Showing posts with label TimelessRegencyCollection. Show all posts
Showing posts with label TimelessRegencyCollection. Show all posts

Monday, February 8, 2016

Review: Timeless Regency Collection: A Midwinter Ball





ABOUT THE BOOK

From the publisher of the #1 Amazon bestselling A Timeless Romance Anthology series in Clean Romance.  Join three bestselling regency romance authors, Heidi Ashworth, Annette Lyon, and Michele Paige Holmes, for three new regency romance novellas in A MIDWINTER BALL.

MUCH ADO ABOUT DANCING by Heidi Ashworth. Two years have passed since Lord Northrup declared his intentions for Miss Analisa Lloyd-Jones and forbade any other man to court her. Angry at the neglect, Analisa stopped reading his letters, never even breaking the seals. Tired of waiting, Analisa joins the house party at Mrs. Smith’s famous country home, determined to find a beau. When Lord Northrup unexpectedly joins the party, Analisa discovers she is no longer repulsed by the man who first laid claim to her hand.

SWEETER THAN ANY DREAM by Annette Lyon. Olivia Wallington is firmly established as a spinster, but that doesn’t stop her from dreaming about the perfect man. Ever since her father’s death, Olivia has been forced into seclusion by her mother. When her brother and his wife come for a visit, they discover the extent to which she lives under their mother’s thumb. With their help, Olivia sneaks out to attend a local ball, where she meets Edward Blakemoore. For a few divine moments, all of her dreams seem possible. But even someone like Mr. Blakemoore would be hard pressed to get past Mrs. Wallington’s fortress of protection—or past Olivia’s pride.

AN INVITATION TO DANCE by Michele Paige Holmes. Lady Ella has been isolated on her father’s estate since her mother’s death as her father travels the world. When Alex Darling arrives with a letter from her long-dead fiancé, and a demand that she travel to London for a series of engagements, Ella thinks her father instigated the strange demands and agrees. In London, she discovers the truth behind her fiancé’s death, and that new love might be possible in the arms of the most unexpected man.

MY REVIEW

I really liked this new book in the Timeless Regency Collection series.   The romances are clean and sweet and fun.  You can't go wrong in reading these books!  :)

In Much Ado About Dancing, Lord Northrup has to find a way to convince Analisa that he's a changed man from the one that left two years ago.  Analisa has to find a way to forget and forgive the man that he was when he left and learn who he is now.  A well written novella with a lovely ending!

In Sweeter Than Any Dream,  Olivia holds onto her sanity by daydreaming about a different life and a perfect man.   Although smart and well read, Olivia has lived with the tyranny of her mother and her aunt for awhile and tries not to make waves.  When her newly married brother and his wife persuade her to sneak out to a ball she meets the man of her dreams.   In order to realize her dream of love she will have to grow a backbone and stand up for herself.   I loved this sweet story of dreams coming true!

In An Invitation To Dance, Lady Ella has been on her own for several years as her grief stricken father travels the world.   She is bold, vibrant, and used to doing things her way.   When she receives a letter from her long-dead fiance at the hands of Alex Darling, she thinks it may be her father surprising her for her birthday.  When she gets to London and learns differently, she finds herself relying on Mr. Darling to help her through the season.   When they start falling in love, Ella has to convince him to let go of his pride and open his heart to her.   I really enjoyed this well written novella about a spunky, unconventional Lady and the gruff proud man who falls in love with her.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book for review purposes. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are my own.*

ABOUT THE AUTHORS


Heidi Ashworth, best-selling, award-winning author of traditional regency romance, lives in the San Francisco bay area, but she lost her heart across the pond when she was very young. She read her first regency romance when she was four years old (just a few words, but it was enough). The first one she wrote took place in Paris circa 1974 but such gaffes are mere trifles when you are only ten. Since then she has sharpened her skills and garnered a few accolades; Miss Delacourt Speaks Her Mind hit the number one spot on several of Amazon's regency romance lists in both the U.S. and England, while its sequel earned a finalist position in the Whitney Awards (both are available via Montlake Romance).  Her novella, It Happened Twelfth Night, is one of six short stories in the first volume of the award-winning, best-selling series, A Timeless Romance Anthology, via Mirror Press.  The third book in her Miss Delacourt series, Lord Haversham Takes Command, was re-released in a box set entitled "Every Hope: A Triple Treat Romance", in December 2014, also via Mirror Press. Her latest in the Miss Delacourt series, Miss Armistead Makes Her Choice, garnered a 4.5 star Crowned Heart review from InD'tale Magazine and is currently a 2015 RONE Award finalist. You can find her on her blog, Facebook, & Twitter.

Annette Lyon is a Whitney Award winner, the recipient of Utah’s Best in State medal for fiction and the author of ten novels, a cookbook, and a grammar guide as well as over a hundred magazine articles. She’s part of the Timeless Romance Anthologies line of sweet romance stories, a senior editor at Precision Editing Group, and a cum laude graduate from BYU with a degree in English. When she’s not writing, editing, knitting, or eating chocolate, she can be found mothering and avoiding the spots on the kitchen floor.

Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook

Amazon Link: Annette Lyon Collection

Goodreads: Annette Lyon Collection

Annette's Author Goodreads page: Author Annette Lyon

Michele Paige Holmes spent her childhood and youth in Arizona and northern California, often curled up with a good book instead of out enjoying the sunshine. She graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in Elementary Education, and found it an excellent major in which to indulge her love of children’s literature.
Her first novel, Counting Stars (Covenant Communications 2007), won the 2007 Whitney Award for best romance. Her companion novel, a romantic suspense titled, All the Stars in Heaven (Covenant 2009), was a Whitney finalist, as was her first historical romance, Captive Heart (Covenant 2011). My Lucky Stars (Covenant 2012) completed the Stars series.
After having a novella published in A Timeless Romance Anthology European Collection (Mirror Press, 2013), Michele decided to focus on historical romance and began Hearthfire Historicals, with the debut novel Saving Grace. A companion novella, Loving Helen was released February 2015.
Michele has been a member of the same critique group for over fourteen years and feels privileged to meet with fellow authors Annette Lyon, Heather B. Moore, LuAnn Staheli, Sarah M. Eden, J. Scott Savage, and Robison Wells. She has been a member of RWA and URWA, LDStorymakers, and The League of Utah Writers. Michele enjoys both attending and teaching at conferences.
When not reading or writing romance, Michele is busy with her full time job as a wife and mother. She and her husband live in Utah with their five high maintenance children and a Shitzu that resembles a teddy bear, in a house with a wonderful view of the mountains. You can find Michele on the web at michelepaigeholmes.com and on Facebook and Twitter .

Tuesday, October 13, 2015

Blog Tour Review: Autumn Masquerade




My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Timeless Regency Collection: Three Brand New Novellas from Bestselling Regency Romance Authors...

A MERRY DANCE by Josi S. Kilpack. When Lila overhears her uncle talking about a man coming to look for property in the county, she doesn’t think twice, until her uncle says he hopes Lila will find enough interest to marry the man. How can she marry someone named Mortimer Luthford, not to mention that his advanced age of thirty-three, and especially since she’s already in love with her absent cousin Neville? But when Mortimer arrives, Lila has to try every trick known to women to act not interested in the rather fascinating man, which proves a very difficult façade to maintain.


I enjoyed this story about Lila and Mortimer. There were several times I had to laugh out loud at Lila's antics in trying to appear unsuitable to Mortimer. Her nature is so curious that she's practically bursting to engage in a meaningful conversation with this interesting man. A sweet fun story that will warm your heart.

UNMASKING THE DUKE by Donna Hatch. The last thing Hannah Palmer wants to do is flirt with men in a crowded ballroom, but when her sister throws a Masquerade Ball, Hannah can’t say no to the invitation and takes comfort behind a mask. She dances with a charming masked man, matching him wit for wit. When the glorious evening culminates in a kiss, and the two remove their masks, Hannah is horrified to discover the man she’s been flirting with all night is her most despised neighbor, the Duke of Suttenberg. No matter how charming the duke was at the ball, and how wonderful the kiss, he is the last man she’d ever accept.

I really enjoyed this novella. Hannah is on the shy side and wants nothing to do with crowds and the ton. She especially doesn't want to have anything to do with the Duke of Suttenberg, who has met her more than once but never deigns to remember her. I enjoyed the way Hannah was able to come out of her shell and become a confident person while at the masked ball. And I loved the passion with which the Duke falls in love with her. But I never really understood his reasoning for not noticing her or remembering her after having met her multiple times. Definitely a character flaw on his part. As the story progresses though, you do get to see him in a better light. A passionate story that will keep you turning pages.

WHAT’S IN A NAME by Nancy Campbell Allen. Penelope Timely has a terrible secret. She’s been writing letters to the Duke of Wilmington, pretending to be her ever-proper twin sister, Persephone. Now, the duke has written that he’ll be coming for the Autumn Masquerade Ball and Festival. Penelope will have to continue the charade while the duke is in town in order to protect her sister. The Duke of Wilmington isn’t fooled for a moment, but instead of confessing that he knows about the deception, he finds himself utterly charmed by Penelope and jumps into the game of deception to see how far the twin sisters will take it.

I really enjoyed this novella as well. I love that it's about twins although I felt like the character of Persephone was a conflict. How could she be so unaware of how her sister is being treated and unconcerned with her feelings and yet at the same time not be too good for the town doctor? A little bit of a disconnect there. But I enjoyed the fact that the Duke saw right through the act and was still charmed by Penelope. A delightful story that will make you want more.

This is the start of a new line of clean romances called Timeless Regency Collection and I really enjoyed it. I'm looking forward to the next book!

*I received a complimentary copy of this book for review purposes. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are my own.*

View all my reviews


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Other Timeless Regency Collections:
A Midwinter Ball (Coming December 2015)
Spring in Hyde Park (Coming March 2016)
Summer House Party (Coming June 2016)
A Country Christmas (Coming October 2016)


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