Título em Português:-- Série: Decadent Dukes Society #1 Autor(a): Madeline Hunter Editora: Zebra Páginas: 304 Data de Publicação: 30 de Maio de 2017
Sinopse:
NOTORIOUS NOBLEMAN SEEKS REVENGE
Name and title: Adam Penrose, Duke of Stratton.
Affiliation: London’s elite Society of Decadent Dukes.
Family history: Scandalous.
Personality traits: Dark and brooding, with a thirst for revenge.
Ideal romantic partner: A woman of means, with beauty and brains, willing to live with reckless abandon.
Desire: Clara Cheswick, gorgeous daughter of his family’s sworn enemy.
FAINT OF HEART NEED NOT APPLY
Clara may be the woman Adam wants, but there’s one problem: she’s far more interested in publishing her women’s journal than getting married—especially to a man said to be dead-set on vengeance. Though, with her nose for a story, Clara wonders if his desire for justice is sincere—along with his incredibly unnerving intention to be her husband. If her weak-kneed response to his kiss is any indication, falling for Adam clearly comes with a cost. But who knew courting danger could be such exhilarating fun?
~ Recebemos este livro directamente da autora Madeline Hunter, em troca desta opinião honesta. Obrigada! ~
Opinião:
Até ao momento acho que li o meu livro favorito da Madeline Hunter. Apesar de gostar dos livros desta autora, por norma acabo por achar que ficam um pouco aquém das expectativas. The Most Dangerous Duke in London não se enquadra nesta categoria. Gostei bastante de ler este livro e não o consegui pousar.
Tem uma base de história de vingança e eu admito que estas não são as minhas favoritas mas neste livro foi tão bem conseguida que o interessa não é tanto a vingança mas o crescer da relação entre Adam e Clare.
Clare é uma mulher forte e independente, que sabe bem o que quer e é bastante inteligente. Adam é um duque que, quando se vê confrontado com uma escolha, vê Clare e, sendo ela filha de um homem que teria tido influência no ato que leva Adam a procurar vingança (ou devo dizer…procurar a verdade e razões para o que aconteceu na vida da sua família), estava no sítio certo à hora certa.
A família de Clare quer que a sua irmã seja quase usado como sacríficio para aplacar a suposta raiva de Adam, mas quando ele vê Clare ao longe na colina, nem pensa duas vezes na irmã mais nova de Clare.
Clare e Adam têm uma atracção importante mas mais do que isso, o que interessa é a relação de amizade e companheirismo que começa entre eles.
Com uma história que inclui mistério e traição, ligações à guerra com França e um romance que nos prende do início ao fim, este tornou-se o meu livro favorito da Madeline Hunter.
Title: The Most Dangerous Duke in London Serie: Decadent Dukes Society #1 Author: Madeline Hunter Publisher: Zebra Pages: 304 Publication date: May 30 2017
Synopsis:
NOTORIOUS NOBLEMAN SEEKS REVENGE
Name and title: Adam Penrose, Duke of Stratton.
Affiliation: London’s elite Society of Decadent Dukes.
Family history: Scandalous.
Personality traits: Dark and brooding, with a thirst for revenge.
Ideal romantic partner: A woman of means, with beauty and brains, willing to live with reckless abandon.
Desire: Clara Cheswick, gorgeous daughter of his family’s sworn enemy.
FAINT OF HEART NEED NOT APPLY
Clara may be the woman Adam wants, but there’s one problem: she’s far more interested in publishing her women’s journal than getting married—especially to a man said to be dead-set on vengeance. Though, with her nose for a story, Clara wonders if his desire for justice is sincere—along with his incredibly unnerving intention to be her husband. If her weak-kneed response to his kiss is any indication, falling for Adam clearly comes with a cost. But who knew courting danger could be such exhilarating fun?
~ We've received this book directly from Madeline Hunter, in exchange for an honest opinion. Thank you! ~
Review:
I think I’ve found my favourite Madeline Hunter’s book so far. Although I always appreciate and like her books, they sometimes seem to be a bit below my expectations – but not this one. The Most Dangerous Duke in London doesn’t fit that category. I really enjoyed it and couldn’t put it down.
The base of the plot is related to revenge, and these are usually my favourite plots, but in this case, the story was so well put together that what mattered wasn’t so much the revenge plan but the growth of the relationship between Adam and Clare.
Clare is a strong, independent woman, who knows what she wants and is very smart and intelligent. Adam is a duke that finds himself confronted with a choice and at that moment he sees Clare, in her horse, at the top of a hill – and, being she the daughter of a deceased man who might have had something to do with Adam’s family tragedy, he cannot put her aside and let her go – she was at the right place, on the right time.
