Author: Gwendalyn’s Books

Hello Everyone And Welcome To My Stop On The Blog Tour For

Cursed Ever After by Andy C. Naranjo

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Genre: YA Fantasy
Publishing date: June 30, 2026

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound

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SUMMARY

Cursed Ever After is a dazzling romantic fantasy debut brimming with snark, humor, and banter-filled romance perfect for fans of The Princess Bride and Once Upon a Broken Heart.

Love is not for cursed girls. Risa is better off without it.

Risa Porto is a Bad Thing born on a Bad Day and cursed with Bad Luck. After years of taking the blame for every calamity, mishap, and minor inconvenience that befalls the townspeople of Barrow, she longs for escape. And on her seventeenth birthday, her wish is granted.

Sort of.

Risa owes a (very annoying) witch a favor, and it comes in the form of a quest: escort Prince Javi―the youngest, handsomest, and least significant prince―through the dark (and deadly) Bosque to his wedding. This measly errand quickly spirals into a struggle against greedy assassins, a murderous cult, a vicious tyrant―and Risa’s own curse.

Most unfortunate of all…

She is not immune to Javi’s charms and has a highly irritating urge to kiss the prince. Though, surviving the darkest corners of the Bosque is only the beginning. If Risa is to hold up her end of a witch’s bargain, she’ll need a lot more than luck on her side to untangle the web of lies threatening the kingdom. Is Risa willing to pay the price of happily ever after? What if the only person she’s meant to save is herself?

Rep: Latinx

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REVIEW

Cursed Ever After is an adventurous fantasy by a debut author, Andy C. Naranjo. 

Readers follow Risa Porto, who has been the scapegoat for all unfortunate events that occur in her small village that resides in the Kingdom of Kheadon. 

Risa believes she has been cursed since birth, having been born on the unluckiest day of the year. Terrible luck has been the bane of her existence in all of her seventeen years of life. Tasked by the Witch Brunhilda on her seventeenth birthday with a quest. She must escort a very handsome seventh son the King to his wedding, Prince Javier. 

What a delight this book was, full of snark and wit. Along with quest, magic and assassins. A storyline with dry sarcastic humor infused fantasy that kept me engaged from start to finish. I loved the underlying meaning the author delivers throughout the book progress. The characters and sub characters were intriguing and I thought they were well written. All in all it was a great YA fairytale Fantasy. 

Thanks to @topplingstackstours & @andy.c.orange 

#CursedEverAfter #TopplingStacksTours #AndyNaranjo

https://gwendalynbooks.wordpress.com

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AUTHOR

Hello Friends And Welcome To My Stop On The Blog Tour For

THREE QUEENS By Rebecca Connolly

Three Queens features intriguing and trailblazing women from history—Abigail Adams, Queen Charlotte, and Marie Antoinette—three women form an unlikely sisterhood, navigating revolutions, royal pressures, and personal losses as they shape their own legacies.

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TITLE: THREE QUEENS

AUTHOR: Rebecca Connolly

PUBLISHER: Shadow Mountain

PUB DAY: May 5, 2026

PUBLISHER | AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | GOODREADS

Thank you @author.rebecca.connolly @shadowmountainpub @greatreadsbookpromo for my early copy of this book

 #threequeens #rebeccaconnolly #shadowmountionpub #historicalfiction #greatreadsbookpromotion

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SYNOPSIS

After the end of the American Revolutionary War, Abigail Adams crosses the Atlantic to reunite with her husband, John, after five long years apart. But she is unprepared for the glittering courts of England and France that are so different from her experience in the newly established United States. Undeterred, Abigail sets her sights on forging bonds with the queens of Europe, believing their support is key to her nation’s future.

In England, Queen Charlotte carries the weight of an empire on her shoulders. Her husband, King George III, battles a private madness, while political tensions rise and her eldest son schemes for power. Charlotte struggles to maintain order and propriety—while clinging to the solace she finds in her correspondence with her friend Marie Antoinette in France.

Revolution has gripped France, and Marie Antoinette must watch as her world crumbles. Vilified by the public and neglected by a king who refuses to see the storm coming, she faces growing unrest with dwindling allies. As tragedy strikes her family, she reaches out to her friends—Charlotte and Abigail—in a last attempt to find a path forward, possibly even escape.

The paths of these three women cross in unexpected ways in public, in private, and through letters. They forge a quiet sisterhood across borders and upheaval, each one facing love and loss, sweetness and strife, revolution and regrets.

ADVANCE PRAISE

“A celebration of the humanity behind the mythology, sparking interest in further reading and opening minds to re-examining what has been claimed as true, possibly with ulterior motives. Book discussion groups and fans of Marie Benedict, Allison Weir, or Phillipa Gregory will enjoy Connolly’s latest.”— Booklist

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 REVIEW

Click on the image above to take you to my IG👆

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A fascinating what-if: Abigail Adams, Queen Charlotte, and Marie-Antoinette meet in Calais and forge an unlikely friendship through letters. Three women at the center of world-changing events, yet powerless in their own right, connected by shared loss and mutual understanding.

Connolly balances all three storylines with care, though the French Revolution naturally commands the most urgency. The author’s note separating fact from fiction is a lovely bonus. 

⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ ﾟ･*:.｡*:ﾟ

What a fascinating premise: three of history’s most iconic women, Abigail Adams, Queen Charlotte, and Marie-Antoinette, drawn together by circumstance, mutual curiosity, and the quiet solidarity of women living at the mercy of powerful men and turbulent times.

