The Soldier

Taken from author's site:

Colonel Devlin St. Just’s torn spirit calls to Emmaline Farnum, and in good conscience she cannot refuse his offer to provide a home for the little girl so dear to Emmie’s heart. As the adults forge a path to a better life for young Winnie, Emmie finds herself unable to resist the allure of a deeper attraction to Devlin. But resist she must, because decisions made years in her past are forcing her inexorably away from Devlin’s side.

After the previous book, I needed a pick me up, and this book was it.  I read the first book of this series just last week, and I enjoyed it so much I had to read the second book as soon as possible. My expectations were high...  I wasn't disappointed.

Devlin has a great sense of responsibility, and when the illegitimate daughter of the previous estate owner shows up, he feels obligated to take care of her and of her caregiver, Emmaline. He soon develops feeling for the little girl and the attraction to Emmaline is getting harder to ignore.  Emmie is independent and very strong willed but when it comes to Winnie, she'll do just about anything.  So when St. Just offers to take care of Winnie, she agrees but with some conditions of her own.

I wasn't expecting to enjoy this book as much as the previous, but I did.  I found that this book the story flowed better, and even though I had my doubts about Emmie and Winnie's relationship, I loved the way the author introduced it.  It was beautifully done.

The series just keeps on getting better... Cannot wait to get my hands on the third book, The Virtuoso.

The Soldier by Grace Burrowes (4.5/5) Historical Romance; Published: Sourcebooks Casablanca (6/2011); Format: Ebook for Kindle; Series: # 2, Windham; Series: # 2, The Duke's Obssession; Keeper Shelf; Books 2013 (7); 

A Proper Companion

Anyone can arrange a marriage-but only the heavens can decree true love! 
Her grandson, the Earl of Bradleigh, had just announced his engagement to a thoroughly unlikeable chit -- and Lady Bradleigh was determined to do something about it. Why, just about anyone would make a more suitable match...even her own paid companion, Emily Townsend! But if her dear, practical-minded Robert were to back out of the betrothal, the tongues of the ton would never stop wagging... 
At the very least, the dowager decides, she will extract a promise from her grandson to find Emily a husband. But when the handsome, rakish earl comes to know the charms of Emily Townsend, he suddenly regrets his hasty engagement-and is sorely tempted to win her hand for himself.

It's been years since I last read a book by Candice Hern.  I remember loving her books, but I can't remember why I stopped reading her.  I'm a huge fan of romances set during the Regency period, and I have a soft spot for the traditional Regency that I read so long ago, I couldn't resist signing up for The Regency Romance Reading Challenge that is being hosted by Austenprose. 

It seems like I'm on a roll, another book that kept me up at night. I began reading A Proper Companion shortly before going to bed, but I couldn't put it down.  I was transported back to a time where the upper crust of society felt the need to meddle in their children and grandchildren's lives.  I enjoyed all of it, Emily and Robert, started off as friends, they soon developed stronger feeling, but Robert being a gentleman could not give or promise anything more than friendship to Emily. I loved the way that he struggled with his feelings for Emily and the way she did as well for Robert, they both knew that it wasn't proper, but the feelings were still there. Even though I enjoyed Robert and Emily, the scene stealer of the book was the Dowager Duchess, she was a force of a nature, full of life and love for the people that mattered the most to her.

A Proper Companion by Candice Hern (4/5) Historical - Regency Romance; Published: Jove (1995); Format: Ebook for Kindle; Series: # 1, Regency Rakes; Regency Romance Reading Challenge (1); Keeper Shelf; Books 2013 (5);

The Heir

AN EARL WHO CAN'T BE BRIBED
Gayle Windham, Earl of Westhaven, is the first legitimate son and heir to the Duke of Moreland. To escape his father's inexorable pressure to marry, he decides to spend the summer at his townhouse in London, where he finds himself intrigued by the secretive ways of his beautiful housekeeper... 
A LADY WHO CAN'T BE PROTECTED... 
Anna Seaton is a beautiful, talented, educated woman, which is why it is so puzzling to Gayle Windham that she works as his housekeeper. As the two draw closer and begin to lose their hearts to each other, Anna's secrets threaten to bring the earl's orderly life crashing down - and he doesn't know how he's going to protect her from the fallout...

I would like to begin by thanking Ana from Aneca's World for introducing me to this author.  It's been quite a while since I read a historical romance that has captured me as this has.  So thank you Ana, I believe I have found a new must read author.

This book should also have a disclaimer on its cover, one sitting read, reader beware you may lose sleep.  Which I did, but I'm not complaining because it was a very good read.  I loved the setting, the time period, the characters and the story itself wasn't too shabby either.  I found that Anna and Windham suited each other very well, she caring and headstrong and Windham is a no-nonsense type of gentleman who adores his large family, even the meddling members of said family.  I admit at the beginning I thought it a stretch that they would become involved, master and employee, but the author had a way in drawing me in and keeping interested in the book.  I'm looking forward on reading more of her books.

The Heir by Grace Burrowes (4.5/5) Historical Romance; Published: Sourcebooks Casablanca (2010); Format: Ebook for Kindle; New Author; Series: # 1, Windham; Favorite Reads 2013; Historical Fiction Reading Challenge 2013 (3); Keeper Shelf; Books 2013 (4);

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

"Nine-year-old Oskar Schell has embarked on an urgent, secret mission that will take him through the five boroughs of New York. His goal is to find the lock that matched a mysterious key that belonged to his father, who died in the World Trade Center on the morning of September 11. This seemingly impossible task will bring Oskar into contact with survivors of all sorts on an exhilarating, affecting, often hilarious, and ultimately healing journey."

I probably would have never chosen to read this book on my own accord, the topic itself, a child dealing with the grief of losing a parent in a terrible way is terrifying and just tugs on my emotions. But I want to watch the movie, and I always try to read the novel before watching the movie (if there is one). And I'm happy that I did.

Oskar is not your typical/normal nine-year-old, he's wiser, older if you will. He has different interestes, he loves everything French, he's a vegan, he loves to make jewelry, he loves science and he loves to write to letters to scientists in different fields. My nine-year-old loves video games, Lego and graphic novels. So that's quite a contrast.

I fell in love with Oskar, hurt and wanting to really know how his father died. He finds a key and because of the quest games that he used to play with father, he thinks it's one last quest that his father left for him. Along the way he meets different type of people, each of them with their own problems, and he learns important things from these people.

What really made this story wonderful was the way the author included visuals in the book to make a point on how important this quest was for Oskar. The secondary stories were just as important to the book as Oskar's. His grandparents had their own issues to deal and I loved experiencing the way each of them expressed their pain.

I highly recommend this book, just have tissues handy.

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safron Foer (5/5) Fiction; Published: Houghton Mifflin Company (2005); New Author; Favorite Read 2012; Book to Film; Keeper Shelf; Books 2012 (2);