Showing posts with label Regency Historical Romance. Show all posts

Heart in the Highlands by Heidi Kimball

August 8, 2021

About the Book

Book: Heart in the Highlands

Author: Heidi Kimball

Genre: Regency Historical Romance

Release Date: August 9, 2021

An arranged marriage was never what Callum Darrington, future Duke of Edinbane, imagined for himself. But with the well-being of his uncle’s family hanging in the balance, Callum strikes a bargain with his father and reluctantly agrees to tie himself to a stranger. The reality of the lovely Lady Katherine is more than he could have hoped for, and their wedding heralds a bright new future for the couple—until Callum discovers his father deliberately deceived him. Callum lashes out, setting in motion heartbreak not even he could have foreseen.

Four years later, Callum is ready to piece together the marriage he so carelessly destroyed. But their years apart have hardened Kate: she is not the naive and trusting young woman she once was, and she has no intention of allowing Callum a foothold in her life or her heart. Despite her coldness, Callum works to regain her trust and rebuild their marriage, not realizing Kate harbors a secret that could change everything—and this time, there is much more at stake than just her
heart.

My Thoughts

Oh goodness what can I say about this story?! It was just quite lovely! Being a visual person the first thing that always attracts me about a book is its cover and this one is no exception. I mean it just makes you want to be amongst the hills and highlands of Scotland. It's not just the cover that makes you feel like you want to be in this setting the author writes in such a descriptive way that you feel like you are in the setting wherever the story is taking place at that moment in the chapter.

Let's talk about the characters. Immediately as you are starting the book you can tell which characters you will absolutely love and which you are just going to detest. Callum's father is horrendous and I promise you will detest him the minute you read that first chapter. I felt for Callum immediately and the predicament his father puts him in makes it so its a struggle to feel bad for him for what he is about to do to poor Katherine.

Oh Katherine and Callum are just amazing!! Their first meeting was perfection and their romance whew!! Ladies and gents get those fans out because it is HOT!! No worries though, this is a totally clean romance so it is done in a proper manner and nothing gets outrageous! But it is quite amazing the love between the married couple... too bad that it doesn't last very long as Callum leaves Katherine behind for 4 years!!! What?! I was so upset at him! But as you read through the story you understand his motives and learn that Katherine was never too far from his thoughts!

There definitely not a lack of romance in this story and even when they reunite the tension between them is quite amazing!! There is no faith element in this story and I felt like there was never a true resolution between Callum and his father. I mean there were hints of it but nothing that you saw completely resolved. Overall I enjoyed the story and kept me engaged throughout. If you enjoy regency historical romances and clean reads then you should definitely add this to your TBR list!

My Rating: 4 Stars/Really Enjoyed it

I received a copy of this book from the author. I was not required to post a positive review. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

About the Author

At a young age Heidi perfected the art of hiding out so she could read instead of doing chores. One husband and four children later, not much has changed. She has an abiding love for peanut butter M&Ms, all things fall, and any book that can make her forget she is supposed to be keeping her children alive.

Heidi currently lives just north of Boston, in a charming old town in southern New Hampshire.

https://www.authorheidikimball.com/

Instagram—@authorheidikimball
Facebook—https://www.facebook.com/AuthorHeidiKimball/

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Heart in the Highlands by Heidi Kimball

Winning MIss Winthrop by Carolyn Miller ~ Book Review + Giveaway

February 27, 2021

About the Book

Book: Winning Miss Winthrop

Series: Regency Brides: A Promise of Hope, Book 1
Author: Carolyn Miller
Genre: Regency Historical Romance
Release date: March 27, 2018

Pages: 320

Catherine Winthrop is almost at her last prayers, rejected years ago by the man who stole her heart. When tragedy brings him back into her life, she must suffer further grief in silence, amid her family’s pain and hostility, which eventually sends her to seek solace in Bath.

