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TO PASSION – RT Book Reviews
by Bronwen Evans
Genre: Historical Romance, E-book
Setting: 1800s England
4 stars RT Rating
Evans has quickly become a favorite amongst Regency romance fanatics, and this third addition to her most-talked-about series will explain why. It’s emotional, sexy and — unlike many other historicals— easy to follow and understand. The plot will keep readers hooked straight from the start and the subplot peels back many layers of excitement to reveal brilliant characters and villains you usually only find on the big screen. Truly a gem!
Madeline Knight is marrying her best friend and the man of her dreams, Lord Richard Craven. Unfortunately, he is in love with another woman, Sarah, who was forced into an arranged marriage to an evil man. Richard believes he could be the father of her unborn child and has no choice but to deal with the heartache and be the best husband he can for Maddy’s sake. Maddy feels she has trapped him to save her reputation, but the more time they spend together, the more he falls in love. When a family enemy threatens Maddy’s life, Richard must open his heart and fight for what’s most important. (BRONWENEVANS.COM, dl $2.99)
Reviewed By Jaime A. Geraldi
Sizzling Hot Books – Buy the Book 5/5 Rosebuds
I was raised on historical romance novels and it is still my favorite subgenre. Give me the ball gowns, mansions, lords and ladies, and I’m a happy woman. But give me a marriage of convenience between the hero and heroine and I’m practically giddy.
That’s how I felt when I began reading Invitation to Passion by Bronwen Evans and I just got happier and happier as I lost myself in this engrossing tale of friendship turned to love. I could not have asked for more from Ms. Evans. Her tale gave me everything I would want or need in a romance. A heroine head over heels in love with a man who doesn’t yet return the love? Check. A hero who is handsome, charming and caring? Check. A villain you love to hate? Check. A forced marriage to avoid scandal? Check. Passion and drama with some suspense as a bonus? Check. A happy and satisfying ending? Check and double check.
Once I began reading, I could not put the book down. I found myself sneaking off at work to just get in one more chapter. I stayed up late reading because the need to find out what would happen next far outweighed the need for sleep. Let me tell you that every dark circle under my eyes was well worth it.
Madeline and Richard have been friends ever since Richard rescued a young Maddy from a bunch of bullies. They maintained their friendship through a series of letters that are unveiled throughout the book. Maddy slowly fell in love with her white knight but had come to accept that he would never be hers. That is until the night that she stepped in to help save him and inadvertently compromised her own reputation forcing the two to get married. But what would happen to their friendship now that they were husband and wife.
While it was no surprise that Richard would eventually fall in love with his beautiful wife, I still enjoyed the journey that he took to get to that point. Though I must confess that I sometimes found myself shaking my head at some of his stupid antics that he resulted from his misplaced notion that he was protecting his wife.
Ms. Evans provided the reader with believable characters that drew my sympathy and respect. Despite the times, Maddy was not a wishy-washy female. She was smart and independent and willing to do whatever was necessary to protect the man she loved. Richard was a compassionate and caring man who wasn’t in the least bit the typical arrogant man that you see in many historicals. He wasn’t perfect and made many mistakes, but only because he cared too much.
Even the secondary characters were interesting. I loved the relationships that Maddy had with her brother and his wife, as well as the one between Richard and his twin brother and his wife. The friendship between the men, and the one between the women was so authentic and just added another layer of enjoyment to the book.
As if all the romance and passion wasn’t enough, Ms. Evans provided us with suspense and drama that kept me turning the pages as fast as I could read. I completely lost myself in the world she created.
Invitation to Passion is the third book in the My Lord’s series. I have not read the other books in the series but had no difficulty following along. Of course, I will have to go back and read those books because I am so intrigued now as to their stories. However, this is not the first historical by Ms. Evans that I have read. She has impressed me with her writing ability and I am excited to have a new go to author for when I need that historical romance fix.
– Reviewed by Robin