I almost didn't read this. I'm not a fan of first-person perspectives nor do I have the patience for very young heroines. But I was riveted to Kate's story from the beginning and reluctant to let the realities of my own life pull me away from it. Blackmore is filled with the emotional struggles of the people I grew to love: Kate and Henry. I felt their anguish over the things they longed for; Kate for her freedom and Henry for Kate. And I felt their joy. I cried with them. I cried for them. The writing was so poignant that all the while I was reading, I was there in their moment at Blackmore experiencing the significance of the birds, the hidden beauty of the moors, the specialness of the ruins, their cherished time together, their shared history, and so much more. Blackmore is a work of art and one of the best stories I've read. Ever. 5 stars.

Share/Like this Review?

If you enjoy historical fiction, especially the Regency era, you won't want to miss Blackmoore! Kate is determined to get away from her crazy family, especially her mother. She wants to go to India with her Aunt Charlotte, but her mother wants her married and settled down.

Kate also wants to visit her friend Henry's estate, Blackmoore. Determined to get her heart's desire, Kate makes a deal with her mother to placate her. If she acquires and rejects three marriage proposals, her mother will let her go to India and that will be the end of it. Her mother agrees and Kate figures she'll go to Blackmoore, Henry's estate. With his help, she should have no problem securing the three proposals so she can begin on the journey she really wants.

The problem is that securing the proposals isn't as easy as Kate believed it would be. Fate another plan for Kate, if she's willing to compromise what she believes is her heart;s desire, to be free of her mother and family.

With engaging characters and a deftly described world, Blackmoore is a stellar read. Donaldson's characters slowly reveal themselves to their true character as the story unfolds. While I detested Kate's mother, and Henry's for that matter, I thoroughly enjoyed Kate and Henry's journey together. Wonderful read!

Share/Like this Review?

Seventeen-year-old Katherine Worthington knows her heart and she knows that - despite her mother's wretched schemes and plans for her future - she will ultimately never marry. She is determined to join her Aunt Charlotte and travel to India instead - if only to quiet her restless spirit and to escape the family she abhors. But Kate's meddlesome mother has other plans. She strikes a bargain with Kate: Kate may certainly go to India, yes, but only after she 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 the heart, 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 for so many years. Will the proposal she is so determined to reject actually be the one thing that will set her heart free?

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. The characters truly jumped off the page at me, and I felt such empathy for Kate's plight, that I was quite literally crying at certain points in the story. That might mean that I'm more tender-hearted than perhaps I should be, but it's a personality trait about myself that I wouldn't change. I give this book a definite A!

Share/Like this Review?

This book is amazing! I read it in one evening - staying up until 1:15 am to finish it!

Kate Worthington is a strong character who is hiding a secret. She longs to go to India, but her mother will not allow it. She must ask something from her dearest friend, Henry, in order to go to India. This will change both their lives forever.

This book is easy to read, fast moving, and full of a sweet and tender romance. I HIGHLY recommend it!

Julianne Donaldson is definitely one of my favorite authors! She can not write quickly enough to suit me!

Share/Like this Review?

I liked it, it was exciting, sad, interesting, so many things at once. It was a clean book without stuff that I didn't need to read about. The flashbacks to the past were informative enough without being distracted. I loved the time period and the representation of restrictions on women and what it would look like for one of them to challenge everything. Henry is amazing, real without being unbelievable. Kate's family mad me sad but it was believable and contributed much to who she was and what motivated her to be that way. I didn't understand the last scene with the grandfather, it was confusing and I would have preferred to leave with her first meeting with him in my mind. It was great though and I didn't want to put it down.

Share/Like this Review?

Regency romances are not normally my first choice, but this was really good. In the first chapter I though "do I really want to read a romance of a 17 year old girl and 20 year old boy, both upper class, set in 1820 England? But this was not a vapid upper crust society parlor room book. After the first chapter I quickly fell in love with the characters and their story. Kate longs to be free - free from her mother and her rules and expectations. Henry has loved her forever and they were childhood friends. You feel her anguish about her choices and her fight for her freedom. You also feel his anguish because he has a deep love for her that he thinks is unrequited. She does not know of his love. She realizes she does but she is holding back and the reader does not know why. You want to scream with frustration at her to just choose him and be happy. Then you learn the secret she knows and it all falls into place and you realize just how strongly she loves him. It is a romance and so of course there is a happy ending! Well written, good emotions and story, and beautiful setting in the Yorkshire moors.

Share/Like this Review?