Rebecca Connolly imagines a fictional weekend in Calais where these three women meet and forge a friendship, which then continues through correspondence. It is an inventive structure, and it works beautifully. Abigail, newly arrived in Europe after five years apart from John, navigates glittering foreign courts with the pragmatic steadiness she was known for. Charlotte quietly holds the British throne together while her husband’s mind unravels and her eldest son circles for power. And Marie-Antoinette watches the walls close in around her as revolution consumes France and the people who once adored her turn against her.

What ties them together is not status but shared loss. Each has buried children. Each lives under an unrelenting public gaze. Each has devoted herself to a husband whose world extends far beyond her own. The story gives these women a chance to be known to one another in ways their eras rarely permitted them to be known at all.

The French Revolution naturally commands the largest portion of the narrative, which feels appropriate. Marie-Antoinette’s story has an urgency and tragedy the other two cannot quite match, and Connolly handles it with care and restraint. Having previously read biographies of both Marie-Antoinette and Abigail Adams, I found the historical fiction here to sit comfortably alongside what I know of their real lives. The author’s note at the end, where Connolly separates fact from invention, is a welcome and honest addition. One lovely detail: a final letter sent to Charlotte is drawn from one Marie actually wrote to her sister.

A quietly moving read for anyone who loves history told through the inner lives of women who shaped it, even when the world refused to acknowledge that they did.

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AUTHOR

Rebecca Connolly is the author of more than three dozen novels. She calls herself a Midwest girl, having lived in Ohio and Indiana. She’s always been a bookworm, and her grandma would send her books almost every month so she would never run out. Book Fairs were her carnival, and libraries are her happy place. She has been creating stories since childhood, and there are home videos to prove it! She received a master’s degree from West Virginia University and is a hot cocoa addict.

WEBSITE | GOODREADS | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM

Hello everyone! Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for The Redwood Bargain by Markelle Grabo

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Genre: YA Fantasy
Publishing date: April 28, 2026

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound

Rep: Sapphic, LGBT+

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SYNOPSIS

To free her cousin from an indentured contract, Katrien agrees to fulfill their lord’s bargain with the fabled “Redwood Man.” Three maids before her have posed as his stepdaughter, Lady Zaviera, and met this lord of the forest as promised. But Katrien means to be the first to fool him—and live.

Impersonating a Lady is no easy feat, especially one as beautiful and aloof as Zaviera. With one month before she’s sent off, Katrien is put through endless lessons, even as the Redwood Man’s suffocating vines overtake the manor and threaten its staff.

Zaviera takes a special interest in her training, and their shared interests grow into shared affections. But the Redwood Man awaits his prize. Caught between duty and desire, her future and her past, Katrien must navigate a tricky bargain—or risk failing those she holds dearest.

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REVIEW

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This book was received from the Author, and Publisher, in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

This is a non spoiler review, because you as reader need to read this book. Also, I feel sometimes I have in the past gave away to much of the plot line. This has diminished the pleasure for would be readers.

Thanks to @pagestreetya @markellegrabo and @storygramtours for the #gifted copy!  #theredwoodbargain #storygramtours for my early copy of this book

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I was not prepared for how deeply this book would sink its roots into me.

The Redwood Bargain is a gothic fairy tale retelling that feels both achingly familiar and completely unlike anything I have read before. Markelle Grabo takes the bones of a Brothers Grimm story and builds something lush, eerie, and emotionally devastating around them. From the very first page, the atmosphere wraps around you like ivy crawling up stone walls and refuses to let go.

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Katrien is the kind of protagonist who breaks your heart quietly. She carries guilt the way some people carry heirlooms, heavy and inherited, and her decision to step into the place of the girls before her feels both reckless and completely inevitable. Watching her transform from kitchen maid to noblewoman in a race against time and a forest lord’s growing impatience is tense and compelling. The world Grabo has built feels grounded in something like the late Victorian or Edwardian era, which gives the class dynamics and the weight of servitude a very real, very suffocating texture.

And then there is Zaviera. The sapphic romance at the heart of this story is tender and slow and genuinely moving. These two characters find each other in stolen glances and shared lessons, and the way their feelings grow despite every reason they should not is beautiful. There is something so quietly radical about a love story set in this world that does not burden itself with shame.

The Redwood Man himself is a genuinely unsettling presence. The creeping vines, the bodies of the girls who came before, the ticking clock of his patience all create a dread that permeates every chapter. The pacing is deliberately slow in the best possible way, mirroring the suffocating spread of roots through the manor.

This is a book about guilt and duty and what we owe the people we love, and whether love itself can be a form of redemption. It is atmospheric, queer, heartfelt, and haunting in equal measure. If you love gothic fiction, sapphic romance, and fairy tales that earn their darkness, do not let this one pass you by.

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AUTHOR

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Markelle Grabo started writing in 5th grade once she realized her squeamish nature wouldn’t lend itself well to a career in Marine Biology. After growing up in Wisconsin, she earned her bachelor’s degree in English from Loyola University Chicago and her master’s degree in creative writing for children and young adults from Hamline University, where she wrote the first draft of her debut YA novel, Call Forth a Fox.

When not writing, Markelle enjoys hiking, food adventures, and going to the movies. Whatever she’s doing, she’s usually listening to an audiobook or a podcast at the same time. She lives in the Greater Chicago Area with her husband and their two very fluffy cats, Matcha and Kava.

Markelle is the author of Call Forth a Fox and The Redwood Bargain (April 2026). She is represented by Tricia Lawrence of Aevitas Creative Management.

