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The Saga of Wolfbridge Manor #2
The Dowager Countess
I am determined upon a course that will involve careful consideration, calculation, and actions that will be of benefit to me. Nobody else. For only by pursuing this course will I fully recover my life, my independence, my self-confidence - and my soul. I thought my life had ended when I was seventeen. It hadn’t. I thought my life would end last year at the Dower House. It didn’t. Now I have yet another chance at a brand new life. This time, I shall be the one to direct it. I will not open my heart to the risk of another betrayal by any man. For that would indeed be the death of me. The Journal of Gwyneth, Dowager Countess, Lady of Wolfbridge, March 1818 Weak and desperate, Gwyneth, Dowager Countess of Kilham, clings to what’s left of her life, unaware that rescue is on the way. Awakening in a strange bed she struggles to recover, wondering about the handsome men who are nursing her back from the brink of death. Assuming the mantle of Lady of Wolfbridge, Gwyneth begins to improve not only her health, but her damaged soul, finding solace in the willing and loving arms of her four gentlemen. Daring to obey her desires and turn her back on convention, she learns that there are still men who believe in honour—and generous, selfless passion. In addition, she discovers herself to be a woman unafraid of those passions. The Whitsun fête is a grand occasion for the entire estate, but it also brings danger to Wolfbridge. The Lady will have to take a stand against those who would destroy her and seize everything she now holds dear. And she’ll have to be brave enough to understand that she is no longer alone. This is the second novel in The Saga of Wolfbridge Manor and features characters who made their debut in Book 1 – Lady Adalyn. Your reading pleasure will be enhanced if these books are read in order. The story will be continued in Book 3.
354 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 16, 2019
42 people are currently reading
16 people want to read
About the author
Sahara Kelly
245 books155 followersI'm really rather boring... Honestly. I live a pretty hum-drum life as a wife and mother. I shop at the local supermarket and use coupons now and again. See? Boring stuff.
I live in Virginia now, so I am learning all kinds of new things - such as being able to buy beer and wine along with bread and toothpaste. Wow!
Having been born and raised in England, I do possess a well-developed feel for the English countryside. Comes in handy for those Regency tales.
Even though I was transplanted over to the US side of the Atlantic, I still have ties to all things Brit. I bake sausage rolls and make Christmas pudding. You can take the girl out of England, but not England out of the girl, I guess.
I'm not sure anyone can write really well unless they read. A lot. I read anything and everything these days. And mostly on my couch with a book on my knees. Yes, the technology is out there for electronic versions, but there's not much to compare with a shiny new hardcover from a favorite author.
I live in Virginia now, so I am learning all kinds of new things - such as being able to buy beer and wine along with bread and toothpaste. Wow!
Having been born and raised in England, I do possess a well-developed feel for the English countryside. Comes in handy for those Regency tales.
Even though I was transplanted over to the US side of the Atlantic, I still have ties to all things Brit. I bake sausage rolls and make Christmas pudding. You can take the girl out of England, but not England out of the girl, I guess.
I'm not sure anyone can write really well unless they read. A lot. I read anything and everything these days. And mostly on my couch with a book on my knees. Yes, the technology is out there for electronic versions, but there's not much to compare with a shiny new hardcover from a favorite author.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
June 10, 2019
Unfocused, incomplete, and way too preachy
I am reviewing an ARC copy of The Dowager Countess, courtesy of Candid Book Reviews.Sahara Kelly's regency reverse-harem Lady Adalyn featured an unusual entailed estate, with a unique purpose, and a swoon-worthy all-male staff. In The Dowager Countess, MS. Kelly disposes of her erstwhile heroine, Lady Adalyn, together with the former estate manager, Daniel. Likewise, she retires Trick the groom, leaving Wolfbridge Manor understaffed and ill-prepared for the new Lady - the widowed countess whose stepson, the evil earl, banishes her, penniless, to starve in the run-down dowager house on his estate. Wolfbridge butler Giles to the rescue! And thus continues the tale of Wolfbridge's revolving-door cast of characters. Giles finds replacement male staff, and continues the Wolfbridge mission of female sexual liberation, one woman at a time. Somewhere in there are some very well-described menage activities featuring the dowager countess with two, three, or four gentlemen servants, including a wee tiny bit of M/M, but the book mainly divides its focus on tying up loose ends from other books, the changing of the guard at Wolfbridge, and pontificating on how accepting they are of female sexuality, female empowerment, and male bonding. The expected HEA does not happen here, mainly because there is no real ending to this book. Characters exit, new ones enter, everybody has a sexy good time, and then... nothing. (I'd call it a cliff-hanger ending, but there isn't even a cliff). As much as I enjoyed its predecessor, I disliked this non-story of an abused woman who needed a life makeover, but settled for orgasms.
