Barbara’s rating: 3 of 5 Stars
Series: Standalone
Publication Date: 1/11/22
Period: Regency
Number of Pages: 320
I was really looking forward to reading Twilight at Moorington Cross because I had read and enjoyed other books from this author. This book, however, didn’t live up to its predecessors.
Mrs. Amelia Pembroke has had a difficult life. We didn’t learn anything of her parents, how they met their deaths, or how they came to leave their young daughter’s future so unplanned. We do know that she was in the hands of a guardian by the age of five, and that guardian was a loving and caring one. Although not loving and caring enough to assure she was protected – he left for France and left her in the care of yet another guardian. She was passed from uncaring guardian to uncaring guardian until she was old enough to marry and then she was foisted off on an unsuspecting bridegroom. You see, Amelia has a sleeping disorder (narcolepsy I assume) and is apt to fall asleep at the most inopportune times. In times of severe stress, her entire body locks, and she falls – totally paralyzed. None of her guardians could deal with that – nor could the bridegroom who knew nothing of the disorder when he married her. They were only married a week before he placed her in the Cluett Mesmeric Hospital where she has been for the last two years. Though she is now a widow, she is still in residence at the hospital.
Ethan Hawkins has been summoned to the Cluett Mesmeric Hospital to formalize Mr. Cluett’s will. It is definitely a strange will, but it isn’t his job to judge – it is only his job to assure that the will is legal and binding. He is amazed when Mr. Cluett decides to share the contents of the will with the beneficiaries as soon as it is finalized. However, Mr. Cluett wants all who will be affected to be aware of the clauses in the will and what it will mean to them. You see, Mr. Cluett is leaving his considerable fortune and property to Amelia – as long as she marries one of two gentlemen he has named. Should she choose not to honor that clause in the will, the ENTIRE fortune and property will be awarded to the mesmeric school in France.
Later that same evening, Mr. Cluett is found dead in his bath. Accident or murder? The bumbling magistrate rules it an accident, but Ethan and Amelia are sure it was murder. Everyone in the home was accounted for at the time of death, so it couldn’t be one of them. Or could it? The house was locked up for the evening, so it couldn’t have been anyone from the outside. Or could it?
The characters were almost cardboard and I just couldn’t find any affinity with them, and the mystery was so very slow – and – well – boring – until you got to the end and then all sorts of weird and unexpected things just came out of the woodwork. Almost the entire book has Amelia vacillating between the two possible suitors – but she really prefers Ethan – but she really has to choose one of the other two men – but she really prefers Ethan – and on and on. It was very tiresome and really didn’t move the story along. I will certainly try another book by this author, but I cannot recommend this one.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Release: Dec 26, 2021 Available in Paperback, eBook, Hardcover, and (coming soon) Audio
ABOUT THE BOOK
Despite the odds, two poets manifest their dreams. His recent appointment as Regius Professor has Jules Knowlton enjoying a life of leisure, one that begins with a writing retreat to stimulate his mind but ends with the unanticipated arousal of his heart. The problem? His newfound ladylove is arranged to marry someone else. Leila Owen is a loyal and devoted daughter, one who would do anything for her family, anything except marry the suitor they’ve chosen for her. Using her poetic cunning, she schemes ways to convince her parents the man of her choice is a better match. The problem? The suitor is nothing if not perfect.
This is the love story of Jules and Leila, two poets who playact through life’s charade. From second chance romances to mistaken identities, experience A Touch of Romance in this collection of one short novel and twelve bonus flash fiction pieces.
Dec 26-31 Prizes: eBook or autographed paperback of A Dash of Romance; eBook or autographed paperback of A Touch of Romance; eBook or autographed paperback of BOTH A Touch of Romance and A Dash of Romance
Excerpt
Perhaps it was her matter-of-fact tone, perhaps the thought of her living abroad with a business-minded man; whatever the case, a wave of melancholy washed over him. The only enlightenment in her words was how Leila-like they sounded, another trait he was becoming used to, that way she had of accepting in stride matters out of her control. This vibrant lover of life, so willing to sacrifice potential happiness for the needs of her father. Melancholy though he was, he could not help admiring her fortitude and loyalty. Unaware of his inner turmoil, she read the next clue.
