Simply Anna: A Regency Romance by Jennifer Moore-Blog Tour Review and $25 Giveaway

Product Description:

Title: Simply Anna

Author: Jennifer Moore

Publisher: Covenant Communications

Published: September 2015

ISBN13: 978-1-68047-364-3

Paperback: 210 pages

Genre: Regency Romance

FTC FYI: Received a paperback copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. 

Book Description: 

Suffering from a cruel heartbreak, Lord Philip Hamilton has been driven to seek refuge from the painful memories haunting London, and his father’s Jamaican sugar cane plantation provides just the escape he needs. Philip finds solace in his hard work and takes comfort in the fact that his distance from society ensures that his heart will be protected from future entanglements. Protected, that is, until the unexpected appearance of a mysterious woman with no memory of her past. The only clue to her identity is a necklace inscribed with a name: Anna. In a matter of weeks, this gentle, intelligent, and impossibly beautiful stranger turns Philip’s world upside down. But as the bond between the pair grows, the threat of Philip losing his heart once more is only the beginning of the dangers that await. Island renegades and a ruthless band of pirates clash in a swashbuckling battle, and it soon becomes clear that these villains may be the key to unlocking Anna’s past.

My Review:

There is something wonderful about reading a sweet, clean romance; especially from this author, Jennifer Moore. I have loved the previous books written by her. In fact, one of my favorites from last year was her book, Becoming Lady Lockwood. Simply Anna is from the same "world" as the characters found in that book and the second book, Lady Emma's Campaign. Anna is a women of gentle birth, orphaned, who is now a lady's maid. She is accidentally thrown overboard a ship. Once found by the dashing Lord Philip Hamilton, Anna can't remember anything about herself or her accident. This is where the book took off for me. 

There are so many great characters in this book. I love how Philip and Anna bring out the best in each other. Though they have never met before, they are destined to become best friends or more. The romance builds slowly, but it feels so right. Little things happen along the way where Philip sees the kindness and caring that Makes Anna who she is. Then Anna sees what a noble man Philip is when he cares more about the lives of his slaves, than the crops he grows and the money it will bring to him.  Some of the best secondary characters can be found in the young slave boy, Ezekiel whose smile and eagerness is described so well you can picture it perfectly in your mind. Then I loved Betty, one of the Black woman slaves at the plantation that fiercely protects Ezekiel, not her blood son, who also learns to love and trust master Philip and the ever kind Anna. Even the tough and fearsome slave, Malachi grows on you as he learns to trust Philip and Anna. I enjoyed the band of Pirates they meet up with and what happens because of their acquaintance. The bad guy,Horace Braithwaite, the cruel and evil former overseer of the plantation, is written well because you hate him from the minute you meet him. The final 25 pages in the book are exciting and keep you bouncing out of your seat wondering about the outcome.

This Regency Romance, is perfect for a quick read and a rainy afternoon. The closing scene between Philip and Anna actually made me cry, that's how sweet and romantic it was. This love story was thoughtfully written and will be one I will return to again in the future.

  ******Make sure that you enter the giveaway down below for a $25 Amazon gift card and a copy 

of Simply Anna!*****

Meet Author: Jennifer Moore    

Jennifer Moore is a passionate reader and writer of all things romance due to the need to balance the rest of her world, which includes a perpetually traveling husband and four active sons, who create heaps of laundry that are anything but romantic. Jennifer has a BA in linguistics from the University of Utah and is a Guitar Hero champion. She lives in northern Utah with her family.

website  – http://shesgotthewritestuff.blogspot.com/

Blog Tour Schedule:

*Sept. 14th: http://www.rockinbookreviews.com/, http://heidi-reads.blogspot.com/, http://minreadsandreviews.blogspot.com/

*Sept. 15th:  https://joyinthemoments.wordpress.com/, http://www.iamareader.com/, http://atransparentmom.com/

