Book Review: Blackmoore by Julianne Donaldson

Kate Worthington knows her heart and she knows she will never marry. Her plan is to travel to India instead if only to find peace for her restless spirit and to escape the family she abhors. But Kate s meddlesome mother has other plans. She makes a bargain with Kate: India, yes, but only after Kate has secured and rejected three marriage proposals.

Kate journeys to the stately manor of Blackmoore determined to fulfill her end of the bargain sooner rather than later and enlists the help of her dearest childhood friend, Henry Delafield. But when it comes to matters of love, bargains are meaningless and plans are changeable. There on the wild lands of Blackmoore, Kate must face the truth that has kept her heart captive. Will the proposal she is determined to reject actually be the one thing that will set her heart free?

Buy this book here: Blackmoore

Title: Blackmoore

Author: Julianne Donaldson

Pages: 320

Publisher: Shadow Mountain

I just finished reading this book, although by the time I actually post this review it might have been a few days ago or longer. Reading this book right after The Winter Sea, I'm realizing I'm totally on a Historical Fiction kick, and I'm loving them! I totally into the olden-day love story, so this book fit in perfectly with my mood!

I really enjoyed reading Blackmoore. It was a fun, light, enjoyable read that kept me entertained. It was a super quick read that only took me a day or two to get through. I had read Edenbrooke by Julianne Donaldson, but the books are in no way related or necessary to read in a certain order. 

I was shockingly surprised while reading this book when Kate actually ended up in India, although that was only a very small portion of the book. I feel like so many times these types of books end with love curing all. And, obviously (it is a romance novel) this book definitely did end that way, it was pretty nice to see a strong female character who went on a major adventure first. I do wish that Donaldson had maybe written more on that part of the story, but I totally understand that as a romance novel it wasn't important to the genre or story being told.

Overall I thought this was a fun, simple, romance novel. There is nothing risque about the story at all, and so would be appropriate for just about any age. Here are a few sweet quotes from Blackmoore.

“You are not The Giver of My Heart’s Desire.” I took a deep breath and smiled. “You are my heart’s desire.”

“You are brave and loyal and true. You have such a good heart." He held my hand close to his chest and covered it with his other hand. "It is only afraid. But I would take such good care of it, love, if you would give it to me.”

Overall I would give this book a 4 arrow rating. Sweet, simple, quick to read, and fun; everything that a good historical fiction ought to be!

Book Review: The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley

History has all but forgotten...In the spring of 1708, an invading Jacobite fleet of French and Scottish soldiers nearly succeeded in landing the exiled James Stewart in Scotland to reclaim his crown.

Now, Carrie McClelland hopes to turn that story into her next bestselling novel. Settling herself in the shadow of Slains Castle, she creates a heroine named for one of her own ancestors and starts to write.

But when she discovers her novel is more fact than fiction, Carrie wonders if she might be dealing with ancestral memory, making her the only living person who knows the truth-the ultimate betrayal-that happened all those years ago, and that knowledge comes very close to destroying her...

Buy this book here: The Winter Sea  

Title: The Winter Sea

Author: Susanna Kearsley

Pages: 544

Publisher: Sourcebooks, Inc.

I really really enjoyed this book. So much so that I am planning on buying another book by Susanna Kearsley sometime in the near future.The book felt unique from anything else I have ever read. It was elegantly written and the story was charming. I really enjoyed the experience!

The beginning of the novel took me a little while to get into. Its not that it was boring, it just didn't immediately draw me in like some books I have read. You know how there is usually a point in a book where you realize that it is really good and you can't wait to recommend it to someone?!? Well, that point didn't come, for me at least, until the very end. All through the book I thought, oh this is good, but it was really the ending that I was like 'this is awesome'!! 

The book focuses on Carrie McClelland, who is writing a novel set in 1708 Scotland. Every other chapter throughout the book switches between Carrie's life and then a chapter from Carrie's novel. It was a really interesting way to read a book, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I felt that it kept the book moving quickly, because no matter which setting I was currently reading about, I was curious about the opposite one. 

The only thing that I didn't really like about the book was the explanation given for the 'ancestral memories' that Carrie was experiencing. Kearsley tried to give a scientific explanation for it, but I felt that it was inadequate in making it seem believable. I think I would have been more comfortable with a more magical explanation than trying to bring in DNA and the inheritance of genes. It just seemed out of place.

I would recommend this book to everyone! It is a good, fun read! It is light and airy, the plot is interesting, and the characters are likable. Overall I would give the book a 4 arrow rating!