Jonathan Carlew might be wealthy, but the mystery surrounding his birth has shadowed his life, bringing fresh challenges as he takes on the Barony. Caught between appeasing the Winthrop family’s concerns and doing what he could to salvage their failing estate, he must also weigh the echoes of the past with the demands of his new responsibilities.

Two hearts must decide whether present speculation will condemn them to the dust of their memories, or if the whispers of forgiveness can provide freedom for the future.

Click here to get your copy!

My Thoughts

If you are fan of Jane Austen (like I am) you will definitely enjoy this story. The author definitely knows her Regency Era and writes it perfectly. I was immediately drawn by the picturesque setting and all the descriptive detail. The characters were intriguing and well written. The story had some mystery and the tension in the romance just kept you reading!

Catherine has lost her father and because of this her mother and her find out that her father and husband has really left them basically nothing. He has gambled all their monies and has some questionable morals that people enjoy gossiping about. Top top it all of the person inheriting the estate is none other than Carlew which just happens to be Catherine's former love. Somehow there has been a miscommunication between them and they both hold these resentments toward each other on how things were left.

The characters were definitely endearing while some like her mother you couldn't help to chuckle at. You will either love her or love to dislike her. If you have ever seen the Pride and Prejudice movie with Colin Firth... she definitely reminded me of Mrs. Bennett! Always complaining about something, never satisfied with the outcome.

I really enjoyed this story my only complaint is that the romance seemed to lag... I just wanted them to make some progress a little earlier. I mean, it definitely made for good anticipation but still... I definitely would of enjoyed a little bit more of Carlew and Catherine together! He definitely falls into my swoon worthy category! The ending was good and it definitely left it open for other character's stories. I can't wait to hopefully see these characters again but to see what happens to the rest of them!

Overall it was a great story and if you like the writing of Austen, Klassen and Ladd then you will also enjoy this author and I recommend you grab one of her books!

My Rating: 4 Stars/ I really liked it!!

Swoon Worthy Rating: 💗💗💗

I received this book through Celebrate Lit. I was not required to post a positive review. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

About the Author

Carolyn Miller lives in the beautiful Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia, with her husband and four children. Together with her husband she has pastored a church for ten years, and worked as a public high school English and Learning and Support teacher.

A longtime lover of romance, especially that of Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer’s Regency era, Carolyn holds a BA in English Literature, and loves drawing readers into fictional worlds that show the truth of God’s grace in our lives. Her Regency novels include The Elusive Miss Ellison, The Captivating Lady Charlotte, The Dishonorable Miss DeLancey, Winning Miss Winthrop, Miss Serena's Secret, The Making of Mrs. Hale, A Hero for Miss Hatherleigh, Underestimating Miss Cecilia, and Misleading Miss Verity, all available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, Koorong, etc.

More from Carolyn

In 2015 I was fortunate enough to visit England and see my sister who was living there at the time. What followed was three weeks of visiting parts of England, Ireland and Scotland in a whistle-stop tour of some of the places I’d long dreamed about visiting, but never thought I’d get the chance: London, Brighton, the Blarney stone in an Irish castle, Chatsworth in the Peak District, Loch Ness and Culloden in the Scottish Highlands, the gorgeous grounds of Dunrobin Castle, and the beautiful Cotswolds of England, which includes World Heritage-listed Bath.

I’ve used many of the places I’ve visited as inspiration behind my historical stories, but none as much as the places I visited while in Bath. Pretty much every place I visited – Sydney Gardens, Bath Abbey, the Pump Room, The Assembly Rooms and more – were mentioned in my story Winning Miss Winthrop, which I view as my homage to Jane Austen’s Persuasion, which vies with Pride and Prejudice as my favorite Austen novel.

I loved my all-too-brief time in Bath, and I love this story, with its depiction of two people learning to overcome the misunderstandings of the past in order to find a future. Winning Miss Winthrop is the first book in the Regency Brides: A Promise of Hope series, and has the attention to period detail, romance, banter, and faith threads that readers in the Regency Brides series have come to expect. I hope readers enjoy Catherine and Jon’s story.