Just Ella by Annette K Larsen

Ariella was only looking for a distraction, something to break up the monotony of palace life. What she found was a young man willing to overlook her title and show her a new and vibrant way of life. But when her growing feelings for Gavin spiral out of control and clash with the expectations of her station, she will discover that the consequences of her curiosity are far more severe than she'd imagined.

I watched in helpless horror as two guards hauled Gavin to his feet and dragged him from the room. My voice was frozen, unable to protest as another guard took hold of my arm, leading me upstairs. From the confines of my room, I stared into the darkness beyond my window, hoping to catch one more glimpse of Gavin. He was gone, and I wondered if he would have been better off if he had never met me.

This was a pleasant surprise. For some reason I didn’t have the highest expectation going into it. I think part of it was that I didn’t love the cover. I probably would have put off reading it for awhile if I hadn’t read the great reviews (especially Chrissy’s). I guess I’m a cover snob and I gravitate to the books with awesome covers (which doesn’t always mean you’ll get an awesome book. Unfortunately.) Ariella was a great heroine. I really liked her. The book opens when she is fifteen and I thought the author did a good job portraying her at that age and especially how her relationship with Gavin grows from friendship to young love. Very believable. I liked that the book takes place over a few years and we get to see the changes Ariella goes through and how she handles struggles. I like that she wanted to do the right thing and was willing to make hard choices, if it meant doing the right thing. Again, I really liked her character. I also liked Gavin. He was a sweetheart. I thought they had good chemistry and I was rooting for them. I wasn’t sure how things were going to play out, they come from different worlds and obviously won’t have the support of her family. There was another character introduced towards the end that I actually loved, I think he is more my “type” and almost started rooting for him, but I was still on Team Gavin. I was happy with how everything eventually works out. Anyway, I love high fantasy novels that have a princess as our leading lady. Not sure why, but it’s just a great setting. The book kind of reminded me of Seer and the Sword and Queen in Exile, although this book focused more on Ariella’s self discovery, and not too much court intrigue. Maybe since I had those other books in the back of my head I expected this to be similar in action/intrigue, and did keep expecting something to happen, but for the most part it’s just a nice story. There is some excitement thrown in though and I thought that made the story fun. I think it’s one I would probably enjoy even more the next time around, knowing what to expect. The writing was well done and the characters likable. I look forward to reading about Areilla’s sister Lylin in the next book. Hope it comes out soon. Overall, a fun read and one I would recommend. Can’t wait to read more from Ms. Larsen. Content: Clean.

Glimmer of Hope by Sarah M. Eden

Stunning Miranda Harford once had the world at her feet. She was young, carefree, and desperately in love. But when her new husband left for London without her, her world fell apart. Devastated by his abandonment, Miranda fled their home, taking residence at her husband’s rarely visited countryside estate. For three years, she lived alone. But now, as the holidays draw near, an unexpected visitor arrives . . .

Carter Alexander Harford, Seventh Viscount Devereaux, is a man driven to succeed. His work is his life, and the position of Prime Minister of England is within reach. But in truth, Carter is a man haunted by lost love. Estranged from his beautiful wife, Carter is shocked to find Miranda—the woman he’d loved and who he believes has left him—in residence at his country home.

As plans for a holiday party move forward, the uneasy couple realizes that to avoid further scandal, they must keep up appearances in a charade of marital happiness. Thrust together by fate, it quickly becomes clear that they have both been living beneath a conspired cloud of misunderstanding. As family, career, and social pressures threaten to keep them apart, can love have even a glimmer of hope?

Review:
I don’t remember exactly how I came upon Ms. Eden’s books, but it was a few years ago while I was living in San Diego. I read the description on a few of her books and Through All Hopes stood out to me. I love the whole lost-love plot and this one sounded especially good. I went to Amazon and ordered a copy. I waited and waited and after a month or two Amazon emailed me and said they were unable to fulfill the request. As some of you know, Ms. Eden’s earlier books were no longer being published at that time, I believe she was working with a new publisher and had learned that she would eventually be re-releasing them. I was so disappointed; I wanted to read Through All Hopes and was sad I wouldn’t be able to. At least not for a long time. When her books started coming out again I couldn’t wait, after reading Courting Miss Lancaster (I think that was the first one re-published) I knew I was hooked. I was beyond excited when I saw on Ms. Eden’s Facebook page the other day that Glimmer of Hope was coming out and that it was the new version of Through All Hopes.

So, my expectations for this one may have been a little high. While I wasn’t by any means disappointed, I was surprised how the story unfolded. I liked our heroine Miranda, she is easy to like and relate to. The story starts three years after her husband, Carter, abandoned her. I liked that the story picks up right when Miranda and Carter meet again after being separated for three years. You have a lot of questions about what happened to cause the separations, since from each characters POV each thought the other had left. So there is a bit of a mystery about what had kept them apart. There is some great tension between the two and a lot of hurt feelings. I liked that we got to hear from Carter’s POV, I think we actually get more of him than Miranda. I liked seeing the growth and understanding he goes through. I wasn’t too surprised by the reasons for the separation, but it does break your heart to think of all they had missed out on. tupid interfering family! (hide spoiler)] On top of everything else going on with them reuniting and a sudden house party, there is also a mystery about Miranda. Something is just a little off. 

[ It turns out that Miranda has a heart condition and is not that healthy. She tires easily and is on a special diet. One where her mean mother-in-law forbids her to partake of. The seriousness of her condition I think took me by surprise. It definitely makes Carter really reconsider his life and decisions, but it’s also kind of a downer. I was left feeling a little uncertain about their future. I would have LOVED an epilogue where it’s a few years down the road and they were still happy and she was doing well. Maybe have a baby or two. Although, with her condition having a baby might not be the safest thing. I still would have liked a little more closure in regards to her health. I loved that they reconciled and it seemed genuine that they would put each other first and be sure to communicate better in the future. (hide spoiler)] Overall, I really enjoyed the story and I probably would end up liking it more the second time around. Ms. Eden can’t write fast enough, I love her stories and characters and I’m always sad when I finish her books. Maybe I should read slower?

Content: Squeaky Clean.