathaniel were falling in love, Matthew and Bernadette's story was occurring, just in different places. I just thought that was interesting.
Imogene was a sweet heroine. You could call her naive, but it wasn't in a bad way. It made her very sweet and thoroughly likable. But, make no mistake, Imogene was no coward. When she had something she wanted or needed to do, she didn't hesitate to do it. I really liked how loyal she was to her brother. The whole story began because she wanted to help her brother. Once again, very likable heroine-one of my favorite historical romance heroines yet.
Nathaniel was the opposite in that he was the farthest from naive it was possible to get. He suffered a lot in his life, he had his innocent view of the world taken away when he was just a child, and he crawled out of that mess victorious. But that is what made him a perfect match for Imogene. Nathaniel was a admirable hero. He was strong and sweet and absolutely lovable. And when Mr. Tough Guy fell in love, he was so adorable. He was a fantastic hero-once again, one of my favorites in historical romances.
Imogene and Nathaniel had such a sweet relationship. It was so adorable. They were just so perfectly matched. Their relationship was so pure and loving that it just warmed my heart. There is a bit of spicy mixed in with the sweet, but it was just a pinch. Just enough to make things interesting ;)
The plot of the book was well paced and had me hooked the entire way through. There aren't really any twists and turns within the book. It's fairly straight forward. There is a secret that is revealed, however, that had me surprised. And the ending was so sweet. Not only did it show this couples happy ending, but the happy endings of the other couples in the series.
Forever a Lord was a sweet, wonderful historical romance. To any lovers of romance, you need to read this book!
Thanks to Netgalley for a copy!
Absolutely excellent historical romance! This book is SO sweet. I adored Forever a Lord.
I read the previous book in the series and I really loved it, so I was hoping that the next book would be just as good. Let me tell you, it was even better. One aspect that I really liked is that the books occurred simultaneously. As Imogene and Nathaniel were falling in love, Matthew and Bernadette's story was occurring, just in different places. I just thought that was interesting.
Imogene was a sweet heroine. You could call her naive, but it wasn't in a bad way. It made her very sweet and thoroughly likable. But, make no mistake, Imogene was no coward. When she had something she wanted or needed to do, she didn't hesitate to do it. I really liked how loyal she was to her brother. The whole story began because she wanted to help her brother. Once again, very likable heroine-one of my favorite historical romance heroines yet.
Nathaniel was the opposite in that he was the farthest from naive it was possible to get. He suffered a lot in his life, he had his innocent view of the world taken away when he was just a child, and he crawled out of that mess victorious. But that is what made him a perfect match for Imogene. Nathaniel was a admirable hero. He was strong and sweet and absolutely lovable. And when Mr. Tough Guy fell in love, he was so adorable. He was a fantastic hero-once again, one of my favorites in historical romances.
Imogene and Nathaniel had such a sweet relationship. It was so adorable. They were just so perfectly matched. Their relationship was so pure and loving that it just warmed my heart. There is a bit of spicy mixed in with the sweet, but it was just a pinch. Just enough to make things interesting ;)
The plot of the book was well paced and had me hooked the entire way through. There aren't really any twists and turns within the book. It's fairly straight forward. There is a secret that is revealed, however, that had me surprised. And the ending was so sweet. Not only did it show this couples happy ending, but the happy endings of the other couples in the series.
Forever a Lord was a sweet, wonderful historical romance. To any lovers of romance, you need to read this book!
Thanks to Netgalley for a copy!
September 23, 2018
I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN A SUCKER FOR BRUTISH YET VULNERABLE HERO MEETS FUCKING BEAUTIFUL, KIND AND SWEET HEROINE. THIS ONE WASNT JUST THAT, ITS SETTING AND PLOT WAS ABSOLUTELY DIFFERENT FROM NORMAL HISTORICAL ROMANCES BECAUSE IT FOCUSES ON BOXING.
