Blurb:
While
she is travelling north to find sanctuary from the malicious gossip of the Ton,
Lady Isabella Wormsley’s room in a Dalkeith inn is invaded by handsome Scottish
Laird, Charles Lindsay. Charles has uncovered a plot to kidnap her, but Bella
wonders if he isn’t a more dangerous threat, at least to her heart, than the
villainous Graham Direlton he wrests her from.
Bella
settles into the household of her Aunt Hatty Menzies in Edinburgh’s nineteenth
century George Square where Charles is a regular visitor. She has been exiled
to the north by her unfeeling mama, but feels more betrayed by her papa to whom
she has been close. Bella hopes the delivery of her young cousin’s baby will
eventually demonstrate her own innocence in the scandal that drove her from
home.
Bella’s
presence disrupts the lives of everyone connected to her. Direlton makes
another attempt to kidnap her and in rescuing her a second time, Charles is
compromised. Only a betrothal will save his business and Bella’s reputation.
Mayhem,
murder and long suppressed family secrets raise confusion and seemingly endless
difficulties. Will the growing but unacknowledged love between Bella and her
Scottish architect survive the evil Direlton engineers?
About the Author:
ANNE
STENHOUSE has
always loved words. Reading them and using them greedily, she can’t truly
remember a time when she couldn’t escape into the pages of a book and certainly
can’t remember when she couldn’t talk and ask questions. Anne is a published
and performed playwright. She studied both English and History at University in
Edinburgh, and finds it a great joy to combine these two disciplines in her
first novel, Mariah’s
Marriage. Being a playwright means Anne loves dialogue and knows a
piece is going well when she ‘begins to hear the characters talking to each
other’. She has been a civil servant, full-time Mum and, for a while, a worker
in an Addictions’ rehabilitation unit. Anne lives in Scotland with her husband
and dancing partner of over thirty years. Their children and a grandchild are
close by.
Review by Rochelle:
Bella’s Betrothal is about the
granddaughter of an Earl who is sent to live with her aunt in Scotland when her
reputation is ruined by rumors of an affair with a married man in London. The
rumors are false, but her mother banishes her anyway, sending her on the long,
perilous journey north without the protection of a male relative to escort her.
When
the unscrupulous Lord Direlton hears of Bella’s pending arrival, he decides to
kidnap her and have his way with her. He invites his buddies to partake, as well.
Charles Lindsay is like a son to Bella’s uncle and wants nothing to do with the
plot. He decides to rescue the girl, and falls in love with her at first sight.
Part of him doesn’t believe the rumors and part of him doesn’t care about them. He’s already flaunting society by working as an architect, and Bella is working
hard to clear her name. As time goes by and word arrives that her cousin is
expecting while Bella is not, it becomes clear that Bella’s honor has not been
compromised—until Direlton tries again to kidnap her and she and Charles are
seen alone together late at night with their clothing rumpled. They must become
betrothed to save both their honors.
I
normally avoid historical romances. I absolutely hate anachronisms. There’s
nothing worse than reading an historical book littered with modern idiom. When
I expressed this opinion in an online discussion, Ms. Stenhouse challenged me
to find an anachronism or modern idiom in her book, Bella’s Betrothal. I found one semi-questionable line that was so
iffy, I didn’t even bookmark it.
Another
of my pet peeves is the misuse of homonyms. One of the most confusing pairs is
affect/effect. Rarely do I see the word effect used correctly as a verb. Yet,
at twenty-seven percent of the way into the book, Charles says, “Give me the
pen. I caused the damage, and I will effect a repair.” I almost fell out of my
chair when I saw Ms. Stenhouse using “effect” correctly. Bravo! I have found a
Regency author who not only avoids anachronisms, but knows how to write English
grammatically! There must be something special about the Scottish school
system, since that, I believe is where J. K. Rowling was also educated.
In
addition to the historical consistency and good grammar, the characters are
well-drawn and the action starts on page one and keeps you on the edge of your
seat throughout the book. Bella is never quite certain of Charles’s feelings
for her, and Direlton and his men hover over them like the flaming sword of
Damocles. I really enjoyed this book, and look forward to more accurate,
well-written, page-burning historical fiction from Ms. Stenhouse.
Author’s Website:
Facebook:
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Anne-Stenhouse/e/B00D2UINKE/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1
Heat Rating: PG-13
Length:
271 Pages
Digital Price: $5.95
You’ll
notice we always include the publisher’s buy link. That’s because authors
usually receive 40-50% of the net proceeds from the publisher. Editors and
cover artists usually receive about 5%. When you buy a book from Amazon, Barnes
& Noble or another third-party vendor, they take a hefty cut and the
author, editors and cover artists receive their cuts from what is left. So, if
a book costs $5.99 at E-Book Publisher.com and you buy from there, the author
will receive about $2.40-$2.99. If you buy the book at Amazon, the author will
receive about $1.70-$2.10.
Download
the file from the publisher onto your computer as you would any other file. I’ve
created a folder for books on my computer, with subfolders by source (Marketing
for Romance Writers, Net Galley, Authors who find me on Kindle lists, etc.).
That way, if there’s a glitch with your Kindle, the books are on your computer.
Some publishers send books in all digital formats. If my Kindle breaks and my
kids buy me a Nook, I won’t have to replace all of my books. If you have a
Kindle and your hubby has a Nook, you won’t have to buy separate copies, so
buying directly from the publisher can save you money.
Moving
the file from your computer to your e-reader is as easy as transferring any
file from your computer to a USB flash drive.
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