I am reviewing an ARC copy of The Dowager Countess, courtesy of Candid Book Reviews.Sahara Kelly's regency reverse-harem Lady Adalyn featured an unusual entailed estate, with a unique purpose, and a swoon-worthy all-male staff. In The Dowager Countess, MS. Kelly disposes of her erstwhile heroine, Lady Adalyn, together with the former estate manager, Daniel. Likewise, she retires Trick the groom, leaving Wolfbridge Manor understaffed and ill-prepared for the new Lady - the widowed countess whose stepson, the evil earl, banishes her, penniless, to starve in the run-down dowager house on his estate. Wolfbridge butler Giles to the rescue! And thus continues the tale of Wolfbridge's revolving-door cast of characters. Giles finds replacement male staff, and continues the Wolfbridge mission of female sexual liberation, one woman at a time. Somewhere in there are some very well-described menage activities featuring the dowager countess with two, three, or four gentlemen servants, including a wee tiny bit of M/M, but the book mainly divides its focus on tying up loose ends from other books, the changing of the guard at Wolfbridge, and pontificating on how accepting they are of female sexuality, female empowerment, and male bonding. The expected HEA does not happen here, mainly because there is no real ending to this book. Characters exit, new ones enter, everybody has a sexy good time, and then... nothing. (I'd call it a cliff-hanger ending, but there isn't even a cliff). As much as I enjoyed its predecessor, I disliked this non-story of an abused woman who needed a life makeover, but settled for orgasms.
June 1, 2019
ill admit.. this is sorta my genre sorta not haha.. the whole reverse haram interests me.. and i enjoy it because of that.. lol this author is well written and has good plots. i enjoyed this story more then i thought i would haha.
May 23, 2019
The Dowager Countess
Sahara Kelly
A heart wenching story of a woman in a desperate time of need. (Get your hanky ready). More things will come to light within the Wolfbridge Manor. As we know, we are missing a few of our boys as they have found their happy endings as well as some of the women. But who will replace who and what baggage will come with them?
A woman whose very life is danger of being snuffed out. When her stepson moves back home all her hopes and dreams are dashed and thrown out along with her as yesterday's trash. But out of the night comes a man who promises her he will help her back onto her feet and make her a better woman. Could this be true?
Sahara Kelly
A heart wenching story of a woman in a desperate time of need. (Get your hanky ready). More things will come to light within the Wolfbridge Manor. As we know, we are missing a few of our boys as they have found their happy endings as well as some of the women. But who will replace who and what baggage will come with them?
A woman whose very life is danger of being snuffed out. When her stepson moves back home all her hopes and dreams are dashed and thrown out along with her as yesterday's trash. But out of the night comes a man who promises her he will help her back onto her feet and make her a better woman. Could this be true?
May 19, 2019
Healing in many ways
Gwntheh was battered and abused near death! Prior to her rescue Gabriel also was rescued from near death! All have secrets and some more profound than others! Amid murder a stabbing and long lost regained! Decisions made and love regained! Changing of the guard occurs and old scandals revealed! A must read!
Gwntheh was battered and abused near death! Prior to her rescue Gabriel also was rescued from near death! All have secrets and some more profound than others! Amid murder a stabbing and long lost regained! Decisions made and love regained! Changing of the guard occurs and old scandals revealed! A must read!
June 12, 2019
This story surprised me! It didn't go the way I expected at all. That's a good thing because I like where it's going. The characters surprise me at every turn, the author throws out historical items like she eats, sleeps, and dreams of these things, and the romance is so overwhelming lovely. Who knew Piquet wasn't a croquet-like game? It's actually a card game played with only Aces through Sevens! I had to look that up; it was sitting in my mind like a raven over a dead body. ACK! Anywhoo, this second in the series ties up our first Lady of Wolfbridge, and introduces us to our next, and several new household members (snickering). As far as the RH genre goes, this is a very gentle introduction, and if you like historical romance that's easy to read, then this series might be a good place to start if you're looking into this newer genre.
