Love's Debt
by Rachel Brimble
Published by The Wild Rose Press
Historical Romance
Available at:
The Wild Rose Press
Blurb:
To keep herself from the depths of poverty, Milly Shepherd needs to be appointed manager of the Red Lion Tavern. The elderly owner is in failing health and has promised her the job permanently if no one more suitable applies. Milly will fight with her entire being to make the job her own.
Joseph Jacobs needs to supplement his income to pay off his father’s creditors and save him from debtor’s prison. Though the job as manager of the local tavern looks promising, Milly is favored by both the owner and customers. Instead, Joseph swallows his pride and agrees to tend bar.
As they work together, their attraction grows, their goals cross, and both Millie and Joseph find they must face their fears …the question is whether they face them alone or together?
Excerpt
Joseph Jacobs closed the tavern
door behind him and paused a moment to take in his surroundings. As a man used
to looking over his shoulder and sensing trouble, experience taught him to be
aware of others before they became aware of you. He narrowed his gaze. The
meager number of patrons at the tables surprised him at an hour when he
expected the bar to be fairly busy. He glanced at the clock; maybe it wasn’t
time for the workers yet.
He shifted his gaze to the woman
standing beneath the clock and his heart kicked. Her green-gold eyes held him
where he stood. She stared and Joseph swallowed, willing some words to come
forth from his frozen tongue or at least a smile to curve his paralyzed lips.
She lifted her eyebrows and
slowly pulled a cloth from her shoulders. Her hair was a mass of fire-tipped
curls around her oval face, her skin creamy-white and her parted lips, a soft
delicate pink. Joseph cleared his throat and belatedly removed his hat.“Good
evening, miss.”
Her smile slipped easily into
place. “Good evening to you, sir.” Her voice was smooth, clear and full of
confidence. “Are you looking to quench your thirst or just planning on soaking
up the atmosphere?”
Joseph inhaled a long breath
through flared nostrils as if trying to smell her. Something told him she’d
smell of lavender…or maybe musk. Something to throw a man off guard, to lower
his defenses.
He stepped forward. “Neither. I
am looking for the landlord. Would you happen to know if he’s available?”
Her gaze lingered on his a moment
longer before she looked to the four glasses at the table beside her. She
grasped them expertly between her fingers and carried them behind the bar
without answering his question.
Joseph couldn’t take his gaze
from the natural sway of her hips beneath the deep burgundy dress she wore, the
bustle a little too prominent for the current fashion showing her lack of money
to afford better. Why else would a woman with the features of an artist’s model
be working in a tavern unless necessity demanded it?
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is a nice short and sweet historical romance, and it's a nice way to spend a cozy, fall evening. The characters, story, and setting are sweet, and I loved almost everything about ths book. I could have done without the brief profanity and sex scene, but thankfully both were short! I love strong women, and Milly is definitely that. And Joseph is the typical Victorian gentleman who is down on his luck. Although the story was short and developed faster than I might have liked, it was nice. I would love to read more from ths author.
I always find Victorian England a nice escape in ths day and age. While I know that illicit actions were still a part of the culture, they were veiled. And morals were still alive back then. In fact, I loved Milly's response as things blossomed between Milly and Joseph. And I'm glad to know that marriage is expected--much nicer than just living together! While the end is expected (no spoilers, but I bet you can guess the ending), it is still nice!
I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I was not financially compensated, and all opinions are 100 percent mine.
I always find Victorian England a nice escape in ths day and age. While I know that illicit actions were still a part of the culture, they were veiled. And morals were still alive back then. In fact, I loved Milly's response as things blossomed between Milly and Joseph. And I'm glad to know that marriage is expected--much nicer than just living together! While the end is expected (no spoilers, but I bet you can guess the ending), it is still nice!
I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I was not financially compensated, and all opinions are 100 percent mine.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Rachel lives with her
husband and two young daughters in a small town near Bath
in the UK . She started writing short stories about eight
years ago but once her children were at school, she embarked on her first
novel. It was published in 2007. Since then, she’s had several books published
with small presses as well as securing her first contract with Harlequin
Superromance in May 2012.
Represented
by US
agent Dawn Dowdle, of Blue Ridge Literary Agency, Rachel is a member of the
Romantic Novelists Association and Romance Writers of America, When she isn’t
writing, you’ll find Rachel with her head in a book or walking the beautiful
English countryside with her family. Her
dream place to live is Bourton-on-the-Water in South West England. And in the
evening? Well, a well-deserved glass of wine is never, ever refused…
Contact Rachel at:
Website - http://www.rachelbrimble.com
Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/rachelbrimble
or @rachelbrimble
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/pages/Rachel-Brimble/181873201887441
For the duration of the tour (which can be followed here), ten e-copies of Love's Debt will be given away, and the giveaway is open worldwide. Just enter below!
For the duration of the tour (which can be followed here), ten e-copies of Love's Debt will be given away, and the giveaway is open worldwide. Just enter below!
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