The Cautious Maiden

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CRANDALL, DAWN
THE CAUTIOUS MAIDEN

Everstone, 1892

Violet Hawthorne is beyond mortified when her brother Ezra turns their parents' beautiful New England inn into a brothel. But that becomes the least of her worries when her own reputation is mysteriously sabotaged.

In an effort to salvage her good name, Violet is forced to accept a hasty proposal from a dark-eyed acquaintance with a tarnished past: Vance Everstone. He is infamous for being a rake -- and yet, against his will, Violet finds herself falling for this man she knows she cannot trust.

As she prepares for a society wedding, Violet gradually learns that her brother isn't done with trouble. He had staked her hand in marriage  in a heated poker game with the unsavory Rowan Steele, and lost. Now Rowen is intent on cashing in on his IOU.

With danger stalking her, a fiancé who hides both his emotions and his past, and an old lover eager to save the day, Violet must decide who to believe -- and who to leave behind.

My Review:

Mercy! Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly while frantically waving a fan. Someone hand me the smelling salts...wait...scrap that, if you intend to read The Cautious Maiden you'll need all the smelling salts you can get your hands on. And that's because this is one toe-curling, swoon-inducing, heart-palpitating romantical read.

And that kind of surprises me because if you are familiar with the series (no worries if you aren't you still NEED to read this one) you will know that Vance has not always been an upstanding character. In fact, he's been downright...yucky. But here we see him in a whole new way. Crandall uses some powerful symbolism to illustrate his transition as he becomes a new man in Christ. Really powerful stuff. And got me thinking about sin and sinners and judgement and the way we humans tend to measure sin -- you know some are way worse than others? And yet God sees sin as sin and He sent His son to free us from their consequences so, really, who am I to hold up someone in condemnation for something that has already been forgiven? There are real life lessons in the pages of this book.

And that made me fall in love with Vance all the more. Because he is so committed to living a new life but, like all of us, he struggles with feeling worthy of the kind of love God is offering him. His mind can grasp it, but in  his heart he feels undeserving. The contrast Violet presents to him -- innocent, honorable, faithful -- draws him to her even though he feels she could do so much better than him. And then circumstances become desperate and Vance finds himself engaged to Violet and, believe me, your toe-curls are going to curl!

Intense romance, sinister treachery and an uplifting inspirational thread combine to make this an incredible, not-to-be-missed novel.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

 If you would like an opportunity to win a copy of  The Cautious Maiden please leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. If you post a comment and add your email address, please use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in the address to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email please remember to put the title in the  subject line so that it's easy for me to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Sunday January 8 2017. Offer open to international readers. Good luck!

The Captive Imposter

GIVEAWAY

CRANDALL, DAWN
THE CAPTIVE IMPOSTER

For her own protection following the murder of her brother Will, hotel heiress Estella Everstone assumes the alias of Elle Stoneburner and takes a job as a companion to an elderly widow. Never did she imagine that her position would lead her back to her beloved Everston, a picturesque resort property tucked away in the rugged mountains of Maine. Living below her station in a guise of anonymity has its struggles, but her spirits are buoyed by a newfound friendship with the hotel manager, Dexter Blakeley. And his distaste for the spoiled socialites who frequent his hotel causes her to take a close look at her own priorities and past lifestyle.

When Estella finds herself in need of help, Dexter comes to the rescue with an offer of employment she can't refuse. As the two interact and open up to each other, Estella feels a growing attraction to Dexter -- and increasing discomfort over concealing her identity. Yet, in spite of the false pretense she's putting forth, she's never felt free to be herself than in his presence. But will he still love her when he learns the truth about who she is?

My Review:

Pure romance sure to induce heart palpitations. It begins at the first meet. Elle is off-kilter, Dexter abrupt and brooding. Elle's well intentioned employer imagines romance is afoot and does everything she can to fan the flames of attraction and the tumultuous, tender and oh so infuriatingly not-a-courtship ensues.

A compelling coming of age story. Elle has lived a life of invisibility as the youngest daughter of a powerful family. Overlooked because of her age and her female status, she learned to play the role of pampered daughter and sister well. Only she didn't realize she was role-playing until both family and wealth are stripped from her. Learning to live in the service of others brings her alive in a way she never imagined possible. And Dexter is the first man to see her for who she really is.

Crandall knows how to stretch a reader's nerves taut with anticipation. Her almost-kisses require a fainting couch just as much as her kisses do. Blissful sigh. Well, not so blissful since there's angst aplenty. Rabid reading required for the last third of the book! An exquisite addition to The Everstone Chronicles and now I'm caught up and will have to wait along with everyone else for The Cautious Maiden to release this fall.

  GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

If you would like an opportunity to win a copy of  The Captive Imposter please leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. If you post a comment and add your email address, please use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in the address to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email please remember to put the title in the subject line so that it's easy for me to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Sunday June 12 2016. Offer open to international readers. Good luck!