Website | Instagram | Goodreads

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Hello And Welcome To My Stop On The Book Tour For The Teacher’s Noble Heart by Susanne Dunlap

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The Teacher’s Noble Heart by Susanne Dunlap

Genre: Historical Romance

Tour Dates: 10th – 14th March 2026

Publication Date: 10th March 2026

Estimated Page Count: 366

Standalone Fifth Book in the Double-Dilemma Romance series

SYNOPSIS

In Regency Cornwall, governess Miss Wilkins has always survived by being sensible, capable, and self-reliant. When she dares to take a bold step toward independence, she has no intention of complicating her life—or her heart.

Her encounters with James Pentarrant, the steadfast captain of the Delabole slate quarry, are marked less by romance than by spirited disagreement. Self-contained and disciplined, James challenges her views at every turn, even as he respects her resolve. What begins as wary sparring and mutual resistance gradually deepens into an understanding neither expected nor sought.

Alongside their unfolding story, a young heiress newly returned to Cornwall hides a calling that defies convention. When a moment of danger on the moor—and the inevitable gossip that follows—forces her into an unintended engagement, assumptions harden and emotions become dangerously entangled. Her growing affection for her own sparring partner, a gentle country doctor with the manners of a true gentleman and a secret of his own, only further unsettles what society is determined to set in place.

Set against the rugged beauty of Cornwall’s coast, quarries, and windswept moors, The Teacher’s Noble Heart is a tender Regency romance of intertwined lives, mistaken conclusions, and love discovered in spite of every sensible intention.

Book Series Order
Book 1: The Dressmaker’s Secret Earl
Book 2: The Soprano’s Daring Duke
Book 3: Miss Pauline’s Perfect Present
Book 4: The Falconer’s Lost Baron
Book 5: The Teacher’s Noble Heart

REVIEW

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This book was received from the Author, and Publisher, in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

This is a non spoiler review, because you as reader need to read this book. Also, I feel sometimes I have in the past gave away to much of the plot line. This has diminished the pleasure for would be readers..

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The Teacher’s Noble Heart by Susanne Dunlap is a compelling historical fiction. I was delighted to read this thought provoking, heftier take on Regency romance. 

The book is set in a bleak Cornwall English quarry town. Readers follow Persephone Wilkins, a former governess who recently inherited a small inheritance after her father passed away. Persephone does the unthinkable and sets about opening a school for the quarry’s young children. This puts the determined Persephone at odds with the quarry’s master, James Pentarrant, who is struggling to keep the family owned company’s profits up. 

Sophia Tresillian, a local debutante is being pushed toward a wedding with James by her social climbing father. Sophia’s dreams and desires follow a different path, one that most people would be shocked to discover. A chance meeting with the new country doctor Nathanial Rowe is the other aspect of the author Susanne Dunlap’s double-dilemma. 

Social and economical themes help make for a stronger read. Dunlap’s ability to bring the importance of education and how it uplifts the common folk. The author also focuses on how unsafe the working environment was for working class people. 

Women’s issues was another driving factor in this book. Things were starting to change, and more and more women were moving towards having a hand in the workforce outside the home.

Another satisfying book by the very talented author Susan Dunlap. I highly recommend this book to my friends and family.

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AUTHOR

About Susanne Dunlap

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Susanne Dunlap started out a historian, became an award-winning historical novelist with fourteen published novels for adults and teens, and is now the author of the Regency romance series, Double-Dilemma Romance. She lives and writes in a converted textile mill in Biddeford, Maine.

Follow Susanne Dunlap

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SusanneRomance

Instagram: https://instagram.com/susanne_dunlap

TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@SusieRegency

Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for A Promised Vengeance by Sara B. Larson.  This tour is being hosted by Toppling Stacks Tours.

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Genre: Adult, Fantasy
Publishing date: October 28, 2025

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound

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From the author of the DEFY trilogy, get ready to immerse yourself in this romantasy reimagining of The Count of Monte Cristo!

Falsely accused of murder, impoverished Elodie Dantès is torn from her childhood love, Killian, stripped of her most valuable possession—a forbidden artifact that wields ancient power—and banished to the otherworldly prison of Autremonde.

Awaiting certain death in a world poisoned by magic, Elodie meets an unexpected ally, and together they begin digging for an escape. However, once Elodie is finally free, she discovers that the very people who betrayed her are those she trusted the most. Consumed by vengeance, Elodie develops a plan to ruthlessly destroy them all.

But all too soon Elodie is forced to choose whether vengeance is worth the price, especially if it means losing the love of her life forever.

Content Warning: violence

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This book was received from the Author, and Publisher, in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

This is a non spoiler review, because you as reader need to read this book. Also, I feel sometimes I have in the past gave away to much of the plot line. This has diminished the pleasure for would be readers..

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A Promised Vengeance absolutely swept me away. A gender-switched reimagining of The Count of Monte Cristo, this book delivers betrayal, revenge, and redemption with all the emotional punch of a classic but the magic and heart of a modern romantasy.

Elodie Dantès is a heroine who commands the page. Wrongfully imprisoned and stripped of everything she holds dear, she refuses to break. Watching her rise from the depths of despair to become the architect of her own justice was thrilling and empowering. She’s beautifully complex—strong, imperfect, and capable of both vengeance and love—and I adored every layer of her journey.

The relationship between Elodie and the priest absolutely stole my heart. Their bond is tender and deeply human, a bright spark of hope amid a dark and dangerous world. It grounded the story and made me care even more about Elodie’s fight to reclaim her life.