Clare’s family wants to use her younger sister almost like a sacrifice to placate Adam’s supposed anger and rage, but when he sees Clare, he doesn’t even think twice about her little sister.
Clare and Adam have an important attraction, but more than that, what matters is how their relationship grows with friendship and companionship.
With a plot that has mystery, betrayal, connections to France and the war, as well as a romance that keep you holding on to the book, this has become my favourite book by Madeline Hunter.
Capa mais deliciosa: A capa orginal (a da esquerda)
Porquê? Carla: Apesar de não ser fã de nenhuma das capas, acho a original (a da esquerda) bem mais apelativa e agradável que a capa nacional.
Joana: Gosto bastande das duas capas. A original tem tons verdes e fluídos de que gosto e a portuguesa vai por tons mais cor-de-rosa e tem uma leitora na capa, o que é um ponto a favor! Mantendo-se no mesmo género das outras capas, a portuguesa pode não dar logo a entender que é um romance histórico (excepto pelo título), enquanto que a original é facilmente reconhecível como romance de época. No fim, acabo divida entre as duas capas...
E vocês, qual a vossa favorita?
The most delicious cover: The original cover (the one on the left)
Why? Carla: I'm not fan of either cover, but I think the original cover (the one on the left) is more appealing and pleasing to the eye than the Portuguese cover.
Joana: I really like both covers… The original has fluid green tones that I like and the Portuguese cover has more a pink shade and, of course, a reader on the cover which is a point for them! The Portuguese cover maintains the same type of cover has the other ones in this series, and you might not be able to tell right away that it’s an historical romance (except for the title), whereas the original cover is easily recognizable as a historical romance. In the end, I’m torn between both covers....
Hoje venho vos apresentar mais uma loja etsy, desta vez Nerdy Grl Designs. Há já algum tempo que conheço esta loja pelo Instagram. Tem coisas adoráveis e sempre tive grande vontade de adquirir alguns produtos. Aproveitando o fim de semana de St. Patrick e um desconto disponível na altura, decidi avançar com a compra.
Segundo o que sei todas as encomendas têm direito a um freebie, como fiz a encomenda durante o St. Patrick’s Day, tive direito a um pequeno pote de ouro. O que eu encomendei? Três sets de marcadores magnéticos: um da Princess Sparckles Unicorn, outro de Doctor Who e, um terceiro, da Sailor Moon (há uma falha imensa porque não haver um set com as restantes Sailors). À parte destes sets, encomendei dois marcadores, ditos normais, de Doctor Who (duuuuh, obvs!) e outro do Suicide Squad, com uma quote da Harley Quinn.
Todos os marcadores têm uma qualidade incrível e são lindos, no entanto achei o shipping um pouco tempo, em comparação com outras lojas do género. Ainda assim, gostei muito de tudo o que comprei e muito possivelmente irei voltar a comprar mais desta loja.
I’m here today to show you another Etsy store; this time is Nerdy Grl Designs. I’ve been checking out this store for a while, since I discovered it on Instagram. It has such adorable things, and I always wanted some. I took advantage of St. Patrick’s Day and used the discount to make my first order.
According to what I know, all orders has a freebie, and since I made my order on St. Patrick’s weekend I got a pot of gold. And what I ordered? Three magnetic bookmarks sets: Princess Sparkles Unicorn, Doctor Who and, and Sailor Moon (which is a pity there isn’t a set with the other Sailors!). On top of that I also ordered two “normal” bookmarks: one Doctor Who themed (duuuh, obvs!) and another from Suicide Squad with a quote from Harley Quinn.
All bookmarks have such good quality and they are all beautiful, although I think the shipping took a bit too long, comparing to other similar Etsy stores. Nevertheless, I loved evbeything I got, and I will definitely going back a buy more stuff in the future.
Título em Português:-- Série: Rogues to Riches #2 Autor(a): Erica Ridley Editora: Webmotion Páginas: 350 Data de Publicação: 2 de Maio de 2017
Sinopse:
In the Rogues to Riches historical romance series, Cinderella stories aren’t just for princesses… Sigh-worthy Regency rogues sweep strong-willed young ladies into whirlwind romance with rollicking adventure.
Nondescript “good girl” Miss Camellia Grenville only ever opens her mouth when forced to sing at her family’s musicales. That is, until the night she infiltrates the ton’s most scandalous masquerade ball on behalf of her sister, and finds herself in the arms—and the bed—of the one man she’d sworn to hate.
Irresistibly arrogant and unapologetically sensuous, infamous rake Lord Wainwright always gets his way. When he accepts a wager to turn his rakish image respectable in just forty days, he never anticipates falling for an anonymous masked lover...or that discovering her identity would destroy them both.
