I loved how the two stories entwined. The characters were well developed which made it hard to put the book down. I love the wa...  Read More

I loved how the two stories entwined. The characters were well developed which made it hard to put the book down. I love the way the author can tell two different stories and keeps it intresting. I received this book for free from eBook Discovery. I voluntarily review this book. This is my honest review.  Read Less

In 1838 the new British Museum is under construction on the site of Montagu House in Great Russell St, and Gabe Wellingham, eld...  Read More

In 1838 the new British Museum is under construction on the site of Montagu House in Great Russell St, and Gabe Wellingham, eldest son of Gabriel Wellingham, Earl of Trenton, is working there as an archivist enjoying his passion for Greek antiquities.Frances Longworth is a talented ceramist and expert in antique pottery restoration. She also has a talent in copying originals and with her beauty, along with her knowledge in Greek and Roman antiques, it is inevitable that an attraction might develop between them. As Gabe easily and successfully pursues her while solving the mystery of the lost Greek amphora, we learn more about the importation of Greek artefacts into England and interesting details of the ancient pottery.If I can understand more about our world, past or present whenever I read a book, it’s a gift I appreciate. I thoroughly enjoyed the way Linda Rae Sande expertly wove the history through the romance and the search for the lost vase.In this book we get not one, but two romances, as Emily Grandby falls in love with James Burroughs, a distant relative and the younger brother of her recently deceased betrothed. Emily and Gabe are also distantly related, as the author takes great pains to describe quite often in rather tedious family histories. This tendency to over-explain all the family relationships was a somewhat detracting factor in this book. As with the previous couple the relationship between Emily and James moves very rapidly, both physically and socially.For me it was the incongruities of the language and behaviour with the period that let the story down. It’s as if the author has simply taken her story and superimposed it on to the early Victorian era to give it an historical romantic edge.Frances is wearing an “humungous apron”. “Humungous” was not used in the 1800’s – it’s a word from the 1970’s.If we are in any doubt about the expected behaviour of well-bred young women, we only need look at the 1838 publication of “Ladies Book of Etiquette” by Florence Hartley. Even if we accept that Hartley gives an extremely conservative perspective and that young ladies at the time didn’t always conform to such strict directives, it serves to show the realm of expected behaviour of such young women. Emily lives in an enormous estate with many servants, is a cousin of an Earl, has a grandmother who was the daughter of a Duke, mixes with the nobility and even at age 24 would have adhered to most of the mores of her time. She certainly would not have conducted herself in the way she is portrayed and it is not credible to accept that she would have acted and spoken as she did.The writing is generally fine and the idea for the story is engaging, so that if one ignores, or is ignorant of the inconsistencies, it can make for an enjoyable escapist read.I received this book for free from eBook Discovery. I voluntarily review this book. This is my honest review.  Read Less

What a delightfully fun and romantic story. You’ll love each and every one of the characters and you’ll swoon over the romances...  Read More

What a delightfully fun and romantic story. You’ll love each and every one of the characters and you’ll swoon over the romances that lead them to their HEA. We even get double the romance with two couples finding their HEA (as this author often does). This is just a delightfully straight-forward romance with two couples learning to overcome their own issues and find their way to trust and love.James Burroughs and Emily Grandby have known each other most of their lives, but since he was a fair amount older than her, there wasn’t a romance. He was good friends with her older brother, Tom, and other relatives – they are even related a bit. James was the second son and never had to worry about his father’s fortune – until a year ago when his older, sickly brother succumbed to influenza. James and his father are both bankers and with his father retiring, James is now transferring from Bath to London. On his way, he decides to stop by and visit his friend Tom. When Tom isn’t there, James has a nice visit with Tom’s sister Emily, who offers him a place to stay until he can find a home for himself in London. Little does James know what longings that visit will cause him – and her. Each of them has issues and secrets they’ll need to work through, but the attraction is strong. How will James react when he learns all of Emily’s secrets? Hmmm – you’ll just have to read the book to see.Gabe Wellingham is the much-loved illegitimate son of the Earl of Trenton. Gabe is very proud of his family, but he wants to use his university degree and not sit back and lead the leisurely life of a gentleman. When he applies for and obtains a position as an archivist at the British Museum in London, he doesn’t tell anyone at the museum who his family is. He wants to make it on his own. When he meets the very prickly Mrs. Frances Longworth, who is the art restorer at the museum, he is intrigued and needs to know more. Mrs. Longworth was supposed to be Mr. Longworth. How did that happen? Gabe pursues, makes overtures, and Frances dances away – until she doesn’t. Both are keeping secrets – some bigger than others – but secrets none-the-less. Will Gabe run for the hills when he learns all of Frances’s secrets? If he doesn’t, what will his parents have to say? You’ll just have to read it to find out.I thoroughly enjoyed this read, but I will mention that there are lots of mentions of other family members (who have all been featured in earlier books) and if you aren’t familiar, they may feel confusing. However, don’t worry about them if you don’t know who they are – it won’t detract from your enjoyment of this story at all.I hope you will enjoy the read as much as I did.I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.  Read Less