Review Double Feature: The Everstone Chronicles by Dawn Crandall

The Hesitant Heiress, Book 1:

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 just as everything Amaryllis has recently hoped for comes to fruition, it all falls apart when she finds that the real culprit who has been managing her life isn't who she thought at all.

My Thoughts:

I have no time in my life anymore to sit down and read a book straight through like I did in high school or even just a few years ago. It takes me a while to get through one book these days, even if I read at night on the ol' iPad. Dawn Crandall's new historical romance wasn't a book that would let me get a good night's rest. I made the mistake of starting it later in the evening and it kept me up until well after one in the morning. It wasn't that it was particularly full of new or gripping themes, but for the fact that the hero, Nathan Everstone, was so darn compelling! An Adonis if there ever was one. Who wouldn't love a guy with a "reputation" who really has a heart of gold...and green eyes to go with? Sometimes you just need that smutty romance with the Fabio cover in your life and sometimes you just need a sweet love story and a sweet romance is exactly what you get with this book. At times it did get a little more heavy handed with the message than I care for in my inspy books, so I docked a star, but overall the story, setting, and detailing I really enjoyed.

Get it for your Kindle HERE!

~ My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars ~

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The Bound Heart, Book 2:

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 with Vance out of the country, and with Lawry at her side nearly every day, teaching her what the world is like through the eyes of a little orphan girl named Wynn--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 Thoughts:

I liked Meredyth from the first story, so I was looking forward to reading her tale of love. Unfortunately, although Lawry is an absolute peach, this story didn't go over quite as well with me as the author's freshman book. Her heroes are absolute saints when it comes to winning over the women they love, but the heroines are just so stubborn - not the fun kind of stubborn. I dearly wanted to like Meredyth's story as I liked what I had read of her in The Hesitant Heiress, but I just could not. Holding out for a guy who basically raped her then disappeared from her life for years rather than acknowledging the lifelong friend with whom the sparks flew was cuh-razy. I get it that she felt ashamed at what happened, but I think the issue could have been dealt with in a different way and the points of forgiveness and redemption still would have been made. That said, Lawry is a doll. The amount of patience the dude had where Mere was concerned was absolutely Heaven sent. Dear Lord, please send me a man like that! Crandall's heroes are fabulous. I'm in love with Nathan (book one) and now Larry. Hopefully, book 3 offers up a leading lady that the hero deserves!

Get it for your Kindle HERE!

 ~ My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars ~ 

 *I receive complimentary books for review from publishers, publicists, and/or authors. I am not required to write positive reviews. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255.*

Tune in tomorrow for the final feature, a review of The Captive Imposter (Book 3)!

The Blog Tour for The Captive Imposter starts tomorrow with the release of The Captive Imposter! Drop by author Dawn Crandall’s blog to check out all the posts and giveaways going on throughout the next few weeks! There will be lots of prizes and giveaways! www.dawncrandall.blogspot.com/2015/03/blog-tour-schedule-for-captive-imposter_25.html

Don't forget to check out (and like!) Dawn's Amazon page!

Happy Reading!