~ Recebemos este livro directamente da autora Erica Ridley, em troca desta opinião honesta. Obrigada! ~
Opinião:
Lord of Pleasure foi muito melhor que Lord of Chance.
Desde logo senti uma empatia muito maior com as personagens, tanto com Camellia como com Michael.
Camellia é uma irmã protectora e amiga que sente que tem de compensar o comportamento das irmãs, sendo por isso “ a boazinha”. Já Michael é visto como um playboy que basta entrar numa sala para as senhoras desmaiarem – o que ele não gosta particularmente. A maneira como as pessoas o vêem faz com que as suas palavras sejam distorcidas e isso é o que ele mais odeia.
Cada um deles sentia-se preso a um papel e é interessante ver como máscaras físicas permitem que as máscaras emocionais que usam no dia-a-dia possam cair. Gostei da evolução da relação deles, apesar de achar que, se calhar, não iria durar pois eles conhecem-se só como aquelas pessoas que estão atrás das máscaras, praticamente e, na realidade, eles são como que uma união do que mostram ao mundo e do que mostram um ao outro.
Apesar disso, foi uma leitura super rápida e de que gostei bastante, sempre curiosa para saber mais sobre as personagens. Achei que o “entrave/problema” não existia na realidade e poderia ter sido usado algo melhor, mas para o enredo que se desenrolou, algo simples chegou.
Foi um livro que foi difícil de pousar e que me deu bastante prazer a ler mas que, ao escrever esta opinião, percebi que tinha pequenos problemas, daí a pontuação não ser tão alto como as 4 bolachas inicialmente pensadas.
Title: Lord of Pleasure Serie: Rogues to Riches #2 Author: Erica Ridley Publisher: WebMotion Pages: 350 Publication date: May 2nd 2017
Synopsis:
In the Rogues to Riches historical romance series, Cinderella stories aren’t just for princesses… Sigh-worthy Regency rogues sweep strong-willed young ladies into whirlwind romance with rollicking adventure.
Nondescript “good girl” Miss Camellia Grenville only ever opens her mouth when forced to sing at her family’s musicales. That is, until the night she infiltrates the ton’s most scandalous masquerade ball on behalf of her sister, and finds herself in the arms—and the bed—of the one man she’d sworn to hate.
Irresistibly arrogant and unapologetically sensuous, infamous rake Lord Wainwright always gets his way. When he accepts a wager to turn his rakish image respectable in just forty days, he never anticipates falling for an anonymous masked lover...or that discovering her identity would destroy them both.
~ We’ve received this eARC in exchange for an honest review directly from the author, Erica Ridley. Thank you! ~
Review:
Lord of Pleasure was much better than Lord of Chance.
From the start, I felt a much bigger empathy with the characters, both Camellia and Michael.
Camellia is a friendly and protective sister and she feels like she has to compensate her family for her sisters’ behaviour – making her the “good girl”. Michael on the other hand, is seen as a rake/rogue/playboy, someone that walks into a room and makes all the ladies swoon – which he doesn’t particularly appreciates. Why? Because how people see him makes them change and twist his words, and he hates that.
Each of them felt stuck to a roll and it’s interesting to see how real masks allow for emotional and fake personality masks to fall and disappear. I liked the evolution of their relationship but, to be honest, I don’t know if it would last long, because they only know each other like the person behind the masks and, in truth, they are a bit of both – the ones behind the mask and that they show each other, and the ones they show the world.
Still, it was a fun and fast paced read that I quite enjoyed. I was always eager to know more about the characters. In truth, I think the “problem” didn’t really exist and something better could have been used to twist the story a bit but, for the kind of plot, this simple ruse and scheme worked fine.
It was a book that was hard to put down and gave me quite a lot pleasure to read, but, as I started to write this review, I concentrated a bit more on the problems that I was seeing, and that’s why the rating isn’t as high as I thought it would be (4*).
Título em Português: -- Série: Disney Beauty and the Beast #2 Autor(a): Mallory Reaves Editora: TokyoPop Páginas: 160 Data de Publicação: 28 de Março de 2017
Sinopse:
A tale as old as time ... told in timeless manga style
Disney's much-anticipated live-action adaptation of "Beauty and the Beast" hits theaters in March 2017, and it stars Emma Watson and Dan Stevens. This original two-part manga series is based upon the upcoming movie... but you've never seen this classic love story told quite this way before.
The "Beauty" manga delves into Belle's deepest thoughts as she's taken prisoner by the Beast in his majestic castle. Where the "Beast" manga explores Beast's deepest thoughts as he captures Belle in his castle and finds himself falling in love with her feisty attitude and adventurous spirit.
