Blog Tour Review: The Girl From the Hidden Forest by Hannah Linder

The Girl From the Hidden Forest by Hannah Linder

Blurb:

The nightmares may free her…but destroy the man she loves.
 
Enjoy another Gothic Style Regency from Hannah Linder.
 
Eliza Ellis has stayed hidden in Balfour Forest for as long as she can remember. Perhaps her only friends are the trees, or her little dog, or her story-telling father called Captain. But at least she is safe from the cruel world outside, a world Captain has warned her against and protected her from.
 
That is, until a handsome stranger named Felton Northwood invades her quiet forest and steals her away. Why does he tell such lies? Why does he insist that her name is Miss Eliza Gillingham, daughter of a viscount, who disappeared fourteen years ago after the murder of her own mother? A murder Eliza is said to have witnessed.
 
When Felton returns Eliza to Monbury Manor and reunites her with a man who is told to be her father, all she remembers are the strange nightmares that have plagued her since childhood. Why have they suddenly grown worse? Are the answers hidden inside her own mind?
 
As danger mounts and lethal attempts are made on her life, Eliza and Felton must work together to uncover the identity of a killer who has stayed silent for fourteen years. When she finally uncovers the horrendous memories trapped in her mind, will divulging the truth cost her the man she loves—and both of their lives?

 My Review: 4 Stars

This is my first book by hannahlinder and I was captivated by the intense gothic regency vibe.

Eliza has happily lived in the forest for as long as she can remember and it’s all she knows, until handsome Felton finds her and “rescues” her from it. A world of danger, intrigue, “who dun it” mysteries and attempts on Eliza’s life result from this deliverance, and a beautiful, dramatic, and heart-aching story unfolds.

I was amazed at the vivid descriptions and while this story felt a little darker, I was completely fascinated and intrigued from start to finish with all the twists and turns. I appreciated the Christian elements and felt they really solidified the nature of these dimensional characters. 

There is a lot of drama and trauma, and these times are confusing to Eliza, but Linder does a wonderful job of expressing the villainous aspects, as well as the heroic ones, in ways that felt real and raw.

Content: kidnapping, opium use, mistreating family, Christian elements (prayers/thoughts), mild romance, murder/death/suicide/abuse

 

*I received a complimentary copy. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own and were voluntarily given*

AUTHOR BIO

Hannah Linder resides in the beautiful mountains of central West Virginia. Represented by Books & Such, she writes Regency romantic suspense novels filled with passion, secrets, and danger. She is a four-time Selah Award winner, a 2023 Carol Award semi-finalist, a 2023 Angel Book Award third place winner, and a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW). When Hannah is not writing, she enjoys playing her instruments--piano, guitar, ukulele, and banjolele--songwriting, painting still life, walking in the rain, square dancing, and sitting on the front porch of her 1800s farmhouse. To follow her journey, visit hannahlinderbooks.com.

Mostly Perfect (The Women of Ambrose Estate Book 2) by Heather B. Moore {Review}

Mostly Perfect (The Women of Ambrose Estate Book 2) by Heather B. Moore

ebook, 230 pages

Published September 26th 2019 by Mirror Press 

Source: I received a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are my own and were voluntarily given.
*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    

Generations of secrets. An ancient curse. Love has never been an option.

Lauren Ambrose has made a life for herself as a fledging artist, far from the ancient secrets and cobwebbed past of her family’s historic estate in Texas. Generations of the Ambrose women have suffered at the hands of a curse, and the last place Lauren wants to spend time is at the Ambrose Estate, among the tragedies of the past. But when her grandmother, matriarch of the Ambrose fortune, requires Lauren to attend an urgent business meeting, she reluctantly travels home.

Nick Matthews is ready for a battle. Lillian Ambrose, co-founder of Ambrose Oil, has agreed to hear his investment idea, but no one has ever successfully partnered with the business tycoon. When he arrives at Ambrose Estate, prepared with weeks of research, the last person he expects to meet is Lauren, a dynamic and captivating woman with a past full of secrets. As Nick gets to know Lauren, he discovers she is mostly perfect for him, except for one, major drawback . . . The curse that has the power to destroy everything between them.

My Review: 5 Stars

Do you believe in curses? Well, the Ambrose women definitely have a curse that's extended through the family for generations and it basically means they can't fall in love and get married or something tragic will happen. A hilarious mistaken encounter between Lauren and Nick is all it takes for the chemistry to start to sizzle, but it can't. And that's sooo frustrating because Nick is the catch of a lifetime. 

Lauren is a strong-willed woman and doesn't like to rely on her family wealth, but has found her niche in the art community. Artists are passionate, right? Well, this one is and that spills over in her friendship with Nick, whom I absolutely adored. The swoon is definitely strong with this one!

