Patricia Gaffney - Fortune's Lady

Cassandra Merlin is in dire straits. Her father, Patrick, has just been executed for treason against the British Crown. Her aunt, Lady Elizabeth Sinclair, is eager to marry her off rather than bear the expense of sheltering a turncoat’s daughter. And when a handsome young patriot named Philip Riordan enters her life, Cass knows he is destined to complicate matters further.

Riordan wants her to enter the spy game, to provide valuable information about her father’s plot against the monarchy in order to save the king’s life. But the intelligence game is never a simple one, and even a heart as jaded as Cass’s may not be safe from the charms of Philip Riordan, renowned cad, Member of Parliament . . . and die-hard loyalist.

 

Comment: I have read several books by this author but only recently noticed I still had this one yet unread and that is why it was next on the list.

In this story we meet Cassandra Merlin, who has just lost her father because he was considered a traitor and executed. Cass lives with her aunt but she knows she isn't truly welcomed so when Oliver Quinn shows up saying he works for the government and wants her help to uncover other traitors who might have worked with her father, she says yes, even though she is more blackmailed than asked for a favor. In the process, she is tested by Phillip Riordan, also a spy, and although he sees she isn't truly spy material, he can't help but liking her. However, something else is going on besides the possible hidden plot to kill the king and Phillip and Cass must do their best to avoid that while they also fall in love...

At first, it felt as if this would only be one more spy story, completely unlikely, while the focus would be on the romance. In part it is so, but I was actually surprised by the serious aspects used, especially the fact the whole spying issue wasn't as obvious as one would think. I also couldn't help thinking this story's style reminded me of another author and if I didn't know, I'd say this would have been written by that other author instead.

The plot is rather simple, it's the amount of elements the author added that made it feel busier and as if it was cluttered. Basically, Cass is used by Oliver and the government to do something under coercion and I couldn't help thinking that it would have been very easy for her to get out of this problem if only she had gone to another governmental representative, but then there would be no story...plus, a lot seemed to be advanced in the story - perhaps I should use the word "delayed" instead - by having the characters assume things and not really think them through. I suppose a lot can be explained, even nowadays, by our innate need to not go the extra mile isn't it?

I don't think it's any surprise that the plan to use Cass isn't as legal as it is made to sound and from a certain point on I believe any reader would have guessed something else is ongoing, hidden from most characters. I see what the author's intention was, but I can't say it fully worked out for me. However, it did allow Cass and Phillip to spend time together and to deal with one another in a way that, if things had been different, they wouldn't. I liked it enough how it felt as if they were slowly getting to like and trust each other's personalities the more they were together.

The romance is sort of slow, with a lot of unlikely scenes in the mix but I was actually rooting for Cass for it felt she had been dealt a bad hand and she had to make difficult decisions. I'd say that an annoying detail was how often they switched ideas and decisions. This made it look as if things were advancing, but if one strips down the unnecessary, then the plot is thinner than what one would see. Still, again, it made possible for Phillip to question his plans and why he is doing spy work when his heart isn't in it and his personality is more suitable for what he likes, being in the House doing legislation.

There is a point in the story where it feels things are going towards a happy place but since there were still so many pages left, of course problems come up again and I confess I find this tactic to be a bit annoying too, but it does enrich the characters' journey somehow. I think that, from that moment on, what was only hinted at and sort of captivating becomes a bit predictable. Since, by then, I was already taken by the characters and I wanted to see them get their HEA, it was still easy to keep reading but it is true I understand why it didn't really wow some readers.

One element I found appalling, however, was the characterization of the villain. Of course I'm certain that there are gay people who are just as awful as hetero ones, but the way this was used to make the villain even worse here seemed terribly unfair and unnecessary, I really think the author could and should have done this way better.

All in all, there were interesting details, I liked the main couple for the most part and in some sections I was quite eager to turn the pages. But there are certainly weak elements and some that should have been thought differently by the author.

Grade: 7/10

Patricia Gaffney - Sweet Everlasting

Newly installed at his modest post in Wayne’s Crossing, Pennsylvania, Tyler Wilkes is a doctor, a hero of the Spanish-American War, and the heir to a great fortune. His wealthy family in Philadelphia doesn’t approve of his new station, but Tyler is sure of his calling. And the young ladies of Wayne’s Crossing can’t seem to get enough of their handsome young physician, exploiting every excuse to visit his offices with imagined maladies.
 Tyler is most intrigued by Carrie Wiggins. Mute, sensitive, lovely, and troubled, Carrie lives with her abusive alcoholic stepfather, Artemis, in the mountains just outside of town. Her gentle nature and the loving care she bestows on injured animals in the woods quickly endear her to Tyler, though they belie the darkness in her life. Can she overcome her tortured past to give voice to her heart?

