Scandalous Ever After by Theresa Romain – a Review

Scandalous Ever After by Theresa Romain – a Review

 

Scandalous Ever AfterAmazon / B&N / Kobo / BAM / Book Depository

Description:
After years apart, old friends Lady Kate Whelan and Evan Rhys reunite at a race. They’ve been masking their feelings for each other for years, but when Evan must protect Kate from her late husband’s secrets, he may not be able to resist her any longer.

After being widowed by a steeplechase accident in Ireland, Lady Kate Whelan abandons the turf. But once her mourning is complete, her late husband’s debts drive her to seek help in Newmarket amidst the whirl of a race meet. There she encounters antiquities expert Evan Rhys, her late husband’s roguish friend—whom she hasn’t seen since the day of his lordship’s mysterious death.

Now that fate has reunited them, Evan seizes the chance to win over the woman he’s always loved. But once back within the old stone walls of Whelan House, long-held secrets come to light that shake up everything Kate thought she knew about her marriage. Now she wonders who she can trust with her heart—and Evan must decide between love and a truth that will separate him from all his heart desires.

 

Review:

Scandalous Ever After is a historical romance love story with a bit of mystery included. It’s set in Cambridge, England in 1818.

Evan Rhys is lecturing on fake Roman antiquities being circulated for the purpose of smuggling, using slides from a magic lantern and painted shots of artifacts he’d collected. It’s at this lecture that Catherine Abigail Durham (Kate), Countess of Whelan speaks up and asks him why he doesn’t go to Ireland, when he claims the artifacts are from there.

Meticulously, the author, Theresa Romain, builds the back narrative of Evan’s friendship with the late Earl of Whelan, Conall Richie Durham. Friends from childhood in school, they were close and inseparable. Thirteen years prior, Con had brought home some brood mares and a wife. Evan’s world changed. She was bright, beautiful and everything he loved in life, but he was completely faithful in his friendship with her husband.

They spent much time together, the three of them. Evan’s own family being very judgmental and not at all happy. Evan was the second son. His family’s opinions of what he should be and do with his life ever critical. So, Evan spent most of his life living at Whelan with Con and Kate. Con became increasingly free spending and risking their estate, as well as many infidelities. He and Evan had argued over his lack of care for his family and Evan had left angry. Con was killed in a steeple race shortly after the argument. Instead of helping Kate, he never came back…hence her wondering what was keeping him from Ireland, at the lecture.

That’s the setup, I don’t do spoilers, or at least I try not to. This love story is built with frustrating slowness. The dialogue is quick and often witty, with a bit of spice. Kate and Evan are each healing from a bit of guilt and sorrow, but wanting to be together. A few obstacles are in the way, but none insurmountable except their own ideas and feelings. There are several secondary characters that are also well written and interesting.

Twists with the smuggling angle and the horse races are woven into this story, adding some interesting and dangerous scenes. The love scenes and near love scenes are sizzling but also frustrating as the characters come to terms with their lives.

Reviewed by Georgianna

Copy provided by Publisher

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Secrets of a Scandalous Heiress by Theresa Romain – a Review

Secrets of a Scandalous Heiress by Theresa Romain – a Review

 

Secrets of a Scandalous Heiress
Matchmaker Trilogy – Book #3
by Theresa Romain
Release Date: January 6, 2014

Secrets of a Scandalous HeiressAmazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / The Book Depository / BAM

Description:
ONE GOOD PROPOSITION DESERVES ANOTHER…

Heiress Augusta Meredith can’t help herself—she stirs up gossip wherever she goes. A stranger to Bath society, she pretends to be a charming young widow, until sardonic, darkly handsome Joss Everett arrives from London and uncovers her charade.

Now they’ll weave their way through the pitfalls of the polite world only if they’re willing to be true to themselves…and to each other…

Review:

Theresa Romain has written a delight historical romance in Secrets of a Scandalous Heiress. Augusta Meredith, a young heiress to Meredith Beauty has tried to be accepted in the “ton”, but her birth to parents whose wealth was the result of hard work and building a company with their own hands, would not allow her into the tight inner circle of the titled. Emotionally damaged by the sudden loss of her parents and the man who courted her and she thought loved her, she’s running from herself and not in particularly good directions.