OUR HERO is the missing Viscount who was known to be kidnapped for political reasons yet no one knows the truth except three individuals - HIM, HIS FATHER & HIS ABDUCTOR. Nathaniel is and always will be a protector. It's the reason why he never came home even after he was set free. 30 years later, he's back in London in due of certain circumstances and finds himself meeting the most beautiful and enchanting yet innocent woman ever, and one who wants to invest in him as a boxer. What can i say about his relationship with Imogene? Their chemistry was off the charts in not just a passionate way but intimate and sweet. I felt my breath catch and I anticipated every moment they were alone together. Nate has no excuses about his rawness and sometimes he may say things that offend a lady but he's not one to say he is sorry for who he is. He may be rough but with his love, he's also gentle.
OUR HEROINE has the heart of gold. Initially she came off a sickly 19 year old but we will discover why later and how she gets better. On the verge of her first season, imposed upon her by her brother she meets the extremely mysterious, virile but also breath taking man that makes her feel like no one has ever done. She's intrigued, breathless but also very attuned to him. When no one welcomes him into the fold, she does so extravagantly and does all she can to treat him like he should - as a man. Not an ARISTOCRAT and not a boxer. She was infatuated with him from the start and slowly it turned into love. I enjoyed the way she worried about him, teased him and helped him to overcome whatever problems he faced. While Nate was a fighter, she was a protector and a motherly one who caught my heart too.
OVERALL this was an amazing and sweet story! I HIGHLY RECOMMENT IT!!! Both characters were great and the chemistry was just too intimate to not love at all.
OUR HERO is the missing Viscount who was known to be kidnapped for political reasons yet no one knows the truth except three individuals - HIM, HIS FATHER & HIS ABDUCTOR. Nathaniel is and always will be a protector. It's the reason why he never came home even after he was set free. 30 years later, he's back in London in due of certain circumstances and finds himself meeting the most beautiful and enchanting yet innocent woman ever, and one who wants to invest in him as a boxer. What can i say about his relationship with Imogene? Their chemistry was off the charts in not just a passionate way but intimate and sweet. I felt my breath catch and I anticipated every moment they were alone together. Nate has no excuses about his rawness and sometimes he may say things that offend a lady but he's not one to say he is sorry for who he is. He may be rough but with his love, he's also gentle.
OUR HEROINE has the heart of gold. Initially she came off a sickly 19 year old but we will discover why later and how she gets better. On the verge of her first season, imposed upon her by her brother she meets the extremely mysterious, virile but also breath taking man that makes her feel like no one has ever done. She's intrigued, breathless but also very attuned to him. When no one welcomes him into the fold, she does so extravagantly and does all she can to treat him like he should - as a man. Not an ARISTOCRAT and not a boxer. She was infatuated with him from the start and slowly it turned into love. I enjoyed the way she worried about him, teased him and helped him to overcome whatever problems he faced. While Nate was a fighter, she was a protector and a motherly one who caught my heart too.
OVERALL this was an amazing and sweet story! I HIGHLY RECOMMENT IT!!! Both characters were great and the chemistry was just too intimate to not love at all.
December 13, 2012
You can hide from yourself, but you cannot deny who you really are
A boy of the streets Lord Nathaniel James Atwood grew up to be a man that thrived in the boxing ring. Nathaniel should have been living a titled life in London not battling for a boxing title in New York. However, his father’s twisted decision altered everything for Nathaniel when the man chose to keep the family name free of scandal at any cost. Lady Imogene Norwood is looking to release herself from the life she is forced to lead. Her ticket to freedom is being held by Nathaniel and his ability to win and with her brother’s assistance; they may both get out and obtain financial freedom.
Imogene becomes the proud sponsor of Nathaniel’s ambitious boxing career and has her own special way of sealing the deal for good. Nathaniel is a great fighter yet Imogene sees past the bumps and bruises to the beautiful core that he keeps hidden. However, what Nathaniel is even better at it seems is keeping secrets. Imogene ever vigilant in exposing them and helping Nathaniel to heal his body and soul is her goal. When something happens that is so wrong you cannot speak of it someone has to help you heal.