“My first is edgeless with many roles, A sphere of life and pleasure, a skein unfolds. My second is cornered, known by different names, A space of life and pleasure, a hearth with flames. My whole sees unions of swirling threads, A promenade of sets destined to wed.”
Leila looked up from the clue, brow arched, as perplexed as he. She began to reread, slower this time. He stopped her after the first line. “If it’s edgeless and rolls, would it not be a ball?” “Roles, not rolls.” “Yes, I hear it now. The difference between the two is unmistakable,” he teased before chuckling. “I take your meaning; however, I stand by my guess. The first is a ball.” “And the second? A space with a hearth, many names, and corners, presumably for… pleasure.” Jules grinned. “What is a room without its simple pleasures, especially a ballroom filled with dancing figures and courting youth?”
Barbara’s Review
This is a truly delightful romance between two extraordinary, honorable, straightforward, and caring people. Being a romance novel, I KNEW the couple would end up with their HEA, but the author’s skill with words often had me doubting whether it would really happen. The writing is top-notch and intelligent and the plot is well-plotted and delivered.
Leila Owen and Jules Knowlton meet at a writer’s retreat where they are the only two poets. Because of their similar interests, they are drawn together for the different sessions. Then, they are drawn together for more reasons than just their poetry. Of course, there are friends to encourage their interest – and accepted facts to discourage it.
Leila’s father is a doting, loving father who is highly ambitious. He fully expects Leila to marry the man of his choice – and that man will be one who can further his ambitions with the East India Company. Of course, he’ll choose a very good man for Leila – after all, he loves her. Leila is perfectly accepting of following her father’s choices because she’s been raised to do so, and she knows her father would choose with her best interests in mind. She’s fully expecting her father to make his choice for her when he returns to England in a few weeks and she has no problem with complying. At least, she didn’t have any problems with complying. But now, well, she’ll comply if she has to but will make every effort to change her father’s mind.
Jules is from a large, close, and loving family. He’s extremely intelligent and has just been appointed as Regius Professor of Greek – perhaps the youngest ever to receive that appointment. He’s not a rich man, but he will be well set to support a wife and family. Although he hasn’t been looking for a wife, he has certainly managed to find the woman he wants – and in a most unexpected place.
You’ll love watching the different approaches Leila and Jules use to convince her father – they are entertaining, to say the least. Jules wants to be chosen and appreciated for who he really is – and Leila wants to convince her father that Jules is the type of man her father would choose for her. Nothing can go wrong there – right?
Filled with exceptional supporting characters and wonderful main characters, this book just has it all. There isn’t a clunker in the bunch – not even the man Leila’s father has chosen for her and brought home to meet her. I had no clue what ‘flash’ fiction was until I read this author’s first flash-fiction book. I quickly came to appreciate it because I get what is a nearly full-length novel along with a number of additional quick, short, and thoroughly enjoyable stories. I can definitely recommend the book and hope you will enjoy it as much as I did.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
About The Author
Paullett Golden is a Houston, Texas native who divides her time between Northumberland, England, and her hometown. She has been a university professor for over 20 years.
When an oncologist told her she had three months to live, she decided it was time to fulfill her dream of being a novelist. After defying the odds, she now focuses her attention on her writing.
Her novels have hit the Top 10 Amazon bestseller lists and won a multitude of literary awards. She loves historical fiction of all kinds as a way to transport us to a different time and place. All research comes from authentic resources of the time and from scholarly and peer-reviewed articles from researchers specializing in the time. Though she may take liberties with the fictional aspects, she does aim for the fiction to reflect the mores, culture, laws, and environment of the time. When not writing, she can be found in her butterfly garden or on a race track.
Barbara’s rating: 3 of 5 Stars
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