~ Recebemos este eARC através do NetGalley. Obrigada! ~
Opinião: Beast's Tale é o volume que se segue a Belle's Tale, que já escrevi uma review e podem ler aqui. Neste segundo volume temos a estória d'A Bela e do Monstro contacta pela perspectiva do Monstro e, sem qualquer sombra de dúvida, foi muito mais interessante de ler. Como já referi na minha crítica ao Belle's Tale, a estória d'A Bela e o Monstro não é a minha favorita, mas está no TOP de favoritas, daí a minha curiosidade por estes mangas (e também pelo filme que ainda não tive oportunidade de ver).
Tal como disse anteriormente, neste volume temos a perspectiva do Monstro, não só vemos os mesmos acontecimentos pelos olhos desta personagem, como temos o seu background e o que aconteceu para que a maldição fosse lançada. Achei este volume mais interessante, pois consegui, muito mais facilmente, criar ligação com o Monstro, coisa que não aconteceu no primeiro volume com a Belle com muita pena minha.
Foi uma excelente leitura, e que veio complementar da melhor forma (sendo que até supera) o volume anterior. Não falei da arte até este momento, pois está mantém-se fiel ao estilo manga e ao mesmo nível que o volume anterior. Beast's Tale foi uma boa leitura, melhor que o volume anterior, e eu recomendo para quem gosta do género e d'A Bela e o Monstro.
Title: Beast's Tale Serie: Disney Beauty and the Beast #2 Author: Mallory Reaves Publisher: TokyoPop Pages: 160 Publication Date: March 28th, 2017
Synopsis:
A tale as old as time ... told in timeless manga style
Disney's much-anticipated live-action adaptation of "Beauty and the Beast" hits theaters in March 2017, and it stars Emma Watson and Dan Stevens. This original two-part manga series is based upon the upcoming movie... but you've never seen this classic love story told quite this way before.
The "Beauty" manga delves into Belle's deepest thoughts as she's taken prisoner by the Beast in his majestic castle. Where the "Beast" manga explores Beast's deepest thoughts as he captures Belle in his castle and finds himself falling in love with her feisty attitude and adventurous spirit.
~ TThis digital arc was sent by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ~
Review: Beast’s Tale comes after Belle’s Tale, which I already reviewed here. In this second volume we have the Beast’s point of view of Beauty and the Beast, which was, without a doubt, way more interesting than the first volume. As I already wrote in my Belle’s Tale’s review, Beauty and the Beast is not my favourite Disney fairy tale, but I really like it and it’s in my TOP favourites, hence my curiosity for these mangas (and also the movie,which I haven't had the opportunity to watch yet).
As I already said, in this volume we have the Beast’s point of view; we see the same events from the first volume through this character’s eyes, but also what happened before. I think this volume is way more interesting than the first volume, since I connected more easily with the Beast than I ever felt wit Belle – which is a shame for me.
It was an excellent reading, and it complemented in a really good way (and it’s actually better) the first volume. I didn’t write about the art, because it’s faithful to its style from the previous volume. Beast’s Tale was a good reading, way better than the first volume, and I really recommend it for those who like Beauty and the Beast.
Aqui estamos nós no inicio de mais um mês! Que tal foi o vosso mês de Abril? Boas leituras e bons filmes? Partilhem connosco! Inicia-se hoje mais um mês e por esse motivo deixamos aqui o resumo de Abril e as nossas propostas para Maio!
♥ Para o mês de Maio foi escolhido o tema Clássicos, e ainda estão a decorrer as votações, até dia 5. Podem votar aqui. Quando o livro tiver sido escolhido, iremos actualizar este post.
♥ Não se esqueçam que também já está online o Desafio Mensal de Maio.
E aqui fica o que fizemos em Abril e o que planeamos fazer em Maio :)
[Livro] Alice Takes Back Wonderland, de David D. Hammons
[Livro] A Court of Mist and Fury, de Sarah J. Maas
[Filme] Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, de James Gunn
[Etsy] Nerdy Grl Designs
Joana V.
[Livro] Lord of Pleasure, de Erica Ridley
[Livro] The most dangerous duke in London, de Madeline Hunter
[Livro] Dragon Redeemer, de Amy Bearce
[Livro] Fractured Beauty: The Fairy Tale Five, de Adrienne Monson, Lehua Parker, Angela Corbett, Angela Brimhall, Angela Hartley
[Livro] Dark Witch, de Nora Roberts
Here we are at the beginning of a new month! How was your April? Great readings and awesome movies? Share with us! T the beginning of a new month we summarize our month of April and our plans for May.
♥ For May, the theme chosen was Classics, and the poll for the chosen book is still going on and you can vote here. When the book is chosen, we’l update this post.
♥ Don’t forget about our monthly challenge, it’s already online!
