Legacy of Hunger by Christy Nicholas

Legacy of Hunger
Druid's Brooch #1

Christy Nicholas
Historical Fantasy Romance
Published in 2015

H/h - ------/Valentia McDowell
Setting: Ireland, 1846.

Read in July, 2019

My rating:

                                                         [spoiler alert]

Legacy of Hunger book 1 of Druid’s Brooch is the first book I read by Christy Nicholas. I came to know about the author from a few blog tours I hosted of her books in this series and have always been rather intrigued by the covers... then I read the blurb of book 1 and found it to be a freebie so I grabbed it. TBH it was quite an unexpected journey!

Legacy of Hunger is an odd book. Slow and kind of gloomy but not at all unpleasant. The writing and the research was pretty fair and I enjoyed the pace. But the story was slow-moving and dark because of the subject matter which it centered around. The story is set in 1846, begins in America and ends in Ireland. The heroine (I’m not even sure if I should call her as such… she definitely was the only main character) Valentia had always been moved by the stories her Irish maternal grandmother had told her when she was young. She was fascinated by everything it entailed; the magic, the myth and everything in between. But what Valentia found the most intriguing was the story of an abandoned brooch—a family heirloom—that was left behind when she left Ireland many years ago. Now there was no saying if the brooch even existed or not. What I could gather from the vague recollection of Valentia of her now deceased grandmother, is that she may have encouraged her to look for it. But whatever the reason was, Valentia, now at 23 or 24, wanted to go visit Ireland. If only her ancestral land was her only interest here, that would’ve sufficed. However, Valentia was so obsessed with a drawing of the brooch she was given that she was totally ready to go on a wild goose chase in a land completely unknown to her.

Once An Outlaw by Diana Bold

Once An Outlaw (novella)

Diana Bold
Historical Romance
Published April, 2017 (originally 2011)

H/h - Zach Price/Bethany Sinclair
Setting: Northern New Mexico, 1871.

Read in April, 2017.

My rating:

                                                    [might be spoiler-ish]

Once An Outlaw was a sweet little novella by Diana Bold. This would be my third Diana Bold book and won’t be my last one.

I won’t go into too much details since this novella is about 50/60 pages long. The story is set after Civil War. Our H, Zach, is a war veteran. Yet some unavoidable circumstances in his life made him a Wanted by the law. He escaped once but the law caught up with him again. He was being transferred to the prison when he meets our h, Bethany, on the way. Their meeting and what happened next, was as if a scene manipulated by fate. When there’s an accident, leaving them the only survivors of the wreck, both Zach and Bethany will have to find out just much they’re willing trust each-other, and figure out just how far they’re willing to go together to survive a weather so harsh and wintry that no living being could survive without proper shelter and arrangements.  With snow covering everything, Zach and Bethany forge an unwitting bond; a bond that only grew deeper as they fight on to survive.

I enjoyed this novella quite a lot, even if at times it felt that all their ‘help’ were a bit convenient. But that didn’t ruin my enjoyment because, of course, I wanted a HEA. It was well written, I’ll have to give you that. Zach and Bethany’s bond was quite strong, and believable, as they learn a lot about one another in such a short span of time while also struggling to keep alive. Sometimes the best things can happen to virtual strangers when they’re thrown in such a situation and forced to live in closed quarters. :D 3.75 stars.

Daughter of Twin Oaks by Lauraine Snelling

Daughter of Twin Oaks
A Secret Refuge #1

Lauraine Snelling
Historical/Christian Romance
Published in 2000

H/h - Jesselyn Highwood/Sgt. Barnabas White
Setting: Missouri and Virginia, 1862.

Read in January, 2016.

My rating:

                                                       [spoiler alert] 

This book is aptly named Daughter of Twin Oaks as it goes to narrate the arduous journey of Jesselyn, the oldest Highwood daughter, from her home Twin Oaks to Missouri in search of a safer ground in the Civil war-torn America. The Highwoods plantation was thriving before war. Joshua Highwood never had to worry over feeding his big family or his slaves, whom he dreamed of freeing as soon as the opportunity arrived.

But the wretched war changed everything for them. Joshua went to war, his wife Miriam died giving birth to their last child, Thaddeus or Thaddy. His oldest son Adam also died in war, the next Zachary gone missing. Joshua came home 2 yrs. later to die of his wounds. Jesselyn, next to Zach, was only 18 at that time. She had to grow up so fast that it might've spun my own head. She had to take the responsibly of not only a plantation full of slaves but also of 2 yrs. old Thaddy, and her sisters Louisa and Carrie Mae. She sends Louisa and Carrie Mae to Richmond to live with their maternal aunt for safety purposes. She then takes measures to free her slaves. Afterwards, Jesselyn plans on journeying because she'd promised her father one thing before his passing; to take their prized thoroughbreds to her uncle Hiram's to hide away from the soldiers. After all, Highwoods have always been known for their stud farm and splendid horses. They needed to hold onto some hope; that once Zach returned, and the war ended, they can start over rebuilding.

