Category: Novella

Catching Captain Nash by Anna Campbell

On By TracyIn Novella, Regency Era (1811-1820), Tracy's Reviews1 Comment

Catching Captain Nash (Dashing Widows, #6)Catching Captain Nash by Anna Campbell

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: The Dashing Widows, #6

Release Date: Available Now

This is the story of Morweena & Robert Nash and in my opinon, the best book in the entire Dashing Widows Series.

We first met Morweena in book 4, Pursuing Lord Pascal, when Sally convinced Amy and Morweena to come with her to London and become dashing widows. Morweena had no desire to go to London and had no intention of being a dashing widow. She was still in deep mourning for her husband Robert, who had been lost at sea and declared dead almost 4 years prior. The only thing that kept her going was their daughter, Kerenza, a daughter that Robert never met or even knew about.

Morweena finally decides to put aside her grief for the sake of her daughter and agrees to marry Hugh Rutherford, Baron Garson. She doesn’t love him, but she considers him a friend and holds some affection for him. The night they are to announce their engagement, Robert reappears.

Robert is not the man Morweena remembers and as overjoyed she is at his return, she maintains her distance, unsure of the man standing before her.

This is a second chance at love story done so right, I cannot even put into words how much this story moved me. I always hoped that Robert would miraculously return from the dead, because the love that Morween held for him was so potent, so deep and so beautiful, that I couldn’t bear for her to have lost it so soon after finding it. But the man that returns to her is not the man who left all those years ago, any more than she is the same woman.

Robert has lived through a nightmare and his return to his former life is not as simple as one would assume (I kept thinking of the movie Castaway while reading this book – but thankfully, this has a much better ending!). Robert is overwhelmed by everything, especially finding the love of his life on the verge of marrying another man and learning he has a daughter.

Other reviewers have commented that the story suffered from a lack of conflict and while I respect their opinions, I disagree. I thought the conflict was subtle and mostly internal – but I felt Robert’s pain and internal struggle to accept the changes, I grieved for the lost moments with his daughter, I was awed by the steadfast love that both Robert and Morweena shared and I was filled with joy when he finally met his daughter (I am not ashamed to admit that I cried when they met for the first time). I also felt Morweena’s apprehension, her worry and her undying love for this man. It is so rare to read a book that both points of view are so clearly expressed and Ms. Campbell nailed it.

This book is well written, paced perfectly, it is super steamy (YES!!), emotionally charged and perfectly executed. And while I am sad that the series is over, I couldn’t have asked for a better ending. I highly recommend this book – it could be read as a stand alone title, but believe me when I say you should really read at least books 4 & 5 before you read this story.

*I was gifted a copy of this book for the purpose of review*

Mists and Moonrise by Various Authors

On By TracyIn Anthology, Novella, Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

Mists and Moonrise: The Reluctant Brides CollectionMists and Moonrise: The Reluctant Brides Collection by Kathryn Le Veque, Eliza Knight, Madeline Martin, Laurel O’Donnell, Catherine Kean and Elizabeth Rose

Release Date: 06/20/17

Tracy’s rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a nice collection of never before published novellas, they are all based on the legend of the ill-fated lovers Kael & Aelwen. While all the stories are rooted in the legend, they are not connected and are all easily read as stand alone titles.

Lady of the Moon, Kathryn Le Veque – 4.5 stars. This is the story of Samarra & Rhodes. When Rhodes refuses to marry the woman his father has chosen for him, his father hires Samarra to abduct him and deliver him to the cave in St. Agnes. His father believes that if Rhodes touches the wall with his betrothed, he will fall in love with her and willingly marry. This was a story of “insta-love”, but it is very well done and surprisingly believable. The story moves at a fast pace, has a lot of action, a little steam and an ironic twist.

Laird of Darkness, Eliza Knight – 5 stars. This is the story of Rosamond and Tierney. Rosamond’s father has abandoned her in the cave at St. Agnes to punish her for rumors at court (which are actually about her twin sister). Tierney has been held prisoner at the tower of London for the last ten years, he was branded a traitor when he saved the Bruce’s life in battle. He has finally been released and is returning to Scotland to reclaim his lands and title when he finds Rosamond in the cave. Tierney rescues Rosamond and on the journey back to Scotland, they share a kiss that leads to a misunderstanding. Once resolved, the decide to marry. They return to Scotland, marry and declare their love before Tierney must leave on a mission for the Bruce. This was one of my favorite novellas in the book, it is fast paced, well written, very steamy, had a believable love story and best of all – Eliza Knight says that this is just the beginning of their story, that she will be following this up with a full length novel later this year (Yay!!)

