mercoledì 18 giugno 2014

Review: Lord Somerton's Heir by Alison Stuart



Lord Somerton’s Heir
by Alison Stuart

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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?

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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.

                                                




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AUTHOR Bio and Links:


Alison Stuart is an award winning Australian writer of cross genre historicals with heart.  Whether duelling with dashing cavaliers or wayward ghosts, her books provide a reader with a meaty plot and characters who have to strive against adversity, always with the promise of happiness together. Alison is a lapsed lawyer who has worked in the military and fire service, which may explain a predisposition to soldier heroes.  She lives with her own personal hero and two needy cats and likes nothing more than a stiff gin and tonic and a walk along the sea front of her home town.  She loves to hear from her readers and can be found at her website, facebook, twitter and Goodreads.

Author Links:


Blogs:  www.alisonstuart.blogspot.com         


Twitter:  @AlisonStuart14 https://twitter.com/AlisonStuart14


Buy Links:






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.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

4 commenti:

  1. Love the cover and the excerpt sounds amazing! Thanks for sharing and good luck with your book tour!

    RispondiElimina
  2. Thank you for hosting me and I am so glad you enjoyed the book :-)

    RispondiElimina
  3. Enjoyed the review. This book is going on my books-to-buy list as we speak!

    RispondiElimina

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