The Bound Heart

GIVEAWAY

CRANDALL, DAWN
THE BOUND HEART

One accidental kiss from Lawry Hampton. That was all it took to throw Meredyth Summercourt's world upside-down. Determined to marry the ever-elusive Vance Everstone, she simply doesn't have the time or the desire to fall for her best friend. But Vance is out of the country and Lawry is at her side nearly every day, teaching her what the world is like through the eyes of a little orphan girl named Wynn. Now Meredyth can't deny that what's holding her to Vance is nothing more than a desire to redeem herself from her past. Will she marry Vance once he returns from Europe? Or will she be strong enough to break free from the tangled web she's convinced she deserves, and accept that God's plan for her life includes redemption...and quite possibly, Lawry Hampton?

My Review:

I spent the entire read alternately wanting to hug and then throttle Meredyth Summercourt. We were both in quite a state by the end, let me tell you! Such an infuriatingly endearing heroine. She makes things so difficult for herself and consequently for Lawry. Such a swoonworthy hero. Attentive and funny -- and infinitely compassionate. Oh -- and patient. Well...for the most part. He endures a lot while Meredyth struggles with feelings of guilt and low self-esteem. Her path to redemption isn't an easy one. Great character growth -- partly due to Lawry's gentle but persistent prodding.

And, oh my goodness, clear off your fainting couch (if you're like me it's piled high with books,) You'll need it for the toe-curling kissing scenes. Even more so for the delectable almost kissing scenes! This book has an abundance of emotional highs and lows that kept my head spinning and my heart pounding for the entire duration. Awesome with sauce attached as in awesomesauce (yes, it's in the Oxford dictionary now) and aptly describes my feelings about The Bound Heart.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

If you would like an opportunity to win a copy of  The Bound Heart please leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. If you post a comment and add your email address, please use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in the address to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email please remember to put the title in the subject line so that it's easy for me to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Sunday June 5 2016. Offer open to international readers. Good luck!

The Hesitant Heiress

GIVEAWAY

CRANDALL, DAWN
THE HESITANT HEIRESS

After being unjustly expelled from the Boston Conservatory of Music, Amaryllis Brigham sees her dreams of founding a music academy in her hometown of Seattle, Washington, disappearing before her very eyes. Now, the only way to achieve her goal comes with high stakes for someone set on avoiding men as much as possible: Marry within the year to inherit the immense fortune of her estranged grandmother.

Amaryllis reluctantly moves in to her aunt's Boston home and rubs shoulders with fashionable society. Despite her own misgivings, she soon finds herself quickly falling in love with the most unlikely of men -- Nathan Everstone, the envy of every eligible female, whose father has haunted her dreams for the decade following her mother's tragic death.

However, Nathan turns out to be much more than he seems...and everything she never knew she wanted. But cans she ever really trust an Everstone man?

My Review:

The kind of delicious read that's sweet and satisfying and more than a little addictive. I should be mourning the fact that I've reached the end but I'm actually happy dancing instead because I have the next two books in The Everstone Chronicles to look forward to. So deep mourning has been staved off until the end of book three. :-)

This is the kind of story a reader can easily slip into. The cares and worries of real time disappeared as I became completely absorbed in Amaryllis's tale. In fact, thanks to the first person point of view, I became the heroine, living and breathing right along with her. Though I will confess that I was the first to swoon over the enigmatic hero.

While this isn't a Gothic novel, it does possess some of my favourite elements of that genre. A heroine at the mercy of others, a brooding hero she can't quite identify as friend or foe and the alluring air of mystery that cloaks them all. In fact, the feeling of something sinister afoot grew with every turning page. Amaryllis was not as concerned as I was, perhaps because of her annoying propensity for jumping to the wrong conclusion -- especially where Nathan in concerned.

And as far as heroes go -- blissful sigh -- Nathan Everstone makes my top ten list. Instant connection from the first time we met. I didn't harbour the same prejudices that Amaryllis did so I saw him in a different light. In fact, that's the amazing thing about this first person perspective. Even though we only 'hear' the heroine's thoughts, the reader is able to discern words and actions differently. So when Amaryllis is positive that Nathan is regarding her with sneering disdain, I'm just as convinced that those taut features are conveying frustrated longing. That kind of perception brought a thrilling edge to my reading pleasure.

Well, pleasure isn't quite the right word. Reader torment might be more apt. There's twists and turns aplenty and a villain or two to flush out, not to mention the tangled emotions of two stubborn hearts to set right. And just when I thought all was well and my upended world could finally be righted...Gah!...It wasn't! I confess I had to skip to the last page just to make sure all was not lost!

An enthralling, captivating, sumptuous feast of a read!

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

If you would like an opportunity to win a copy of  Seek and Find please leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. If you post a comment and add your email address, please use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in the address to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email please remember to put the title in the subject line so that it's easy for me to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Sunday May 29 2016. Offer open to international readers. Good luck!