Comment: This is a book I had almost forgotten in the "ebooks pile" but recently I was having a look at some folders and trying to organize them so this book caught my attention. I added it to this months readings and I was quite motivated, since I've come to enjoy most of the books by the author I've tried so far.

This sweet story focuses on Carrie Wiggins, a mute 18 year old living with her stepfather at Wayne's Crossing, a small city in Pennsylvania. The plot begins when the new doctor, dr Wilkins is asked to help Carrie's dog, Shadow, after the dog had an accident. Despite telling her he is not a doctor of animals, he still cares for the dog until she dies. From this point on, the two of them start to hang in more often together although Carrie can't speak and uses a notebook to express herself.

Tyler Wilkins comes from a good and rich family, his mother has plans for him but Tyler knows medicine and investigation are his dreams, especially after being very sick and surviving. He wants to help the population of Wayne's Crossing but he is particularly interested in Carrie, someone he gets to know and realize how amazing she is in all senses, but she has a secret...

I found this story to be interesting and romantic but yes, it does seem dated in certain moments. Although the setting is historical, the writing style reflects the time when it was written, something other books by the author don't seem to have as evidently. I'm specifically thinking about the misunderstandings which could have been easily solved with a truthful conversation but were spread out as much as possible to enhance the angst side when it wasn't necessary. I know this is to be expected in the older books by the author but (perhaps it's me) here it seemed more obvious.

The plot is very simple, it has some twists, one of them I was not expecting so soon but it promoted interesting situations. When I think in general terms, the story feels simple but of course the author uses more complex human behaviors and responses to make everything look a bit more serious. I also think one or two details towards the end were not very well tided, in particular when it came to the fate of some characters. Maybe the idea was to leave it in the air, maybe those details were not as important but if they were part of the story in key moments, then maybe a more defined end would have been suitable.

Since this is a romance, the relationship between Tyler and Carrie is central stage here. They start as only friends, she looks up to him because he is nice and helpful and to him she looks humble and true, unlike so many other young women who only care about fashion and social gatherings. I liked how they slowly started to look at one another differently but from an innocent kiss to serious conversations it seemed things went a little bit too fast. The fact they fall in love but Tyler has clear goals in his immediate future makes things complicated for both and even more so after a terrible situation happens too. Adding other plot twists to make the situation feel even more dire, things started to look unnecessarily complex in my opinion.

As characters, both protagonists were interesting and I can say I liked them individually. I think some behavior in certain moments was not par to their personalities until that moment but as a rule, I can also say their relationship seemed romantic enough to hide some of the less stellar parts. Towards the end, however, things seemed to be dragging and I would have liked to see a slightly different take on one or two situations I feel were not well done.

The HEA was sweet and hopeful as it should and overall, this was a good romance to be involved with for several hours.

Grade: 7/10

Patricia Gaffney - Flight Lessons

Anna has studiously avoided her Aunt Rose—the woman she once loved more than anyone else in the world—ever since the night Rose betrayed Anna and her mother, Rose's own fatally ill sister. In the sixteen years that have passed, Anna has built another life for herself far from her hometown on Maryland's eastern shore, but she can't forgive or forget.
Now another betrayal, by a faithless lover, has brought Anna back to her family's restaurant, where Rose needs her estranged niece's help—and trust—more than ever before. Determined to leave as soon as the struggling business is back on its feet and her own hurt is healed, Anna joins Rose in the kitchen of the Bella Sorella, resolved to remain unaffected by Rose's longing to undo the past. But Anna's resistance could blind her to a true and unexpected love that's reaching out to grab her by the heart.

Comment: This another one of the books by mrs Gaffney I had around... this is a contemporary story, more within woman's fiction, and something different from her historicals, which was what give her her name. I liked this story more than the previous contemporary I had read by her.

This is the story of Anna, a woman in her thirties that recently caught her boyfriend sleeping with her boss and she decides to change scenery even if, for that, she needs to return home to the family restaurant, now managed by her aunt Rose, someone she can't stand since she figured out she and her father were cheating on her dying mother.

Anna tries to act all grown-up, being cool about everything but she still feels a lot of anger and she warns her aunt she will only be there for a while... in the meantime, new people enter her life, people to challenge her own limitative views on happiness and expectations and there's even someone she didn't plan on being friends with, much less a lover, but that's what happens.

At some point, though, things have to be dealt with? Can Anna do it or will she run again?

All things considered I liked this novel more than the previous contemporary because this one has a plot I could follow better and were more interested in.

