Tag: shadow mountain

ARC Book Review: Highcliffe House by Megan Walker

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Historical Romance
Length: 320 pages
Author: Megan Walker
Publisher: Shadow Mountain
Release Date: March 7th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Love ignites when two rivals vie to secure a possible fortune at the seaside town of Brighton.

Brighton, England, 1813

When a romantic entanglement leaves her humiliated and reeling, Anna Lane wants nothing more than for her father to whisk her away from the gossip of the ton. Unfortunately, he has obligations elsewhere, leaving her stuck in London.

Graham Everett’s financial security depends on an investment with Mr. Lane, his long-time friend and business partner. He’ll do just about anything to secure it for his family, even if it means fighting spoiled, embittered Anna for her father’s attention.

Luckily, Mr. Lane concocts a plan that will give everyone what they wat, with one stipulation: Anna must accompany Graham to Brighton in her father’s stead and make a decision to invest—or not—based on a thorough report.

But it will take more than a day at the beach for these two headstrong hearts to admit that they’ve been wrong about each other. If they are willing to invest a little time working out their differences, they might have a chance at real love.

Thank you to Shadow Mountain for the ARC.

LOVED IT.

Goodness this was such a lovely book. I needed a read like this. I loved how this enemies/rivals to lovers was portrayed and thank heavens for dual POV. I loved getting to know both Graham and Anna. Slowly watching their realizations and misconceptions about each other were wrong and finding that long standing connection between them turn into love was all sorts of romantic.

I adored the banter and the tender moments woven throughout the story. This book was full of heat and the simmering tension had me begging for them to kiss already. I loved the longing glances and tiny touches.

What I loved all the more was that anytime I thought that things were going to turn in a direction I wouldn’t love, communication and care showed itself. I LOVE how the conflicts were handled. There’s arguments and trouble, but also forgiveness and appreciation. Megan Walker continues to be one of my favorite historical romance authors.

Overall audience notes:

  • Historical Romance
  • Language: none
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: low

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Book Review: Blackmoore by Julianne Donaldson

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Regency Romance
Length: 286 pages
Author: Julianne Donaldson
Publisher: Shadow Mountain
Release Date: September 9th, 2013
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Kate Worthington knows her heart and she knows she will never marry. Her plan is to travel to India instead—if only to find peace for her restless spirit and to escape the family she abhors. But Kate’s meddlesome mother has other plans. She makes a bargain with Kate: India, yes, but only after Kate has secured—and rejected—three marriage proposals.

Kate journeys to the stately manor of Blackmoore determined to fulfill her end of the bargain and enlists the help of her dearest childhood friend, Henry Delafield. But when it comes to matters of love, bargains are meaningless and plans are changeable. There on the wild lands of Blackmoore, Kate must face the truth that has kept her heart captive. Will the proposal she is determined to reject actually be the one thing that will set her heart free?

Set in Northern England in 1820, Blackmoore is a Regency romance that tells the story of a young woman struggling to learn how to follow her heart. It is Wuthering Heights meets Little Women with a delicious must-read twist.

THE ANGST.

The first time I read this it cemented itself in my mind as one of the best romances I have come across. And rereading it 8 years later? YUP. There’s a reason it has this much hype behind it. The friends to lovers angst is off the charts. The romantic tension and clear loving bond between Henry and Kate is next level and warms the heart and sets the soul on fire.

I love Kate’s journey. She is trying to step out of her Mother (and sister’s) shadow of scandal to forge her own path. The journey is complicated and she makes a poor decision here and there, but she doesn’t lose the true sight of who she is. ENTER HENRY. Who, you can tell, has loved her from the time they were childhood friends. The way he takes care and looks out for Kate is one of the best parts of the book.

AND THE ENDING? I forgot how emotional it all is and gosh dang my book is full of tabs and highlights because I am smitten with these two. This remains a forever favorite and this reread cemented that fact.

