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(Tennessee Waltz, book 1)
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Emily Musgrave is heading a direction she never wanted to go in Regency England--namely a convent to turn her from her waywardness. But it's more loneliness than rebellion that motivates her to escape her certain fate. Liam Jackson is going nowhere fast in modern-day Tennessee. Playing his Dobro in seedy bars and backward dives along with his fiddling sister, Tinker, is doing nothing for his music career--and even less for the dark places in his soul. Pixie mischief can not only change time-lines, it can change hearts. Because sometimes a girl just needs a little magic in her life.
My Thoughts:
This was a very engaging novel right from
page one. The story begins with Emily Musgrave on her way to an English
convent, having been banished there by her great aunt, Lady Tremaine, for the
inexcusable wickedness of kissing an Irish footman when Emily was to be
betrothed to a man fifty years her senior. The carriage breaks down and Emily
decides to run away. Reaching a forested area near her home, she inadvertently
steps into a stone circle, and sees a blue light flying towards her, then hears
some bells. The next thing she knows, she is sitting on the ground, in an
alley, with a girl blowing a pink bubble, looking at her. Emily has traveled
from 1813 to the present.
The novel is both amusing and humorous as
Emily learns to accommodate from a much more modest time in clothing and
behaviour. Emily hooks up with Liam and Tinker, itinerant musicians attempting
to break into show business. Emily finds herself attracted to Liam (she has a
particular affinity for Irishmen) and Liam seems to be attracted to her, when
he’s not mad at her.
This is a clean romance. There is no sexual
conduct other than kissing (after all, Emily was raised in the 1800’s, and
marriage comes first!) There is a small amount of swearing in this novel,
mentioned for those who are offended by coarse language.
This is not, however, just a
straightforward time travel novel. There is something else going on, as
evidenced when Tinker heals Liam’s stab wound with a poultice made of herbs.
Then there is the coin dealer that starts to follow the trio around after they
trade one of Em’s gold coins for cash.
This fantasy/romance novel has elements of
mystery and suspense as well. It is
quite well-paced and engaging. I felt quite relieved to get to the
bottom of the cause of the brooding and mood changes in Liam. I was very glad
that he was able to face his past and reach a resolution.
I thought that this book was quite
well-written, and I enjoyed the characters. I gave this book a rating of 4 out of
5 stars.
Thank you to the author Bella Street for
providing a free copy of the book in exchange for a fair and honest review. A
positive opinion was not required. All thoughts are my own.
Kiss Me, I’m Yours:
(Tennessee Waltz, book 2)
When jilted Sophie Bowen stumbles into a stone circle filled with fireflies, she wakes up in a very different place—and time.
Beaten down by Lincoln's War and personal tragedy, Gabriel Merritt feels his life has become a lost cause.
In a post-war South still licking its wounds, Sophie and Gabriel struggle to understand the place they each find themselves in, while fighting a war of attraction.
And a mysterious twelve-year-old girl just might hold the key to it all.
My Thoughts:
Though this is the second book in the
Tennessee Waltz series, I felt it could be read as a stand-alone novel. It is
another lovely, clean romance novel by Bella Street.The book starts with Sophie
in a totally distraught state, out with her friends Karen and Vicki, trying to
drink away the memory of her boyfriend Kevin cheating on her. After they drop
her off at her apartment she decides to pay him a visit at his apartment, but
when she gets to his house, she remembers that he isn’t alone. Instead of going
inside, she throws a rock at a window. Rather than hearing the smashing of
glass, she sees a blinding flash of light.
Suddenly she hears the voices of two men
above her and realizes she must have passed out. When she opens her eyes, she
sees that the men are wearing the uniforms of Yankee soldiers – they must be
part of a Civil War re-enactment group. But they are planning on raping her!
To her rescue comes a man with rope burns
around his neck and a young girl who doesn’t say a word. Sophie discovers she
is in the year 1865. The man’s name is Gabriel and he is not the father of the
young girl. Gabriel meanwhile discovers that it is the girl who cut him down
when he tried to kill himself. He thought the girl arrived with the
strangely-dressed woman he rescued. He takes both women in and sleeps in the
barn.
This is a clean romance novel. There are no
sexual scenes in the book and nothing beyond kissing. There is some swearing in
the book however, which I mention for those who are sensitive to that.
All Sophie wants to do is go home. She
finds however, that she has to conform to at least some of the rules of the
society of that era. Going about in public in her yoga outfit is a definite
no-no. Instead, Gabriel provides some clothing from his dead sister-in-law that
she has to alter because it is too short – it comes to her mid-shin. She has to
go to church, as does the rest of the small community. And she has to make a
choice – marry Gabriel, or find someplace else to live. No unmarried woman in
1865 would live with a bachelor unless she was a “loose” woman. The problem is,
most of the people in this town are hostile and the times are dangerous. She
knows she is safe with Gabriel.
And what about the silent child? Sophie has
named her Angela. Although she understands what Sophie is saying, she won’t
speak, nor will go anywhere else. She’s made it clear that she wants to stay
with Sophie.
I really liked Gabriel. He is kind, gentle,
and lives what he believes. That’s what got him into the trouble he was in when
Sophie first met him. He asks Sophie to marry him so that she can continue to
live at his home and not damage her reputation. He is willing to wait until she
is ready for any intimacies since this is a marriage of convenience.
This novel was a very engaging book. It has
a different ending than I thought it might, but it was a very satisfying one.
The end of this book also leads to a logical beginning for the third book of
the series.
Bella Street’s writing is simple and easy
to read. Her descriptions are clear and vivid. I gave this book a rating of
four stars out of five. Clean romance fans should love it!
Thank you to the author, Bella Street for
providing a copy of the book in exchange for a fair and honest review. A
positive opinion was not required. All thoughts are my own.
(Bella Street)
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Living so close to Nashville has provoked Bella to take up fiddle lessons. Until her tunes no longer sound like amorous alley cats, she writes romance with a touch of weird.
Giveaway:
Thank you so much for posting, hun. I am so glad you enjoyed both of the books. I loved Emily and Sophie. Did they make you laugh as much as they made me? I cannot wait to see how the ending of the second book will tie into book three. It should be a doozy, though. The author tells me that she is hard at work on book three. (:
ReplyDeleteYou're very welcome. I think book three will be a fun read if it is as good as the first two. Looking forward to itl
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