Sara B. Larson’s writing shines here—emotional, immersive, and full of tension. The pacing builds steadily toward an explosive second half that had me completely hooked. The world-building feels lush and imaginative, and the romance is perfectly balanced—swoony but never overshadowing the plot.

What impressed me most, though, was the emotional depth. This story isn’t just about revenge—it’s about power, forgiveness, and the painful but beautiful process of becoming whole again. It feels epic and intimate at the same time, and I’m still thinking about it long after finishing.

A Promised Vengeance is everything I want in a romantasy: a strong, morally grey heroine, a high-stakes plot, slow-burn tension, and emotional catharsis. It’s brutal, beautiful, and unforgettable. This is one of those books that reminds me why I love this genre so much.

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Sara B. Larson is the author of the acclaimed YA fantasy DEFY trilogy (DEFY, IGNITE, and ENDURE), the DARK BREAKS THE DAWN duology (DARK BREAKS THE DAWN and BRIGHT BURNS THE NIGHT), and SISTERS OF SHADOW AND LIGHT DUOLOGY. Her new releases include a YA fantasy coming Fall 2025, and EVERY BEAT AFTER (adult debut) coming spring 2026. She can’t remember a time when she didn’t write books—although she now uses a computer instead of a Little Mermaid notebook.Sara lives in Utah with her husband, their four children, and their dogs, Loki the Maltese and Bindi the English Cream Retriever. She writes in brief snippets throughout the day and the quiet hours when most people are sleeping. Her husband claims she should have a degree in “the art of multitasking.” When she’s not mothering or writing, you can often find her at the gym repenting for her sugar addiction.

Website | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads

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TOUR SCHEDULE: A Promised Vengeance by Sara B. Larson

Hello Friends and Welcome To My Stop On The Blog For The Paperback Release Of The Surgeon’s House By Jody Cooksley

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Title: The Surgeon’s House
Author: Jody Cooksley
Publisher: Allison & Busby
Format: Paperback (out 22 January 2026)

Thank you so much to Jody Cooksley and Allison & Busby for my fab book mail – returning to Evergreen House in this sequel was exactly the dark, gothic escape I was hoping for.

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Set in London, 1883, The Surgeon’s House picks up the threads from The Small Museum and tightens them into something even more ominous and emotionally charged. Evergreen House, now a refuge for “fallen” women and their children, is supposed to be a place of second chances – until the brutal murder of beloved cook Rose Parmiter shatters that fragile sense of safety.

From there, the story descends into a deeply unsettling Gothic mystery as Rebecca Harris, proprietor of Evergreen House, must confront not only the immediate threat but also the festering legacy of the Everley family, whose long-buried sins still seep from the walls. The unnerving sense that the house itself remembers—and resents—what has transpired within its rooms lends the entire novel a suffocating, haunted atmosphere that captures the Victorian Gothic mood with chilling precision.

Rebecca makes for a compelling, stubbornly hopeful heroine: caught between patriarchal scrutiny, moral hypocrisy, and a society obsessed with science and respectability, she is still determined to protect the women and children in her care. Her relationship with George, and the fragile community they have built at Evergreen, adds a thread of warmth that stops the book tipping into pure despair, even as the body count rises and the threats close in.

This is a harsh, unflinching read; scenes of cruelty and injustice lay bare the stark imbalances of power in Victorian society, especially for vulnerable women and children

The atmosphere is where the novel truly dazzles: shadow-drenched corridors, furtive conspiracies, so-called medical “advances” concealing quiet horrors, and an unshakeable awareness of how easily these women can be discarded. Yet running through all that darkness is a defiant thread of hope – the sense that solidarity, courage, and an unblinking commitment to the truth still have the power to change everything.

If you’re in the mood for a grim, gripping Victorian Gothic mystery with a fiercely determined heroine, a genuinely unsettling antagonist and a house steeped in blood and secrets, The Surgeon’s House is an excellent choice – and a hugely satisfying return to Evergreen House.

About the author

Jody Cooksley studied literature at Oxford Brookes University and holds a Masters in Victorian Poetry, which shows in the lush, period-evocative detail of her writing. Her earlier work includes The Glass House, a fictional account of pioneering Victorian photographer Julia Margaret Cameron, and How to Keep Well in Wartime, both published by Cinnamon Press. She went on to win the Caledonia Novel Award in 2023 with The Small Museum, a chilling Victorian gothic that paved the way for The Surgeon’s House and confirmed her talent for dark, atmospheric historical fiction.

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Where to buy The Surgeon’s House

• Publisher page (Allison & Busby):
  https://www.allisonandbusby.com/book/the-surgeons-house/ 
• Barnes & Noble (US readers):
  https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-surgeons-house-jody-cooksley/1146976127 
• AbeBooks (various retailers/editions):
  https://www.abebooks.com/9780749031725/Surgeons-House-thrilling-Gothic-historical-0749031727/plp 
• Easons (Ireland/UK):
  https://www.easons.com/the-surgeons-house-jody-cooksley-9780749031725 
• Chapters Bookstore (indie option):
  https://chaptersbookstore.com/products/jody-cooksley-the-surgeons-house-2026 

Hello And Welcome To My Stop For

Remember That Day By Mary Balogh

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About the Book:

A soldier and a pacifist make the unlikeliest of pairs, but when passion sparks, there’s nothing that can prevent their love from igniting.

Winifred Cunningham, the adopted daughter of a portrait painter, hopes that her new close friend, Owen Ware, will soon ask for her hand in marriage. But when Owen introduces Winifred to his elder brother Nicholas, the late Earl of Stratton’s second son, the slow burn between them begins.

