March 15, 2018
On her deathbed, Nolan Price's mother reveals that his father is the Earl of Stainsby, whom she had secretly married. Now a stablehand, Nolan realizes that once he is officially recognized and accepted into the nobility, he will be unable to marry beneath his station, threatening his future with Hannah Burnham, a kitchen maid. As Nolan grapples with the ways of the aristocratic world, he sees his future moving further away from its original trajectory, and marriage to Hannah seems but a faded dream at best. VERDICT An immersive narrative and sympathetic characters are highlights of this heartwarming novel from Mason (Love's Faithful Promise) about the importance of family, the power of love, and the faith to pursue your heart's desire. For readers seeking a well-written Victorian romance in the vein of Laura Frantz or Jocelyn Green.
Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
February 15, 2018
Continuing the London Beginnings series begun with The Captain's Daughter (2017), Delamere shows Julia Bernay en route to a lecture when a train overturns. Broken glass punctures passenger Michael Stephenson's artery, and Julia holds the wound together until more help arrives. When she learns that Stephenson is an assistant barrister on a case against the medical school to which she is applying, Julia thinks she can persuade him to support women in medicine. Michael's sister wants him to court a woman of high social standing, but Michael is attracted to Julia and her forthright kindness. She helps him realize the power of God in his life, yet the conflict of interest with work and issues with his family keep them apart. Still, he continues to help Julia secretly in funding tutoring for the school and trying to find her long lost father. As Julia and Michael help others, their paths to each other are cleared. The historical medical details Delamere provides add a fascinating overlay to the romance between dynamic, intelligent characters.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)
Starred review from March 1, 2018
Nolan Price is a stable hand whose dreams are about to come true: a farm to call his own, kitchen maid Hannah, the love of his life, by his side, and the identity of his real father revealed. But when it's disclosed that Nolan is the son of the unfeeling Earl of Stainsby and heir to the Fairchild estate, he is suddenly swept into a whirlwind as he tries to secure his new family's holdings before they fall into unseemly hands, those of the individuals now threatening his life. Prohibited from marrying beneath his station but unwilling to give up his true love for Hannah, Nolan must find a way to follow his heart and fulfill his destiny. Beautifully balancing sweet, forbidden love with a father-son battle of wills, Mason proves to be a highest caliber author in historical-inspirational romance. Set in England in 1884, this is a marvelously entertaining story of a search for identity and a struggle for acceptance for both Nolan and Hannah. The purity and tenacity of their love will leave readers tingling, and fans of Roseanna M. White will enjoy Mason's web of nobility and drama, and breathlessly exciting conclusion.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)