What do you think?
Rate this book
The Spring Begins
The award winning author of Wake Me With a Kiss explores the healing power of love in this Regency-era Scottish romance short story. Still grieving the death of his wife, Adam McAllister, Viscount Blair, has isolated himself from the world—even from his children—shrouded in a gloom of perpetual winter. But the first blush of spring seems to appear again in the form of his children's feisty new governess, Letitia Webster. But even as a flame of passion begins to warm their cold home, both Adam and Letitia know that they must leave the painful past behind once and for all in order to embrace their future together.
This short historical romance provides readers with the ideal occasion to get to know the work of author Danice Allen, whose contemporary romance Wake Me With a Kiss was named Best Harlequin American of the Year by Romantic Times Magazine.
This short historical romance provides readers with the ideal occasion to get to know the work of author Danice Allen, whose contemporary romance Wake Me With a Kiss was named Best Harlequin American of the Year by Romantic Times Magazine.
- GenresHistorical Romance
87 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 24, 2014
7 people are currently reading
32 people want to read
About the author
Danice Allen
7 books15 followersDanice Allen is the author of twenty-two romance novels, writing under her own name for Avon and Berkley, and as Emily Dalton for Harlequin Regency and Harlequin American. One of her contemporary novels, WAKE ME WITH A KISS, was named Best Harlequin American of the Year by Romantic Times magazine. Her novels have been sold around the world and translated into many languages, including Chinese.
Danice enjoys researching her novels almost as much as writing them, especially when the research includes travel. She has traveled extensively in the United States and spent some memorable times in Great Britain and Europe exploring castles and countryside.
Danice lives in Utah, but is an avid Anglophile and lover of British literature and history. At the same time, she immensely enjoys stories based in small-town Americana, both to read and write. This shared love for the "old" country and the "new" country made sense to her when her ancestry DNA test revealed that she is very, very British, and that her ancestors came to America with the earliest settlers.
Danice is married and has two sons, one of whom lives in Los Angeles and writes for television. Her other son lives close by with his wife and two children, which makes for many fun family gatherings.
Danice loves to read, travel, do in-depth family history research, walk and shop.
Danice enjoys researching her novels almost as much as writing them, especially when the research includes travel. She has traveled extensively in the United States and spent some memorable times in Great Britain and Europe exploring castles and countryside.
Danice lives in Utah, but is an avid Anglophile and lover of British literature and history. At the same time, she immensely enjoys stories based in small-town Americana, both to read and write. This shared love for the "old" country and the "new" country made sense to her when her ancestry DNA test revealed that she is very, very British, and that her ancestors came to America with the earliest settlers.
Danice is married and has two sons, one of whom lives in Los Angeles and writes for television. Her other son lives close by with his wife and two children, which makes for many fun family gatherings.
Danice loves to read, travel, do in-depth family history research, walk and shop.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
October 4, 2014
The Spring Begins by Danice Allen is a 2014 Diversion Books publication.
This novella is a homage I think to the Jane Eyre style of historical romance and will certainly appeal to those who love the stories evolving around governess'. It will also appeal to those who like a man in a kilt. ( and who doesn't?)
Adam is a man who lost his wife too young and quite tragically. With children to raise, he seeks a governess that will keep them in hand. So far he hasn't had much luck with that.
Letitia needs a job after having gone through four previous attempts at being a governess. The fault was not her own, but she hopes this position will be better. Her hopes are dashed when she hears her new employer is a stickler for rules and quite mean.
Adam is taken off guard by Letitia from the beginning and she keeps him off guard until he realizes the kind of man he has become. He is overly formal with his children, seldom taking the time to be a real father to them and of course he is very troubled by his attraction to Letitia. She slowly teaches him the error of his ways, but Adam has a few lesson to teach Letitia as well.
Overall this is a sweet historical that focuses on what really matters in life and brings two people together who have been touched by the past in such a way they are now overly cautious about taking chances. The story lags in some places and of course it's pretty predictable. Still this storyline never fails to charm me in some small way. The romance is very chaste. Those who rate steam levels would give this one a 1 on the scale. This is mostly an enjoyable read so I will go with 3 stars.
This novella is a homage I think to the Jane Eyre style of historical romance and will certainly appeal to those who love the stories evolving around governess'. It will also appeal to those who like a man in a kilt. ( and who doesn't?)
Adam is a man who lost his wife too young and quite tragically. With children to raise, he seeks a governess that will keep them in hand. So far he hasn't had much luck with that.
Letitia needs a job after having gone through four previous attempts at being a governess. The fault was not her own, but she hopes this position will be better. Her hopes are dashed when she hears her new employer is a stickler for rules and quite mean.
Adam is taken off guard by Letitia from the beginning and she keeps him off guard until he realizes the kind of man he has become. He is overly formal with his children, seldom taking the time to be a real father to them and of course he is very troubled by his attraction to Letitia. She slowly teaches him the error of his ways, but Adam has a few lesson to teach Letitia as well.
Overall this is a sweet historical that focuses on what really matters in life and brings two people together who have been touched by the past in such a way they are now overly cautious about taking chances. The story lags in some places and of course it's pretty predictable. Still this storyline never fails to charm me in some small way. The romance is very chaste. Those who rate steam levels would give this one a 1 on the scale. This is mostly an enjoyable read so I will go with 3 stars.
May 3, 2015
SENSUAL EXPLICITNESS: Kissing; thoughts of sex but not in a distasteful way (more feelings for how one feels towards the other); no profanity; no sexual code words
GENRE: Historical Romance
SETTING: 1814, Leys Castle near Inverness, Scotland
CENTRAL FEMALE CHARACTER: LETITIA WEBSTER: 21 yrs old; "extremely" attractive; unstructured; has a sense of humor.
CENTRAL MALE CHARACTER: ADAM McALLISTER, Viscount Blair: hates not being punctual; widower; strict.
SYNOPSIS: Her parents have ruined her status in life. She left every position as a Governess that she has ever had due to unwanted advances by men in the household. But, she arrives at this home and he understands why she has left so many job.
WHAT I LIKED: Although an unhappy widower for 2 years, even the servants see his attraction to her.
WHAT I DID NOT LIKE: Disappointing that the 1st kiss happened so soon.
Please read my "Main Page" summary on LibraryThing.com https://www.librarything.com/work/159...
GENRE: Historical Romance
SETTING: 1814, Leys Castle near Inverness, Scotland
CENTRAL FEMALE CHARACTER: LETITIA WEBSTER: 21 yrs old; "extremely" attractive; unstructured; has a sense of humor.
CENTRAL MALE CHARACTER: ADAM McALLISTER, Viscount Blair: hates not being punctual; widower; strict.
SYNOPSIS: Her parents have ruined her status in life. She left every position as a Governess that she has ever had due to unwanted advances by men in the household. But, she arrives at this home and he understands why she has left so many job.
WHAT I LIKED: Although an unhappy widower for 2 years, even the servants see his attraction to her.
WHAT I DID NOT LIKE: Disappointing that the 1st kiss happened so soon.
Please read my "Main Page" summary on LibraryThing.com https://www.librarything.com/work/159...
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews