Library of Clean Reads: Sarah M. Eden

Showing posts with label Sarah M. Eden. Show all posts

Wednesday, April 6, 2022

Her Country Gentleman (Audiobook Review)

A historical romance collection featuring three novellas that are fun, quick to read (or listen to) and clean. The audiobook version is very entertaining and I highly recommend it!

Audiobook Details:

Narrated by Kim Bretton

Length: 7 hours 31 minutes

Book Description:

Her Country Gentleman is the first book in the Timeless Georgian Collection, a new anthology series from Mirror Press. The book features three novellas from bestselling historical romance authors whose stories reveal that not all love is found in London...

Spring at Tribbley Hall by Sian Ann Bessey

When Charlotte's grandmother invites her to accompany her to Norfolk, Charlotte jumps at the chance to visit the sea and escape the fuss surrounding her sister's wedding preparations in London. Lord William Cheston, on the other hand, is most unhappy when his mother informs him that her old friend and a granddaughter are coming to stay. Not only is it lambing season, but he's also dealing with the mysterious loss of several sheep. The last thing he needs is a child underfoot. When Charlotte and William first meet, he does not realize that the lovely young lady is the granddaughter in question, and she assumes that the man dressed in work clothes in the barn is a servant. Soon afterward, however, Charlotte stumbles upon a clue to William's sheep's disappearance, and when her life is placed in jeopardy, William is forced to choose between saving his unwanted houseguest and catching the thief.

Love of My Heart by Sarah M. Eden

Cordelia Wakefield has never lived anywhere but London and is not overly happy when her family is forced to retrench to a small estate near Teviotbrae, Scotland. An ill-fated game of battledore and shuttlecock brings her face-to-racquet with Sebastian, who runs the home farm at nearby Teviot Castle. What begins as a clash of personalities, expectations, and preferences, soon leads to a friendship neither had expected. As the magic of Teviotbrae weaves its spell, the possibility of something more than friendship begins to blossom. But what future is there for a lowly farmer and a London lady?

Miss Smith Goes to Wiltshire by Rebecca Connolly

Martha Smith wants to marry for love, and will not be persuaded otherwise. She is highly sought after in Society for her beauty and status but refuses to consider any suitor whose only claim is that his prospects meet with her mother's approval. Her widowed mother has had enough of Martha's romantic sensibilities and is sending her to stay with unfortunate cousins in Wiltshire to show her that marrying for love is a risk that is too great. Benjamin Steele, Lord Hillier, is working on his new and dilapidated estate when he first catches sight of the striking Martha Smith. Becoming Lord Hillier has only brought him a house that needs significant repairs, tenant farms that had been abandoned, and only the money he'd already possessed. He wants meaning in his life, and he's more than willing to work for it. Though worlds apart in all else, on this point they can agree: a life of meaning would change everything.

My Review:

Reviewed by Laura Fabiani

The three novellas in Her Country Gentleman were a delight to listen to. I enjoyed all three stories. Although short, each had well-developed characters, a good plot, and an enjoyable storyline that featured heroines who each became enamored with a country gentleman.

Spring at Tribbley Hall by Sian Ann Bessey features Charlotte, a spunky heroine who escapes with her grandmother to the country and has a heart-pounding adventure when a sheep thief goes a little too far. Love of My Heart by Sarah M. Eden features Cordelia, forced to relocate with her family to the country where she discovers lovely vistas that inspire her artistic soul and draw her to a kind gentleman farmer. And finally, Miss Smith Goes to Wiltshire by Rebecca Connolly features a young woman who wishes to marry for love, and so is temporarily banished by her mother to the country to visit her aunt. Martha is charmed by the country life and a certain gentleman, and the reader is regaled with humorous scenes between the two.

The narrator Kim Bretton does an excellent job with all the character accents and she brings each story to life, with its lovely heroines and comedic scenes. Very entertaining. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this first collection book and I eagerly look forward to the next one.

PURCHASE LINKS

AMAZON | BOOKBUB | GOODREADS

Audible.com ~ Audible.ca

AUTHOR BIOS

Sian Ann Bessey

Born in Cambridge, England, but grew up on the island of Anglesey off the coast of North Wales, Sian left her homeland to attend university in the U.S. and earned a bachelor's degree in communications with a minor in English.

She began her writing career as a student, publishing several magazine articles while still in college. Since then, she has published historical romance and romantic suspense novels, along with a variety of children's books. She is a USA Today bestselling author, a Foreward Reviews Book of the Year finalist, and a Whitney Award finalist.

She loves to travel and experience other cultures, but when she's home, her favorite activities are spending time with her family, cooking, and reading.

WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | BOOKBUB | GOODREADS

Sarah M. Eden

Sarah M. Eden is a USA Today bestselling author of multiple historical romances, including AML's "2013 Novel of the Year" and Foreword Review’s 2013 “IndieFab Book of the Year” gold medal winner for Best Romance, Longing for Home, and the Whitney Award's "2014 Novel of the Year," Longing for Home: Hope Springs.

Combining her obsession with history and affinity for tender love stories, Sarah loves crafting witty characters and heartfelt romances set against rich historical backdrops. She holds a bachelor’s degree in research and happily spends hours perusing the reference shelves of her local library. Sarah lives with her husband, kids, and mischievous dog in the shadow of a snow-capped mountain she has never attempted to ski.

WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | BOOKBUB | GOODREADS

Rebecca Connolly

Rebecca Connolly is the author of more than two dozen novels. She calls herself a Midwest girl, having lived in Ohio and Indiana. She's always been a bookworm, and her grandma would send her books almost every month so she would never run out. Book Fairs were her carnival, and libraries are her happy place.

She has been creating stories since childhood, and there are home videos to prove it! She received a master's degree from West Virginia University, spends every spare moment away from her day job absorbed in her writing, and is a hot cocoa addict.

Wednesday, March 16, 2022

Her Country Gentleman Series: Timeless Georgian Collection (Book 1)

Today I'm spotlighting a historical romance collection. It features three novellas that are fun, quick to read and clean. I'm currently listening to the audiobook version and enjoying it immensely!

Book Details:

Title: Her Country Gentleman
Series: Timeless Georgian Collection (Book 1)
Authors: Sian Ann Bessey, Sarah M. Eden, & Rebecca Connolly
Genre: Historical Romance, Georgian Romance, Inspirational Fiction
Publisher: Mirror Press (March 8, 2022)
Length: (300) pages
Format: Trade paperback, eBook, audiobook
Tour Dates: March 7-20, 2022

Book Description:

Spring at Tribbley Hall by Sian Ann Bessey

PURCHASE LINKS

AMAZON | BOOKBUB | GOODREADS

AUTHOR BIOS

Sian Ann Bessey

She loves to travel and experience other cultures, but when she's home, her favorite activities are spending time with her family, cooking, and reading.

WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | BOOKBUB | GOODREADS

Sarah M. Eden

WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | BOOKBUB | GOODREADS

Rebecca Connolly

Thursday, November 5, 2020

The Gentleman and the Thief by Sarah M. Eden (Review)

This is the second book in the The Dread Penny Society series. A fun book with an interesting premise and good characters. And it's part of the Proper Romance series, too.

Book Details:

Book Title: The Gentleman and the Thief by Sarah M. Eden
Category: Adult Fiction, 368 pages
Genre: Historical Fiction, Proper Romance
Publisher: Shadow Mountain
Release date: November 3, 2020
Content Rating: G

Book Description:

A standalone novel in The Dread Penny Society set in 1865 London brimming with secrets, scandal, suspense, and romance.

From the moment Hollis Darby meets Ana Newport, he's smitten. Even though he's from a wealthy, established family and she isn't, he wishes he could have a life with her by his side. But Hollis has a secret: the deep coffers that have kept his family afloat for generations are bare, so he supports himself by writing penny dreadfuls under a pseudonym. If not for the income from his novels, he would be broke.

Ana Newport also has a secret. Though she once had a place in society thanks to her father's business, bankruptcy and scandal reduced the family fortune to nothing more than a crumbling town house. So Ana teaches music during the day, and at night she assumes the identity of the "Phantom Fox." She breaks into the homes of the wealthy to reclaim treasures she feels were unjustly stolen from her family when they were struggling.

When Hollis's brother needs to hire a music tutor for his daughter, Hollis recommends Ana, giving him a chance to spend time with her. Ana needs the income and is eager for the opportunity to get to know the enigmatic gentleman. What neither of them expects is how difficult it will be to keep their respective secrets from each other.

When a spree of robberies rocks the city, Ana and Hollis join forces to solve the crimes, but working together deepens the affection between them. After all, who better to save the day than a gentleman and a thief?

My Review:

Reviewed by Laura Fabiani

I loved the premise of this novel...the title, the book cover, the secrets, the banter between characters ...but I have to admit I struggled through some of it. Let me tell you what I liked the most: the characters, especially Very Merry, followed by Hollis, the perfect gentleman with a big heart. Ana, his love interest, was sweet, but only toward the middle of the novel do we see her courage and cunning. Both these characters owned their station in life and worked to better themselves instead of wallowing in self-pity because of their family's losses.

Although this seems to be a standalone novel, it is the second novel about the members of the Dread Penny Society, a fraternity of authors dedicated to secretly fighting for the social and political causes of their working-class readers. So these characters didn't get too much of an introduction, probably because they were introduced in the first novel titled The Lady and the Highwayman, which I didn't read. I thought this 'Society with a cause' was a fun premise for a novel, and I liked the friendship among these characters.

What kept me reading was the spy network and the whole mystery surrounding the villains that perpetrated crimes through urchin thieves and gambling. But I was disappointed when these villains were not more fleshed out and better yet, were not caught! No resolution to the story. Probably because the story will continue in the next book? *sigh*

Also, this novel contains two penny dreadful stories told throughout the book in alternating chapters. So in essence this novel is much shorter because of these other unnecessary stories thrown in that only served to slow down and interrupt the pace of the novel itself. I found them distracting (although they were good stories, just not what I wanted to read) and I finally ended up skimming through them. In my opinion, they could have been omitted altogether and more time could have been dedicated to building the relationship between Hollis and Ana, and fleshing out those villains.

Finally, there isn't much of a romance although the couple hold hands, hug and even cuddle when there is no understanding of a courtship between them. I was getting mixed messages. Were they a couple or not? There is no tension and passion between this couple, only tender affection. I had no idea if Ana had any romantic feelings toward Hollis until the very end. They acted more like friends who suddenly are in love, or even...dare I say it, an old married couple. *sigh*

A fun book with an interesting premise and good characters, but a bit skimpy on heart-stopping romance and villainous adventure.

Disclosure: Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for sending me this book for review. I was not compensated in any other way, nor told how to rate or review this product.

Buy the Book:

About the Author:

Sarah M. Eden is a USA Today best-selling author of witty and charming historical romances, including 2019’s Foreword Reviews INDIE Awards Gold Winner for Romance, The Lady and the Highwayman, and 2020 Holt Medallion finalist, Healing Hearts. She is a two-time “Best of State” Gold Medal winner for fiction and a three-time Whitney Award winner. Combining her obsession with history and her affinity for tender love stories, Sarah loves crafting deep characters and heartfelt romances set against rich historical backdrops. She holds a bachelor’s degree in research and happily spends hours perusing the reference shelves of her local library.

WEBSITE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | GOODREADS

Thursday, August 29, 2013

Longing for Home by Sarah M. Eden

Longing for Home by Sarah M. Eden
Shadow Mountain
ISBN: 978-1609074616
Published Aug 2013
Trade paperback, 432 pages

Katie Macauley was eight when her family lost their land during Ireland's Great Famine. Her father became a broken man and her younger sister died. Katie blames herself for this loss and vows to make it up to her family even as she enters into a life of servitude from a young age and is separated from her family for good.

Eventually she takes on the position of housekeeper in Hope Springs, Wyoming. But the small town is divided because the Americans despise the Irish. Despite this feud, Katie finds a family among the Irish immigrants and must decide whether to follow her heart in Hope Springs or return back home to gain her father's forgiveness.

I enjoyed this heartwarming novel mainly because the author has a way with dialogue and was able to bring the Irish expressions and culture to life. I was pulled into the story immediately because of the witty banter between Katie and the O'Connor brothers. Katie was an interesting character, feisty and vulnerable at the same time. I was intrigued by the events in the past that had turned her into such a reclusive figure with barely any friends in the twenty years she was in servitude.

Halfway through, however, it began to drag a little for me. The plot was good but came in second to the romance. I would have gladly forgone some pages of dialogue that was sweet but that no longer moved the plot along for me. (This is a long novel of 432 pages.) As a result the story was a little anticlimactic for me. Everything pointed toward a climactic event between the townsfolk because of the tension the author skilfully built from the beginning, but it didn't really happen or perhaps not like I thought it would. Also, the change in Katie's personality was too drastic in the few months she was there. It was like she was a different person altogether and some of her internal conflicts no longer seemed important to the story.

Apart from these issues, this was a good story. If you like clean romances with good characters in a genre not labelled Christian fiction, then I suggest you try this one.

Note: This book is rated C = clean read.
To read more reviews, please visit the blog tour page.

About the author:
Sarah M. Eden is the author of multiple historical romances, including Whitney Award finalists Seeking Persephone (2008, Covenant Communications) and Courting Miss Lancaster (2010, Covenant Communications). Combining her obsession with history and affinity for tender love stories, Sarah loves crafting witty characters and heartfelt romances. She holds a Bachelor's degree in research and happily spends hours perusing the reference shelves of her local library. Sarah has twice served as the Master of Ceremonies for the LDStorymakers Writers Conference, acted as the Writer in Residence at the Northwest Writers Retreat and is one-third of the team at the AppendixPodcast.com. Sarah is represented by Pam van Hylckama Vlieg at Foreword Literary Agency.

Connect with the author: Facebook, Website

Reviewed by Laura

Disclosure: Thanks to the publisher for sending me this book for review. I was not compensated in any other way, nor told how to rate or review this product.