Category: Novella

To Ruin A Gentleman by Shana Galen

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Novella, Regency Era (1811-1820)3 Comments

To Ruin a Gentleman (The Scarlet Chronicles, Book #1)To Ruin a Gentleman by Shana Galen

Barbara’s rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: The Scarlet Chronicles #1
Publication Date: 1/15/19
Number of Pages: 121

What a way for an author to whet a reader’s appetite for a new series! This is an exciting tale of revolution, suspense, danger, and romance with an absolutely lovely twist! When you have an intriguing story, excellently written prose and tight plotting, you just have to have a winner – and this book has all of that. You quickly forget you are reading a novella because everything in the story is so full and robust. Goodness gracious, I can hardly wait for the next book – I’m waiting with bated breath.

Thomas Daventry has the dullest of parents. They never do anything exciting or fun. They just live quietly at their estate and are goofily in love with each other. They love him and his sisters too and have no problem showing it. However, being a boy of nineteen, he doesn’t really want much to do with sheep, fields and a drafty old pile – so he rarely visits home. When he hears an unbelievable tale from someone in London, he heads, hell-bent-for-leather, home to talk to his father and see what the real tale is.

Viscount Hugh Daventry is surprised and pleased to see his son – and begins to tell him the real story of The Scarlet Pimpernel. What an exciting tale it turns out to be. Hugh was traveling in France just as the revolution was beginning. He was setting up distribution systems to import French wines to England. Paris was already in turmoil with armed gangs burning and looting and Hugh knew it would quickly spread to the countryside. It was Hugh’s intention to honor a promise he’d made to a friend, Therese, Marquise de Beauvais. He’d promised to stop by her sisters’ home and persuade her to leave France and travel to England with him because it was not safe for any aristocrat to remain in France – not even an English one.

Comtesse d’Avignon (Angelette) has been widowed for eighteen months now and is just shedding her widow’s weeds. She loved her husband and mourned him, but it is now time to enter back into life. She’s decided to give a house party as a way of gently entering back into society and when an upstart Englishman appears and tries to persuade her that war is coming and that she should travel to England with him she is appalled. How dare he! Her servants would never betray her nor would the people in the village. She and her husband had always treated them fairly and honorably. She will admit that she has been secluded since her husband’s death and isn’t aware of any of the news, but she is positive the King will deal with whatever upstarts actually rise up and all will be well. That Englishman just needs to go on his way and leave her be!

When the worst happens and Angelette’s chateau is attacked and burned by a horde of people (some were her servants) bent on death and destruction, Hugh just barely managed to save Angelette. Their journey from that point forward is filled with danger and excitement – and, yes – romance. Angelette is determined to stay in France and help her fellow aristocrats and Hugh is determined to leave as soon as possible. How can two such disparate goals mesh into one? Will Hugh ever manage to get Angelette out of France? Will he stay and help Angelette. Well, you’ll just have to read the book to see.

This book really does whet your appetite for the next stories. However, it did leave me with a couple of questions, and I wonder if they’ll be addressed at all in upcoming books. Somehow, I don’t think so and I’d really like to know the story. What happened to Hugh’s valet? Did he manage to escape the attack? We never heard more of him. Then, what happened to the Vicomte de Merville and his pregnant wife? I really liked them and wouldn’t like to think that something bad happened. Arrangements were made for their escape, but did they actually make it? We MIGHT learn more of them in another book – I hope.

This was an excellent, suspenseful and exciting read and I certainly recommend it.

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“I requested and received this e-book at no cost to me and volunteered to read it; my review is my honest opinion and given without any influence by the author or publisher.”

Seducing Winter’s Gentleman by Kirsten S. Blacketer

On By TracyIn Novella, Tracy's Reviews, Victorian Era (1837-1901)Leave a comment

Seducing Winter's Gentleman (Thieves of Winter Book 4)Seducing Winter’s Gentleman by Kirsten S. Blacketer
Tracy’s rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: Thieves of Winter, #4

Release Date: December 31, 2018

If you have been following the series, you already know Bates and Anna, if not be prepared for a completely different sort of historical romance! This is more of a “below the stairs” romance than your typical historical.

James Bates is the competent, handsome butler of the Earl of Winterbourne. But James is much, much more than he appears. A stupid stunt years ago changed the course of his life and left him with tremendous guilt and the desire to be a better man.

Anna was the lady’s maid to Lady Katherine, but since Katherine’s disappearance, she was lucky enough to stay on as housemaid. Anna harbors a tendre for James, but the older man doesn’t seem to notice she is a woman. Anna hasn’t had an easy life, orphaned at a young age, she was taken in by a woman and given a good life, but when her adopted mother passed, Anna had to go into service. She was lucky to get the position with Lady Katherine and was grateful that she was able to remain after Katherine disappeared. She tries to flirt with James, but he shuts her down. When she finally decides to give up pursuing him, it seems like he finally notices her.

James has secrets, HUGE secrets, he knows Anna is interested in him, just as he is with her, but he doesn’t feel worthy of her – if she ever knew the truth, she would run as far away from him as she could – wouldn’t she?

I throughly enjoyed this book, it is well written and flows perfectly, the chemistry between James and Anna is electric, the secrets are jaw-dropping, the love scenes are warm leaning towards steamy, the secondary characters are wonderful and the ending is spectacular! While I would recommend reading the books in order, I think this book could be read as a stand alone title with no problems.