However, the biggest issue here for me was Anna herself. She acts like the world owns something to her and despite her reaction to what she saw she never tried to understand, no matter how much that could have hurt. I get why she feels cheated too and part of me has to be on her side and accepts why she behaved so badly, I can't imagine something like that in RL. But we, as the reader, have access to some knowledge she doesn't... and when she does, her opinions are already colored. I think showing understanding and mature notions about what is right and wrong between people that should be the symbol of your youth isn't easy... but with time Anna should have been able to weight all perspectives into her head...and that didn't happen, so she became someone very close to her youthful experiences, which certainly didn't help her in dealing with the people around her now.

Despite Anna's struggles with acceptance and understanding, she still is an interesting character and I liked her personality when she was dealing with Frankie, the new sous-chef at the restaurant and with Mason, the man she comes to fall in love with.

In fact, this was my favorite part, the romance. I got to see a part of Anna that isn't obvious when she's being too polite or mad at her aunt and the way they slowly started to be friends and confiding in each other to become lovers was sweet and well done, I think. I kept on reading because I wanted to have more time with them.

The book, being woman's fiction, obviously gives us several perspectives into what makes a woman think and feel, several types of relationships and reactions to things... I confess I felt sad over a certain issue that happened and how that also affected some of the other characters. But in a way, it helped for the main characters to come to a compromise and finally an understanding!

Because this is woman's fiction, several other problems and situations are discussed here...we get to see the reactions of possible outcomes of problems in real life... it's interesting but in a way, woman's fiction can be slightly too depressing...I prefer books to offer some fantasy even if believable in reality.

All in all, this was an interesting read but I would have liked things to develop in a different way when it came to Anna and some of her behavior and attitudes.. I think that, for such interesting themes, some of the development wasn't as smooth or well explained as it should have been. But yes, this was a better book in terms of romance than the other woman's fiction by the author I've read. And that helped me think more positively of this book.

Grade: 7/10

Patricia Gaffney - Wild at Heart

They called him the "lost man." Raised in the wood, without speech, without civilization, he was beautifully, wonderfully wild. And when he was captured and locked away to be studied by scientists, he was treated more like an animal than a human being.
Only Sydney, daughter of a renowned anthropologist, looked beyond the wildness to see the man. Something in his fierce loneliness called to her, imploring her to help him, to save him, to make him her friend. But the world was not nearly so understanding. And soon, still haunted by the mysterious tragedy of his past, he wanted more from her than friendship. He wanted all of her -- her love, her heart, and her soul...

Comment: I've had this book in the pile for a long time but it's one of those that arrives and stays there for a good while before it finally gets picked...unfortunately, this happens with my poor books, but well, better late than never. I was curious to read this book because it had a sort of Tarzan vibe and I'm gad I did because I really liked it.

 

In this book we follow the story of Michael, a man rescued from the wilderness in Canada and brought to stay at an anthropologist's house because he wanted to study him as a man who never had human contact. The scientists want to know how growing up alone would affect Michael's behavior but their exams turn out to be pointless when they realize he had had a family until a certain age.

In the house lives Sidney, the anthropologist's daughter, recently widowed and the person who mostly wants Michael to remember his life, his family bonds and she tries to help him read, write, paint...the connection between then grows and they become more than friends. But he's just a wild man, isn't he?

 

I truly liked this story. I think the romance was a sweet, heartfelt bond between two characters I grew up to care about while reading. The author really hit it off with this story by presenting two good characters whose romance I was so happy to see develop.

 

Michael is a man rescued from the wilderness and thought to be a wild man, someone without human contact throughout his whole life and scientist seem to think he is a good case study, they try to study if he really had no human stimuli and how that would affect his behavior and reactions to not only humans, but society in general. They try to read his behavior and present him with tests to determine how his brain works. At some point things change but not before Michael and Sidney start to develop a slow but steady romance.

 

I liked this story and how we are presented to Michael, the possibilities of someone living or existing like him and then being confronted to a big city, many people, situations where he would be uncomfortable or put aside. It was an interesting idea and certainly valid among scientists. Of course, the best part was to see how Michael would react being in contact with others, his specific responses to different people and his growing feelings towards Sidney. It was particularly interesting to know his thoughts about mundane things and realize the simplicity of many things that we choose to complicate.

Michael has hidden depths and a very human past which makes him not as amazing as the doctor who takes him up to study thought he was. But Michael's way of thinking is unique and that makes his heart special as well. I really liked him and how sweet, fair and dedicated he was to those he cherished.

 

Sidney is the heroine. I confess I wasn't very fond of her at first, but as time went by and she grew to love and care for Michael, she started to look nicer to me and worthy of being with someone as wonderful as Michael. I think she obviously is the embodiment of reality, a conscious person to be the opposite of almost dreamy Michael, but I liked the contrast between them, their developing romance, the way their relationship was balanced and based on trust and real feelings.