Joss Everett, grandson of a baron, but also son of a half Indian woman is much like Augusta. Accepted on the fringes of the “ton” but not totally included. He’s the businessman for his cousin Baron Sutcliffe, even though he’s family; he’s pretty much treated as a servant. His mother died while he was a young boy and he has developed an inordinate amount of “damnedable” pride.

The two meet in the town of Bath. Augusta is accompanying her friend Lady Tallant, who was recovering from losing a daughter in childbirth. Augusta is, for her own reasons, calling herself Mrs. Flowers, and a recent widow. Joss is trying to find out information on someone blackmailing his cousin. He knows who she is and she manages to secure his help in keeping her secret.

She gives him help in finding people to talk to about the blackmail issue; he keeps her secret of not being Mrs. Flowers.

That’s the setup. I don’t do spoilers. The writing is excellent, you very much get the feel of the time and circumstances. The two are attracted, but due to the issues each has, they just can’t seem to truly connect. The descriptive writing is flawless, the secondary characters are very well done. I’m an action lover, so the pace is a bit slow for me, but it’s very much like the times it’s written about. It’s a wonderful tale of all kinds of healing and not running away from yourself. Yes, it’s a love story. Is there any other kind? LOL

It’s a lovely story and well written. I look forward to more from this author.

If you like historical romance, this is your cup of tea.

Enjoy everyone, I did.

Reviewed by Georgianna

Copy provided by Publisher

 

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Season for Desire by Theresa Romain – Review, Interview & Giveaway

Season for Desire by Theresa Romain – Review, Interview & Giveaway

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Season for DesireAmazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / The Book Depository / BAM

Description:
Properly Wicked

Like her four sisters, Lady Audrina Bradleigh is expected to marry a duke, lead fashion, and behave with propriety. Consequently, Audrina pursues mischief with gusto, attending scandalous parties and indulging in illicit affairs. But when an erstwhile lover threatens to ruin her reputation, Audrina has no choice but to find a respectable husband at once.

Who would guess that her search would lead her to Giles Rutherford, a blunt-spoken American on a treasure hunt of his own? When a Christmas snowstorm strands the pair at a country inn, more secrets are traded than gifts—along with kisses that require no mistletoe—and Audrina discovers even proper gentlemen have their wicked side…

Review:

Season for Desire by Theresa Romain is a Regency romance story, written for the time of 1820. Background: in northern England. Richard Rutherford, apprentice jeweler, met and fell in love with a young noble woman. Lady Beatrix, daughter of a marquess, fell in love with him as well. The planned to elope, to keep this from happening she was stripped of her belongings. However, she did it anyway, but before leaving she had, unknown to anyone, hidden a fortune in jewels that belonged to her personally, leaving clues in three puzzle boxes left to her by her mother. On her deathbed she told Richard and Giles (their oldest living son) of the jewels and gave them clues, knowing her husband loved adventures and would seek them out, if for no other reason than for the adventure in a quest.

The story begins with Richard and Giles stopping in an inn in York, England. They had been searching the property of her relatives (with permission of a sort), but had found nothing so far. A servant of Lord Alleyneham came to them to request their aid. It seems the Lord’s youngest daughter was thought to be eloping and he wanted it stopped. They were to stop the coach when it came to this town and take the daughter and betrothed into custody until Lord Alleyneham and Lady Irving (an acquaintance) could arrive. Lord Alleyneham and Lady Irving arrived before the eloping couple; however it was not an elopement. Lady Audrina Bradleigh had been drugged and kidnapped for her dowry and the scoundrel David Llewelyn wanted her to marry him for the money, or he would blackmail her father for it.