May 16, 2019
Why One🐺, When Four Are More Fun🐺🐺🐺🐺!
When Gwyneth's husband, the Earl dies, she is left homeless and banished penniless to a falling down dower house, some ten miles away from the Earl's estate. As his young second wife, the Earl wanted more children, but it wasn't meant to be. Instead, his only son from his first wife, the new earl, hates her and hopes she dies in the mouldy old house he leaves her at. He says she inherited nothing.
Nearly dead, Gwyneth💃💔 is finally rescued by Giles🐺, one of the four handsome caretakers of Wolfbridge Manor. She is cared for at the manor and brought back to health by the men, who proclaim their devotion to her in every way possible! She is there because she carries the blood of her Wolfbridge ancestors. This is a reverse harem type adult historical romance.
ARC Received from Candid Book📚 Reviews
This book was $2.99 on Amazon or free with KU at the time of this review.
Opinions Expressed here are my own.
Besides the adult romantic story, there are elements of blackmail, greed💰, and violence🔪🔫 in this well written and well thought out Regency era novel.
The romantic interludes are tasteful and do not take over the story. They are natural parts of the story and of Gwyneth's physical and mental healing.
It is best to read this series 📚 in order.
When Gwyneth's husband, the Earl dies, she is left homeless and banished penniless to a falling down dower house, some ten miles away from the Earl's estate. As his young second wife, the Earl wanted more children, but it wasn't meant to be. Instead, his only son from his first wife, the new earl, hates her and hopes she dies in the mouldy old house he leaves her at. He says she inherited nothing.
Nearly dead, Gwyneth💃💔 is finally rescued by Giles🐺, one of the four handsome caretakers of Wolfbridge Manor. She is cared for at the manor and brought back to health by the men, who proclaim their devotion to her in every way possible! She is there because she carries the blood of her Wolfbridge ancestors. This is a reverse harem type adult historical romance.
ARC Received from Candid Book📚 Reviews
This book was $2.99 on Amazon or free with KU at the time of this review.
Opinions Expressed here are my own.
Besides the adult romantic story, there are elements of blackmail, greed💰, and violence🔪🔫 in this well written and well thought out Regency era novel.
The romantic interludes are tasteful and do not take over the story. They are natural parts of the story and of Gwyneth's physical and mental healing.
It is best to read this series 📚 in order.
May 13, 2019
What an intriguing and passionate story! Rescued from a regrettable and infuriating situation that she survived the new Lady of Wolfbridge was healing and determined to take control of her life. I was taken by surprise by the various twists in the story. Lot of things caught my attention. Intense and dramatic Gabriel's character, madness can follow us anywhere, no place is safe because danger could be upon us no matter what and true love has no expiration date. Much to enjoy in this story full of sensuality and passion, suspense and dangerous situations that I read avidly and enjoyed. Good pace, strong characters, lovely scenes and that last page was super intriguing and mysterious. Can’t wait for the next book. These stories are getting better each time. Received this book from Candid Reviews.
May 30, 2019
Woodbridge continues
Nice new character and a surprising loss of one but the lady's connection to her gentlemen remains a little grey and the sense of "to be continued" was disappointing..
Nice new character and a surprising loss of one but the lady's connection to her gentlemen remains a little grey and the sense of "to be continued" was disappointing..
May 16, 2019
I enjoyed reading this story. I like that the reverse harem isn't overdone. The story is emotional and a bit steamy :) but that isn't overdone either. When I go back and compare book one to this book, I think this one is a bit more sad and even a tad more dangerous. Things are changing at the Manor this time around but I think Gwyneth can not only fit the bill but I think she & even some of her "servants" really deserve some happiness, compassion and love in their lives. I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation from the author.
July 19, 2019
The earl had died and his son had taken over. He was not a nice man. He forced the countess, his stepmother to pack what she could and took her to the Dowager House. The house had not been taken care of, part of the roof had fallen, it was wet, and there were rats and lice. There was little food, wood for the fire, and the blankets were so old they provided little warmth. This what Lady Gwyneth, the Countess of Kilham.