 

The book is good for me. I think it was a bit more fantasy-like than one could expect but always based on quite believable ideas and concepts, after all everything was possible...maybe except the zoo scene but the way things ended was so sweet, so perfect, so romantic that it does give hope to all dreamers out there that sometimes it's good to wish for better, special things. I know some readers might consider it too sugary, too unrealistic, but the fantasy part of t is precisely that.

I really liked to spend time in such a place and just let myself go within the story and not think about reality. In this aspect, the book totally worked out for me and it's a good reason to consider it a success.

Grade: 9/10

Patricia Gaffney - The Saving Graces

Meet The Saving Graces, Four Of The Best Friends A Woman Can Ever Have.
For ten years, Emma, Rudy, Lee, and Isabel have shared a deep affection that has helped them deal with the ebb and flow of expectations and disappointments common to us all. Calling themselves the Saving Graces, the quartet is united by understanding, honesty, and acceptance--a connection that has grown stronger as the years go by . . .
Though these sisters of the heart and soul have seen it all, talked through it all, Emma, Rudy, Lee, and Isabel will not be prepared for a crisis of astounding proportions that will put their love and courage to the ultimate test.

Comment: This is a contemporary book by Patricia Gaffney, a author I only knew as an historical writer. I got the book because it has so many reviews, so many people have read it, even if some didn't like it much, but that's to expect. I expected something more in the lines of romance but it's more directed to woman's fiction.

This is not my usually preferred genre but I still kept going.

 

This is the story of four friends, Isabel, Lee, Emma and Rudy. They aren't all the same age but they have many things in common, a bond that grew stronger as the years passed by, They started a woman's club just to talk, to discuss themes but things changed as their friendship got stronger and more personal. The book focuses on their lives now, the challenges they face, the joys they share and the battles they fight over their own feelings and the expectations in their lives.

 

I liked the book overall, but I wasn't as thrilled about everything as I'd imagined. The books featuring woman's friendships can be very interesting and show a beautiful side of friendship but I always think the drama is exaggerated just to push the reader into feeling a certain way and to be honest I wasn't always interested in what they were saying/sharing. I prefer some situations to others and I definitely would have preferred a third person narrator instead of the different passages told by each woman. I get the first person voice impacts the reader more, but in this case, often I was confused by the way things were told and didn't concentrate enough on the story.

 

I think I need to address my take on each woman's environment/personal stories, so to speak.

I preferred Emma's story because it was the one I found more interesting, with a complicated subject but with a take I hoped would have a believable and fair solution.

Emma is a journalist and she meets Mike Draco while doing an interview for a piece. Sparks fly between them but she learns he's married. Somehow they keep meeting each other, at some point Emma meets his wife and son but the attraction is still there and they fall in love. Nothing happens, and I'm glad no adultery happened, but I hoped for a HEA on this. It was the most interesting story and I kept hoping for Emma's parts so I could know how she was feeling. I felt for her and I got an interesting perspective on how the "other woman" must feel like. It's certainly a tricky situation and I'm just glad things ended in a good, sort of fair way.

 

Isabel is the oldest and faces a medical problem. It was very emotional to read her passages because she makes me think about serene people who calmly deal with problems and how unfair it is that the good people have to battle situations they don't deserve. Some parts about her were a bit confusing and I confess I wasn't always paying attention...

 

Rudy has a bad past apparently, negligent parents, she behaved badly when she was younger but now she is married and has the club and a therapist to help her. I didn't always get her, I think her personality is the most confusing but in the end I felt sorry for her because it is hard to just drift away and try to help and not knowing how to help ourselves. She raised her voice in the end, though.

 

Lee is the one with the happiest life, well when it comes to men at least. she loves and is loved by her husband but they can't have children. This is another one of those cliché situations, deserving people can't while others have them and dismiss them. I would have liked to know Lee better, but her story had sad parts I understood but wished didn't have to be that way.

 

This is a book about special bonds. I liked seeing how close all the woman were, how they spoke about their problems and had instant help, even if not blind wrong defenses. Some issues are certainly there to make us think, to represent diversity among the sort of situations people - and women - face nowadays about relationships, infertility, marital doubts, different goals, dealing with the past and sadness.... subjects that touch women and how they are expected to be perfect in everything or have the solution for everything while personally they struggle with how to do this or that and still be there for a friend, for a family member.

 

Some passages were emotional but I thought myself rather detached from some things because I just wasn't that engaged. The writing was boring in some parts and some issues just didn't appeal to me. I think it was hard for me to not think about the intention of upping the drama here. Not that is over the top, but the focus on other things not romance is obvious. I get the point, the genre but I prefer stories which aim to a different sort of tone, of purpose.