What follows is a really interesting story, albeit regency morals and conversations, of wit, conversations, and situations leading to adventure for the group. I thoroughly enjoyed the conversations and the emotions that came through. Even the sex scenes were warm and steamy as well as frustrating.

Ms. Romain has written a wonderful tale of old England and great adventure, while addressing the very human issues of aging noblemen, female rights, and social attitudes. It’s mixed with wonderful humor, mystery, interesting characters and much more.

If you like the regency style and love a good mystery and chase…this is a delightful read. She has written others and given time, I will read them.

Grab a glass of your favorite beverage and cuddle up and enjoy! I certainly did!

Reviewed by Georgianna

Copy provided by Author

 

Interview beige 2

TRC:  Hi Theresa and welcome to The Reading Café. We would like to start with some background information.  Please tell us something about yourself?

Theresa:  Thanks for inviting me to visit The Reading Café today! It’s great to be here. A little about me: I have a husband and a daughter (just one of each) and a houseful of books. I like reading even more than writing, which is saying a lot. I also like coffee very much, especially with a drizzle of eggnog in it. Fall and winter are my favorite time of year for beverages.

TRC:  Have you always been interested in writing?

Theresa: I’ve always loved stories, though I can’t say I saw myself as a writer until I had finished my first book! As a kid, I preferred drawing or creating imaginary worlds out of modeling clay. Once I learned to type as a teen, writing got much easier. Schoolwork led to nonfiction writing, which eventually led to me trying to write a story of my own.

TRC: Is there anything (in general) you find particularly challenging about writing?

Theresa: Getting started is always the hardest part, especially if I’m working on a new project and don’t have a very clear idea of it yet. Once a book is underway, the story moves faster and faster and I enjoy writing more and more.

TRC: Would you please give our members, who may not have read this series, a brief description of the premise of Holiday Pleasures? How many books are you anticipating for this series?

Theresa: Happy to! The Holiday Pleasures books are a quartet of historical romances, and each story takes place in part or mostly during the Christmas season. There are continuing characters, but each book can stand on its own and has a firm HEA.

Season for DesireTRC: Season for Desire was released yesterday, and is the 4th book in this series. Would you please give us a brief description of the book?

Theresa: There’s a grumpy American hero with a wicked sense of humor, a pretends-to-be-proper earl’s daughter with an aptitude for mischief, a treasure hunt for long-lost jewels, a secondary romance for an older couple, a bit of insight with a telescope, and sexy snowbound-over-Christmas scenes.

Here’s the back cover copy, which I think captures the story’s sense of fun:

PROPERLY WICKED

Like her four sisters, Lady Audrina Bradleigh is expected to marry a duke, lead fashion, and behave with propriety. Consequently, Audrina pursues mischief with gusto, attending scandalous parties and indulging in illicit affairs. But when an erstwhile lover threatens to ruin her reputation, Audrina has no choice but to find a respectable husband at once.

Who would guess that her search would lead her to Giles Rutherford, a blunt-spoken American on a treasure hunt of his own? When a Christmas snowstorm strands the pair at a country inn, more secrets are traded than gifts—along with kisses that require no mistletoe—and Audrina discovers even proper gentlemen have their wicked side…

TRC: You have another Historical Romance series, The Matchmaker. Can you please tell us the premise of this series?

Matchmaker Trilogy

Theresa: The heroes and heroines in the Matchmaker trilogy think they are helping one another find love or passion with someone else—but then they fall for each other. The Matchmaker, a happily-married countess, plays a role as confidante in each book and helps the hero and heroine get together. The first story in this trilogy (It Takes Two to Tangle) is a Cyrano story, and the second (To Charm a Naughty Countess) is a Pygmalion story rather like My Fair Lady. But the role of Cyrano and Henry Higgins might not be played by the characters you expect!

TRC: What drew you to write Historical Romance? Have you ever thought about writing another genre?

