Tag: nichole van

Book Review: Clandestine (House of Oak #3) by Nichole Van

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Time Travel Romance
Length: 330 pages
Author: Nichole Van
Publisher: Fiorenza Publishing
Release Date: May 26th, 2015
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Fate will draw two people together, traveling centuries if necessary. But even so, predestined lovers still have the choice to walk away . . .

In 2014, Marc Wilde–martial artist and actor–finds his life a mess. His latest film, Croc-nami, is being trashed on social media, sending his acting career into a tailspin (crocodile pun . . . nice). His dating history isn’t much better. Romantic love? Not so much. And then there is the tiny matter of blackmail. Someone knows about the time portal in the cellar of Duir Cottage and is threatening to tell the world unless Marc pays up. So yeah . . . life not going so well.

In 1814, Kit Ashton has problems of her own. Her brother has disappeared (again), leaving Kit penniless and forcing her to take up employment as a lady’s companion (sigh). Worse, there are French spies in the area, and Kit finds herself pulled into the conspiracy. Add in the sudden appearance of a wind-swept, silver-tongued rogue who makes Kit want to flirt, flirt, flirt . . . it all leaves her one misstep from disaster. Kit is determined to find her brother and return home, all while guarding her heart and (most importantly) keeping her secrets . . . well . . . secret.

This hilarious, quick-paced installment in the Amazon bestselling House of Oak series can easily be read as a stand-alone book.

HMM.

I liked this one, but it also isn’t a favorite of the series. The audiobook is great, I loved that. And I’m intrigued by the complexities of the time travel.

I did struggle with the FMC though. She was so adamant about one plot point and refused to see any other side to the story or believe the person directly telling her how they wanted to handle things.

The romance brought some good enemies to lovers swoon and lots of flirting. I liked the interactions between them and progressively enjoyed the moments they had together. I’m curious where this larger plot line will go next!

Overall audience notes:

  • Time travel romance
  • Language: low
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: low-moderate

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Book Review: Divine (House of Oak #2) by Nichole Van

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Time Travel Romance
Length: 346 pages
Author: Nichole Van
Publisher: Fiorenza Publishing
Release Date: November 24th, 2014
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Time is a vast cosmic sea, where each life exists as rippling circles on its surface, past and future being eternally present. And occasionally, one expanding ring tangles with that of another, linking two lives together even though separated by centuries…

Georgiana Knight–born in the nineteenth century, but now living in 2013–has certain standards when it comes to mysteries: they must involve blood curdling threats, late-night rendezvous and the terror of Imminent Danger. So far, her current mystery has been a terrible disappointment. No ghosts, no dastardly villains, not even an actual murder weapon. Just a suspicious symbol, a drawing of a bloody dagger, and an old love letter. Though the centuries-old love letter is written in her own handwriting, so that’s something, right? And there is a time portal in her cellar. Should she risk giving up hot showers and return to the past to discover the mysterious stranger who inspired (will inspire?) her passionate letter?

In 1813, Sebastian Carew has his own mystery to solve. As a teenager, he fell madly in love with his childhood friend, Georgiana. Ten years later, he returns from fighting abroad as an eligible man of fortune who must marry. And soon. He is determined to fend off fortune-hunting women, find Georgiana and win her affections. However, she has utterly vanished. Can he divine the truth of her disappearance and convince her to marry him before time runs out?

GREAT AUDIO.

I have suddenly made it a quest of mine to read Nichole Van’s backlist so here we are! I liked this one quite a bit and thought the audio production was great.

The time travel worked well for me (and I’m usually meh about it) and I loved that Sebastian fell first and that man fell hard.

Georgiana, the FMC, bugged me a bit though. She was incredibly stubborn about Sebastian. The ignorance was astounding and her odd thrill of wanting things to be “dangerous” wasn’t working well for me either. When Georgiana finally allowed things to click I enjoyed her more and I got to see the great chemistry between her and Sebastian in full.

It was a good book, definitely plan to continue the series!

Overall audience notes:

  • Time Travel Romance
  • Language: none
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: low

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ARC Book Review: A Heart Devoted (The Penn-Leiths of Thistle Muir #5) by Nichole Van

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Historical Romance
Length: 250 pages
Author: Nichole Van
Publisher: Fiorenza Publishing
Release Date: January 28th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Living happily ever after should be easy. After all, Tristan and Isolde Gilbert, the new Duke and Duchess of Kendall, have overcome obstacles, confessed their love, married, and are eager to sail off into the sunset of their glorious future. But, of course, life rarely offers smooth sailing. After their honeymoon tour, an unexpected return to London sends the new couple reeling.

Tristan struggles to balance his new Isolde-loving self with his former role as the autocratic Duke of Kendall. Upstart relatives and scurrilous accusations complicate his efforts to find a purpose and settle into his altered standing within the ton. Worse, the still-scandalous Isolde—who never expected to be at the center of Polite Society—now finds she has to navigate meetings with the Queen, dodge vile rumors, and fend off the jealous attacks of other aristocratic ladies.