And here it is what we did in April and what we have planned for May :)
Título em Português:-- Série:-- Autor(a): Mariah Stewart, Terri Brisbin, Cara Marsi, Kate Welsh, Martha Schroeder, Gwendolyn Schuler, Georgia Dickson Editora: Luckenbooth Press Páginas: 426 Data de Publicação: 25 de Abril de 2017
Sinopse:
BRANDYWINE Brides ~ A Blackwood Legacy Anthology. One Family – Seven Generations – A Legacy of Love
Almost three centuries ago, a Scottish convict was sold into indentured servitude in Philadelphia and given a second chance at a life far from the country of his birth. In the years since, the farm secured by Finlan Blackwood’s efforts would grow and thrive in the Brandywine River valley just as his family and descendants did. Today, Blackwood Farm is one of the largest and most successful farms in Chester County. But it took the sacrifices and best efforts of each generation to make it so.
1721 – In A Traitor’s Heart by Terri Brisbin, a convicted traitor from the Jacobite Rising must find a way to rescue a widow from an unscrupulous man’s plans for her. . . and for the lands she holds.
1779 – In A Patriots’ Heart by Gwendolyn Schuler, a wounded British officer hiding a secret puts the daughter of Blackwood Farm’s owner in danger by his presence in their home.
1865 – In Wounded Heart by Martha Schroeder, a damaged Union soldier arrives home to find his childhood sweetheart is the one trying to save his family’s farm.
1919 – In Heart’s Song by Georgia Dickson, when the current owner of Blackwood Farm returns from the Great War, everything looks different to him, even the possibility of love.
1943 – In Painted Promises by Kate Welsh, the Blackwood heir, working for the war effort at home, is the only one who can help a woman who fought with the resistance in Europe before she escaped the horrors of war.
1971 – In We’ve Only Just Begun by Cara Marsi, the Blackwood son, suffering from the effects of Vietnam, meets exactly the kind of woman he needs, even if she doesn’t want to be the one.
2017 – In Finn’s Legacy by Mariah Stewart, when a writer comes to Blackwood Farm to interview the family matriarch, the last thing she expects is a reunion with the man who broke her heart before he left for Iraq four years ago.
Seven Blackwood generations. Seven loves worth fighting for!
~ Recebemos este livro através da autora Terri Brisbin, obrigada! ~
Opinião:
É um pouco difícil falar de uma antologia sem falar das histórias individuais. Para não me alongar muito, vou dizer algumas palavras sobre cada uma e depois fazer uma opinião mais geral.
A única autora que conheço das que escreveram esta antologia é a Terri Brisbin, e com ela estou habituada a romances históricos na época da Regência em Inglaterra, romances medievais ou com guerreiros escoceses na Escócia, por isso esta primeira história foi um pouco diferente. Em A Traitor’s Heart, Finlan Blackwood é enviado para os EUA depois da revolta jacobita, como castigo pela sua traição ao rei. Aqui, conhece um quaker, um Americano que faz parte da Sociedade dos Amigos. Como tal, ele compra Finlan mas acima de tudo é um amigo e um patrão, não um dono. A sentença de Finlan é de 5 anos. Depois desse tempo, é um homem livre para começar uma nova vida na América. E é quase no fim dos 5 anos que Finlan, é forçado a tomar uma decisão. Elizabeth, uma viúva que ele conhece e para quem fazia pequenos trabalhos, tem uma dívida enorme e vai perder a sua casa e o seu terreno. Finlan oferece-se para a levar para outra zona dos EUA e deixá-la com familiares escoceses enquanto acaba o seu tempo. Desesperada e sem outra opção, Elizabeth aceita e é visível a luta interna tanto de Finlan como de Elizabeth sobre o quanto gostam um do outro mas cada um acredita não ser bom o suficiente um para o outro. Richard Montgomery, o quaker, tem um papel importante, que não vou contar mais, mas tudo acaba por se desenrolar da melhor maneira possível, e Finlan e Elizaebeth têm o seu final feliz. O meu único ponto negativo neste enredo foi conhecer tão pouco da história do casal, como se conheceram, como começaram a gostar um do outro... Achei um pouco repentino, mas tirando isso, é um conto com um romance muito, muito leve.
Em A Patriots’ Heart, de Gwendolyn Schuler, temos uma história que tem por base o efeito Florence Nightingale, ou seja, uma médica/enfermeira que se apaixona pelo seu paciente (e vice-versa). Apesar disso, esta foi a minha história favorita. Tudo porque mostrou um crescer de emoções, de conhecimento mútuo. Conseguiu prender muito mais a minha atenção e fui interessante ver como alguém que tinha aprendido de Finlan Blackwood os ideais da Sociedade de Amigos, ainda que não fizesse parte dela, lida com uma guerra à porta de casa, tentando manter-se neutro sem deixar de lado as suas convicções – Elias Blackwood é um homem complicado mas honrado e generoso. Gostei de Margi e de como esta mulher forte ajuda mesmo achando que a pessoa que está a ajudar poderá estar “do lado errado” da guerra. O Capitão Hamilton é charmoso e acaba por conquistar toda a família com bastante facilidade, o que, por sua vez, conquista o leitor. Foi sem dúvida a minha história favorita.