Theresa: I’ve always loved history, learning about how people did things differently—or the same—in the past. And I’ve always loved romance, too! As a kid, the flirt-squabbling between Han Solo and Princess Leia was my favorite part of the Star Wars movies. So historical romance was a natural fit for me as a reader, and eventually as a writer. I do write nonfiction too, but at this point I’m not writing in any other fiction genres. I’ll never say never, though.

TRC: What is your writing process? Do you have a favorite spot, or time you like to write?   Do you do an outline of your story or just go with the flow?

Theresa: The more I outline and plan, the easier the writing is. I like to write during the day, but with a young daughter, I have to be flexible. I pull a lot of late nights, random evening hours, and even some early morning shifts. I do have a small home office, so once I go in there, it’s clear to me—even if not to my daughter!—that it’s work time.

TRC: When not writing, what do you do to relax?

Theresa:  Read read read read read. Or do puzzles with my daughter. If I’m feeling caught up on work, I really like to cook and bake, but usually I’m too frazzled for those to feel like fun.

TRC: What are you working on now? 

Theresa: I’m working on a new historical romance series at the moment. I should be able to announce more details soon!

TRC: Many authors bounce ideas and information between each other and their family and spouses. With whom do you bounce ideas?

Theresa: There are two people who always read my work before it goes to my editor. One is my husband, who doesn’t read much romance but who reads a lot of other genre fiction. He has a good eye for pacing and lets me know if my heroes aren’t acting manly enough. (Ha!) The other is a longtime friend of mine. She’s a talented writer with a great eye for character development, so she lets me know if the emotional heart of the story is ringing true.

TRC: Would you like to add anything else?

Theresa :Thanks again for the chance to visit and chat about Season for Desire—and readers, thanks for stopping by today! If you’ve got any questions, please feel free to throw them at me in the comments. I love chatting with readers.

LIGHTNING ROUND

Favorite Food Pretty much any kind of noodles, with pretty much anything on them.

Favorite Dessert I am a fan of all desserts. But if I had to pick a favorite, either Jelly Bellys or any lemon baked good. (I’m not picky. And I have multiple sweet teeth.)

Favorite TV show My favorite show EVER is Jeeves and Wooster, a BBC show from the early 90s based on P.G. Wodehouse’s hilarious books. But if we’re just talking about shows that are on now, I really like Chopped. My young daughter likes it too, so I’m hoping she’ll start cooking for us (once she’s allowed to use the stove, that is).

Favorite Movie Since I studied silent film for quite a while, I feel I ought to give you the name of a very old movie. But honestly? It’s The Mummy, starring Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz. It’s fast-moving, fun, suspenseful, and it has a brilliant librarian heroine. What’s not to like?

Favorite Fictional Character (not your own) Either Elizabeth Bennet or Jane Eyre. They’re both such real-seeming characters. If they could hop off the pages, I’d love to befriend them.

 Dark or Milk Chocolate Milk chocolate, please, and lots of it.

Dog or Cat  I had cats growing up, and there are lots of dogs in Season for Desire! But my husband is allergic to furry pets, so we don’t have either a dog or a cat now.

TRC: Theresa,thank you very much for taking the time to answer our questions. We wish you the best of luck with Season For Desire.

Theresa: Thanks so much for the chance to visit The Reading Café!

 

about the author

TheresaRomain
Historical romance author Theresa Romain pursued an impractical education that allowed her to read everything she could get her hands on. She then worked for universities and libraries, where she got to read even more. Eventually she started writing, too. She lives with her family in the Midwest, where she is working on her next book.

Website / Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads



Giveaway beige

Theresa is graciously offering a copy of SEASON FOR DESIRE (winner’s choice of paper, or e-copy (Kindle or Nook format) to ONE (1) lucky commenter at The Reading Cafe.

1. If you have not previously registered at The Reading Cafe, please register by using the log-in at the top of the page (side bar) or by using one of the social log-ins.

2. If you are using a social log-in, please post your email address with your comment.

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6. LIKE Theresa Romain  on FACEBOOK

7. Giveaway is International

8. Giveaway runs from October  October 8 – October 11,  2014

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