Little Love Affair by Lexy Timms

Little Love Affair (novella)
Southern Romance #1

Lexy Timms
Historical Romance
Published in 2015

H/h - Jasper Perry/Clara
Setting: America, 1863.

Read in August, 2015.

My rating:

                                                     [spoiler alert]

 
Lexy Timms’ civil war-era set historical romance, Little Love Affair, was a good read. It’s also the book 1 of her Southern Romance series. Honestly, I enjoyed this short story but I was left with a feeling of dissatisfaction the way it ended.

Note that I’m not here to comment on the author’s skill as a historic researcher as my own knowledge of American Civil war is vague at best. I know about which sides fought and the time-frame but that’s about it. So my review will only include what I’ve read in the story.

Clara’s best friend and confidante, her elder brother, Solomon went to fight in the war alongside the Union army. Recently news reached that he has gone missing, casting a dark shadow over her family. Clara’s father passed away a while ago, so Solomon was their rock; the responsible son until the day he marched away to fight alongside other likeminded young men of his age. Clara also have a younger sister, Cecelia and their mother, Millicent. Their farm used to be once a prosperous place but the downfall began even before Solomon’s departure. And now, Clara is left to take care of her family, to shoulder the burden of running this farm. Money is very tight, and with Solomon missing, they don’t have much in regards to a future.

Love's First Flames by Ramona Flightner

Love's First Flames (novella)
Banished Saga #0.5

Ramona Flightner
Historical Romance
Published in 2014

H/h - Richard McLeod/Florence Butler
Setting: Boston, 1885/1895.

Read in December, 2014.

My rating:

                                                           [spoiler alert]

Love’s First Flames by Ramona Flightner is a prequel novella to her historical romance series, Banished Saga. I’m very fond of this series, so it was a great pleasure to read Gabriel, Richard and Jeremy’s past lives; the stuff we were hinted at in the 2 earlier installments.

You can read this novella before starting the series or you can read it later, up to you but book 1, Banished Love and book 2, Reclaimed Love should be read in order because one is the continuation of the other. This series is about Gabriel, a superbly handsome carpenter who used to live in Boston at one time. Gabriel and his brothers, Richard and Jeremy are orphans. Their parents perished in a long ago fire. After that incident, they were forced to live with their aunt since they had no one else to turn to.

The Escort by Ramona Gray

The Escort (novella)

Ramona Gray
Contemporary Romance/Erotica
Published in 2014

H/h - Court Thomas/Julie Winslow
Setting: Present time.

Read in October, 2014.

This is a romance/erotic novella that I reviewed ages ago. You deleted a romance novel review for illegal activities? Are you kidding me?? This book has over 3k reviews on Amazon! 

Amazon link to the book: https://www.amazon.com/Escort-Ramona-Gray-ebook/dp/B00OC7CI98/

My rating:

                                                       [spoiler-ish]

I picked up Ramona Gray’s The Escort basically for the title because I’m a sucker for gigolo romances... and, maybe, also because this was a freebie. Fortunately, I found a neatly wrapped up short story. Not a lot of melodrama and there might’ve been some questionable moments, yet it was very enjoyable.

A rich, lonely girl, Julie has spent all 30yrs. of her life under the thumb of her strict, control-freak father. He was a famous artist who lived as a recluse till his death, with only Julie for company. Julie has had the opportunity for an education but she was never given the chance to explore the world (... or men, if I might add) the way most women at her age do. Not only this guy didn’t let her mingle with people but also, he toyed with her self-esteem, which has gone down each year with his severe criticism on her looks and weight. No wonder Julie thinks she’s fat and ugly.

Claiming the Duchess by Sherry Thomas

Claiming the Duchess (novella)
Fitzhugh Trilogy #0.5

Sherry Thomas
Historical Romance
Published in 2014

H/h - James Kingston/Clarissa, the Duchess of Lexington
Setting: Derbyshire, England, 1882.

Read in April, 2014.

My rating:

                                               [spoiler alert]

When I saw this freebie by Sherry Thomas, I knew instantly what my next read was going to be. After all, I needed to find out whose story this was. The characters didn’t ring any bell just that moment (I read Fitzhugh Trilogy back in 2012, don’t remember every detail now).

It turns out, Claiming the Duchess is a very, very short novella dedicated to Clarissa, the adoring step-mother to our H of Beguiling the Beauty (book 1), Christian. She appeared briefly there in a couple of scenes and we learned that she and Christian shared a very strong bond unlike that of a step-mother and son. Christian has been the Duke for quite a while at that time and Clarissa had re-married, living happily with her second husband. Needless to say, neither was fond of the late Duke, who was vain, presumptuous and a randy womanizer, always berating Christian for his interest in science.