Review: Forbidden Jewel of India – Louise Allen

Posted on March 22, 2013 by juliemt

A sumptuously written tale simmering with exotic splendor illicit desires and secret passions, Forbidden Jewel of India is an enthralling and engrossing historical romance from the immensely gifted pen of award-winning author Louise Allen!

Anusha Laurens has spent most of her life sheltered and cossetted in her uncle’s luxurious palace in Rajasthan. The illegitimate daughter of an Indian princess and an English nobleman, Anusha still bears the scars of her father’s devastating betrayal. Anusha has never managed to forgive her father for sending her mother to an early grave nor has she managed to forget the heartbreaking pain which she had to endure when she had been forced to leave the only home she had never known and seek shelter in her uncle’s palace. Anusha had vowed never to have anything more to do with the father who had so brutally abandoned her ever again. However, when her life is placed in imminent danger, Anusha realizes that her only chance of survival is if she consents to travelling halfway across India to her father’s house in Calcutta. Swallowing her pride is not something which the proud Anusha finds easy to do – and indeed the journey to Calcutta is made even more challenging when she encounters the man charged with protecting her: the devastatingly handsome Major Nicholas Herriard!

There is absolutely nothing that Nicholas would not do for the man who had rescued him from the brink of despair and given him a reason to live: Sir George Laurens. Anusha’s father had treated him like his own and made him the strong, intelligent and dependable man he is today. Nicholas had felt honoured and privileged when the man he respected most in the world had asked him to bring his beloved daughter to safety. However, Nicholas hadn’t counted on how aggravating and infuriating Anusha Laurens could be – nor had he imagined that he would find himself attracted to her…

With danger lurking round every corner, Anusha and Nicholas must keep their wits about them if they are to survive and reach their destination. Although the two of them had resolved to keep their feelings for one another firmly under wraps, resistance quickly proves futile. Surrendering to temptation might have been inevitable, but does Anusha and Nicholas’ love stand a chance of surviving when there is so much standing in their way?

Forbidden Jewel of India continues to assert Louise Allen’s standing as one of the most exceptional writers of historical romance writing today. Daring, innovative and wonderfully passionate, this sublimely romantic tale of forbidden love sweeps readers away to an exquisitely rendered and fabulously recreated eighteenth century India. Expertly melding her meticulous historical knowledge with her astounding storytelling prowess, Louise Allen has written a dramatic, dazzling and engrossing historical romance which I couldn’t bear to put down!

Atmospheric, captivating and simply breath-taking, Forbidden Jewel of India is a powerful historical romance readers will never forget!

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Review: Snowbound Wedding Wishes – Louise Allen, Lucy Ashford and Joanna Fulford

Posted on March 22, 2013 by juliemt

Snowbound Wedding Wishes is a delightful collection of three charming Regency novellas from popular authors Louise Allen, Lucy Ashford and Joanna Fulford.

Multi award-winning author Louise Allen starts things off with An Earl Beneath the Mistletoe, a magical tale of renewal, redemption and the healing power of love.

After five years spent on the front line fighting for his country, the time has come for Major Hugo Travers, Earl of Burnham, to return to England and find a suitable bride – it’s just a shame the hardened soldier would sooner be on the battlefield than at a society ball being forced to endure the inane chatter of a fatuous debutante! Having been invited to a family Christmas gathering, Hugo is already dreading his friends and family’s less than subtle probing into his private life. But unbeknownst to Hugo, fate has got other things in store for him…

A snowstorm leaves Hugo trapped and exposed in the Chiltern valley miles away from his destination. When he knocks on the door of an alehouse hoping for a bed for the night, Hugo is taken aback when the door is opened by the most beautiful woman he has ever seen: the widowed alewife Emilia Weston.

Hugo awakens in Emilia feelings which she thought long-buried. But how can she possibly contemplate a future with him when Hugo’s presence in her life is temporary? Will a Christmas miracle propel Hugo and Emilia into one another’s arms? Or will the cold light of day destroy their burgeoning happiness?

In An Earl Beneath the Mistletoe, the talented Louise Allen has penned a heart-warming story that sparkles with hope, humour and heart. Wonderfully written, immensely compelling and sublimely romantic, An Earl Beneath the Mistletoe is another triumph for this terrific writer of historical romance!

The second story in this anthology, Twelfth Night Proposal, is a poignant and intriguing tale from the gifted pen of fast rising historical romance star Lucy Ashford.

Theo Dalbury wasn’t exactly overjoyed when he was informed that he had inherited a country estate in rural Derbyshire. Theo is more at home in the sophisticated ball rooms of London than in the wild open spaces of the countryside. Staying on at his new estate is certainly not an option for Theo, but his initial plans for a quick visit to Derbyshire quickly fall by the wayside when he claps eyes on a pretty country girl called Jenna…

The more time Theo spends with Jenna, the more he finds himself falling in love with this beautiful, resourceful and astonishingly brave country girl. But before Theo can claim the woman who has captured his heart, he must first confront his past and allow old wounds to heal.

