Edenbrooke



Edenbrooke
Julianne Donaldson
Shadow  Mountain
Marianne Daventry will do anything to escape the boredom of Bath and the amorous attentions of an unwanted suitor. So when an invitation arrives from her twin sister, Cecily, to join her at a sprawling country estate, she jumps at the chance. Thinking she’ll be able to relax and enjoy her beloved English countryside while her sister snags the handsome heir of Edenbrooke, Marianne finds that even the best laid plans can go awry...

I don’t normally read "secular" romances (okay, I’ve never read a modern secular romance) but after seeing this book recommended on Hannah’s blog, I decided to check it out.

I’m really glad I did! The subtitle of this book is “A Proper Romance” and that’s exactly what it is. Proper. Which, translated to the modern tongue, means clean. I normally don’t read just strict romances- this is one of the few books I read where the romance aspect was really the entire plot. That might have been a boring problem if the book had been too long, but it wasn’t. It certainly wasn’t novella length or anything, but I did read the novel in one sitting.

Though this isn’t quite a “true” Regency, it felt historically accurate. The author stated that she wanted to keep the flavor of a Regency but keep it accessible to the modern reader. I think she definitely succeeded. (and it seems like a great way to draw a non-Regency lover in to the genre.) In fact, her writing style reminded me in some way a little of my own.

Personally, I really enjoyed this book. It was sweet, with likable characters. I will definitely be checking out any new books that come from author Julianne Donaldson!

Objectionable content: There is some mild flirting throughout; Marianne's sister is implied to be rather loose with her morals; there are about two kisses at the end; overall, this book is just as clean as any Christian fiction I’ve read- and in some cases, cleaner.

 Rating: 8 1/2 out of 10 stars

Comments

  1. Hannah BartaJune 10, 2013 at 6:03 PM

    Yay! I'm glad you liked it! I can't wait to read Blackmoore. I think it's coming out in September, maybe?

    ReplyDelete
  2. GraceJune 10, 2013 at 8:37 PM

    That's nice to hear about it being clean. I have see it, but I wasn't sure about reading it seeing as how it is not a Christian fiction romance.

    Grace

    ReplyDelete
  3. RissiJune 11, 2013 at 2:38 PM

    Delighted you enjoyed this one, Hayden - I just got it after dozens of glowing reviews. :)

    ReplyDelete

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