Nicholas is a cavalry colonel—a hardened soldier whom Winifred at first despises. She finds him intimidating and cruel-looking, while he finds her strange and startlingly forthright. During a summer at Ravenswood, however, Nicholas and Winifred are unwillingly thrown together on several occasions, until they realize the passion that drives their disagreements is not due to dislike—it is because of attraction.

Winifred still awaits Owen’s proposal, and Nicholas has made his intention to marry his commanding officer’s daughter quite clear. With allegiances to other marriage prospects and brotherly bonds at risk, not to mention the age difference between them, Nicholas and Winifred know it would be wholly improper to pursue a romance…

And yet, romance is irresistible. Perhaps even inevitable.

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REVIEW

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This book was received from the Author, and Publisher, in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

This is a non spoiler review, because you as reader need to read this book. Also, I feel sometimes I have in the past gave away to much of the plot line. This has diminished the pleasure for would be readers

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REMEMBER THAT DAY 

Mary Balogh 

Series: Ravenswood #5

Release Date: January 6, 2026

Berkley | Penguin Random House

Thank you so much @mary.balogh, @berkleypub & @penguinrandomhouse for the chance to return to Ravenswood with this story.

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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5/5)

Mary Balogh once again proves why she’s one of the reigning queens of Regency romance.

Remember That Day, by Mary Balogh is the fifth installment in the Ravenswood series is everything I love about her work—graceful prose, emotional depth, and that slow, breathtaking build from conflict to connection that only Balogh can deliver.

Winifred Cunningham, with her honesty and impulsive spirit, meets her match in Colonel Nicholas Ware—a stoic, battle-worn soldier who embodies honor and restraint. From the very first meeting (which, true to Balogh form, goes terribly wrong), their story unfolds with all the tension, tenderness, and quiet longing that define the author’s best romances. There’s friction, misunderstanding, moral clashes, and—beneath it all—a current of mutual respect that blossoms into something far deeper than either expected.

Winnie completely won me over. She’s forthright and flawed in the most endearing way, while Nicholas stole my heart with his steadfastness and quiet vulnerability. The pairing of a warrior and a pacifist sounds impossible, but Balogh makes their journey feel utterly inevitable. Each conversation, each stolen look, feels infused with meaning. By the time love finally conquers duty and doubt, it’s impossible not to sigh in satisfaction.

I also adored seeing familiar names from the Westcott world appear alongside beloved Ravenswood characters—it felt like stepping into a grand Regency reunion. And while this can absolutely be read as a standalone, long-time readers will catch all the subtle emotional echoes woven in from earlier books.

Balogh’s writing here is rich, introspective, and deeply romantic, with a satisfying balance of tenderness and restraint. It’s not just about falling in love—it’s about earning it, learning from it, and finding the courage to choose it.

Lush, tender, and quietly powerful—Remember That Day is classic Mary Balogh at her best. A soulful, mature love story that lingers long after the last page.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5/5)

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About the Author:

Mary Balogh grew up in Wales and now lives with her husband, Robert, in Saskatchewan, Canada. She has written more than one hundred historical novels and novellas, more than forty of which have been New York Times bestsellers. They include the Bedwyn saga, the Simply quartet, the Huxtable quintet, the seven-part Survivors’ Club series, and the Westcott series.

Hello And Welcome to My Stop on Blog Tour For

The Falconer’s Lost Baron by Susanne Dunlap.

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A sweeping Regency tale of identity, devotion, and unexpected romance.

Lady Antonella thought she knew who she was—until a shattering family secret strips her of her name, her place in society, and her future. Cast adrift in Cornwall, she finds an injured goshawk in a poacher’s net and begins to nurse it back to health. But the hawk belongs to the war-scarred Lord Atherleigh—a man haunted by loss, determined to dismantle his mews, and certainly not expecting a spirited young woman to upend his solitude.

In London, her twin sister Belinda—radiant, poised, and newly on the marriage market—has only one goal: to find a worthy match… for Antonella. But when Hector Gainesworth, a charming rogue with laughter in his eyes and secrets of his own, turns his attention to Belinda instead, her heart begins to spin in an altogether unexpected direction.

As the sisters navigate betrayal, desire, and the demands of their hearts, two men must decide whether to risk everything for love. And Antonella’s goshawk may be the wild, winged thread that binds their fates.

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REVIEW

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This book was received from the Author, and Publisher, in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

This is a non spoiler review, because you as reader need to read this book. Also, I feel sometimes I have in the past gave away to much of the plot line. This has diminished the pleasure for would be readers..

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The Falconer’s Lost Baron by Susanne Dunlap
Genre: Regency Romance
Tour Dates: 1st – 8th December 2025
Publication Date: 1st December 2025
Standalone | Book 4 in the Double-Dilemma Romance series

The Falconer’s Lost Baron by Susanne Dunlap is the fourth installment in the Double-Dilemma Romance series.

Two sisters, one shocking secret, and a winter full of unexpected love. The Falconer’s Lost Baron is a tender and uplifting Regency romance that weaves together themes of identity, sisterhood, and second chances against the charming backdrop of falconry.

Antonella and Belinda Ambleton grew up believing they were twins. But just before their long-awaited visit to London, they learn a life-altering truth: only one is legitimate, and the other—Antonella—has no claim to her name or position. Cast out of the only world she’s ever known, Antonella retreats to the solace of her falcons. There, fate brings her face-to-face with Malcolm Tennant, Lord Atherleigh, a scarred war hero who has lost both his hand and his hope.

Meanwhile, Belinda faces her own challenges as she tries to safeguard her sister’s future—while battling the increasingly complicated affections of the charming Mr. Gainesworth. What unfolds is a story of rediscovered worth, sacrifice, and the restorative power of love.

Susanne Dunlap once again deliverers a beautifully written story full of heart, historical depth, and emotional truth. Her pacing feels effortless, and the dual-romance structure balances perfectly—one story grounded in quiet healing, the other in fiery temptation.

The falconry element is a refreshing and fascinating twist; it ties beautifully into the novel’s themes of freedom and recovery. Watching Antonella’s bond with the birds evolve felt symbolic of her journey—learning to trust herself, her instincts, and her place in the world again.

What stood out most to me, though, was the portrayal of sisterhood. The love between Antonella and Belinda carries just as much emotional weight as the romantic plots, reminding readers that devotion and courage come in many forms.

If you love emotionally rich Regency tales with independent heroines, layered relationships, and a touch of the unusual, this one belongs on your December TBR.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks to Susan Dunlap, Comfortable Prose Publishing and Rachel of Rachel’s Random Resources for a copy of the book and a place on the tour. 

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AUTHOR

Susanne Dunlap is the author of over a dozen historical novels featuring strong women, from Medieval times to the 20th century. This is the fourth Regency Romance in her series of Double-Dilemma Romances. Susanne lives and writes in Biddeford, Maine.

 

You can follow Susan here: 

Instagram  |  Facebook  |  LinkedIn  |  You tube

Book links:

Amazon UK |  Amazon US

 

Check out the rest of the tour!

Hello And Welcome To My Stop On The Book Tour For

No Stone Unturned By Jenelle Hovde

@jenellehovdeauthor @crazy4fiction @tyndalehouse #NoStoneUnturned #JenelleHovde #RegencyRomance #historicalromance #historicalfiction #christianfiction @tlcbooktours

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𝐓𝐈𝐓𝐋𝐄: No Stone Unturned

𝐀𝐔𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐑: Jenelle Hovde

𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐒: Hawthorn Abbey #1

𝐏𝐔𝐁𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐇𝐄𝐑: Tyndale House

𝐏𝐔𝐁 𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄: July 2025

Thank you to @jenellehovdeauthor @crazy4fiction @tyndalehouse @tlcbooktours for the gifted copy!

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Add To Your Goodreads TBR List

👇🏻

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Summary

She wants to uncover the past. He wishes to build a future. In this Regency romance set in rolling hills of West Sussex, two opposing wills discover their fate may lie in the common ground.

Miss Bridget Littleton’s passion for history and antiquities defies most social conventions, even in her small village nestled in the beautiful English countryside. When a local farmer discovers an elaborate mosaic buried in his field, Bridget dreams of making a name and future for herself by excavating the Roman ruins. Unfortunately, her quest puts her at odds with the ambitious new lord who recently inherited the title and Hawthorn Abbey from his estranged uncle.

Recovering from wounds of both body and spirit, Captain Rafe Hawthorn is intent on restoring his long-neglected ancestral home. His plans to rebuild the abbey’s once thriving orchards require a road that will pass straight through Bridget’s potential trove of artifacts. He will not–cannot–fail again, even if he is moved by Bridget and her passion.

Yet this impasse might not be their greatest obstacle. A natural disaster and a series of suspicious accidents threaten both their plans, along with the livelihood of the nearby villagers dependent on their success. With their dreams in the balance, Bridget and Rafe must work together to fend off an unexpected enemy that may prove more dangerous than either could have imagined.

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Sweet Regency romance filled with hope, faith, and an enemies-to-lovers dynamic

Historical fiction that’s perfect for fans of Julie Klassen, Sarah Ladd, or Abigail Wilson

Includes discussion questions for book clubs

Review

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This book was received from the Author, and Publisher, in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

This is a non spoiler review, because you as reader need to read this book. Also, I feel sometimes I have in the past gave away to much of the plot line. This has diminished the pleasure for would be readers..

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Thank you to @jenellehovdeauthor @crazy4fiction @tyndalehouse @tlcbooktours for the gifted copy!

Set in the peaceful English village of Bramnor, this story follows Bridget Littleton, a bold young woman passionate about uncovering the past—and Captain Rafe Hawthorn, a wounded veteran determined to secure his future. When their dreams clash over a newly discovered Roman mosaic, sparks fly, secrets unravel, and hearts are tested.

Told in dual POVs, this novel is a masterclass in slow-burn romance, with layers of faith and forgiveness at its core. The enemies-to-lovers dynamic simmers deliciously, and the emotional growth of both characters is deeply satisfying. Hovde’s prose is lyrical, her research is rich, and her message is hopeful.

Whether you’re in it for the brooding hero, the clever heroine, the archaeological mystery, or the spiritual journey—this book delivers. Highly recommended for fans of Julie Klassen, Sarah Ladd, or anyone craving historical romance with depth

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Jenelle Hovde, an award winning illustrator, pastor’s wife, and homeschooling mother, ventured off the beaten path by transitioning from her career as a doctor of audiology to pursue her passion for writing. With eight novels under her belt, her literary journey spans the rich tapestries of ancient worlds to the tumultuous landscapes of World War II. Her favorite genre includes sweet Regency romance that enchants readers with tales of love and intrigue set against the backdrop of 19th-century England.

Purchase wherever books are sold.

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Tyndale

Books A Million

Christianbook.com

IndieBound

TLC tour schedule:

Monday, July 21st: @beckys_bookshelves

Tuesday, July 22nd: @nerdy_book_lover_1987

Tuesday, July 22nd: @sarahs.bookish.reviews

Wednesday, July 23rd: @kristis_literary_corner

Thursday, July 24th: @gwendalyn_books

Friday, July 25th: @edensbookden

Friday, July 25th: @_jenniferreads_

Saturday, July 26th: @reading.with.mama.kenna

Sunday, July 27th: @subakka.bookstuff 

Monday, July 28th: @infinite.readlist 

Tuesday, July 29th: @melissas_bookshelf 

Wednesday, July 30th: @dana.loves.books

Hello Gracious Readers And Welcome To My Stop on The Blog Tour for

The Soprano’s Daring Duke by Susanne Dunlap

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Newly widowed Princess Adelheid Kinsky thought she was free—until she learns of her abusive late husband’s final betrayal. The son she believed dead, the illegitimate child of a forbidden love, still lives. To secure his future, she must marry within a month—without revealing the truth. Her best prospect? The Duke of Hartland, a notorious rake drowning in debt.

Meanwhile, Hartland sets his sights on Olivia Fontenoy, an heiress whose fortune could solve all his problems. But innocent Olivia dreams of music, not marriage, and seizes the chance to perform in disguise at the King’s Theatre—unwittingly ensnaring everyone she knows in scandal.

A princess with a scandalous secret. A duke desperate for a wealthy bride. A debutante torn between duty and passion.

As deception and desire collide, Olivia finds herself drawn to Hartland’s closest friend, the quiet yet passionate Marquess of Lewiston—a man who offers her something far more profound than mere security. And for Adelheid, an unexpected alliance may hold the key to her dreams.

With a surprising ending worthy of grand opera, The Soprano’s Daring Duke is a sweeping Regency tale of love, risk, and the courage to defy expectations.

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REVIEW

The Soprano’s Daring Duke is the second installment Book in the Double Dilemma Romance Series by the  very talented author Susanne Dunlap

The Soprano’s Daring Duke is a richly layered Regency romance that delivers scandal, secrets, and soaring emotion in equal measure. Set in a society where appearances are everything, this novel explores what happens when love—and music—refuse to stay hidden.

At its heart are two strikingly different heroines, both struggling under the weight of society’s expectations, both dealing with their own secrets.

Princess Adelheid Kinsky is newly widowed and finally free from a cruel husband—or so she thinks. But when she learns that the child she believed lost is alive, she must obey her late husband’s codicil if she wants to inherit anything, and marry a  respectable nobleman and must claim her illegitimate child as his heir. 

So she travels to London during the height of the season and sets her cap on infamous Duke of Hartland, a charming rake with a mountain of debt. Yet beneath his devil-may-care attitude, we glimpse a man capable of true loyalty and affection.

Olivia Fontenoy is a debutante that dreams of marrying for love, and a chance to let her voice fly free. Restricted by society and bullied by her over bearing mother to secure a good match. When she is pursed by the fortune-hunting Duke, Hartland she feels trapped. Olivia takes her reputation into her own hands and does the unthinkable and steps onto the King’s Theatre in disguise. Her risky behavior could well be her undoing, and her is drawn to a kindred spirit the Marquess of Lewiston.

Susanne Dunlap meticulously weaves dual storylines beautifully, blending high stakes with heart, deception with desire. Themes of sacrifice, freedom, and choosing love over convention give this novel a resonant emotional core. 

♡ I was captivated from start to finish, and I especially enjoyed that music played such a central role. I am looking forward to the next book in this stunning regency series. 

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 🎼 Read If you’re a fan of:

• Secrets 
• Musical Heroine
• Princess 
• Redeemed rake
• Gentlemen 
• Regency scandal & disguise
• Music

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AUTHOR

About Susanne Dunlap

Susanne Dunlap is the award-winning author of more than a dozen historical novels for adults and teens, as well as an author of Regency romance. The Dressmaker’s Secret Earl is the bestselling Book 1 in her Double-Dilemma Romance Series. Book 2, The Soprano’s Daring Duke, will be published in June. She is also an Author Accelerator Certified Book Coach.

Follow Susanne Dunlap

https://www.instagram.com/susanne_dunlap/

https://www.facebook.com/SusanneDunlapAuthor

www.linkedin.com/in/susannedunlap

https://www.youtube.com/@operasus

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Happy Reading

Hello Gracious Readers

Welcome to my Review of Rules For Ruin By Mimi Matthews

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No one betrays the Academy. But now Euphemia must decide: break the rules for her enemy, or let the rules break her heart.

On the outskirts of London sits a seemingly innocuous institution with a secretive aim—train young women to distract, disrupt, and discredit the patriarchy. Outraged by a powerful lord’s systematic attack on women’s rights in Parliament, the Academy summons its brightest—and most bitter—pupil to infiltrate the odious man’s inner circle. A deal is struck: bring down the viscount, and Miss Euphemia Flite will finally earn her freedom.

But betting shop owner Gabriel Royce has other plans. The viscount is the perfect pawn to insulate Gabriel’s underworld empire from government interference. He’s not about to let some crinoline-clad miss destroy his carefully constructed enterprise—no matter how captivating he finds her threats.

From the rookeries of St. Giles to the ballrooms of Mayfair, Euphemia and Gabriel engage in a battle of wits and wills that’s complicated by a blossoming desire. Soon Euphemia realizes it’s not the broken promises to her Academy sisters she should fear. . . . It’s the danger to her heart.