Overall audience notes:

  • Regency Romance
  • Language: none
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: low
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: emotionally manipulative mother

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ARC Book Review: After the Crescent Strike (The Balkan Legends #0.5) by A.L. Sowards

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Historical Novella
Length: 182 pages
Author: A.L. Sowards
Publisher: Shadow Mountain
Release Date: March 5th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

The Balkans, 1371

After conquering the Serbian army in battle, bands of Ottoman warriors terrorize the land, leaving a trail of death and destruction in their wake. As one of the few survivors of a deadly attack on her village, Magdalena is determined to protect her newly orphaned niece. When a group of battle-weary Serb warriors offers to lead Magdalena and her charge to safety, a flame of hope flickers to life for the desperate woman, burning brighter when she spots a familiar face among the Miladin, the man she once loved—and lost.

Following a devastating defeat on the battlefield, Miladin resolves to return home to Rivak and pledge his loyalty to the new župan, Konstantin, the young son of the slain leader who led Miladin to war. As Miladin travels back from the Maritsa River Valley to offer aid and allegiance to the inexperienced youth, he expects the way will be fraught with danger, but he never dreams that the journey will reunite him with his first love.

Even as Magdalena and Miladin rekindle a romance once doomed by youth and circumstance, hidden threats draw ever closer. Before they can truly be safe, they must face a ruthless enemy who will stop at nothing to seize power.

Thank you to the author and publisher for an eARC.

READY FOR THE SERIES.

This has me all sorts of excited for the full series coming. I love this setting and the historical and faith aspects too. Even with a short (116ish pages) story I felt like these characters were incredibly well crafted. I could feel the emotional depth of what they were going through. I loved the faith aspects too. Those hit me on a soul deep level and I connected to the main leads so much.

It’s a nice intro to the where the larger story and different characters are going. I look forward to seeing the expansion of the world and learning even more about this time period. I love Sowards gorgeous writing and how well this book has been researched.

Overall audience notes:

  • Historical + Romance
  • Language: none
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: moderate
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: battle themes, major loss of life, mentions of miscarriages, near death experiences

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ARC Book Review: Windsong Manor by Julie Wright

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Historical Romance
Length: 256 pages
Author: Julie Wright
Publisher: Shadow Mountain
Release Date: October 3rd, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A young widow. A gentle stable master. A secret that could change everything. Will Nora dare risk her heart?

The London Countryside, 1820

Eleanora Coventry comes from a life of title and privilege, but even that isn’t enough to prevent her from being wed at sixteen to a controlling and dismissive husband. So when she finds herself a widow at only twenty-seven, the idea of choosing her own path forward both thrills and terrifies her. She knows how to be a daughter and a wife and mother, but she has no idea how to be Eleanora.

She moves her son and daughter to her late husband’s country estate, where she meets Ridley, the young stable master. He is ruggedly handsome, but also kind, and Eleanora finds herself drawn to him. There is only one problem: Eleanora has a title, and Ridley does not.

Ridley Ellis has a way with horses. Even the most spirited stallions trust his soft voice and gentle touch. He has the same effect on people, and when he first lays eyes on Eleanora, he is smitten by her beauty. But he quickly discovers it will take more than soft words to gain her trust—Lord Coventry had been cruel to people and animals alike. But the closer he gets to Eleanora, the more he is willing to share his heart, and more importantly, his secret.

In a world where title and privilege mean everything, will Eleanora and Ridley risk it all to find happiness? Or will the shadows of their pasts destroy everything they hope to build together?

Thank you to Shadow Mountain for the ARC.

MORE THAN A ROMANCE.

That was what a friend said to me before I read it and she was absolutely right and it warmed my heart 100x over reading this book. I LOVED IT.

I absolutely adored both main characters. Nora was passionate and incredibly strong and trying her best as a young mother to keep a hold on a situation out of her control. I felt all the emotions with Nora and looooove her as a character so much. And RIDLEY, what a swoony hero!! He made me melt many times. That man has a way with words, but also with his gentle presence. When I realized what was potentially happening with his character arc I flipped, very much a, PLEASE LET THIS HAPPEN moment.

This book is filled with so much. Children growing up, a single mother doing her best, a man running from his past and antagonists with devious plots. The pacing is perfect, the romance is swoony and the larger story will squeeze your heart.

READ IT.

Overall audience notes:

  • Historical Romance
  • Language: none
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: low
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: brief physical altercations, loss of a parent

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