Em Wounded Heart,de Martha Schroeder temos uma história também interessante, que nos traz uma família separada pela guerra e uma jovem que é enganada pelo próprio irmão. A história revolve à volta de um drama familiar, intrigas e coscuvilhices que ajudam o leitor a simpatizar com as personagens principais, Charles Blackwood e Tessa. Lê-se bem, mas gostava de ter sabido mais sobre a irmã de Charles, Louisa Blackwood e de como esta casou e manteve com um homem tão horrível como o irmão de Tessa. Gostava de ter visto alguns pontos mais desenvolvidos e, apesar de repentino, gostei do romance de Tessa e Charles.
Em Heart’s Song de Georgia Dickson, Ethan Blackwood volta de guerra com uma amputação e apesar, de ter uma prótese e conseguir fazer praticamente tudo, tem medo de ser um homem incompleto para a mulher por quem se apaixona, Serena Jordan, uma professora de música e também música ela própria. Ethan e Serena apaixonam-se à primeira vista e, para mim, isso não é das coisas mais atraentes numa história... Luxúria, atracção, sim, agora amor? Hum... não. Se pusermos isso de parte, eles vão-se conhecendo e criando oportunidade para o romance florescer, com a ajuda da amiga de infância de Ethan e amiga de Serena, Lillie. É um romance rápido e sem muitas complicações, que levam algumas escolhas pessoais mas nada de muito extraordinário.
Já em Painted Promises de Kate Welsh, temos um herói que queria ter ido para a guerra mas serve o seu país criando mantimentos para as tropas, e uma heroína que foge da guerra e viu horrores. Meri é uma pintora incrível que se expressa através da sua arte e Callum é um jovem que já viu outras pessoas lidarem com o stress pós-traumático (SPT) que a guerra causa à maioria destas, e acha que não consegue ajudar Meri mas, na verdade, acaba por ser o único com quem ela se abre. A história deles é interessante e acaba por se continuar a desenvolver durante as próximas duas histórias.
Continuando em We’ve Only Just Begun de Cara Marsi, Stephen Blackwood, filho de Meri e Callum, volta de guerra do Vietname não a mesma pessoa que foi. Aqui é ainda mais visível os efeitos de STP e a maneira como a guerra pode mudar a visão de alguém do mundo. Stephen quer, acima de tudo, salvar vidas e isso implica deixar a quinta e o terreno de Blackwood com o pai e afastar-se da sua história familiar. Mas ele quer fazer o seu próprio caminho e, após alguma resistência inicial, os pais apoiamno incondicionalmente. Durante esta jornada, Stephen conhece Elena, uma jovem designer de jóias que está afastada da família. Com muitas referências à época em que este conto se passa, a história acaba por se tornar um pouco repetitiva, com muitas descrições das roupas usadas como que para nos orientar nos 70. Gostaria de ter sabido mais de como Elena resolveu as coisas com a família e, sinceramente, não gostei muito que ela e o pai conseguissem com tanta facilidade, voltar a darem-se bem, tendo em conta as razões pelas quais se afastaram. Mais não digo, excepto que esta história soube a pouco, muita paixão e pouco romance, sinceramente.
Por fim, In Finn’s Legacy de Mariah Stewart. Finn (Finlan, pessoal?) lutou no Médio Oriente e agora que voltou a casa tem de lidar com as decisões que tomou antes de partir. Antes de mais, de referir que Finn e Sophie são netos super atenciosos que adoram os avós, Meri e Callum. E Finn, para manter o legado da família vai-se tornar “agricultor” e gestor da propriedade. Mas tudo isto é descoberto à medida que vamos conhecendo Finn e a sua relação com Abby, a jovem escritora que Meri pede para ir escrever sobre os seus quadros. Finn e Abby conheciam-se e estavam apaixonados desde o sétimo ano. Já tinhama até planos de casamento combinados quando ele decide, do nada, dizer que vai para a guerra no Médio Oriente e que é melhor separarem-se. Abby, obviamente fica muito magoada e quando o volta a ver, é difícil para os dois. Depois de algum esforço das duas partes, lá conseguem falar e explicar o porquê das suas decisões e reacções e Abby e Finn voltam-se a juntar-se e, provavelmente a vão viver felizes para sempre.