When the fights in the bedroom almost outshine the ones in the ring, you are not sure who the winner will be when the last bell rings. At some point, their lives become more than a victory to be achieved or financial gains to be obtained. Imogene sees a lifetime of desire and has such a deep and overwhelming need to keep Nathaniel forever. Imogene has given her heart to the only bidder she has ever desired.
Delilah Marvelle knows how to write a characters’ essence into a book and establish them as so much more than words on a page. Ms. Marvelle writes romantic lines that give you a warm glow that pushes you forward until the book is completely read.
A boy of the streets Lord Nathaniel James Atwood grew up to be a man that thrived in the boxing ring. Nathaniel should have been living a titled life in London not battling for a boxing title in New York. However, his father’s twisted decision altered everything for Nathaniel when the man chose to keep the family name free of scandal at any cost. Lady Imogene Norwood is looking to release herself from the life she is forced to lead. Her ticket to freedom is being held by Nathaniel and his ability to win and with her brother’s assistance; they may both get out and obtain financial freedom.
Imogene becomes the proud sponsor of Nathaniel’s ambitious boxing career and has her own special way of sealing the deal for good. Nathaniel is a great fighter yet Imogene sees past the bumps and bruises to the beautiful core that he keeps hidden. However, what Nathaniel is even better at it seems is keeping secrets. Imogene ever vigilant in exposing them and helping Nathaniel to heal his body and soul is her goal. When something happens that is so wrong you cannot speak of it someone has to help you heal.
When the fights in the bedroom almost outshine the ones in the ring, you are not sure who the winner will be when the last bell rings. At some point, their lives become more than a victory to be achieved or financial gains to be obtained. Imogene sees a lifetime of desire and has such a deep and overwhelming need to keep Nathaniel forever. Imogene has given her heart to the only bidder she has ever desired.
Delilah Marvelle knows how to write a characters’ essence into a book and establish them as so much more than words on a page. Ms. Marvelle writes romantic lines that give you a warm glow that pushes you forward until the book is completely read.
January 4, 2013
Loved it! Wonderful chemistry between the h/h, great story.
The hero while in New York w/his family at the age of 10 was kidnapped by his father's male lover for 5 years & imprisoned in a cellar. His father refused to give into his lovers demands to free him. Nathaniel (who is Lord Atwood) learns to fend for himself growing up alone in NY & is bitter against his father's abandonment & becomes a skilled boxer. The description of boxing as it was then is quite gruesome! He grows up rough yet still having a core of gold; setting up a band to care for the unfortunate where they live.
Imogene (Gene) is his perfect foil. Delicate & frail since young from being abused by her governess she lives with a stutter & fainting spells. The quack doctor attending her was prescribing a daily dosage of laudanum & other medication as a"tonic" worsening her health instead. Gene is emotionally & spiritually strong & wants nothing more than to be able to bring happiness for her brother who married for money to fund her sickness & is fragrantly being cuckolded by his wife.
Gene & her brother come up with a plan to be the sponsors & invest in a boxer to earn the 1/4 million championship prize. You can guess who the boxer turns out to be.
I loved how the rough tough Nathaniel was so protective & caring of Gene & how she in turn mended all his hurts & his soul.
The hero while in New York w/his family at the age of 10 was kidnapped by his father's male lover for 5 years & imprisoned in a cellar. His father refused to give into his lovers demands to free him. Nathaniel (who is Lord Atwood) learns to fend for himself growing up alone in NY & is bitter against his father's abandonment & becomes a skilled boxer. The description of boxing as it was then is quite gruesome! He grows up rough yet still having a core of gold; setting up a band to care for the unfortunate where they live.
