by Sophie Barnes
Series: Thornecliff Manor #3
Pub. Date: Dec. 29, 2015
Publisher: Avon
Pages: 384
Format: eARC
Source: Edelweiss
My Rating:
Sultry Scale:
An unexpected passion ignites as secrets are exposed in Sophie Barnes's captivating Regency-set romance...
Despite the diversions offered at Thorncliff Manor, former spy James, the Earl of Woodford, has one purpose in staying there. He must find an encoded book that exposes a conspiracy within the British aristocracy. And he must do so without revealing his purpose to the clever, tempting Chloe Heartly. The lady has a knack for appearing wherever it is least convenient. In the library. In the salon. And, especially, in his arms...
Somewhere within Thorncliff's labyrinth of rooms lies the journal Chloe desperately seeks. When she realizes the brooding, handsome earl is hunting the same quarry, Chloe enters into an uneasy partnership. But in the face of public danger and enemies hiding in plain sight, both must decide how much they're willing to risk to solve the mysteries of the heart.
This was a sweet historical romance, good for fans who like a bit of historical mystery/espionage without a lot of steam. This story takes place parallel to Lady Sarah's Sinful Desires, which I have not read. As the stories are taking place at the same time, I don't think it will matter which order you read them in.
The heroine of this second installment of the Thorncliff Manor books is Chloe, Lady Newbury. (Chloe's brother, Spencer, is the subject of the first book.) Chloe is recently widowed (about a year past) and suffered 6 years of marriage to a degenerate, violent and self-important bastard. After he was killed in a duel, his cousin came to take residence of her estate as heir and she is forced to go live with her parents. At her debut, Chloe was apparently a diamond of the first water... but after being duped in her marriage, she is wary of the institution and men altogether. She has traveled with her family to Thorncliff Manor for the season. And while Thornecliff is the place to make matches, Chloe is there for a cover purpose - to find the Political Journal and uncover the identities of The Electors. I liked Chloe quite a bit, and hated that she had such a horrid message. There was some animosity between Chloe and a couple of females with questionable morals, and I totally understood her jealousy and insecurity after the way her late husband behaved. I was really glad that she stood up to the catty witches and didn't let them run roughshod over her.
At Thornecliffe, Chloe keeps running (literally) into James, Earl of Woodruff. James is a spy with an eidetic memory, who has been ordered by the king to find the Political Journal. It has been James' mission to unmask The Electors for some time, as they were responsible for the murder of his parents when he was a young child. James is not the typical charming historical romance hero. He is bookish and intelligent, and not popular with his peers. He doesn't have many friends as they don't like his memory abilities, and saw him as damaged by his parents' death. I really liked James' character as well.
As for The Electors and their leader, I had a good idea of who he was before it was ever revealed. However it was not a clear-cut mystery by any means, and I was constantly doubting my suspicion. I enjoyed this part of the book and it kept the pace going fairly well. It seemed to me that the focus of this story was more on the espionage/mystery than building the romance. While we got a lot of detail in the interactions and conversations between James and Chloe, there was not any heat to the relationship. I would have liked to see more spark and passion to draw me in emotionally. The steamy potential was there, but it fell short of a complete surrender.
I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
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About the Author
Born in Denmark, Sophie Barnes spent
her youth traveling with her parents to wonderful places all around the world.
She's lived in five different countries, on three different continents, and
speaks Danish, English, French, Spanish and Romanian. She has studied design in
Paris and New York and has a bachelor's degree from Parsons. But, most
impressive of all, she's been married to the same man three times—in three
different countries and in three different dresses.
While living in Africa, Sophie turned
to her lifelong passion: writing. When she's not busy dreaming up her next
romance novel, Sophie enjoys spending time with her family, swimming, cooking,
gardening, watching romantic comedies and, of course, reading. She currently
lives on the East Coast.
Author Links: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads
Author Links: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads
Giveaway
Excerpt
Chloe
considered telling her sister that there was such a thing as knowing too
much, but she bit back the rejoinder and kept silent instead, unwilling
to take their conversation in that particular direction.
“In all
likelihood you’ll be right and my interest in whoever he is will prove
pointless.” Fiona said as they passed a row of elm trees. Like a curtain pushed
aside, they gave way to an impressive view of Thorncliff, the towering walls
dwarfing anyone standing before them and likening them to ants. “Come to think
of it, he did seem rather dull—as if it made no difference to him that he was
about to arrive at the most fantastic estate in England. He should have been
staring out of the window of that carriage with keen enthusiasm. Most young
gentlemen would do so, but he did not.”
“No,” Chloe
agreed as they turned onto the driveway that would take them straight up to the
front door. “Perhaps coming here disagrees with him.”
“I can’t
imagine why,” Fiona said. “It’s the most fascinating place in the world!”
“You say so
only because you have not traveled the world.”
“Perhaps
that’s our answer,” Fiona suggested. “Perhaps the man we saw, whoever he may
be, has traveled to so many fine places that Thorncliff fails to entice.”
“Or maybe
he’s just not the adventurous sort,” Chloe offered. “He may simply enjoy
reading a good book, in which case he has no need of coming here at all and
probably considers Thorncliff a complete waste of time.”
The words
brought Fiona to an immediate halt. “Do you find it a complete waste of
time, Chloe?”
A rush of
emotion swept through Chloe. It almost felt as if an ebbing tide was tugging at
her belly. “Of course not. Why on earth would you think such a thing when I’ve
already told you how happy I am to be spending more time with you and the rest
of the family?”
A puff of air
escaped Fiona in the form of a sigh. “Perhaps you wanted to be kind and spare
my feelings?”
Taking her
sister by the hand, Chloe held on fast as she gazed into her troubled young
eyes. “No. I would never be dishonest with you.”
“Are you
certain? Because I am well aware of your fondness for reading as well as your
lack of enthusiasm for socializing at the moment. Are you sure you wouldn’t
have rather stayed at home with your books?”
Closing her
eyes, Chloe struggled to ease the nerves that threatened to send her heart
racing. “No. I would not. The Thorncliff library is vast. I mean to explore it
during my stay here. As for socializing . . . I’ve just spent a year in
mourning, Fiona. I need time to readjust.”
“I’m sorry,”
Fiona said, biting her lip. “I just wish that I could do more to make you
happy.”
“I am happy,”
Chloe assured her. At the very least, she was free now, and that was pretty
much the same thing. “Come, let’s find out who Lord Hainsworth’s companion is
so we can put your curiosity to rest.”
Thorncliff Manor
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