*Sept.16th:http://gettingyourreadonaimeebrown.blogspot.com/, http://katiescleanbookcollection.blogspot.com/,http://ilovetoreadandreviewbooks.blogspot.com/,http://whynotbecauseisaidso.blogspot.com/,http://www.ldswomensbookreview.com/wordpress/, http://mybookaday.blogspot.com/

*Sept. 17th: http://www.bonnieharris.blogspot.com/, http://singinglibrarianbooks.weebly.com/, http://ldsandlovinit.blogspot.com/, http://literarytimeout.blogspot.com/

*Sept. 18th: http://fireandicereads.com/, http://lisaisabookworm.blogspot.com/, http://littlelightdesigncollective.com/category/entertainment/books/, http://www.blogginboutbooks.com/, http://booksaresanity.blogspot.com/ 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

A Heart Revealed: A Proper Romance by Josi S. Kilpack-Blog Tour Review

Product Description:
Title:A Heart Revealed
Author: Josi S. Kilpack
Publisher: Shadow Mountain
Published: April 7th, 2015
ISBN13: 9781609079901
Paperback: 336 pages
FTC FYI: I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.









Book Description:
Amber Marie Sterlington, the Rage of the Season in Regency-era London, has her pick of men, and she knows what she wants most in a husband: a title and a fortune. Why would she ever marry for something as fickle as love? And why would she ever look twice at Thomas Richards, a third son of a country lord?
But when Amber’s social standing is threatened, the character of her future husband becomes far more important than his position. After a public humiliation, she finds herself exiled to Yorkshire. Alone except for her maid, Amber is faced with a future she never expected in a circumstance far below what she has known all her life. Humbled and lonely, Amber begins to wonder if isolation is for the best. Who could ever love her now?

My Review:
A Heart Revealed is Josi Kilpack's first published Regency romance. I have loved so many of her other books, especially her Sadie Hoffmiller Culinary Mystery Series books. 

This new novel centers around main character Amber Sterlington. When first you read about her you are very put off at her whiny, and snobbish tone and attitude towards others. Amber is very vain and selfish. It's hard to find many redeeming qualities to her character. We also meet Thomas Richards who, though not as wealthy as the men Amber is pursuing, he is looking for more substantial things in life. The interesting thing about this book is that these two main characters hardly have any interaction through most of the book. It's not until the last 1/4 of the book that they finally interact face to face. I truly wish that they would have "met" sooner. I would have liked to have seen more of their relationship in the book.

Something happens to Amber's physical appearance and her family bans her from society to a small, lowborn cottage in Northern England. Amber feels abandoned by her family,all except for her kind maid Suzanne. As Amber and Suzanne spend month after month learning to live together and run the house, changes start happening to Amber. Also, surprisingly enough, Thomas lives in this same area and figures out who Amber is, even though the rest of the village knows her as the widow Mrs. Chandler. Amber has chosen to hide away from all people because of her appearance, but finally she relents to have Thomas call on her. Thomas knew of Amber before, but she had rejected him while in London when she'd been the "Rage of the Season", but Thomas couldn't quit thinking of her. Naturally he's noticed the changes in her and is very intrigued by her now. 

One of the most poignant quotes in the book about Amber and her changed personality comes from Suzanne her maid, and now friend. Amber is worried that people in her high class society would never accept her and how she looks now. Suzanne tells her... "I only believe that there are people in every society who would prefer the heart you have grown, to the beauty you have left behind to find it."  Suzanne is my favorite character in the book. She was loyal and kind to Amber through all of this huge trial her mistress went through.That's more than I can say for her deplorable family that I felt like throwing off a bridge and laughing while doing it. Amber's parent's were especially cruel to their daughter and I know that it must have been due to their upbringing, but it was hard to read about the things they said to Amber. Amber's sister also wasn't one of my favorite characters either, though she redeems herself at the end.