Imogene (Gene) is his perfect foil. Delicate & frail since young from being abused by her governess she lives with a stutter & fainting spells. The quack doctor attending her was prescribing a daily dosage of laudanum & other medication as a"tonic" worsening her health instead. Gene is emotionally & spiritually strong & wants nothing more than to be able to bring happiness for her brother who married for money to fund her sickness & is fragrantly being cuckolded by his wife.
Gene & her brother come up with a plan to be the sponsors & invest in a boxer to earn the 1/4 million championship prize. You can guess who the boxer turns out to be.
I loved how the rough tough Nathaniel was so protective & caring of Gene & how she in turn mended all his hurts & his soul.
January 8, 2014
I read this book based on all the awesome reviews and all I could think throughout this hellish experience was that somehow I had picked up the wrong book. This crap is awful!
First off, the writing is pedestrian. Maybe that is acceptable in this genre but I think there should be some standards for good prose.
Secondly, why write an historical novel if you're just going to stick modern characters into the past and not change a thing except their clothes and have lots of horses around instead of cars? The dialogue was completely inappropriate for the regency era and the actions of the characters even less believable for the time period.
Thirdly, there is a 20 year difference between the hero and heroine (and I use those terms loosely). Yuck! And he can't ever even look at her without imagining tying her up! Is that sexy? Not for me, and only for you I guess if you consider 50 Shades of Gray sexy. Sadly, this book was obviously written by a woman who has only ever been around beta males and has only imagined what an alpha male thinks and does, which to her involves lots of cursing, treating women like roadkill, and finding it sexy to take already vulnerable and powerless women and make them even more powerless. Gross.
Fourthly, I wish I could scrub my brain so that this book could forever disappear from my memory!
First off, the writing is pedestrian. Maybe that is acceptable in this genre but I think there should be some standards for good prose.
Secondly, why write an historical novel if you're just going to stick modern characters into the past and not change a thing except their clothes and have lots of horses around instead of cars? The dialogue was completely inappropriate for the regency era and the actions of the characters even less believable for the time period.
Thirdly, there is a 20 year difference between the hero and heroine (and I use those terms loosely). Yuck! And he can't ever even look at her without imagining tying her up! Is that sexy? Not for me, and only for you I guess if you consider 50 Shades of Gray sexy. Sadly, this book was obviously written by a woman who has only ever been around beta males and has only imagined what an alpha male thinks and does, which to her involves lots of cursing, treating women like roadkill, and finding it sexy to take already vulnerable and powerless women and make them even more powerless. Gross.
Fourthly, I wish I could scrub my brain so that this book could forever disappear from my memory!
September 6, 2013
It was interesting, but just didn't do anything for me. I liked the beginning of the book and having an unusual storyline about boxing. The "love" scenes could have been left out since she did such a poor job with them. More X-rated than romance rated. I didn't think they added to the story and actually detracted from the story. I don't consider myself a prude and would be curious what my grf think about this one.
Do not recommend though.
Do not recommend though.
Read
December 29, 2014Miniseries: The Rumor Series
Category: Historical Romance
"Marvelle sweeps readers back into her Rumors series as she crafts an emotionally intense love story that heats up the pages. The unconvententional characters and depth of storytelling lift this into the realm of 'keeper.'" RT Book Reviews, rated 4 1/2 stars. TOP PICK!
Category: Historical Romance
"Marvelle sweeps readers back into her Rumors series as she crafts an emotionally intense love story that heats up the pages. The unconvententional characters and depth of storytelling lift this into the realm of 'keeper.'" RT Book Reviews, rated 4 1/2 stars. TOP PICK!
December 3, 2012
While I enjoyed the main storyline, and loved how the series was wrapped up (especially in regards to Nathaniel's childhood disappearance), I was a bit put off by how bold the heroine was, considering both the time period, her rank, and her "condition".
An enjoyable read, to be sure, but sadly not really a favorite.
