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TourBanner_Precious Burdens

Bookcover_PreciousBurden

Sarafina di Ramonicci sets sail for America as the promised bride in an arranged political marriage. Taken prisoner at sea, she clashes with her captor and demands freedom, only to discover he is planning her future husband’s demise, with her as a pawn in their deadly feud. The challenge of escape tests her loyalty to family, human decency, and love.

Captain Nye Tarquin is a dangerous man. Left to die on the streets of New Orleans, he swears retribution on the man responsible. When he makes Sarafina part of his plan, he isn’t prepared for the fiery vixen aboard his ship, nor his desire to claim her as his own. When passion overtakes honor, he’s torn between his heart and his need for justice.

Excerpt:

For a brief moment, his eyes softened. But it was short-lived. In the next breath, his gaze hardened, and his jaw twitched as he turned towards the house.

She pulled him back. “Tell me, Nye! Why can’t you tell me?”

He leaned down and came within a breath of her, their noses almost touching. “Look in my eyes, Sarafina. Do you see compassion for you—or anyone? No. Because I lack those feelings,” he supplied, his raspy voice straining to shout.

Sarafina brushed passed him and marched into the manor, Nye close behind. She stopped and turned so quickly he had to swiftly move aside to keep from toppling over her.

“You are not your demons, Nye.”

Cursing the increasing heat of the day, he removed his jacket and tossed it onto the closest piece of furniture, then untied his cravat. He caught his reflection in the massive mirror planted above the sideboard. His neck was exposed, and he looked disgustedly at the jagged scar. The wound had not only changed his appearance but also permanently damaged his voice. He braced his hands on the sideboard and avoided his own reflection. He couldn’t forgive all the pain he’d endured during his recovery. However, it was this ruination that had brought him Sarafina. He used to lie awake and dream of the different ways he’d make Cornell pay for what he’d done. Now, he lay awake thinking of a lady he wasn’t worthy of.

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AUTHOR BIO:

Avery Sterling’s love for the romance genre began in her teen years when she picked up her first novel. She was captivated by the sweeping scale of emotions brought about by the words. The experience catapulted her towards learning the art of wielding a breathtaking adventure, with a love that felt authentic. Wanting to inspire people with her own thoughts and words, she finished her first novel at sixteen. It was a step towards understanding the essence of what she wished to create. Most of her youth was spent traveling, searching out the romance and beauty in her everchanging world. From the waves that crashed against the rocky shores of Downeast, Maine, to the warm breezes of the Caribbean, she discovered that love was universal, apparent in its grandest and simplest of forms. Her goal is to write novels an audience can relate to, one that conveys the truth and nature of love… with all that steamy romance.

CONNECT WITH AVERY:

Website ~ Facebook ~ Instagram ~ Pinterest ~ Goodreads ~ BookBub ~ X (formerly Twitter) ~ Amazon

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GIVEAWAY:

Avery Sterling will be awarding a $15 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

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TRACY’S REVIEW:

Precious Burdens by Avery Sterling

Tracy’s rating: 3 of 5 stars

Series: N/A

Release Date: August 28, 2023

When Captain Nye Tarquin is beaten and left for dead on the streets of New Orleans, he is saved by his friend and business partner Alderic. Barely clinging to life, he vows to live and make Ellis Cornell, the man responsible, pay. And so begins his vendetta to destroy Cornell, which has been easy up to now, and while Nye is clever and wiley, he was not prepared for Sarafina di Ramonicci, daughter of Conte di Ramonicci, a rich and powerful nobleman from Malta. Soon Nye finds himself falling for his beautiful prisoner, and he will have to choose between his desire for vengeance and his desire for the feisty beauty who holds his heart.

Sarafina “Fina” is sailing to America from Malta to marry a man chosen by her father, when her ship is captured by Captain Tarquin. At first, Sarafina is outraged and gives no quarter, but as time passes and she gets to know the man who is holding her captive, she begins to fall for the gritty Captain. She knows two things for sure, one she will never marry Ellis Cornell, and two she will always love Nye Tarquin, even if she hates him.

This was a quick read, with an old-school historical romance feel. The book is filled with action, adventure, an evil villain, steamyish love scenes, great secondary characters, heartache, angst, and wrapping up with a HEA that didn’t seem like it was going to happen. I liked this book, but I didn’t love it, mostly because of the ending and because there was no epilogue, and in my opinion, this book really, really, really needed an epilogue. Overall, I thought the writing was very good and I enjoyed the author’s writing style, so therefore would consider reading more of her work.

3 stars

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.*

A Christmastide Kiss by Lana Williams

Tracy’s rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: The Mayfair Literary League, #5

Release Date: December 5, 2023

Heiress Frances Melbourne struggles with self-worth issues and crippling shyness. But after meeting Thomas Sinclair last summer at her parent’s house party and realizing too late that her feelings were more than just friendship, she has decided to try and come out of her shell. Sadly, Thomas left for America before Frances gathered the courage to let him know of her feelings, but she hopes by the time he returns, she will have conquered her shyness. This is why she has offered to take the lead on planning a charity ball for a training program for the Whitechapel Workhouse being hosted by the Mayfair Literary League, much to the surprise and delight of her fellow members. She throws herself into planning the ball and all is going well when she is shocked to run into Thomas Sinclair at a rare bookshop. Suddenly she finds herself tongue-tied and stammering, but Thomas is kind and seems genuinely happy to see her. When she mentions the ball, he promises to buy a ticket and she surprises herself by saying he could go as her guest, to which he happily agrees. Soon Thomas is included in many of the events Frances has planned to prepare for the ball and she hopes that his attention means that he too has stronger feelings for her. But when her father increases her dowry and shortly after Thomas declares his desire to court her, all of her doubts resurface and she doesn’t know if Thomas’s feelings for her are for her or her dowry.

Thomas Sinclair has returned from New York for Christmas, but he will have to return after the holidays, and he hopes to get a chance to see Frances, share his feelings, and ask if she would be willing to wait for him, as he hopes to return to England in a year or two with the knowledge he needs to work in banking. But when he sees her again, he is unsure of her feelings and puts off asking her. In addition, he is trying to find the parents of Peter, a young boy he found living on the streets in New York who was from London and had been sent to America by the manager of the workhouse he and his family had been living at. It turns out that it is the same workhouse that Frances is raising money for and he is worried about how she will react to him investigating them, but Frances is appalled at the idea that the workhouse might be selling children and offers to help. They grow closer and when they share a kiss, he is ready to declare himself, but when he does, she turns cold and his own insecurities kick in leaving their chance for a “happily ever after” in doubt.

This was a well-written story about two very nice people falling in love while struggling with self-esteem issues. In addition to the love story between Frances and Thomas, readers will be delighted to catch up with previous characters, will be intrigued by the mystery of how Peter ended up in America and what happened to his family, as well as be titillated by tidbits dropped by Ms. Williams that set up the next installment in the series! I enjoyed this book and would happily recommend this title to historical romance readers who prefer a low/no steam love story set in the Victorian era. This is the fifth book in the series, and it could easily be read as a standalone title, but for the best experience, I recommend at least reading the third book (A Mistaken Identity) before reading this book.

4 stars