The Highlander’s Untamed Lady, Madeline Martin – 5 Stars. This is the story of Diana & Evander. Evander’s people are starving so he accepts a bride from England sight unseen as her father has offered him an outrageous dowry to marry her. Diana has been imprisoned by her father for refusing to marry, she manages to escape only to be chased by Evander. He catches up with her in the cave at St. Agnes and tells her that they are to marry and return to Scotland. She of course refuses, leaving Evander no choice but to drug her (and her two pet wolves). They travel back to Scotland and Diana begins to realize how wrong she was about Evander. They marry as soon as they reach his castle, but Diana is not ready to share all her secrets with Evander and tries to keep him at arms length, but the more she gets to know him, the more she admires him. Once Diana admits to herself, that she is in love with him, she takes the ultimate leap of faith and shares her darkest secret. Evander is all you could want in a hero – I loved him! It seems like these two are destined for a HEA, when an unexpected twist threatens to tear them apart. This was my favorite novella – it is well written, emotional, steamy and has a really sweet ending.

Bravest of them All, Laurel O’Donnell – 3.5 Stars. This is the story of Luke and Nessa. Luke has known Nessa for most of her life, they grew up together and Luke is betrothed to Nessa’s older (spoiled/vain) sister Melwyn. Luke has been in France with the girls father for years fighting in the war, their father was struck down and Luke is returning with him to England. They arrive to find that Nessa has been abducted – the villain mistook her for her sister. Luke immediately sets out to rescue her, but his party is betrayed and ambushed. He manages to escape with Nessa, but their story is far from over. Luke is injured when the traitor catches up to them and they must run for their lives. The more time they spend together, the more they realize that they love each other. Once they reach her father’s castle, Nessa has decided that she cannot betray her sister and tells her father that she does not love Luke. This leads to a misunderstanding that almost costs them the love of a lifetime. While I found the story entertaining and well rounded, it did wrap up a bit too quickly and ended abruptly. It was well written and had a lot of action, but there was no steam at all and the heroine comes across as a martyr.

That Knight by the Sea, Catherine Kean – 3.5 stars. This is the story of Garret and Adaline (Addy). Six years ago Garret and Addy were in love, but Garret was sent away. Six years later, Addy believes Garret is dead and is on the verge of being married to a man she detests. Garret is a mercenary and has survived the last 6 years by his sword, when the man who helped him gain his knighthood requests that he abduct Addy, he immediately refuses, the lord then blackmails Garret into compliance. Garret still loves Addy, but he does not believe he is worthy of her because of his part. When he abducts her, she does not recognize him, but it does not take her long to figure out who he is. She begs him to release her, but he refuses – until he learns that he has been double crossed. He tries to get Addy away, but she escapes him and all hell breaks loose. It doesn’t look good for our lovers, but help comes from an unexpected source. This novella had a lot of potential, but there were a lot of typos and some inconsistencies that dimished the story for me.

Pirate in the Mist Elizabeth Rose – 2.5 stars. This is the story of Brody and Gwen. Brody is the captain of a pirate ship, his crew has mutinied and forced him overboard. He swims to a deserted island and spends a week building a raft. He is picked up by a passing fishing boat, only to go overboard again while rescuing the captain’s daughter, Gwen. They find the raft (?) and make it to shore, where they enter the cave in St. Agnes. They touch the wall and immediately fall in love – at least Gwen does. They leave the cave and head to an inn, where miraculously Brody’s long lost friend is the owner. Gwen learns some awful truths about her family and Brody wants to protect her. He decides that he is also falling in love with her and wants them to marry. This story was just too short to do it justice – it seemed rushed and totally unbelievable. If it was longer and the author had time to build up the story and develop a stronger relationship between Gwen and Brody, I think it could have been at 4 star read.

All in all, this was an enjoyable read and for the price, you can’t go wrong – I happily recommend this book

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an ARC provided to by the author*