Lord Somerton’s Heir
by Alison
Stuart
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
Can the love of an honourable man save her from the memory of a
desolate marriage?
From the battlefield of Waterloo to the drawing rooms of
Brantstone Hall, Sebastian Alder’s elevation from penniless army captain to
Viscount Somerton is the stuff of dreams. But the cold reality of an inherited
estate in wretched condition, and the suspicious circumstances surrounding his
cousin’s death, provide Sebastian with no time for dreams, only a mystery to
solve and a murderer to bring to justice.
Isabel, widow of the late Lord Somerton, is desperate to bury the
memory of her unhappy marriage by founding the charity school she has always
dreamed of. But, her dreams are shattered, as she is taunted from the grave,
discovering not only has she been left penniless, but she is once more bound to
the whims of a Somerton.
But this Somerton is unlike any man she has met. Can the love of
an honourable man heal her broken heart or will suspicion tear them apart?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCERPTS:
Brantstone
Hall
December
11, 1814
The
tea, in its delicate porcelain cup, sat undrunk and cold, the bread curled and
dried as the little clock on the mantelpiece ticked away the minutes. Isabel
sat unmoving, staring out at the winter landscape of the Brantstone Park as if
she expected Anthony to come galloping down the carriage way. She knew even
before Thompson knocked on the door and stood shifting from one foot to the
other, his shapeless felt hat clutched in his hand, that Anthony was dead.
She
followed the head groom out into the stable yard again, where a farmer’s cart
now stood. She looked at the cart and with her head held high; she walked
across it. Thompson interposed himself between her and the inanimate object
that lay in the filthy dray.
‘Are
you sure, my lady?’ he asked.
She
nodded and Thompson flicked back the sacking that covered the shapeless lump in
the back of the cart. Isabel stared down into her husband’s face, into his
open, staring eyes, already opaque in death. Anthony lay, stiff with rigor
mortis, in the filth of a cart that had last been used to shift manure, from
the smell. An ignominious end to his life, she thought.
‘We
found him over by Lovett’s Bridge. He’d taken the hedge intending the shortcut
across the Home Farm fields,’ Thompson was saying. He jerked his head at the
saddle, the beautiful, hand tooled saddle that had been tossed into the cart
with its owner. ‘Looks like the girth strap broke and he came off. Broke his
neck in the fall. He’d not have known anything about it, my lady.’
Aware
of the anxious faces that surrounded her, Isabel swallowed. They expected her
to break down. They wanted her tears but she had none to give. She had expended
too many tears over Anthony, Lord Somerton, while he lived to spare any for him
now that he was dead.
Her
gaze rested on the saddle. It had been her gift to Anthony on his birthday only
a few months earlier. Now it was the cause of his death. It stood as a symbol
of everything that had gone wrong between herself and her husband.
She
turned on her heel and walked back to the house with her head held high. With
every step, the enormity of Anthony’s death sank in.
She
was free, but at what price came that freedom?
Her
back straightened and her lips tightened.
To
attain freedom, first she had to find Lord Somerton’s heir.
MY REVIEW:
Lady Isabel Somerton, recently widowed, must find the heir of her husband, Sebastian Alder an illegitimate child. She discovers that the boy was wounded in the Battle of Waterloo and arrives at his bedside. The woman care and saves his life and informs him that he has inherited the estate of Somerton. Sebastian's life is turned upside down: he finds himself to be a soldier and minister's son to be the heir of a Lord. But find that the seal is in ruins and that his ancestor was hiding something, and his death may have not been accidental. It 's very original connection that will be created between the two protagonists: is not the usual romantic love story but a friendship that evolves slowly into a deeper relationship
It 's a special historical novel : it is a historical fiction, there is a love story and a mystery to solve. It 's very well written, with a simple, clear and compelling language
Highly recommended.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Author
Links:
Website: http://www.alisonstuart.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/AlisonStuartWriter
Twitter: @AlisonStuart14
https://twitter.com/AlisonStuart14
Buy
Links:
Escape
Publishing: http://www.escapepublishing.com.au/product/9780857991560
Author
Website:
http://www.alisonstuart.com/lord-somertons-heir.html
Barnes
& Noble:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/lord-somertons-heir-alison-stuart/1119118530?ean=9780857991560&isbn=9780857991560&itm=1&usri=9780857991560
Alison will be awarding a $25 Amazon GC to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour, and a $15 Amazon GC to a randomly drawn host.
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Alison will be awarding a $25 Amazon GC to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour, and a $15 Amazon GC to a randomly drawn host.
A lovely excerpt.
RispondiEliminaLove the cover and the excerpt sounds amazing! Thanks for sharing and good luck with your book tour!
RispondiEliminaThank you for hosting me and I am so glad you enjoyed the book :-)
RispondiEliminaEnjoyed the review. This book is going on my books-to-buy list as we speak!
RispondiElimina