Hello everyone!
It’s been a while since I’ve been on here, publishing anything, but I’m hoping you will enjoy a snippet of what I am currently loving and reading this spring.
I don’t really how I continue to devout my reading time with the holidays and observations happening in a month. I’ve done three years of books that match up well with their month’s representation. It can be a challenge, within its own challenge, but I’ve actually had a lot of fun discovering new books this way. It is how I ended up finding out about Kasey Stockton’s books. I found her series Myths of Moriagh trilogy as my way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in a different way than others. I was able to get through the first book “Journey to Bongary Spring” but it was enough to pull me back into another series of hers that is based in the springtime.
She can only stay as long as the invalid needs her… so he makes it his business to need her forever.
When a cryptic invitation brings Giulia Pepper to her uncle’s remote estate in Devon, she arrives in dire need of a benefactor, only to discover that her uncle never sent her any invitation—nor does he want her there. Forced into a corner, Giulia must contrive a way to convince him to allow her to remain, just long enough to figure out where to go next.
Nicholas never asked for an earldom, but when an aged lord arrives at his door and tells Nicholas that he is next in line for the title, he willingly goes to Halstead Manor to learn the role. But someone isn’t pleased with the heir, and after a gunshot wound in the arm, Nicholas must discover who is out to get him.
When Giulia stumbles—literally—over a fallen man on the lane to Halstead, she has her she can stay at Halstead and nurse her uncle’s heir back to health. But as mystery builds and danger mounts, will Giulia and Nicholas be able to solve the puzzle before the Earl forces Giulia to leave for good? And furthermore, can they manage to work together without losing their hearts in the process?
taken from Goodreads.
To be honest, I didn’t really know what to expect when I finally decided to start on “The Jewels of Halstead Manor” as I was just scrolling through my feed on YouTube and I just went for it. The series as a whole, Ladies of Devon was on my everlasting TBR list but, I didn’t think I’d actually get to it.
The story itself reminded me of Danielle Steele’s The Duchess as they were based in roughly the same era, and I enjoyed reading about how strong these young women were, even though they were forced to live after their beloved families died and there was little to do about gaining any inheritances because they would go to the next male heir in line.
Hmmm. Miss Pepper. Never before had he imagined his own surname would sound so enticing.
Giulia Pepper is in a similar situation as she’s reeling through her father’s death, but she finds a letter inviting her to Halstead Manor as it was once her father’s childhood home, but as she’s making her way, she finds an injured man on the side of the road. She does not know him, but she is willing to do whatever she could to help him.
The mysterious man is Nick Pepper, the heir of the Earldom and distant cousin to Giulia and he’s been shot on the property of the manor. In the darkness, he does not see his attacker, and trying to stay alive when a young woman tries to keep him alive with her voice. He is drawn to her by her kindness and ready to solve a mystery (or three!) about why a piece of the manor’s past might be hunting them.
I never thought I would enjoy clean romances. This might be an odd thing, but I am usually into more erotic stuff, but I wasn’t into Bridgeton like everybody else, which still freaks me out! Since the Regency era was full of indulgences, mainly food and sex. I found I like the romance between characters set in this time period is somewhat innocent. I don’t think it feels uncomfortable at all, because the romance is enough and works with the underline of the plot.
At the time of this post publishes, I have probably made it through half of the second book in the series, The Lady of Larkspur Vale. It is about one of the young women introduced in the story, Mabel, Amelia and Hattie. I have no idea if I will write a review of it, but we’ll see what happens once I’m finished. I will say, I feel really close to the main female character, I see a lot of myself in my personal life within her that I wasn’t aware I’d find, so because of this, I really hope I find a way to give you a book review next month.
Have you read “The Jewels of Halstead Manor” by Kasey Stockton? If you have, what was your favorite character and/or scene? Were you into the mellow romance of the story? Let me know below!
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