 

All things considered, this was a good enough story, sometimes interesting, others not that much, I liked knowing the women but despite the emotional parts which were touching yes, I still think this wasn't as amazing as that and certainly did not made me change my opinion about woman's fiction, in general.

Grade: 6/10

Patricia Gaffney - Lily

Born a lady, but now orphaned and left to the care of distant relations, Lily Trehearne’s fortunes are low indeed. All she inherited from her spendthrift father is a tangled web of debt, and her ultra-pious guardian, the Reverend Roger Soames, seems determined to marry her off to his son Lewis.
 Determined to save herself from that dreary fate, Lily panics and flees to Cornwall. Under the pseudonym Lily Troublefield, she accepts the first position she is offered, as a housemaid at the ominously named Darkstone Manor, property of Devon Darkwell. Lily’s new master is eccentric, deeply troubled . . . and strangely irresistible.  

Comment: My most recent read was this book. I'm trying to go through my Patricia Gaffney backlist and although I don't read the books one after the other, I like to pick one now and then.

This month I grabbed this one and I have to say it, when she wants to, Ms. Gaffney sure can make her heroines suffer.

 

This is the story of Lily, a young woman who's facing some bad times after the death of her father. She has a tutor until she's old enough to inherit the money she's entitled to, but until then there's not much she can do. To avoid marrying the tutor's son, Lily escapes her house and randomly travels to Darkstone Manor, where she fabricates a serving past to gain employment there.

The master of the house is Devon Darkwell, a man facing disappointments from his past, some pain over things he can't change and get back and his new maid is just someone he finds pretty and nothing else.

Lily starts to fall in love but there's so much more than a class system to separate them...can they find happiness at last?

 

I liked some elements of this story. I also got emotional when Lily faced some of her darkest hours.

But I can't help but think some actions and reactions didn't always make sense.

 

I think the author did a good job portraying someone who's used to a challenging life but hasn't the total grasp of what entails to be working as a maid.

Lily is someone used to work but nothing heavy, just the expected for someone in a good house and taking care of the necessary tasks. When she starts working at the Manor while escaping from a fate where she would be forced to be someone she isn't, she can't really understand what a maid or a servant really go through.

I liked this aspect of the plot. Lily has to do a lot of things, she has to work hard, she doesn't have much food, her living conditions aren't good at all and to top it all out, the housekeeper is someone who mistreats the maids and those "below" her.

I think there aren't many historical romance writers that show the dichotomy between masters and servants. In this case we see it and the scenes where Lily had to work and just hurry up seemed quite realistic. I kind of wish the author had stressed out this even more.

 

Lily suffers a lot. Not all the author's heroines have so much hardship and suffering to go through but Lily certainly is top of the list. I cried when Lily was the target of hate and much negativity especially when she wasn't the one causing it. I won't go into spoilers but many people hurt her, one way or another. Those scenes were very emotional and what made this book have some value, the way human emotion was depicted.

 

What I think ruined this was how Lily, despite all, still let herself be seduced. I really wish things could have been different. We see how practical she is at times, it seemed silly to fall for someone who didn't always treat her well. Even more to forgive him so quickly. One might say it wasn't so, but honestly if someone did to me what Devon did to her, there wouldn't ever be a HEA.

I understand plot and romance techniques, but I was disappointed how things moved along, despite the emotional side.

 

There are a sort of mystery related scenes part of the plot but I wasn't much interested in those. Sure, they added to the story but the real important issues were related to Lily.

In the end, the HEA does happen but some secondary characters seemed to be there just because.

As for Lily and Devon, sure they find and keep happiness but the rocky path towards there seemed avoidable. Devon really does the most incredible things to Lily. I can't understand how easy his redemption ended up being. No matter how hurt you are, you don't payback to innocent people, you don't accuse before knowing all the facts. He annoyed me and even more so when I had to read about how such a poor guy he was because of his past. Come on, it hurt, learn something and be a gentleman anyway.

 

I liked some elements but overall, I wished there could be some better balance between the plot devices and character's personalities.

I hope my next read by this author isn't as emotional and unbalanced overall.

Grade: 7/10

Alphabet Soup Challenge: Patricia Gaffney - Thief of Hearts

Though he is not her late husband's twin brother, John Brodie is far from the perfect gentleman and sheltered Anna Jourdaine would burn with shame. No lady would allow the outrageous liberties Brodie took, but forced to pretend she was married to him to clear Nick's good name, Anna finds herself weakening to her brother-in-law's seductive appeal. Caught up in deceits and desires beyond her control, she knows only that her future happiness depends on learning which brother is an immoral criminal and which is merely a thief of hearts.