Will Theo and Jenna get the happy ending they both so richly deserve? Or will they continue to let fear prevent them from reaching out for another chance at love?

Lucy Ashford ticks all the right boxes with this moving, tender and highly enjoyable Regency novella. Twelfth Night Proposal is a beguiling, seductive and heart-warming tale with a fantastic heroine, a swoon-worthy hero and plenty of engaging emotional romantic drama that will keep readers mesmerized from beginning to end!

The anthology ends on a high note with Joanna Fulford’s spellbinding story of sacrifice, salvation and second chances, Christmas at Oakhurst Manor.

Vivien Hastings is looking forward to spending a quiet and peaceful Christmas at Oakhurst Manor. However, Vivien’s plans for a tranquil Yuletide are immediately dashed when she realizes that she is going to be spending Christmas with the one man she has never quite managed to forget: Max Calderwood.

Vivien has never got over Max’s devastating betrayal. Although she had tried so hard to vanquish him from her heart, Vivien is dismayed when long-buried feelings and suppressed emotions come rushing back to the fore. But are Vivien and Max ready to let bygones be bygones and to put their heart on the line for a second time? Or will they continue to let the past to come between them?

Joanna Fulford has penned an emotional, compelling and powerful romantic story that brought a tear to my eye! Plumbing the depths of the human heart with sensitivity, depth and aplomb, this fantastic writer of historical romance has written a spectacular Regency novella readers will not easily forget!

Readers are in for a treat with this marvellous collection of sparkling Regency short stories! Enjoyable, engrossing and unmissable, Snowbound Wedding Wishes deserves a place on keeper shelves everywhere!

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Review: A Bond Between Strangers – Scarlet Wilson

Posted on February 13, 2013 by juliemt

An unexpected twist of fate gives way to a love that will last a lifetime in Scarlet Wilson’s enjoyable and emotional Medical Romance, A Bond Between Strangers.

When his wife Tabitha had walked out on their marriage after she had discovered that she couldn’t give him the family he had always wanted, John Carter had felt nothing except relief that he no longer had to pretend to love the high maintenance woman whom he knew he should never have married. John didn’t miss Tabitha or her incessant spending and constant hissy fits, but not having a child of his own is a regret which wounds his heart. With a failed marriage behind him and his fortieth birthday looming, John fears that he has missed his chance of making his dream of having a family a reality.

John had resigned himself to spending the rest of his life on his own – until one day a letter from an IVF clinic drops through his letterbox and informs him that there’s been a mix up and a stranger he’s never met is carrying his baby! John is absolutely floored by this bombshell, but shock quickly gives way to a determination not to lose this last chance at fatherhood. However, before he can claim his miracle baby, John must first find Lily Grayson, the woman whom years ago he had selected as an egg donor to give him and Tabitha the child they couldn’t conceive naturally. John hires a private detective to track down Lily, however, when he finally claps eyes on the woman who could make his fantasy of being a dad come true, he is stunned by the sheer force of attraction that draws him to the courageous, intelligent and heartbreakingly beautiful nurse.

Lily was flabbergasted when she had learned that an administrative mix-up had resulted in a complete stranger to be wrongly implanted with her eggs. With the paparazzi camping out on her doorstep and the media desperate to splash her turmoil all over the newspapers, Lily needs to keep a low profile and to find a safe place to hide from the unscrupulous glare of the spotlight. Turning to John Carter – the only person in the world who could possibly understand what she is going through – seems natural. But their convenient arrangement quickly leads to an all-consuming attraction which they simply weren’t prepared for…

Are John and Lily strong enough to face up to their feelings for one another? Or will they allow the obstacles standing in their way to tear them apart?

Scarlet Wilson has penned a tender, heartbreaking but wonderfully uplifting story of renewal, redemption, sacrifice and the power of love which I absolutely loved. As always, she writes with great depth and understanding about the human heart and creates terrifically nuanced characters that leap off the page and linger in the mind long after the last page is turned, and Lily and John’s strength, maturity and vulnerability are sure to make them firm favourites with readers everywhere.

Scarlet Wilson is a talented rising star in category romance who is not scared of stretching barriers and pushing the envelope and in A Bond Between Strangers she has penned a compelling, emotionally believable and wholly engrossing romantic tale which readers will not be able to put down!

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Review: Her Motherhood Wish – Anne Fraser

Posted on January 28, 2013 by juliemt

Unexpected passion strikes between an incorrigible playboy and a woman determined to keep her heart under lock and key in Anne Fraser’s touching and thought-provoking Medical Romance, Her Motherhood Wish.