Uma das peças-chave que une todas estas histórias é o luckenbooth, um objecto tipo pregadeira que foi passado de geração em geração e dado às mulheres dos homens Blackwood e usado pelos bebés no seu baptizado. O luckenbooth da história é dado por Finlan a Elizabeth e tem ametistas, sendo semelhante ao que a mãe dele teria originalmente na Escócia. É um belo elemento de ligação, além de toda a genealogia das histórias.
Em geral, foi um livro bom, que teve para mim alguns pontos que podiam ter sido melhorados e, por azar, teve uma leitora que não é muito fã de coisas de guerra - mesmo não se passando DURANTE alguma guerra, todos os contos revolvem à volta de guerras. Gostaria de ter visto menos espaçamento de datas nas épocas mais antigas e saltos temporais mais pequenos mas percebo que nem todas as autoras se sentissem confortáveis a escrever nas diferentes épocas. É um livro para os amantes de romances curtos e rápidos, com ligações entre eles. Fãs de histórias familiares ficarão agradavelmente agrados.
Title: Brandywine Brides: A Blackwood Legacy Anthology Serie: -- Author: Mariah Stewart, Terri Brisbin, Cara Marsi, Kate Welsh, Martha Schroeder, Gwendolyn Schuler, Georgia Dickson Publisher: Luckenbooth Press Pages: 426 Publication date: April 25th 2017
Synopsis:
BRANDYWINE Brides ~ A Blackwood Legacy Anthology. One Family – Seven Generations – A Legacy of Love
Almost three centuries ago, a Scottish convict was sold into indentured servitude in Philadelphia and given a second chance at a life far from the country of his birth. In the years since, the farm secured by Finlan Blackwood’s efforts would grow and thrive in the Brandywine River valley just as his family and descendants did. Today, Blackwood Farm is one of the largest and most successful farms in Chester County. But it took the sacrifices and best efforts of each generation to make it so.
1721 – In A Traitor’s Heart by Terri Brisbin, a convicted traitor from the Jacobite Rising must find a way to rescue a widow from an unscrupulous man’s plans for her. . . and for the lands she holds.
1779 – In A Patriots’ Heart by Gwendolyn Schuler, a wounded British officer hiding a secret puts the daughter of Blackwood Farm’s owner in danger by his presence in their home.
1865 – In Wounded Heart by Martha Schroeder, a damaged Union soldier arrives home to find his childhood sweetheart is the one trying to save his family’s farm.
1919 – In Heart’s Song by Georgia Dickson, when the current owner of Blackwood Farm returns from the Great War, everything looks different to him, even the possibility of love.
1943 – In Painted Promises by Kate Welsh, the Blackwood heir, working for the war effort at home, is the only one who can help a woman who fought with the resistance in Europe before she escaped the horrors of war.
1971 – In We’ve Only Just Begun by Cara Marsi, the Blackwood son, suffering from the effects of Vietnam, meets exactly the kind of woman he needs, even if she doesn’t want to be the one.
2017 – In Finn’s Legacy by Mariah Stewart, when a writer comes to Blackwood Farm to interview the family matriarch, the last thing she expects is a reunion with the man who broke her heart before he left for Iraq four years ago.
Seven Blackwood generations. Seven loves worth fighting for!
~ We've received this eARC from the author Terri Brisbin, thank you! ~
Review:
It’s a bit hard to talk about an anthology without addressing the individual stories. I’m going to try not to elongate too much, just say a few words about each of them and then a general appreciation.
The only author I had read before is Terri Brisbin, and with her books, I’m used to reading Regency romances, medieval romances or romances with Highlanders, in Scotland, so this first story was a bit different. In A Traitor’s Heart, Finlan Blackwood is sent to the USA after the Jacobite rising, as a traitor to the king. Here, he meets a Quaker, an American part of the Society of Friends. He buys Finlan but above all else, he’s a friend and an employer, not an owner. Finlan’s sentence is for 5 years. After that time, he’s a free man, available to start a new life in America. And it’s near the end of his 5 years sentence that he’s forced to make a decision. Elizabeth, a widow he knows and for whom he did small jobs, has an immense debt and is going to lose her farm. Finlan volunteer to take her to his Scottish relatives far away, where no one knows her, until he finishes his time and meets her. Desperate and without any other options, Elizabeth says yes and the internal struggle they both fight to accept how much they like each other, but both think they don’t deserve one another is very visible. Richard Montgomery, the Quaker, has an important role, which I’m not going to talk about, but everything works the best possible way and Finlan and Elizabeth have their happy ending. The only negative point in this plot was the fact that we didn’t get to see them falling in love, we don’t know a lot about their story, how they met… I thought it was a bit sudden, but apart from that, is a very soft and sweet romance.