3.5 Stars, full review to follow.
An enjoyable read, to be sure, but sadly not really a favorite.
3.5 Stars, full review to follow.
August 15, 2014
Loved, loved it. What a great conclusion to the Rumor series. The H/h were two very flawed, real people with a lot to overcome. It was like a really angsty Victorian Rocky. I read it in one day -- don't remember the last book that made me want to finish it like this one. Yum.
January 11, 2013
Eh.... Decent read but a disappointment to the series. I just wasn't wow'ed at all but was happy to see what happened to all the characters.
January 24, 2013
wonderful!
March 16, 2013
It reminded me too much of Fifty Shades of Grey.
May 14, 2023
Forever a Lord is the third book in The Rumor series. Prologue set in New York, 1800, the story picks up thirty years later in 1830, and 1831, in London, England. The heart-warming Epilogue, involving all the extended family from previous books, is set ten years later on Christmas evening.
Once again the depth of research, this time of historical bare-knuckle boxing, explained in a post-note by the author, is fascinating and historically accurate.
Forever and a Day: 5 stars Tremayne & Georgia
Forever a Lady: 4- stars Matthew & Bernadette
Forever a Lord: 5+ stars Nathaniel & Imogene
Lord Nathaniel James Atwood doesn’t believe true love exists. Since scandal tore him from his family at an early age, he has spent his life fighting for what he wants. A rising star in bare-knuckle boxing, Nathaniel returns to London to reclaim the life that was stolen from him. He is a hardened, formidable, and intense Hero, grappling with a huge secret.
Lady Imogene Anne Norwood lives a sheltered life of quiet respectability and routine. She has suffered ailments from the age of seven because she protected her family from a misguided governess, and was harmed as a result. Debuting in her first season, Gene meets the wild and broken Lord Atwood, and the very shy English rose suddenly realises that a little chaos might just be what her heart desires.
Nathaniel and Imogene’s love story is a glorious juxtaposition of emotions. He’s hard, she’s soft. He’s closed off, she’s open. He’s controlling, she’s amiable. I really enjoyed their romance. Their attraction is intense, and their sexy times are passionate.
I highly recommend this book. I highly recommend this series.
Once again the depth of research, this time of historical bare-knuckle boxing, explained in a post-note by the author, is fascinating and historically accurate.
Forever and a Day: 5 stars Tremayne & Georgia
Forever a Lady: 4- stars Matthew & Bernadette
Forever a Lord: 5+ stars Nathaniel & Imogene
Lord Nathaniel James Atwood doesn’t believe true love exists. Since scandal tore him from his family at an early age, he has spent his life fighting for what he wants. A rising star in bare-knuckle boxing, Nathaniel returns to London to reclaim the life that was stolen from him. He is a hardened, formidable, and intense Hero, grappling with a huge secret.
Lady Imogene Anne Norwood lives a sheltered life of quiet respectability and routine. She has suffered ailments from the age of seven because she protected her family from a misguided governess, and was harmed as a result. Debuting in her first season, Gene meets the wild and broken Lord Atwood, and the very shy English rose suddenly realises that a little chaos might just be what her heart desires.
Nathaniel and Imogene’s love story is a glorious juxtaposition of emotions. He’s hard, she’s soft. He’s closed off, she’s open. He’s controlling, she’s amiable. I really enjoyed their romance. Their attraction is intense, and their sexy times are passionate.
I highly recommend this book. I highly recommend this series.
February 14, 2024
This book was an absolute win...for gender essentialism. It was a loss for me in terms of likeability, character depth, plot, and prose. Imogene was a painfully naive cardboard cutout of a woman who didn't have a single hobby or even a friend beyond her brother (despite ostensibly participating in the London season), Nathaniel was a disrespectful and demanding lead with the worst first impression I've seen in a while, and every other character was barely present.