Giles from Wolfbridge came to get her and take her to her new estate. When he got to the Dowager House, he knocked on the door but no answer. He finally pushed in the door and looked around in horror at the squalor the countess had been forced into. He put her in the carriage, but she was unconscious, he had bought a robe with him in case and some furs and blankets. At Wolfbridge there awaited two of the gentlemen.
The book is a cliffhanger, which I don't care for. The author did an excellent job of writing. I moved thru the book with no problem and the characters were varied and so true to life. There were a lot of twists and they were handled with expertise. I liked the way the four men treated her to get her back to health. The town had friendly people, who enjoyed getting to know her. It was so exciting and adventurous. But the tale was not finished when the end of the book arrived. Disappointing. I think this could be enjoyed by people over eighteen who enjoy a racy kind of novel.
I received this book from Candid Reviews and I decided to review it.
Giles from Wolfbridge came to get her and take her to her new estate. When he got to the Dowager House, he knocked on the door but no answer. He finally pushed in the door and looked around in horror at the squalor the countess had been forced into. He put her in the carriage, but she was unconscious, he had bought a robe with him in case and some furs and blankets. At Wolfbridge there awaited two of the gentlemen.
The book is a cliffhanger, which I don't care for. The author did an excellent job of writing. I moved thru the book with no problem and the characters were varied and so true to life. There were a lot of twists and they were handled with expertise. I liked the way the four men treated her to get her back to health. The town had friendly people, who enjoyed getting to know her. It was so exciting and adventurous. But the tale was not finished when the end of the book arrived. Disappointing. I think this could be enjoyed by people over eighteen who enjoy a racy kind of novel.
I received this book from Candid Reviews and I decided to review it.
May 23, 2021
An intelligent and worthwhile read
Not precisely a cliffhanger. It is an HFN. The characters are happy for now, though there remain unresolved issues, and unanswered questions.
These stories are good ones. They are as much or more about thoughts and ideas, as about sex. These are endearing tales of growth in the young women who become in turn the Ladies of Wolfbridge.
While the story itself is worthy of 5 stars, the execution has imperfections. There are a couple of continuity issues. There is the exchange of Gabriel's name for Giles and vice versa. And aside from British English v. American English, there are still wrong words (that for than) and missing words.
A keen editor could be just the thing.
BTW Amazon doesn't know there is third book in this series. I only found it by searching for Wolfbridge Manor book 3. It is called The Rightful Lord.
Not precisely a cliffhanger. It is an HFN. The characters are happy for now, though there remain unresolved issues, and unanswered questions.
These stories are good ones. They are as much or more about thoughts and ideas, as about sex. These are endearing tales of growth in the young women who become in turn the Ladies of Wolfbridge.
While the story itself is worthy of 5 stars, the execution has imperfections. There are a couple of continuity issues. There is the exchange of Gabriel's name for Giles and vice versa. And aside from British English v. American English, there are still wrong words (that for than) and missing words.
A keen editor could be just the thing.
BTW Amazon doesn't know there is third book in this series. I only found it by searching for Wolfbridge Manor book 3. It is called The Rightful Lord.
July 15, 2019
The next Lady of Wolfbridge
As soon as Adalyn was married and gone, it was time to retrieve the next Lady of Wolfbridge. Giles reached her just in the nick of time. He rushed back to Wolfbridge with her and everyone leapt into action to save her life.
Gwyneth, the Countess of Kilham, was removed from the manor as soon as her husband died. I won't provide details because that would spoil the story for future readers. I didn't like Gwyneth as well as I did Adalyn. She seemed more demanding, more acting as if privilege was her due, and more ... well, trollopy. The book was well-written and the plot was good, just not quite as good as "Lady Adalyn."
The story is "to be continued" although I have not found any trace of Book 3.
17
As soon as Adalyn was married and gone, it was time to retrieve the next Lady of Wolfbridge. Giles reached her just in the nick of time. He rushed back to Wolfbridge with her and everyone leapt into action to save her life.
Gwyneth, the Countess of Kilham, was removed from the manor as soon as her husband died. I won't provide details because that would spoil the story for future readers. I didn't like Gwyneth as well as I did Adalyn. She seemed more demanding, more acting as if privilege was her due, and more ... well, trollopy. The book was well-written and the plot was good, just not quite as good as "Lady Adalyn."
The story is "to be continued" although I have not found any trace of Book 3.
17
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews