Product Details
- Title: Secrets and Suitors
- Author: Joanna barker
- Paperback: 256 pages
- Publisher: Covenant Communications, Inc. (October 1, 2019)
- Genre: Regency Romance
- ISBN-10: 1524411728
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***I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary e-copy from the publisher. All opinions are my own***
Reluctantly returning to London for yet another Season, shy Nora Hamilton has nearly given up hope that she will ever find the love match she longs for. After all, the one man she does harbor feelings for—her closest friend, James—has made it perfectly clear he views her as just that: a friend. With James traveling half a world away and Nora's father pressuring her to marry for wealth and status, Nora is forced to set aside her desire for love and accept the future she has always dreaded.
Until James returns unexpectedly and Nora's feelings once again rush unbearably close to the surface. Determined to save what is left of their friendship, Nora ignores her own heart and allows herself to be swept up in the London Season, soon finding herself the object of two very different gentlemen's affections. Though she should be thrilled, both men come with a glaring fault: neither is the one man who holds her heart.
But there is much more at stake than heartbreak. When long-kept secrets are laid bare, Nora must face the fears that have plagued her all her life and decide what true love is worth.
My Review
Secrets and Suitors is a very appropriate name for this book. The very shy, and demure Nora Hamilton finds herself at the age of 21 finally with more suitors than she knows what to do with. There are also many secrets being hidden by her, her best friend James, and other family members. I loved how this Regency Romance played out as a mystery at times. The novel is told solely from Nora's perspective, so the reader is finding out secrets along with her.
My heart was fully aching for Nora as she is being pressured by her domineering father who wants her to marry ASAP. Nora's biggest problem is she hasn't fully acknowledged to herself or others that she is in love with her best childhood friend, James. Of course, James is the type of man any woman would want but he isn't wealthy enough to gain her father's approval. Many scary and embarrassing situations could have been avoided if only Nora and James had been honest with each other a year before.
Though Nora and James are wonderful characters, many other characters bring such light and life to this novel such as the wealthy Lady Worthington and her vivacious granddaughter Harriet. I also adored Nora's siblings, sister Susanna and younger brother, Ralph.
The beauty in this novel for me lies in the family bonds that are mended, love that is found, and the overall idea that being honest will always win out over being secretive. This book is another winner for author Joanna Barker.
Meet Author Joanna Barker
Joanna Barker was born and raised in northern California. She discovered her love for historical fiction after visiting England as an eleven-year-old, and subsequently read every Jane Austen book she could get her hands on. After graduating from Brigham Young University with a degree in English, she worked as an acquisitions editor before devoting herself full-time to writing. She enjoys music, chocolate, and reading everything from romance to science fiction. She lives in Utah and is just a little crazy about her husband and two wild-but-loveable boys.
Learn more about Joanna and her books HERE: www.authorjoannabarker.com
**Joanna Barker Answers My Questions**
Question #1: What is one of the most surprising things
you've learned about writing books?
The most surprising (and amazing!) thing I’ve
learned since I’ve entered the writing world is how incredible my fellow
authors are. I’ve made lifelong friends through writing and have been blown
away by how kind and supportive writers are of each other. It is not a
competition between authors; we stand by the expression that “a rising tide
lifts all boats”. I’m so grateful for
the experiences I’ve had and the people I’ve been blessed to meet.
Question #2 What is your favorite
genre of book to read when you have the time?
This would probably have to be fairy tale
retellings! It doesn’t matter the specific genre, but if an author can twist a
familiar tale into something new and unique, I’m all in! My favorites are The
Lunar Chronicles, The Goose Girl, and Ella Enchanted. In fact, I love
retellings so much, I wrote a Regency retelling of Beauty and the Beast, titled
(appropriately, haha), Beauty and the Baron. It was so much fun I might have to
do it again one day!
Question #3 What was an early experience where you
learned that language had power?
I thought a lot about this question, so thank
you for asking it! When I was in fifth grade, I wrote my first—terrible—book. I
had a teacher I really loved, and so I showed the first few chapters to her.
After reading it, she asked if she could read the first chapter out loud to the
entire class! I said yes for some reason I really can’t remember and was so
embarrassed when she actually did read it. But then she came up to me after and
told me she couldn’t wait until I finished because she was dying to read the
ending. It was the first glimpse that I had of the power of storytelling, even
though I’d been a reader all my life. The idea that my words could create an
emotional response in someone else? It was incredible, and I’ve never forgotten
that experience.
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