In A Patriot’s Heart, by Gwendolyn Schuler, we have a story that has a base in the Florence Nightingale effect, meaning the nurse/doctor falls in love with the patient (and vice-versa in this case). It was, despite it, my favourite story. All because it showed a crescendo of emotions, of mutual knowledge. It hooked my attention much more than the previous story (and the next ones); it was also quite interesting to see how someone who had learned from Finlan Blackwood the ideals of the Society of Friends (even though he was not part of it) deals with a war at his door, trying to stay neutral and yet stay true to his convictions – Elias Blackwood is a complicated yet honourable and generous man. I really liked Margi and how this strong woman helps even though she thinks the person she’s helping might be on the “wrong side” of the war. Captain Hamilton is very charming and ends up winning over the entire family, which by consequence wins over the reader fairly easily. It was without question my favourite story.
In Wounded Heart, by Martha Schroeder, we also have an interesting story, a plot that involves a family torn apart by war and a young lady who is tricked by her brother. It’s all about family drama, intrigue and gossip that helps the reader to sympathize with the main characters, Charles Blackwood and Tessa. It’s an easy and likeable read, but I wish I could have learned more about Charles’ sister, Louisa Blackwood and how she ended up marrying Tessa’s brother, a horrible man. I wish I could have seen a few more plot points developed, still, even though it was a bit sounded, I liked Charles and Tessa’s romance.
In Heart’s Song, by Georgia Dickson, Ethan Blackwood comes back from war with an amputation and, even though he had a prosthetic and could pretty much do everything, he’s afraid of being an incomplete man for the woman he loves, Serena Jordan, a musician and music teacher. Ethan and Serena fell in love at first sight and, for me, that’s not the most interesting thing in a story. Lust, attraction, yes, but love at first sight? No… If you put that aside, Ethan and Serena get to know each other and the romance blooms, with the help of Ethan’s childhood friend and Serena’s friend Lillie. It’s a quick romance without a lot of complications, that has some personal choices being made but nothing very extraordinary.
In Painted Promises, by Kate Welsh, we have a main male character that wanted to go to war but stayed home and helped with supplies for the army, and a female main character that witnessed the war and saw horrors. Meri is an amazing painter who expresses herself through her art. Callum is a young man who’s seen other people deal with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and doesn’t think he can help Meri but, in the end, he’s the only one with whom she opens up. Their story is quite interesting and continues to develop through the next two stories.
Carrying on to We’ve Only Just Begun by Cara Marsi, we have Stephen Blackwood, Meri and Callum’s son, back from the Vietnam War – and he’s not the same person as he was before. Here it’s quite visible the effects of PTSD and the way the war can change someone’s view of the world. Stephen wants, more than anything, to save lives, and that implies leaving the Blackwood farm, and stepping away from his family’s story. He wants to trail his own path and, after some initial resistance, his parents stand behind him unconditionally. During this journey, Stephen meets Elena, a young jewellery designer that is estranged from her family. With several references to the 70’s, the story ended up being a bit repetitive, with several descriptions of the clothes worn at that time, almost as a guide to the 70’s. I would have liked to know more about how Elena sorted things out with her family and, honestly, I didn’t like that her reconciliation with her father was so easy, after the way he had treated her. This story felt a bit short, with a lot of passion but not enough romance.
Lastly, In Finn’s Legacy by Mariah Stewart, we have Finn (Finlan homage, right?), who went to fight in the Middle East and is now back home and has to deal with the decisions he made before leaving. First of all, I would like to mention that Finn and Sophie are extremely thoughtful and caring grandchildren to Meri and Callum. And Finn, to keep the family’s legacy, is becoming a “farmer” and running the estate. But all of this is discovered at the same time that we learn about his relationship with Abby, the young writer Meri asks to write about her paintings. Finn and Abby new each other and were in love with each other since the seventh grade. They even had wedding plans made when he, out of the bloom, decides to go the Middle East and that they should break up. Abby, with reason, is very hurt and when they meet again it’s very hard for both of them. After some effort on both parts, they talk it out and they each explain their actions and reactions. Abby and Finn get back together and, probably, will live happily ever after.
One of the key pieces of these stories is the luckenbooth, a jewellery piece that was handed down from generation to generation starting with Finlan. He bought one with amethysts similar to the one his mother originally had in Scotland and gave it to Elizabeth. It is given to women the Blackwood man love, as well as their children on their christening. It’s a fine element of connection between the stories, besides the obvious genealogy.
In general, it was a good book, that for me had a few plot points that could have been improved and, bad luck, this was read by someone who doesn’t really like war stories - and even though it isn’t DURING a war, all stories revolve around wars. I would have liked to see stories without so many years apart in the beginning but I can understand that not all authors would feel comfortable with it. This is a book for readers that like short and sweet romances, with connections between the stories. Fans of family sagas will be pleasantly pleased.