Beautiful, intelligent and successful, Dr. Olivia Simpson had the world at her feet. She had a fabulous social life, a fulfilling career and, more importantly, she was married to a handsome man who worshipped the ground she walked on. Olivia’s life was almost perfect – the only thing missing from this blissful idyll was a baby to call her own. But the bottom had soon fallen out of Olivia’s perfect world when her beloved husband Richard had been diagnosed with a terminal illness. Olivia couldn’t face the thought of spending the rest of her life without the man she loved nor could she bear the idea of never holding Richard’s child in her arms. The determined doctor was determined to bring her husband’s baby into the world, so prior to his death, she had Richard’s sperm frozen and stored in an IVF clinic. After years spent mourning the man who meant more to her than anybody else in the world, Olivia is finally ready to be a mother and to put all of her time and energy into raising a child. Although she is well aware that single motherhood will be anything but easy, Olivia is determined to give her baby the best childhood and all the love and support in the world. Romance is the last thing on her mind – so why can’t she stop thinking about the handsome Dr. David Stuart?

Charming, sophisticated and as sexy as sin, Dr. David Stuart has all the female doctors and nurses falling at his feet. Although the good-looking neurosurgeon could have any woman he wants, he is immediately bowled over by the beautiful Olivia Simpson. But he is stunned when he realizes that the woman he cannot stop thinking about is carrying her late husband’s baby! David knows that he should give Olivia a wide berth – it’s just a shame that fate seems to have other ideas!

When Olivia finds out that there has been a mix-up at the IVF clinic and that the child she is carrying is not her dead husband’s, she reluctantly finds herself turning to David. Despite their best intentions, Olivia and David soon find themselves falling head over heels in love with one another. But is David ready to give up his playboy ways for the sake of his ready-made family? And is Olivia willing to trust her heart – and her unborn child’s well-being – to a man who has spent most of his adult life running away from commitment?

A heart-warming and heart-wrenching emotional drama from a writer whose star is on the rise, Her Motherhood Wish is a dramatic, believable and uplifting Medical Romance about the ties that bind, healing from old wounds and the magic of falling in love guaranteed to bring a tear to even the most jaded of eyes.

Packed with characters you cannot help but care about, tender romance and pulse-racing twists and turns, Her Motherhood Wish is a fantastic tale that’s got keeper written all over it!

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Review: His Mask of Retribution – Margaret McPhee

Posted on December 31, 2012 by juliemt

Falling in love with the enemy’s daughter is not an option for a vengeful highwayman with revenge in his heart in His Mask of Retribution, the latest page-turning Regency romance from the talented Margaret McPhee.

Highwayman Rafe Knight has got good reason to despise The Earl of Misbourne. He believes that the Earl is responsible for destroying his parents’ lives and ruining his childhood. Having spent years plotting his revenge against the man who had blighted his life, Rafe has finally come up with the perfect plan to annihilate the man he hates with every bone in his body: he will abduct Misbourne’s beautiful daughter Marianne and hold her hostage until the dastardly aristocrat confesses that he was responsible for the death of Rafe’s beloved parents. Rafe is determined to go to any lengths to make Misbourne pay for callously taking his parents’ lives – however the ruthless highwayman wasn’t prepared for the sheer force of attraction that consumed him when he clapped eyes on Marianne Winslow or on falling head over heels in love with her!

Marianne’s beauty and charm has bewitched and enchanted every single eligible gentleman of the Ton. Although she has had plenty of suitors and been betrothed three times, Marianne has yet to walk down the aisle – and the Ton has started to talk! Her exasperated father is determined to get his beautiful daughter married off – regardless of whether his daughter approves of his choice of husband for her or not! Although the last thing Marianne wants is to marry a man she doesn’t love, she knows that she has got no other option but to comply with her father’s wishes. But just when all seems lost, Marianne finds herself held at gunpoint and abducted by a dashing highwayman!

Marianne knows that she should fear the dangerous marauder, however, she finds herself strangely drawn to her handsome abductor. Thrust together by fate and united by a passion which simply cannot be denied, Marianne and Rafe quickly find themselves giving into temptation and getting closer. Attraction soon gives way to love, but how can they possibly contemplate a future together when there is so much standing in their way?

Is Marianne and Rafe’s love strong enough to obliterate the obstacles that are standing in their way? Or will Rafe’s thirst for revenge cost him the only woman he will ever love?

His Mask of Retribution is an exciting and enthralling tale of secrets, scandal and seduction readers of Regency romances will devour in a single sitting! Margaret McPhee writes beautifully and skillfully about the past and she will touch her readers’ hearts with this tender, passionate and wonderfully absorbing historical romance.

With an intelligent and valiant heroine, a wickedly saturnine hero, plenty of nail-biting tension, emotional pathos and red-hot passion, His Mask of Retribution is a spectacular Regency romance guaranteed to keep readers reading late into the night!

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