Review ~ Happy Birthday Mr Darcy by Victoria Connelly

Notting Hill Press
October 1st 2013

Jane Austen Addicts Book 5

It’s hard to believe that it is 200 years since the publication of Pride and Prejudice. To celebrate this momentous occasion Katherine Roberts and Warwick Lawton are getting married at the sumptuous Purley Hall, where together with fellow Jane Austen enthusiasts they hope to celebrate their nuptials with all the glamour and nostalgia of a bygone era. However, the coordination of a Janeite wedding is not without a few last minute hitches.

This beautifully written novella draws you in from the beginning. The story is made all the more special by references to Jane Austen’s work and is interspersed with lovely quotations which bring, not only the books alive, but which also acts as a perfect background to what is effect a rather lovely love story about two people who share a passion for the literature of Jane Austen, but who are beleaguered by the doubts engendered by a modern society.

I am new to this series of Jane Austen Addicts and so perhaps missed those subtle references which are made to previous stories but it didn’t spoil my enjoyment, in fact, I am now inspired to backtrack to start the series from the beginning.

Jane Austen Addicts Series

A Weekend with Mr Darcy (2010)

The Perfect Hero (2012)

Mr Darcy Forever (2012)

Christmas with Mr Darcy (2012)

Happy Birthday Mr Darcy (2013)

My thanks to Victoria Connelly and Notting Hill Press for my ecopy of this novella.

More about Victoria 

Review ~ A Serpentine Affair by Tina Seskis

Kirk Parolles
August 2 2013

“The evening was set to be balmy, perfect for a picnic, even one destined to end in disaster.

When seven girl friends meet on a balmy summer evening for their annual picnic in a London park it should be an evening of shared memories and girly laughter washed down with copious amounts of prosecco. However, invariably, what happens is that old resentments float to the surface, and even before the petty squabbles appear, there are simmering undercurrents of discontent. What then follows is a story of how, over twenty five years, lies and resentment have festered until all the hurt surfaces and long buried secrets, are revealed.

This is a cleverly controlled narrative which allows the story to be revealed in tantalising layers and which skilfully manoeuvres around past and present without ever losing control. The characters are so realistic, they could be people you know, and even their petty slights and squabbles, which threaten the equilibrium of the group, are situations all too easily experienced.

There is no doubt that this author has started to develop a niche for this slightly edgy contemporary story. In A Serpentine Affair, she shows that she isn't afraid to reveal the darker side of friendship, and yet at the same time she sensitively explores the consequences of revealing long buried secrets which may well have been better left private.

A good read and highly recommended. 

My thanks to NetGalley and Kirk Parolles for my ecopy of this book.

Review ~ The Disillusioned by D. J. Williams

Published May 1st 2013 by WestBow Pres

Book Blurb

A mother's suicide threatens to destroy a family legacy. Her sons, Sam and Daniel, are forced to leave their comfortable worlds behind and search for a woman they believe can unlock the secrets that have remained hidden. They are propelled into separate journeys from Los Angeles to the heart of the Zambezi, where they are forced to confront a man known as Die Duiwel, the Devil. On their adventures they will find themselves in a place where death is one breath away, where thousands of children are disappearing into the darkness, and where the woman they are searching for is on the hunt for revenge. When they stand face-to-face with the forgotten slaves of Africa, they will fight to redeem what has been lost.

Review

Following their mother’s suicide, Sam and Daniel Armstrong leave behind a comfortable world to search for the truth about long buried family secrets. Their individual journeys take them from Los Angeles and into Zambezi, to the heart of a dark and very dangerous place, where children are disappearing and where the ultimate revenge threatens their very existence.

The corruption at the heart of the story focuses on the very depths of human despair, and intertwines a humanist perspective alongside a story of religious fervour and moral principle. Whilst the evangelical and religious nature of the narrative is central to the plot, it does not overly detract from what is in effect a competent and convincing adventure story. The short and concise nature of the individual chapters seem to give credence to a mystery with many twists and turns, and which keeps the reader guessing until the very end. 

Overall, I thought this was a well written and interesting story. 

4****

More about the author can be found http://www.djwilliamsbooks.com/

Amazon

My thanks to D J Williams for my review copy of this book.

Never A Mistress, No Longer A Maid by Maureen Driscoll

First published May 2011

Never A Mistress, No Longer A Maid 

by 

Maureen Driscoll

Kellington Series: Book 1

I'm not a great devotee of this steamier sort of historical romance, so when asked to read and review this book, I agreed with more than a little apprehension. I was worried that I would find the plot boringly predictable, and even worse plain uninspiring, but I am more than happy to say that I was pleasantly surprised both by the story and its content. It was nowhere near as ‘steamy’ as I had been led to believe, although there are some explicit descriptions of sexual activity.

The story begins in the aftermath of the Battle of Waterloo, with a chance encounter between an English nurse, Jane Wetherby, and a British soldier, Edward Kellington. After a night of passion the two are separated, only to discover each other again in the most unusual of circumstances. What then follows is a nicely composed, light historical romance, with enough twists and turns in the plot to keep you guessing. I have a couple of tiny criticisms, one is that a few Americanisms appeared within the narrative, which would have no place in Regency England, and towards the end of the novel the plot became a little predictable, but overall the story was no less enjoyable because of these minor points.

By the author’s own admission “The books are all light on the history, heavy on the steam” - I have to agree, but must also add my own warning that these books are also great fun, hugely addictive and great escapism.

Now I have been introduced to the Kellington family, I would like to continue with the series and will no doubt be catching up with the rest of the story in the months to come.

4****

My thanks to the author Maureen Driscoll for a review copy of this book.

Never a Mistress, No longer A Maid is the first in a series of books about the Kellington family, the author has now completed five books in the series, with a sixth story in progress.