Category: Tracy’s Reviews

The Warrior’s Bride Prize by Jenni Fletcher #BlogBlitz

On By TracyIn Blog Tour, Roman Britain (Britannia), Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

The Warrior's Bride Prize

The Warrior’s Bride Prize

Daughter of a slave…wedded to the warrior!
Livia Valeria is furious when she’s ruthlessly gambled away by her intended bridegroom. Luckily, it’s tall, muscled and darkly handsome Roman centurion Marius Varro who wins her as his bride! Livia must hide her Caledonian roots, but when Marius faces a barbarian rebellion at Hadrian’s Wall she must make a choice: her heritage or the husband she’s falling for…

Purchase Links: Amazon UK * Amazon * iBooks * WHSmith * B&N

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Author Bio:

Jenni Fletcher was born on the north coast of Scotland and now lives in Yorkshire, where she writes Medieval, Roman and Victorian romance novels.
She studied English at Cambridge University before doing an MA on Women and Literature in English and a PhD on Victorian & Edwardian literature at Hull. After realising that she was better at writing than teaching, she worked in a number of administrative jobs whilst trying to finish her first book, which was rejected. Thinking there must have been some mistake, she then wrote another, which was fortunately accepted by Harlequin Mills & Boon.
Her favourite Jane Austen novel is Persuasion and her favourite Brontë is Anne. If she had to choose a romantic hero it would be John Thornton, but maybe that’s just because she’s Northern.

Social Media Links:  Facebook  *  Twitter

Giveaway:

Win 1 x Signed US Copy of The Warrior’s Bride Prize (Open Internationally)
*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome. Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below. The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then I reserve the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organizer and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time I will delete the data. I am not responsible for dispatch or delivery of the prize.
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Tracy’s Review:

4 out of 5 stars

Livia Valeria is heading north with her daughter to marry the man her half brother Tarquinius has selected for her. Livia has no choice but to comply, her late husband disinherited her and their daughter, leaving her at her cruel half brother’s mercy. As angry as she is at the injustice, she also has hope – she will finally get to see Hadrian’s wall and the land of her mother’s birth, Caledonia.

She meets Marius Varro on the road north – at first she thinks he is her intended and is attracted to him, but soon learns her mistake. Marius is stunned by her wild beauty and feels oddly protective of her and her daughter. When she finally meets her groom, she is dismayed, Lucius Scaevola is hateful and insults her. Lucius didn’t want to marry her, him amassed a huge debt which Tarquinius acquired and used to force him to marry. Marius wishes he could help her, but he is but a soldier and Lucius is his superior.

When Lucius offers Livia as the prize for a wager, Marius doesn’t hesitate and wins her. They marry, they travel to the border and Livia finally gets to see Caledonia, things seem to be progressing between them, but they both have secrets that will threaten their HEA.

I thought this was a fascinating journey into Ancient Britainna, Marius and Livia are both wonderful albeit misguided characters, they both have secrets and will have to learn to trust one another before they can find their HEA. The heat level is low, but very well done, there is a bit of action, a bit of heartache and very subtle, yet extremely interesting historical tidbits throughout the book. Personally, I would have liked the ending to be drawn out a little more or at least an epilogue as I felt the book ended a little abruptly and tied everything up too easily. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the story and would be happy to recommend it!

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that was provided to me by the publisher*

The Laird’s Willful Lass by Anna Campbell

On By TracyIn Georgian Era (1714-1837), Scottish/Highlander, Tracy's Reviews2 Comments

The Laird's Willful Lass (The Lairds Most Likely, #1)The Laird’s Willful Lass by Anna Campbell

Tracy’s rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series: The Lairds Most Likely, #1

Release Date: July 31, 2018

The book opens with a young Fergus MacKinnon meeting Hamish and his cousin Diarmid on the moors late at night, the younger boys are lost and Fergus leads them to safety. They have an amusing discussion of what they consider the perfect wife and Hamish and Diarmid don’t agree with Fergus, who believes that a quiet, obedient, sweet woman is the ideal wife…

Fifteen years later, Fergus comes across the scene of a carriage accident and see a stunning woman trapped inside. He rescues her and her father, bemused by the woman who doesn’t do as she is told and seems to think that she can help. He takes them to his castle, her father’s leg is broken and she learns that he will be required to stay for at least a month.

Marina Lucchetti is an artist, she is 1/2 Italian and 1/2 English, but has been raised in Italy. She has worked hard to earn recognition for her art and is very independent and self sufficient – she doesn’t like this man telling her what to do or what is best for her or her father – she was commissioned to paint Scottish landscapes for a client and she is dead set on going to Skye. When Fergus informs her that her father will not be able to go and tells her she should stay at Achnasheen and paint – she bristles – she doesn’t care how handsome the man is, he is not her keeper and will not dictate where she goes!

But she does admit that she can’t go alone and she doesn’t want to leave her father alone, she grudgingly agrees to wait to see if the landscapes will be acceptable. But if they are not, she is leaving.

Fergus and Marina are both strong, independent, stubborn people and they clash quite a bit at the beginning, but they are both reasonable and Marina does see the merits of Fergus’ suggestions. Things are going well and she realizes that she likes him, but her art must come first and to be successful, her reputation must remain pristine. When Fergus suggests they become lovers, she is opposed, she has too much to lose. But when she has a brush with death, she reconsiders and they embark on a temporary affair.

As the weeks pass, they grow closer and neither is looking forward to saying goodbye – but Marina’s life is in Italy and Fergus is tied to Scotland – can there be a HEA?

I really loved this story – It was a straight up love story, no villains, no complicated plot to follow, just a boy and girl falling in love and learning that love is worth any sacrifice. Sigh… Marina and Fergus are wonderful characters, both strong and used to being in charge, watching them learn to compromise was both amusing and poignant. The love scenes in this book were steamy without being overly graphic, the very few secondary characters are great and added to the story without competing for attention, the banter between Fergus and Marina is very entertaining and the ending is sigh worthy. If you are looking for a really good love story without a lot of complications and side stories – this is the book for you!! I am happy to recommend this book and look forward to Hamish and Diarmid’s stories!!