Comment: This book has been in the pile for a couple of years and once in a while I randomly think about the amount of back lists by several authors I have to read and tell myself I need to get to them. This month I looked at ms Gaffney's list and thought this title would suit perfectly the T entry for the Soup challenge.

In this story we meet Anna Jourdaine, she's a newlywed whose husband is murdered soon after their marriage and when they were going to leave to their honeymoon. After a busy time she learns her beloved husband might be guilty of a crime concerning her family's business and she sees herself involved in a mad scheme to prove her husband's guilt - or innocence.

In order for this to happen, her husband's unknown twin brother is rescued from prison to take his place and play the part until more conspirators are found. 

The brother, John is just like Nick, her husband, but they are also totally different. With time, Anna starts seeing John for who he really is and he is also an innocent man. Could their scheme ever turn them into a real couple?

In general, I liked this story and felt curious about what would happen. I think a couple of plot situations were exaggerated without any real purpose I could see except bring out more (unnecessary) drama, but overall it was a good enough historical romance story.

I liked the idea of this story. Twins are a handy way to solve a character's proximity to another person for some reason and in a way that society won't find out. In this book's case, Anna's husband is replaced for his twin but with the premise the twin, John, will go back to prison after his part is completed. One would ask why bother, but I think any prisoner would like to savor freedom again and even contemplate escape. This wasn't a perfect scheme but considering the time and the lack of identity validities we have nowadays, it was done reasonably well.

I liked John. He had a love for life that wasn't mad or reckless and he hid a morally acceptable personality I liked knowing about, and how under his cockiness and sometimes vulgar behavior he had a good heart. He was a very interesting character who, in my opinion, didn't have all the focus I think he deserved.

Anna was more classically presented and she wanted a loving marriage. I understand her reaction when things went wrong and after her husband died. It certainly couldn't be easy to accept someone just because of a physical likeness.

Their relationship started rocky and mutually suspicious but small things and the need to uncover the truth led them to learn things about one another and to keep the pretense to find out who Nick really was. With time they started to fall in love although things were never easy or simple because there were always things to know, to solve, new findings...

The romance was OK, I guess. It wasn't as magical as some love stories I've read but it was entertaining enough to make me happy when the couple finally got their HEA.

As for the plot, a couple of things made this a bit exaggerated and I think sometimes the need to put drama in evidence to, perhaps, get a heavier reaction from the reader is a bit too much and in this book I felt that. Maybe it's just me.

All in all, I was glad enough with this story. I think the evolution of the two main characters was the focus of this story and that was good enough. I liked there was forgiveness and second chances enough to make this uplifting.

I don't think this is one of those books that stays in our memory like an epic romance but it did offer what it could and did its job.

Grade: 7/10

TBR Challenge: Patricia Gaffney - Forever and Ever

Connor Pendarvis has a bitter past and a driving ambition—exposing the harsh working conditions in Miss Sophie Deene's copper mine is only the beginning.
Sophie Deene is her father's daughter—proud, fiercely independent...and bound by convention. She might hire a handsome, insolent Cornishman to work in the mine, but she wouldn't fall in love with him. Impossible, unthinkable. What would people say?
But she swallows her pride for love, defying everyone, never thinking Connor could betray her. And he risks everything he thought he wanted for a love that will last...

Comment: This month, the theme for the challenge is more than one book by this author, meaning, a book by an author whose books pile up here and there in your house. Math done, I must have around 10 more books by this author to read. The biggest problem of collecting, as you all surely know yourselves. Anyway, I've decided to read the author's most known trilogy and this is the third book. I think it also fits the theme, so here is was.

This is the story of Sophie Deene, a character that briefly appeared in the other books (or just the previous one, I can't remember properly) ans she is a lady, focused on her work and her responsibilities. She wants what's best for those who work in her mine and also for herself, as a person in whom others trust and admire.
Connor Pendarvis works for a group wanting to reform the working class system, in particular the conditions in the mines and how that affects workers. He meets Sophie not knowing she is the person he came to investigate but even after that he can't seem to forget her and neither can she. But when the truth comes off, what will happen?

The previous two books in this trilogy were good enough. Not as amazing as I imagined considering the hype they have in the romancelandia, namely the second one. I wasn't expecting this to be super amazing either and my expectations were met. This was very good, but not past the expected.

The story focuses on the two man characters and what they want out of life and are they behaving like others expect them to? This is a thought that follows many of us, so it wasn't something that unbelievable to imagine. Sophie has a position in the society scale and she likes to be respected although her attitude isn't vain or superior. I thought her character to be realistic and positive and I must admit I felt much empathy towards her and her deepest hopes. She is a very likable person and from her confident start, to her troubles and her winnings I felt she was a strong and solid character.

