[Livro] My Fair Duchess, de Julie Johnstone

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Título em Português:--
Série:Once Upon a Rogue #1
Autor(a): Julie Johnstone
Editora: Night Shift Publishing
Páginas: 350
Data de Publicação: 29 de Setembro de 2014

Sinopse:

After years of playing the rake to hide a dark family secret, the Duke of Aversley feels tainted beyond redemption and cynical beyond repair. Never does he imagine hope will come in the form of a quirky, quick-witted lady determined to win the heart of another gentleman. Thanks to a painfully awkward past, Lady Amelia De Vere long ago relinquished the notion she was a flower that had yet to blossom. But when her family faces financial ruin and the man she has always loved is on the verge of marrying another, she’ll try anything to transform herself to capture her childhood love and save her family―including agreeing to participate in a bet between her brother and the notorious, dangerously handsome Duke Of Aversley. Bound by the bet, Amelia and Aversley discover unexpected understanding and passion beyond their wildest dreams, if only they can let go of their pride, put trust in each other and chance losing their hearts.

~ Recebemos este livro directamente da autora Julie Johnstone. Obrigada! ~

Opinião:
Recebi este livro num passatempo da autora e este foi a minha estreia, apesar de aqui no blog já estar outra crítica – o outro foi um eArc em troca de uma opinião honesta com data para publicar, daí ter sido primeiro.

Este livro teve para mim um único contra, que foi o que acabou por dar o mote a todo o livro, apesar de não o estragar: o herói, o Duque de Aversley, praticamente odeia as mulheres, tudo por causa de uma promessa que o pai dele fez (e que ele não sabe) – o que estragou a relação com do Duque com a sua mãe, não falando da relação dos pais que ficou completamente destruída.

Aversley passou o tempo a ouvir falar de Amelia De Vere através de cartas que o seu melhor amigo, o irmão de Amelia, lhe mandava, a contar as suas peripécias. Quando a conhece, a imagem que tem na cabeça de uma menina um pouco desastrada e tímida, desaparece por completo.

Para ajudar o seu melhor amigo com problemas financeiros, Aversley faz uma aposta com este sobre Amelia, se ela irá desabrochar e tornar-se naquilo que, segundo Aversley, todas as mulheres se tornam ao saberem que são desejáveis, ou se Amelia se manterá fiel a si mesma.

E é durante o desenrolar desta aposta que Amelia e Aversley se aproximam e ele começa a perceber que ela não é como ele pensa. Amelia ajuda-o a ultrapassar os problemas do passado e Aversley ajuda-a a tornar-se a melhor versão de si mesma, mantendo a essência de Amelia igual.

Foi uma história amorosa, muito romântica, que se lê com facilidade e nos dá exactamente o que promete: um romance histórico querido.

Title: My Fair Duchess
Serie: Once Upon a Rogue #1
Author: Julie Johnstone
Publisher: Night Shift Publishing
Pages: 350
Publication date: September 29th 2014

Synopsis:

After years of playing the rake to hide a dark family secret, the Duke of Aversley feels tainted beyond redemption and cynical beyond repair. Never does he imagine hope will come in the form of a quirky, quick-witted lady determined to win the heart of another gentleman. Thanks to a painfully awkward past, Lady Amelia De Vere long ago relinquished the notion she was a flower that had yet to blossom. But when her family faces financial ruin and the man she has always loved is on the verge of marrying another, she’ll try anything to transform herself to capture her childhood love and save her family―including agreeing to participate in a bet between her brother and the notorious, dangerously handsome Duke Of Aversley. Bound by the bet, Amelia and Aversley discover unexpected understanding and passion beyond their wildest dreams, if only they can let go of their pride, put trust in each other and chance losing their hearts.

~ We've received this book directly from the author, Julie Johnstone. Thank you! ~

Review:
I received this book in a giveaway done by the author, and this was the first book I’ve read of hers, even though there’s already a published opinion of one of her books here, in the blog – the other one was an eArc received in exchange for an honest review, and it had a publishing date, that’s why it had to be written first.

This book had a big no for me, which was what gave the book its motto, but it did not ruin it: the hero, the Duke of Aversley, pretty much hates women, all because of a promise his dad made (and that he doesn’t know about) – which ruined his relationship with his mother, not even mentioning what it did to his parents' relationship.

Aversley spent his life reading about Amelia De Vere, through letters his best friend, her brother, sent him, telling him of every incident and weird situation she got herself in. When he meets her, the image he had of the little girl who has a bit clumsy and shy, vanishes.

To help his best friend, Aversley makes a bet with him, about Amelia. He bets that when Amelia blossoms (with his help), she will become what desirable women always become (cheating women, and vain, etc.), while her brother bets that Amelia will stay true to herself.

And as the time goes by, Amelia and Aversley become closer and he starts to realize that she is not like what he considers other women to be like. Amelia helps him overcome the problems of his past, and Aversley helps her become a better version of herself, keeping her essence the same.

It’s a love story, very romantic. Easily read, it gives you exactly what it promises: a sweet historical romance.

[Livro] Christmas in the Scot's Arms, de Julie Johnstone

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Título em Português:--
Série:Highlander Vows: Entangled Hearts #3
Autor(a): Julie Johnstone
Editora: Amazon Digital Services
Páginas: 119
Data de Publicação: 28 de Novembro de 2016

Sinopse:

London, 1815
Laird Liam MacLeod is not lacking for lasses that wish to marry him. As chief of one of the few remaining stable and wealthy clans in the Highlands, the scheming misses are more than plentiful—too plentiful, in fact, for a man who desires to marry for love. Given the opportunity to escape to London for the holidays, Liam takes it with a halfhearted expectation that perhaps English ladies will be different. But the calculating debutantes of the ton and their marriage-minded mamas leave him with little hope, until a chance encounter brings him face-to-face with a beautiful, witty lady who knows nothing about him. Miss Cecelia Cartwright has an unfairly tattered reputation and the distasteful yet pressing need for a marriage of convenience. She’d frankly rather eat dirt, but when one’s family is on the verge of poverty, pride must fall by the wayside. But the day a handsome, honorable Scot comes to her aid, he awakens longings in Cecelia that she knows she cannot pursue.
Torn between her heart and her duty, Cecelia finds herself dancing at the very edge of impropriety that once before destroyed her good name. When her old suitor returns to Town, she must choose between the laird she loves and the duke who could save her family. Just when she thinks she knows what she ought to do, Liam reveals a secret that may well prove charming Scots are the most dangerous rogues of them all.

~ Recebemos este livro directamente da autora Julie Johnstone. Obrigada! ~

Opinião:
Christmas in the Scot's Arms dá-nos exactamente aquilo que promete: um romance que começa rapidamente (com cento e poucas páginas não pode ser algo com uma corte longa), com muito carinho e cenas amorosas à mistura.

Cecelia vive uma situação complicada, onde tem de pensar não só em si, mas na sua mãe e em como as manter longe da pobreza. Como a sua mãe já esteve nessa situação, ela pressiona Cecelia para que esta faça um bom casamento, ou seja, arranje um pretendente rico. Ela associa essa riqueza à sua felicidade e à da filha, mesmo que isso não seja verdade.

Cecelia conhece por acaso o Lord escocês Liam MacLeod e a sua ligação é instantânea. Para ajudar, a irmã de MacLeod também é uma personagem interessante, que se torna uma ajudante neste romance.

A sua ligação é bonita e gosto de ver como Cecelia luta para se manter fiel a si própria, e como acaba por perceber o porquê de Liam MacLeod age da maneira que age no fim do livro.

A minha parte favorita do livro foi o passeio e a patinagem no gelo, foi tão bem descrito que conseguia visualizar completamente tudo o que se passava e adoro episódios que se passam na neve.

Em conclusão, um bom livro, curto, mas que proporciona uma leitura agradável.

Title: Christmas in the Scot's Arms
Serie: Highlander Vows: Entangled Hearts #3
Author: Julie Johnstone
Publisher: Amazon Digital Services
Pages: 119
Publication date: November 28th 2016

Synopsis:

London, 1815
Laird Liam MacLeod is not lacking for lasses that wish to marry him. As chief of one of the few remaining stable and wealthy clans in the Highlands, the scheming misses are more than plentiful—too plentiful, in fact, for a man who desires to marry for love. Given the opportunity to escape to London for the holidays, Liam takes it with a halfhearted expectation that perhaps English ladies will be different. But the calculating debutantes of the ton and their marriage-minded mamas leave him with little hope, until a chance encounter brings him face-to-face with a beautiful, witty lady who knows nothing about him. Miss Cecelia Cartwright has an unfairly tattered reputation and the distasteful yet pressing need for a marriage of convenience. She’d frankly rather eat dirt, but when one’s family is on the verge of poverty, pride must fall by the wayside. But the day a handsome, honorable Scot comes to her aid, he awakens longings in Cecelia that she knows she cannot pursue.
Torn between her heart and her duty, Cecelia finds herself dancing at the very edge of impropriety that once before destroyed her good name. When her old suitor returns to Town, she must choose between the laird she loves and the duke who could save her family. Just when she thinks she knows what she ought to do, Liam reveals a secret that may well prove charming Scots are the most dangerous rogues of them all.

~ We've received this book directly from the Julie Johnstone. Thank you! ~

Review:
Christmas in the Scot's Arms gives us exactly what it promises. It starts quickly (with a hundred and few pages you can’t expect it to have a long courtship), with a lot of tenderness and loving scenes.

Cecelia lives in a complicated situation, where she must think not just about herself, but also about her mother, and how to keep them away from poverty. Because her mother has already been in that sort of situation, she pressures Cecelia into marrying well, which means to marry someone rich. She connects this wealth with her happiness, as well as her daughter’s, even though those two are not the same, and therefore not true.

Cecelia randomly meets the Scottish lord (laird if you want) Liam MacLeod and their connection is instantaneous. To help this, his sister is also present and becomes an interesting character that helps them get together.

Their connection is nice and I liked seeing how Cecelia fights to keep herself faithful to her principles and how she ends up understanding Liam’s reasons for acting the way he does at the end of the book.

My favourite part was the stroll and the ice skating. It was so well described that I could visualize the scene entirely and I love episodes in the snow.

In conclusion, a nice, short book, that provides us with a pleasant reading.