I thought the secrets and curse would play a bigger role, but the romance definitely stole the show for me and I wasn't mad about it. The characters are strong and the subtle hints are intriguing. I haven't read Book 1 yet and need to fix that because I'm very curious about this family of sisters and how the curse will affect them all.

Content: mild+ romance (some innuendo, kissing, swoony)

 
The Women of Ambrose Estate series:
Mostly Dangerous
Mostly Perfect

Review: The Pride of the Peacock by Victoria Holt

 

The Pride of the Peacock by Victoria Holt
Description: Victoria Holt demonstrates her mastery once again in her most exciting novel set in turn-of-the-century England where a young woman grows up in the shadow of the great estate - and privileged way of life - that was once her family's birthright. But a unique inheritance compels Jessica Clavering to marry the owner of a fabled opal mine and leads her to faraway Australia. There she will discover the mysteries - and evil - surrounding the greatest opal ever found. There she must confront the danger that lust for the stone has aroused even in her own husband - and there she must find love.

My Review: Victoria Holt is the pen name of Eleanor Hibbert and she used this name to write romantic suspense. In my opinion, she's a queen of the genre. She weaves an intriguing tale and has little twists and turns to keep the reader guessing right up until the end.

The first half of The Pride of the Peacock takes place in England. Jessica Clavering doesn't fit in with her family. She feels like there is more to the story than just a major financial ruin, yet she doesn't know what that issue is. The old family home was purchased by a man, Ben, who spends most of his time in Australia, mining opals, until an injury brings him back to England. They meet and become friends and the family's secret is slowly unraveled. Ben makes a deathbed demand that Jessica and Ben's son, Joss, must follow through with. I loved this first part--the mystery and unlikely friendship were fascinating to me. I could visualize the setting and really came to feel for the characters and for their situations.

The second half takes place after the wedding--in Australia. I didn't enjoy this half quite as much, even though this is where the story comes full circle and is resolved. I felt that Joss and Jessica were childish and extremely stubborn. Neither one of them could make the first move to be at least friends. They seemed content to hold a grudge towards Ben, taking it out on each other. I wish that Joss, especially, would have grown up a little, since he was about 14 years older than Jessica and she was alone in a foreign country. I did like both of their determination and the bravery that Jessica showed, especially in some of the situations she was put in.

Content: 
language--a few mild words
violence--mild (death, but nothing graphic)
romance--implied premarital relations (no details--very vague); kissing.

 

Goodreads  ||  Amazon ||  Barnes & Noble

About the Author:

  

1906-1993

Eleanor Alice Burford, Mrs. George Percival Hibbert was a British author of about 200 historical novels, most of them under the pen name Jean Plaidy which had sold 14 million copies by the time of her death. She chose to use various names because of the differences in subject matter between her books; the best-known, apart from Plaidy, are Victoria Holt (56 million) and Philippa Carr (3 million). Lesser known were the novels Hibbert published under her maiden name Eleanor Burford, or the pseudonyms of Elbur Ford, Kathleen Kellow and Ellalice Tate. Many of her readers under one penname never suspected her other identities.
-Wikipedia

Book Review: India Fan by Victoria Holt

****--4 Stars

Blurb from Amazon: "A mesmerizing story of blackmail, romance, and deception."—Associated Press

With Over 100 Million Books Sold, Victoria Holt is the Queen of Gothic Romance.

Blackmail. Arson. Murder. Obsession.

Beautiful as its peacock feathers may be, the priceless fan hidden deep within the Framling mansion has a legacy of death and destruction. And Drusilla Delany has no idea she's been marked by its curse...

But the fan's dark past might prove less of a danger than Fabian Framling himself. Dark, brooding, and dominating, will he be the one to save her from the fan's cruel fate...or cause her demise?

Drusilla Delany is a pastor's daughter and lives near a very wealthy, controlling family, in England. The Framlings rule the land, so it seems. When the lady of the house determines that Drusilla is a suitable enough companion for her wild, tigress daughter, Lavinia, Drusilla is constantly thrown into their midst...and it is there that she first encounters the peacock fan--with a supposed curse.

Lavinia is one of the most beautiful women ever and she knows it. She is always getting herself into trouble, especially where men are concerned. It's Drusilla's practical sense and stability that has to reign her in and deal with her. Lavinia is not a very nice friend--she uses people to get what she wants, but Drusilla is really good for her.

Fabian, Lavinia's brother, is a mystery to me. Good looking, charming, semi-controlling, blunt, yet tender. I couldn't decide if I should trust him or not.

I love what the blurb says--"Blackmail. Arson. Murder. Obsession." That pretty much sums this book up.

I really enjoy Victoria Holt's books because they are written in a way that is nostalgic; they are written in a way that engages the reader and although certain "sinful" events do occur, the gruesome details aren't given, but just enough so the reader knows what's going on.

Content: a murder with a few details, but nothing too gory; an unwed pregnancy, no details; a handful of language.

To buy this book, click here .