For Tristan and Isolde, falling in love was simple. But merging two disparate former lives into one proves more fraught. Can the newlyweds find a way to remain both true to themselves and one another in their new life together?

Thank you to Nichole Van for the eARC.

OBSESSED IS AN UNDERSTATEMENT.

You know when you have those FAVORITE characters? The story you can’t stop thinking about? And you would do just about anything to get more stories about them? THIS IS THAT BOOK. It felt like this beautifully crafted extended epilogue where I got to fall in love all over again with Tristan and Isolde.

Please please make sure you have read A Heart Sufficient (at minimum) before reading this book!

It was EVERYTHING. I soaked up these pages loving the communication and teamwork and the I would burn the world down for you vibes that only come from two enemies who became lovers (e2l supremacy). I appreciated how the conflict came from the outside and allowed Tristan and Isolde to only become closer as they leaned on each other to solve the problems before them.

And WOOOOO this was heated. In the best, closed door books can still be heated, kind of way. I just AHH. I can’t form the right words. I loved this story. I am obsessed with these two (A Heart Sufficient was the only book I read twice in 2024).

READ IT AND THANK ME LATER.

Overall audience notes:

  • Historical romance
  • Language: low
  • Romance: closed door
  • Violence: low

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ARC Book Review: Summer in the Highlands by Nichole Van, Heidi Kimball and Michele Paige Holmes

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Historical Romance Novella Collection
Length: 360 pages
Author: Nichole Van, Heidi Kimball & Michele Paige Holmes
Publisher: Mirror Press
Release Date: May 24th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

From the publisher of the USA Today bestselling Timeless Romance Anthology series, comes Summer in the Highlands, with three Victorian Romance novellas by Nichole Van, Heidi Kimball, and Michele Paige Holmes.

Remnants of Love by Nichole Van
Mrs. Christiana Newton—Chrissi to her closest friends—has two simple goals in life. One, earn a living through her archaeological expertise. And two, forget that Alistair Maclagan, her traitorous former betrothed, still walks the same planet as herself. Alistair Maclagan, Lord Farnell, has resolved to move on from his broken engagement to Chrissi nine years ago, to forgive himself for shattering the trust between them. But when Fate drops Chrissi, quite literally, into a muddy bog on Alistair’s Highland estate, the two are forced to confront their romantic past. Despite heartbreak, betrayal, and the passage of years, can Chrissi and Alistair forge love anew?

Of Kilts and Courtship by Heidi Kimball
Consigned to spend three months in the Highlands of Scotland with a grandmother she’s never met and an accent she cannot understand, Arabella Hughes has every reason to believe it will prove to be the worst summer of her life. And after meeting the infuriating and unchivalrous Gavin McKenzie, she becomes certain of it. As the summer progresses, however, and her prejudices and preconceptions about both Scotland and her grandmother are turned on their heads, Arabella remains determined to keep a certain Scotsman at bay. Yet every time they meet, Mr. McKenzie teases her, provokes her, and confronts her—challenging the way she thinks and forcing Arabella to consider what she truly wants for her future, even if what she wants turns out to be the last thing she ever expected.

Into the Light by Michele Paige Holmes
Theodore Hughes seeks a summer of refuge and healing in Scotland’s Highlands, as he recovers from both physical and emotional wounds sustained in the Crimean War. He’s also looking forward to becoming reacquainted with his fiancée, Violet. But when the wrong woman arrives on his doorstep, his plans are thrown awry and his tenuous hold on the future seems to be slipping away. Beatrice never wanted to come to the Highlands, to witness her undeserving cousin being doted upon by a man she neither loves nor appreciates. But Beatrice never would have intentionally injured Lord Hughes’ heart, no matter what he believes to the contrary. Thrown together, both victims of Violet’s mischief, Theodore and Beatrice navigate a hostile beginning to a tentative friendship, then to trust and ultimately love. But Beatrice hasn’t been entirely honest about the past. And her deceit may be her undoing when Violet returns to claim Theodore as her own.

Thank you to the authors for my gifted copy!

LOVED THEM ALL.

Remnants of Love
Nichole Van can do no wrong in my opinion and so it should come as no surprise that I loved this second chance, ANGSTY tension filled romance. I loved the re-meet cute and the push and pull between Chrissi and Alistair. There’s just the right amount of flashback chapters to connect to the past and I loved the pacing of the present. It’s swoony and heartfelt and fills your soul.
Content Warnings: mentions of a miscarriage

Of Kilts and Courtships
I also love Heidi Kimball’s stories and this one was amazing!! Such a great use of a quick timeline and love story. I never felt like things moved too fast. I was invested with the heated enemies banter and all of the swoooony moments that brought Gavin and Arabella together. I loved the coastal Scotland setting and passionate tale. It ended at just the right spot too.

Into the Light
This is my first book by this author! I really liked it. There’s a lot of sweet moments and I loved Theodore and Beatrice’s strength and resilient natures vs. the things they have been through. Once again, I adored the highland setting.
Content Warnings: war injuries and recovery

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