Connor was a more complex character, I felt. He seemed to be realistic too and indeed, his biggest fault was pride, but all things considered, I can't fault him for his worst words or attitudes in the novel. One can say better communication between them would have solved many things before the conflict arose but I thin it's quite humane to let things go, to let them build up to the point where is very hard to bridge and to talk again. We do this in our daily lives, so I thought that, as with all the major communication issues in the story, this wasn't badly done, quite the opposite. Of course, it's frustrating because we want everything well right away, but it's just the plot device at work.

Sophie and Connor don't have the best start and it was hard to seem at odds in the beginning, because we knew what their backgrounds were and why they acted like that, but for the purposes of plot development, it was important for them to take their time, to be antagonists so when their relationship changed tunes, it would be like a crescendo before reaching the point where we just new things couldn't work out right then. Still, it was good to see them deal with both their hopes for what was happening between them, to act a united front when needed..I loved the moments where they took the step to work things out. I don't think the conflicts were that difficult, but considering the time of action, the period, the society rules of the time and the natural flow of the story, it wasn't that bad and at times it also made me emotional, especially if thinking about being in their shoes.

I loved the scenes where we could see the main characters from the previous books happy. It was that special touch to prove to the reader the suffering was worthy the HEA and it also gave hope to this story, although I would have liked a more confirmed idea instead of the possibility that it's left in the air. Things end up well, yes, but this is a romantic story, I wanted a bit more romance.

Overall, I was glad with this one. There are many parts I'd have liked to see different, but I can't say they didn't worked out. Still, there's this feeling that there could have existed a better expression of feelings between them besides the obvious, some things did feel a bit forced to make other things work, but in the end, it was a good story for me and I didn't want to put it down. Comparing to the previous ones, I have to say I liked it better, if not because for most of the time, it looked like the main couple was ore balanced in their individual positions which meant a stronger relationship in the end. At least, it looks like it at the moment.
A solid read, for sure.
Grade: 8/10

Patricia Gaffney - To Have and To Hold

Suave, cynical, and too handsome for his own good, Sebastian Verlaine never expects to become a magistrate judging the petty crimes of his tenants and neighbors. Nor can the new Viscount D’Aubrey foresee that, when a fallen woman appears before him, he’ll find himself beguiled against all reason to alter her terrible fate....
Rachel Wade has served time in prison for her husband’s violent death, but she soon discovers that freedom has its own price. For no one will offer her a second chance but a jaded viscount who needs a housekeeper. Scorned by the townspeople of Wyckerley as D’Aubrey’s mistress, tempted beyond her will by the devilish lord, Rachel risks all she had to claim a life of her own...and a love that will last for all time.

Comment: One of the reads of last month. (I am behind on this, work is the cause). I picked it because I had read the previous one in the trilogy and I was also curious to see if it would be as amazing as many readers seemed to consider it, within the romance genre.

This is the story of Rachel Wade, she has been out of prison but can't find a job. Her life is close to finality she dreads but she has thought about the solution. Suddenly, she is rescued by the new viscount D’Aubrey, who is looking for a housekeeper. Could her life go back to any semblance of normalcy? Rachel's hopes are met with disillusionment when she realizes what the job entails.
Sebastien Verlaine is bored out of his mind, his life is a play of boredom and ennui and he sees in Rachel a new, different challenge. While he believes amusement will follow their progressing relationship, he isn't prepared to accept the differences in his own mind and spirit.

I have to say I don't like Sebastien. I don't care he changed, that he looked into his heart or that he reached the conclusion of what makes a decent human being. What he did, what he allowed to be done to Rachel out of boredom and personal games was too awful and stupid and horrifying to be redeemed with pretty words and gestures!
Probably many of you have read this book and know what I'm talking about, but in case you don't I mean what happened after Sebastien's friends paid him a visit. Another previous scene wasn't positive to remember either but I tell myself romances in those days weren't smiles from the start. But then..really, it's too harsh. 

I ended up giving this story a good grade because Rachel seemed happy int he end and I loved her character, I loved her personality and her attitudes even after everything that happened to her and her awful experiences. Rachel is the true soul of this story. I could attempt to put myself in her shoes and it was painful. I can only begin to imagine what it must have been like for countless women in those days, wrongly injusticed and forced to live that way. I'm sure the author researched female prisons in those times. Rachel's tale is so sad and I so wanted her to find happiness, to be wowed and surprised with life has to offer!