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Review

🩷 Rules For Ruin 🩷

𝐓𝐈𝐓𝐋𝐄: Rules for Ruin

𝐀𝐔𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐑: Mimi Matthews

𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐒: The Crinoline Academy, book 1

𝐏𝐔𝐁𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐇𝐄𝐑: Berkley Romance 

𝐏𝐔𝐁 𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄: ⁣5.20.2025

𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐑𝐄: Historical Fiction/ Proper Romance 

🩷📖🫶

Rules for Ruin by Mimi Matthew’s is stunning first installment in her latest new book series The Crinoline Academy. 

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🩷

Victorian England in the Spring of April 1864, readers follow Effie who is called back from France to England, by Miss Corvus’s who runs Benevolent Academy For The Bitterment of Young Ladies. Orphaned at a young age Effie attended the unconventional academy for young ladies. A ladies companion to Madame Dalhousie, she now has travel experience, behind her and sophistication.Miss Corvus tasked her with bringing down and ruin a sinister politician. 

Lord Compton, an influential and corrupt politician who opposes the Married Women’s Property Act. Posing as young debutante Effie sets out to infiltrate the close family circle of Lord Campton when she crosses paths with a self proclaimed lord of the inner slum area of London known as the Rookery. Gabriel Royce is brute force to be reckoned with. 

He has known hardships just like his fellow patrons who happen to live in an area of extreme poverty. He raised himself up and now controls his the empire he created. His heart is into making a substantial difference to the people who are in need help. He seeks to create better living conditions and education for those less fortunate.

Mimi Matthews spectacular new book is absolutely brilliant. The characters within this storyline are top notch. I feel in love with Effie and Gabriel Royce, they are by far my favorites of all her novels. Mimi’s signature style writing insured that I was captivated by plenty of swoon worthy moments. More suspense and with higher stakes, the three dimensional out characters kept me engaged from start to finish. I especially adored Effie’s little side kick toy poodle named, Franc. The storyline has more depth with a focus on systemic inequalities and injustices faced by women.

Edgy and fierce, Mimi Matthews’s Rules for Ruin shows us that ladies crinolines be very handy in concealing daggers 🗡️ 🩷

I highly recommend this book for its morally grey hero and spunky heroine. 

🩷📖🫶

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Favorite Quote ::

“After all these years, I thought I’d finally find the place I belonged.” “You have,” he assured her. “It’s here. Right here, with me.”

Tags 🏷️ 

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#mimimatthews #historicalromance #rulesforruin #berkleyromance

Hello Gracious Readers

Welcome to my Review of

MYSTERIES OF PENDOWAR HALL by Syrie James 

https://gwendalynsbooks.com/

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𝐓𝐈𝐓𝐋𝐄: MYSTERIES OF PENDOWAR HALL

𝐀𝐔𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐑: Syrie James

𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐒: The Audacious Sisterhood of Smoke & Fire

𝐏𝐔𝐁𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐇𝐄𝐑: Dragonblade Publishing

𝐏𝐔𝐁 𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄: ⁣February 22, 2025

𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐑𝐄: Historical Mystery/ Proper Romance

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⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣{⁣𝐒𝐘𝐍𝐎𝐏𝐒𝐈𝐒}⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣ 

She vowed to solve a murder.

Now she’s in danger of losing her heart … and her very life.

Diana Taylor, a bright and spirited governess who has sworn off love, is sent to Pendowar Hall in Cornwall to honor a pledge. She vows to teach her godmother’s niece and to find out who was behind the suspicious death of the former baronet. But her new charge is also a mystery, as is the man who inherited the ancient coastal estate—the charismatic but brooding Royal Navy Captain William Fallbrook, who is home on leave to recover from an injury.

As Diana investigates, her feelings for the enigmatic Captain Fallbrook blossom, and her guard goes up. Pendowar Hall is brimming with secrets as well as a frightening legend about a Mermaid’s Curse. What is behind the mysterious footsteps in the night? Is there more to the story of the tragic deaths of the former baronet’s wife and son? What secrets is Captain Fallbrook hiding? Can she trust the man who has stolen her heart?

He looks to be entranced by Diana, even though her determination to dig up the past seems to get on his last nerve. Soon, Diana’s bold quest to unmask his uncle’s killer leads her into terrifying danger, for someone is determined to end her life before she can discover the truth.

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{REVIEW}

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The Mysteries of Pendowar Hall by Syrie James is a stunning gothic tale.

Readers follow a bold and curious, female MC, Diana Taylor. Who finds herself tasked by her ailing stepmother to uncover facts about the suspicious death of the late Sir Thomas, her stepmother’s brother. She travels to Pendowar Hall, to take up a position as a as governess to her stepmothers niece, the late of Sir Thomas’s daughter. The late Sir Thomas’s daughter Emma, has been a challenging pupil to her past governess. Her inability to grasp the concept of traditional reading comprehension has proven a key factor for having so many governess resigned from their positions. The master of Pendowar Hall in Cornwall has a new master, Captain Fallbrook. Diana finds herself drawn to her broody new employer. She will need to keep her wits about her as strange occurrences, along with a mythical legend add to the mystery. 

Syrie James has exceeded all my expectations, in this fabulous historical mystery. Through her seamless narration her characters come to life. The mystery and the historical setting was betrayed perfectly. Rich atmospheric details, along with some of the best narrative framework, make this a stand out book. 

I highly recommend this book for those looking for a true gothic mystery and a delightful sweet romance !

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{AUTHOR}

SYRIE JAMES

SYRIE JAMES is the author of fourteen critically acclaimed novels of historical fiction, mystery and suspense, and romance that have been international and USA Today bestsellers and won numerous awards. Her books have been published in more than twenty languages. Syrie is also a screenwriter and playwright and is committed to taking her characters on challenging journeys of growth and discovery.