Blog tour/Review: Blackmoore by Julianne Donaldson

• Title:  Blackmoore: A Proper Romance
• Author:  Julianne Donaldson
• Genre:  Regency Romance
• Published:  September 2013 – Shadow Mountain
• Source:  Publisher

Synopsis:  Kate Worthington knows her heart and she knows she will never marry. Her plan is to travel to India instead—if only to find peace for her restless spirit and to escape the family she abhors. But Kate’s meddlesome mother has other plans. She makes a bargain with Kate: India, yes, but only after Kate has secured—and rejected—three marriage proposals.

Kate journeys to the stately manor of Blackmoore determined to fulfill her end of the bargain and enlists the help of her dearest childhood friend, Henry Delafield. But when it comes to matters of love, bargains are meaningless and plans are changeable. There on the wild lands of Blackmoore, Kate must face the truth that has kept her heart captive. Will the proposal she is determined to reject actually be the one thing that will set her heart free?

Set in Northern England in 1820, Blackmoore is a Regency romance that tells the story of a young woman struggling to learn how to follow her heart. It is Wuthering Heights meets Little Women with a delicious must-read twist. (publisher)

My take:  If a novel with enjoyable main characters, an atmospheric Regency-era setting, and a bit of a twisty plot sounds good to you, you’ll want to read Blackmoore.

Blackmoore is Henry Delafield’s family summer home by the sea. Kate Worthington grew up hearing about the place from her friends Henry and his sister Sylvia. Each summer they would return with stories for their friend and neighbor Kate.  She longed to one day visit this wonderful place.

The large house was more a character than a setting. There are dark halls, drafty rooms, secret passageways, rumors of ghosts in the night – you get the drift.  A Blackmoore house party will eventually determine the futures of Henry and Kate.

I loved the main characters. They were so honorable and their story so heart-wrenching. Kate was easy to cheer for from the start. And Henry? It was difficult not to fall in love with Henry. They are faced with meeting family expectations or following their hearts. When Kate accepts a challenge from her mother it eventually forces them to reveal secrets to each other that could end any hope of a future together. You’ll have to read the book to learn more!

Blackmoore is a G-rated Regency Romance and I recommend it to fans of the genre.

Note: I enjoyed Julianne Donaldson’s writing so much that midway through this novel I purchased her first novel, Edenbrooke (which is $1.99 for both Kindle and nook in September).

About the author:

Julianne Donaldson grew up as the daughter of a U.S. Air Force fighter pilot. She learned how to ski in the Italian Alps, visited East Berlin before the wall came down, and spent three years living next to a 500-year-old castle. After earning a degree in English, she turned her attention to writing about distant times and places. She lives in Utah with her husband and four children.

You can connect with Julianne Donaldson at her Facebook page.