TBR Thursdays

House of Shadows

Nicola Cornick

houseofshadows1

PUBLISHED BY GRAYDON HOUSE OCTOBER 17, 2017
GENRE(S): ADULT, HISTORICAL FICTION, MYSTERY
PAGES: PAPERBACK 464
BUY AMAZONBARNES AND NOBLE
Add to Goodreads
The wooded hills of Oxfordshire conceal the remains of the aptly named Ashdown House–a wasted pile of cinders and regret. Once home to the daughter of a king, its secrets will unite three women across four centuries in a tangle of romance, deceit and destiny… 

1662–A queen 

Bound by sex and birth to live for everyone but herself–and to love always in secret–Elizabeth Stuart entrusts a pair of arcane artifacts to her faithful cavalier to keep safe for her rightful heir. But fate will not be generous to the Winter Queen, throwing the question of succession into turmoil, the aftermath of which will resonate through the generations.

1801–A courtesan 

Lavinia Flyte wanted so much more from life than to be a courtesan at the mercy of the cruel Lord Evershot. He has brought her to Ashdown, the home of his ancestors, for reasons he guards greedily. But the maids’ whispers of hidden treasures–a pearl with the power to foretell the future–consume her with a curiosity she confides only to her diary, unaware of the misfortune that threatens.

And the mystery that binds them 

Alarmed to hear her brother has gone missing at Ashdown Park, Holly Ansell is inexplicably drawn to the clues contained in the journal of a Regency courtesan who was living at the historic home when it burned to the ground two hundred years ago. Lured by the tragedy at Ashdown, Holly’s search leads her not only to the truth about Lavinia, but deeper into her own connection with the Winter Queen.

I believe I won this book on a giveaway from Shelf Awareness. I haven’t read that many historical fiction novels, but this one sounds really interesting — a tangle of romance, deceit and destiny is definitely something I would be into. Hopefully I get to this sooner rather than later… Oh you know… I just have to get through several books in my insanely out of control TBR.

What are some books on your TBR right now? Any thoughts about this book? Well, thanks for reading and have a wonderful day!

Sincerely Karen Jo

Review – Bell of Eternity

Bell of Eternity

(Celtic Legends #2)

Martina Boone

IMG_5778

4.5 ★ – Wonderfully Delicious Treat that Left a Sugary Sweet Mess in my Heart
PUBLISHED BY MAYFAIR PUBLISHING AUGUST 29, 2017
GENRE(S): ROMANCE, ADULT FICTION
PAGES: HARDCOVER 336
BUY BARNES AND NOBLEAMAZON
An island castle in Cornwall, dangerous secrets, a haunting historical legend and a delicious kilt-wearing chef cook up an enchanting, heartwarming, and suspenseful new love story from the award-winning author of Compulsion and Lake of Destiny.
Emma Larsen’s mother may have been a best-selling romance novelist, but her own track record with relationships was a darker story. Emma has never believed in happily-ever-afters. But when her best-friend Treave proposes suddenly after her mother’s funeral, she agrees to accompany him to a wedding at his family’s island castle in Cornwall to try to see him as more than just a friend.
She falls in love with the wild, granite Cornish coast, a world rich with history, hauntings, and ancient superstitions. The failed romance of Tristan and Isolde hangs over the island and the lost abbey bell is said to ring when wishes will come true. As tragedy rocks the small community, though, it is family and courage that keep everyone together, and a handsome Scottish chef with a turbulent past and secrets he holds close is increasingly the one to whom Emma is drawn as danger swirls around them.
Caught between the two men and her own conscience, Emma begins to discover that the roots of childhood fears run deep. And sometimes, the people we think we know the best are the ones we can’t see for who they are.
A timeless stand-alone romance in the Celtic Legends collection, filled with heart, food, intrigue, and magical Cornish legends. Perfect for fans of Poldark, Nora Roberts, Susanna Kearsley, Sarah Addison Allen, Susan Wiggs, and Susan Mallery.

I LOVE Lake of Destiny (LOD), so I was extremely excited when Martina Boone sent me an ARC of Bell of Eternity. Brando had already charmed me in every possible way in LOD, so I couldn’t wait to get started on his book. I can honestly say that this book is a wonderfully delicious treat that left a sugary sweet mess in my heart.

While LOD still takes the #1 spot,  Bell of Eternity (BOE) definitely had me enthralled the entire time. The plot is fast-paced, intriguing and suspenseful with a few nice surprises that kept me on my toes. The mystery and drama definitely had me glued to the pages and I loved it. The characters were quirky, interesting and for the most part very likable. The setting – the castle and the island –  was insanely beautiful and breathtaking that I wanted to stay there forever. Bell of Eternity is absolutely charming and sweet and I’m so hopelessly in love with Boone’s novels. Her writing is undeniably gorgeous, incredibly creative and ridiculously captivating that I always feel like I’m part of the story.

IMG_5775

I truly adored Emma and Brando and thought they were just adorable together. Emma’s such a great character and I admired that she wanted to pursue her own dreams. She’s also very passionate, caring, and understanding. I love that she always tried to see the good in people. Then there’s my gorgeous Brando. He’s definitely more than just a charmer. He’s fascinating, talented, supportive and made me hungry for more than just food. I also swooned over the way he cared about Emma and wanted what was best for her. Seriously shipped these two so hard and loved their amazing chemistry!

Brando and Emma’s love story made me smile and swoon and have those fuzzy warm feeling in my tummy. I just wish there had been a few more steamy moments between them because I wanted more FEELS.  Not that there weren’t enough…I guess I’m just romantically greedy.. is that even a thing!? Guess I was just starving for something sweet, a little bit spicy, and totally scrumptious… I honestly didn’t want the swooning and butterflies to stop. What can I say… I’m a romance addict! (SorryNotSorry)

With a heartwarming storyline, breathtaking scenery, intrigue, and a bit of mystery, Bell of Eternity is absolutely irresistible and deliciously fascinating from start to finish. While Lake of Destiny filled my heart with so much happy, Bell of Destiny left me positively satisfied, but craving for more. I’m so happy I took a bite of this lovely romance. Boone definitely knows the way to my heart and I cannot wait for the next book in the Celtic Legends Series.

PS – While this is the second book, you can definitely read it as a standalone. I do however recommend reading Lake of Destiny first so you can see the connection… and it’ll totally make you swoon even more.

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Other Books in the Series

Lake of Destiny Review

lod

 


Martina-Final-6-768x768About the Author

Martina Boone was born in Prague and spoke several languages before learning English. She’s the award-winning author of the romantic Southern Gothic Heirs of Watson Island series, including CompulsionPersuasion, and Illusionfrom Simon & Schuster, Simon Pulse and of romantic fiction for adult readers starting with Lake of DestinyShe’s also the founder of AdventuresInYAPublishing.com, a three-time Writer’s Digest 101 Best Websites for Writers Site, and YASeriesInsiders.com, a site dedicated to encouraging literacy and reader engagement through a celebration of series literature. She’s on the Board of the Literacy Council of Northern Virginia and runs the CompulsionForReading.com program to distribute books to underfunded schools and libraries.

She lives with her husband, children, Shetland Sheepdog, and a lopsided cat, and she enjoys writing contemporary fantasy set in the kinds of magical places she loves to visit. When she isn’t writing, she’s addicted to travel, horses, skiing, chocolate-flavored tea, and anything with Nutella on it. (Short Bio taken from Author’s Website)

Follow and Connect with Martina Boone

Website | Blog | Tumblr | Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram | Twitter

 


Hope you had fun reading my review and don’t forget to leave your comments down below.

Sincerely Karen Jo