Then Sebastien comes along. I never liked him, not even when Rachel did. I get the author's intention of creating a really hateful person, whose aim in life is to amuse himself at the expense of others. I found good that he changed his mind about his position in life, about what he was doing and why and all the good changes he had until the end. But the things he did before were awful and it's too painful to think about. Two or three scenes made me cry and feel so much sorry for Rachel...

I see why many readers consider this good, Sebastien eventually changes and tries to show Rachel happiness is possible, but honestly I never thought his feelings for her were that strong...their relationship was filled with extremes and too many power plays to be accepted as romantic in the end. I don't consider the last scenes enough to put this in the successfully developed romance category. I wanted more emotion from Sebastian, a more thoughtful change of mind, of attitude. Their relationship feels unbalanced to me, and I think it could have been presented differently, namely the turnabout of things.

In the end, too many conflicting emotions. I have hopes to see this couple still happy in the following book because their love didn't seem strong enough or, should I say, detailed and described enough to convinced me it was bigger than the universe. Too many bad things put a shadow in this, I think.
Grade: 7/10

Patricia Gaffney - To Love and to Cherish

Anne Verlaine's four year marriage to Geoffrey, Lord D'Aubrey, was a living hell. Her only comfort was her lovely new home--the village of Wyckerley in the heart of Devonshire. And even more irresistible was her attraction to Christian Morrell, "Christy," the vicar of All Saints Church. He looked like an archangel, his strength something palpable, his golden-haired handsomeness a source of light in her dark life.
Anne's husband had once been Christy's closest friend, but war and life had scarred Geoffrey inside and out. Now he was going to leave her behind in Wyckerley, with the shocking truth of their marriage still hidden as deeply as his dangerous plans. Anne had no right to want Christy to love her, and no choice but to need him, even though she risked his ruin...and her own. But he was everything to her. She would defy this world for him...and the next.

Comment: I've read a long time ago how a certain book by this author was one of the best romances out there. Naturally I was curious and wrote it down. Later, when I investigated that title I saw it was part of a trilogy, namely the second. So, I told myself I'd follow the "rules" and read things in order. I got the trilogy eventually and it has been in the pile for a long time. This month I've decided to read the first one to see if I wanted to keep reading. I do and next year I'll read the following two (December is full).

This is the story of Anne Verlaine, she's married to Geoffrey but their marriage isn't a good one. When Geoffrey's father dies, they come to Wyckerley to Geoffrey's estate. It's there Anne meets her husband's childhood friend, Christy, who is also the reverend. After Geoffrey goes to war, Anne and Christy get closer and get to know each other. A seduction starts between them until the day things can no longer be the same...

This story didn't dazzle me as much as I hoped for. I now it's very well liked by many readers and I expected something out of this world, but after finishing the book, despite the usual time spent thinking about it, I realized I wasn't as marveled by this as I imagined. Once again, taste is personal and despite seeing the beauty of the story I was a bit immune to it in the end.

At first I was a bit put off by the idea of  Anne and Christy. Not that they didn't deserve some happiness, in particular Christy, such a humble and beautiful character...but I don't tend to care much for aggressive heroines and although Anne isn't the worst I've read about, I still wished she would be a bit more sedate in her actions. I mean she doesn't do anything improper but added to her inner thoughts, I came to see her through that light. I'm exaggerating perhaps, but that's how I started seeing her and it was hard not to.
Christy seemed to good to be true...his faults weren't exactly faults so there was nothing in him I'd change, especially because I liked how good sense he had, he wasn't careless or improper either, he didn't let his emotions get the best of him and he didn't act without thinking. All these things didn't make him look less of a man or a hero, in fact I appreciated these qualities a lot. I thin in this, their relationship had balance. Anne was more impetuous in a way, and Christy calmer.
Their romance ended up being quite good, not without challenges and surprises, but then it wouldn't be as thrilling. I have to confess I didn't see coming a thing or two, despite having that feeling that things were being too good to let the guard down and I feared when the characters had to deal with the setbacks. Still, I was more than happy with the end, and not without a bit regret by how some things worked out.

The story offered quite the thoughtful twists. Things aren't as easy as they look and it was quite the lesson to see how we can act when we think we have all the knowledge on our side. Sometimes life surprises us and for me, it was quite interesting to see how surprises made me thin about the story and the actions on it.
On a curious note, I always find interesting how reverends can be romantic heroes...being a roman catholic myself and used to priests being celibate, this is always so fun to watch...

In the end, this story wasn't as amazing as I pictured it in my head, but I wasn't unhappy either. Meeting expectations is always a hard game for a reader, we all know things don't always work out in a perfect way, but all things considered, this romance was good, offered interesting scenes and did leave me curious about the ones to come.
Grade: 7/10