Category: Top Pick – Highly Recommended

Ever Yours, Annabelle by Elisa Braden

On By TracyIn Georgian Era (1714-1837), Regency Era (1811-1820), Top Pick - Highly Recommended, Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

Ever Yours, AnnabelleEver Yours, Annabelle by Elisa Braden

Tracy’s rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: Rescued from Ruin: Prequel

Release Date: April 30, 2019

I would give this book 10 stars if I could – it was that good!

Lady Annabelle Huxley has loved Robert Conrad her entire life and is sure they are destined to marry and live happily ever after. Robert has always been her protector and her champion – saving her and defending her, always patient with her and calling her Bumblebee – she cannot imagine a life that doesn’t include him. So when she panics at the thought of him dying in the war, her actions set into motion a tragedy of epic proportions. An accident that costs Robert his dreams and costs Annabelle her heart.

When Robert wakes after the accident and realizes his life has changed, he banishes Annabelle from his life. He remains friends with Annabelle’s brother John, but refuses to let him speak her name. For the next seven years, Robert struggles to heal. He is a second son and lives with his grandfather, the Marquis of Mortlock. When his hopes of a military career are dashed, he takes over the estate management at his grandfathers urging, throwing himself into it almost to the exclusion of all else. But everything changes when his grandfather insists that Robert needs to find a wife. He sends him to London and tells him to heed the advice of his friend, The Dowager Marchioness of Wallingham, she will find him a wife. He goes and doesn’t meet any woman who interests him, until he hears a voice that sparks something in him, he searches for the source and is desperate to see her face – but when he does, he is shocked to see Annabelle – his Bumblebee – but not the girl he knew 7 years ago, no, this Annabelle is a woman.

Annabelle has tried to live without Robert, she writes him letters that she never sends, has enlisted spies to keep her informed of his progress and tried to find another man that she could love. To distract herself, she draws and has turned it into a bit of a career – using gossip and turning them into amusing caricatures, which she sells to a publisher under a false name. Her life is not empty, but she not longer feels alive. When she sees Robert at the ball, it was like her heart started beating again. But she is still hurt and tells herself to keep her distance. However, Lady Wallingham has other ideas – she proposes that Annabelle help Robert find a wife!

What follows is a touching love story that will make you laugh, cry and sigh in equal measure. Wonderful characters, secrets, murder, steamy love scenes, amusing banter, tragedy and soul-mate love combine together in an amazing and unforgettable story that will stay with you long after the last word is read.
This is the prequel to the series, but doesn’t have to be read first – in fact if you have been following the series, you will see many familiar faces!! I loved this book and cannot recommend it highly enough!!

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that was provided to me.*

To Tempt A Rebel by Shana Galen

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Georgian Era (1714-1837), Other, Top Pick - Highly RecommendedLeave a comment

To Tempt a Rebel (The Scarlet Chronicles, #4)To Tempt a Rebel by Shana Galen

Barbara’s rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: The Scarlet Chronicles #4
Publication Date: 3/12/19

Author Shana Galen has taken the French Reign of Terror, wrapped it in a bow and called it her own. The research is impeccable, the writing is superb and the characters – both male and female – are heroic. Here is a warning though – before you start to read, be sure you have taken care of your personal needs, have plenty of snacks and drinks beside your reading chair and maybe a comfy, snug blanket to wrap up in – because – you will not be able to put the book down once you start reading.

Both the king and queen are dead, their daughter was rescued from the tower in the last book and now, it is time to rescue the young eight-year-old Louis Charles, the new king. He has been horribly abused, he is living in his own filth, he’s emaciated and very sickly. The Pimpernels have to get him out soon or there won’t be any point. Security around Louis Charles’ tower cell is impenetrable and there is no way the Pimpernels can gain entry to rescue him without someone on the inside of the regime helping them.

Tristan Chevalier hates aristos with his entire being. He doesn’t believe any of them have even one redeeming quality. That is one of the main reasons he joined the revolution. Oh, he wanted freedom and equality, but more than anything he wanted revenge against the man who destroyed his family. However, now that Robespierre’s bloodthirst has caused untold thousands of executions, Tristan is having doubts. He still wants the freedom and equality, but he’s seeing that the citizens are neither free nor equal under Robespierre. When he is approached by Citoyen Allie, he reluctantly agrees to turn over documents that will show Robespierre’s perfidy and bring his Reign of Terror to an end. He’s still staunchly loyal to France – just not to Robespierre. He’s also just fallen into the trap set by the Pimpernel’s – and he isn’t going to like what he learns.

We’ve met Alexandra Martin in the previous books. She is an actress, she’s smart, clever, and skilled at both acting and disguises. She believes in the work the Pimpernels are doing with all her heart and she’ll give her life to save any of her fellow members. Alex’s role is usually in the background – using her talents with costumes and make-up to disguise the other members for their various missions. She’s also the ‘visible’ one – the one who openly mixes with the population (as an actress) and who openly rents the safe-house, etc. However, Alex has a new mission that is most definitely not behind-the-scenes. She is to ensnare Robespierre’s second – Tristan Chevalier and convince him to help them rescue Louis Charles.

I absolutely loved both Alex and Tristan. They were a wonderful couple who vehemently fought their attraction every step of the way. Alex’s dedication to the cause was visible in everything she did and I admired her loyalty. I also loved that Tristan wasn’t a pushover – you wondered to the very end if he’d betray the Pimpernel’s – even at the cost of his own life. It is a pure, unadulterated, edge-of-the-seat read.

This is definitely a five-star read, but I would say that I’d love it if there were an Author’s Note section that fills in some of the real history with which the author took poetic license.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Previous books In the series – click on the title to see our reviews:

To Ruin A Gentleman
Traitor in Her Arms
Taken By the Rake

About the Author:

ShanaGalen

Shana Galen is three-time Rita award nominee and the bestselling author of fast-paced, witty, and adventurous Regency romances. Kirkus says of her books, “The road to happily-ever-after is intense, conflicted, suspenseful and fun,” and RT Bookreviews calls her books “lighthearted yet poignant, humorous yet touching.” She taught English at the middle and high school level off and on for eleven years. Most of those years were spent working in Houston’s inner city. Now she writes full time. She’s happily married and has a daughter who is most definitely a romance heroine in the making.

Want to know more? Visit Shana’s website at http://www.shanagalen.com and sign up to be notified when Shana has a new release http://bit.ly/ShanaGalenNews