There were true class distinctions shown in the novel, so good research was done while writing this novel of this time period. Amber even has thoughts that,..."she had been taught from infancy that she was superior to the classes below her...simply because of her station. Interacting with Suzanne had proven that quite false." 

In the long run, I loved the romance once they came together. I loved Thomas's unconditional love and acceptance of Amber. There were many beautiful reminders about what is truly important in life which left you, as a reader, very satisfied at the end of the book.

Author: Josi S. Kilpack: 
JOSI S. KILPACK published her first novel in 2000. Her seventh novel, Sheep's Clothing, won the 2007 Whitney Award for Mystery/Suspense—several others have been finalists in subsequent years. She was also the Best of State winner for fiction in Utah 2012. She has written twenty-two novels, including the twelve-volume Sadie Hoffmiller Culinary Mystery Series. Josi currently lives in Willard, Utah.

Author Links
Website / Goodreads / Twitter / Facebook 

Purchase Links
Amazon / Barnes and Noble / Deseret Book

Saving Grace: A Hearthfire Romance by Michele Paige Holmes-Review

 Product Details

Title: Saving Grace: A Hearthfire Romance   

Author: Michele Paige Holmes

Publisher: Mirror Press

Publish Date: October 15th, 2015

ISBN13: 9781941145234

ebook: 380 pages

Genre: Regency romance

FTC, FYI: I was given a review e-copy in exchange for an honest review.



  Book Description:
From Whitney Award Winning Author, Michele Paige Holmes, comes Saving Grace, A Hearthfire Romance:
After the death of Grace Thatcher’s grandfather, the Duke of Salisbury, Grace wants nothing more than to live quietly in the country with her younger siblings. But her father’s debts thwart those plans, and to protect her sister, Helen, Grace must marry a man of her father’s choosing.
As each suitor proves less than desirable, Grace comes up with clever schemes, causing each to reject her. While staying at the mysterious Sutherland Hall, a middle-of-the-night mishap sends Grace into the arms of a stranger, Nicholas Sutherland—and provides inspiration for her grandest plan yet—one that will leave her reputation in tatters yet free both her and Helen from all possibility of marriage. But when Grace meets Mr. Samuel Preston, a true gentlemen and sworn enemy of Nicholas Sutherland, instead of being free, Grace is caught between two men—each with his own agenda.

My Review
Saving Grace is one of those books that you start reading and you can't stop. This Regency Romance novel has everything that you could love: a strong heroine, Grace, in a bad situation looking for hope and a way out; a handsome, stubborn male lead, Nicholas, who wants to fall for the heroine but things from his past still haunt him and he's worried about taking a chance on love; and then we have the other man, Samuel, that loves our heroine and wants her, but his past is also standing in his way towards happiness. Of course there are the other things that add to the drama like the manipulative, gambling father of our heroine and the snobby, heartless mother of our hero who wants nothing to do with the commoner Grace.

I loved the funny situations that Grace seems to always find herself in,many of them are of her own doing. She has learned how to be strong as she practically raised her younger siblings Helen and Christopher, by herself, while her widower father was out gambling and drinking. Grace is so likable a character that you want everything good to happen for her, but at times I wanted to shake her silly when it came to  romantic love. The tension between brother-in- laws Nicholas and Samuel, was well written and felt throughout the story. Because of the death of Nicholas's sister Elizabeth,who was also Samuel's wife, the neighboring estates became places of sadness, hatred and revenge. 
Without giving too much away, I loved how Grace came in with her kind and loving disposition that ultimately changes things for both men.

I truly ended up loving this story! The great characters, interesting situations and wonderful storytelling will make Saving Grace a favorite among Regency Romance readers.


Meet Author: Michele Paige Holmes: 

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.
Michele has been a member of the same critique group for over thirteen years and feels privileged to meet weekly 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. 

Author Links
Website / Twitter / Goodreads
Purchase Links
Amazon / Barnes and Noble (other titles)