The shift from contractual relationship to falling in love felt like I was missing a hundred pages of development in between. Some of the plot points felt like they hardly mattered, and even the ones that did were resolved in a handful of pages that felt like afterthoughts. The prose varied wildly from overly florid descriptions of the main characters to very odd and plain reflective scenes ("This was well beyond mere love. This was true love." what??) and the sex scenes were very...wet. No more hot, wet tongues please! I've had enough for a lifetime.
And my god, I have read few sex scenes that were less sexy. Their first night together read like a sexual assault scene to me. "Don't fight me or this" is already something I don't want to hear in a sex scene, but to find out he spilled inside her and she didn't even know what that MEANT gave me an irrepressible ick that lingered for the entire novel.
There was exactly one (1) scene I found cute in this entire book. I would have liked to see them bond more during his boxing training. A shame that it was bracketed by all the rest of this.
The shift from contractual relationship to falling in love felt like I was missing a hundred pages of development in between. Some of the plot points felt like they hardly mattered, and even the ones that did were resolved in a handful of pages that felt like afterthoughts. The prose varied wildly from overly florid descriptions of the main characters to very odd and plain reflective scenes ("This was well beyond mere love. This was true love." what??) and the sex scenes were very...wet. No more hot, wet tongues please! I've had enough for a lifetime.
And my god, I have read few sex scenes that were less sexy. Their first night together read like a sexual assault scene to me. "Don't fight me or this" is already something I don't want to hear in a sex scene, but to find out he spilled inside her and she didn't even know what that MEANT gave me an irrepressible ick that lingered for the entire novel.
There was exactly one (1) scene I found cute in this entire book. I would have liked to see them bond more during his boxing training. A shame that it was bracketed by all the rest of this.
April 7, 2026
Loved loved loved this story!
I'll admit I was very hesitant to read this book, because it is a Harlequin HQN Historical Romance book, and I automatically for some reason associate that with being very... not-steamy, like for a P-13 teenage audience. This was not the case at all. This story had tons of steamy scenes, emotions, violence (boxing scenes) and swearing. (warning: this hero does have a potty mouth in case it does offend readers, but not in the corny dirty bedroom talk sense. It was very appropriate talk coming from him and actually made his character more believable to me.)
The characters were all written so perfectly! The heroine had some past health issues and underlining OCD issues that she was dealing with and she was such an innocent, likeable, loving leading lady. The hero was a very tough, blunt, astute boxer guy with tons of compassion underneath. I loved watching them fall in love. It wasn't done too quickly or too slowly. I loved their banter back and forth, it was so realistic and honest.
I loved how the hero got the heroine to talk thru her stutter the first time (with his Dare game). It was adorable. Every time I thought that the book couldn't get any better, the next chapter was just as great. This was my first book by this author and I can't wait to go back now and find her other titles. (PS: so I would say that this could be a stand-alone book. I did not feel lost at all)
I'll admit I was very hesitant to read this book, because it is a Harlequin HQN Historical Romance book, and I automatically for some reason associate that with being very... not-steamy, like for a P-13 teenage audience. This was not the case at all. This story had tons of steamy scenes, emotions, violence (boxing scenes) and swearing. (warning: this hero does have a potty mouth in case it does offend readers, but not in the corny dirty bedroom talk sense. It was very appropriate talk coming from him and actually made his character more believable to me.)
The characters were all written so perfectly! The heroine had some past health issues and underlining OCD issues that she was dealing with and she was such an innocent, likeable, loving leading lady. The hero was a very tough, blunt, astute boxer guy with tons of compassion underneath. I loved watching them fall in love. It wasn't done too quickly or too slowly. I loved their banter back and forth, it was so realistic and honest.
I loved how the hero got the heroine to talk thru her stutter the first time (with his Dare game). It was adorable. Every time I thought that the book couldn't get any better, the next chapter was just as great. This was my first book by this author and I can't wait to go back now and find her other titles. (PS: so I would say that this could be a stand-alone book. I did not feel lost at all)
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