Mary N. (maggysue) reviewed Heiress of Winterwood (Whispers on the Moors, Bk 1) on + 811 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
This was so good! Interesting characters and great descriptions of the places in the story. Highly recommended and looking forward to the second book in the series.!
LindseyfromBFCG reviewed Heiress of Winterwood (Whispers on the Moors, Bk 1) on + 117 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
About this book:
"Pride goes before the fall . . . but what comes after?
Darbury, England, 1814
Amelia Barrett, heiress to an ancestral estate nestled in the English moors, defies family expectations and promises to raise her dying friend's infant baby. She'll risk everything to keep her word--even to the point of proposing to the child's father, Graham, a sea captain she's never met.
Tragedy strikes when the child vanishes with little more than a sketchy ransom note hinting to her whereabouts. Fear for the child's safety drives Amelia and Graham to test the boundaries of their love for this infant.
Amelia's detailed plans would normally see her through any trial, but now, desperate and shaken, she examines her soul and must face her one weakness: pride.
Graham's strength and self-control have served him well and earned him much respect, but chasing perfection has kept him a prisoner of his own discipline.
Both must learn to accept God's sovereignty and relinquish control so they can grasp the future He has for planned for them."
Series: Book #1 in the "Whispers on the Moor" series. {Book #2 & #2 on both on here. :)}
Spiritual Content- In the Prologue, Psalm 23 is said & Amelia isn't happy with God for taking another person she loved; Katherine had a strong Faith; "for all that is good and holy" is said once; Many Scriptures; Jane witnesses to Amelia & another man witnesses to Graham; Church going; Many Prayers; Amelia & Graham both have difficulty trusting God (they work on it near the end).
Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a hush', a stupid', two Egad!'s, two idiot's, three shut up's (or "shut yer mouth"s); five forms of blast', a "who in blazes", a "what in blazes", a "devil of a time"; Four curses are said but not written; A mention of how a horse runs as if "the devil himself was at it's heels"; Mentions of gambling; Mentions of drinking, drunks & pubs(and Wanting to drink but does not); Fighting, Guns, Knifes & Blood (semi-detailed); A not-scary nightmare; And like the back of the book says, kidnapping.
Sexual Content- a semi-detailed kisses & a detailed kiss; Wanting to kiss; Nearness & blushes that cause warmth & shivers; Notices of a person's smell; Flattery; A mention of how William was drunk and forced himself on Amelia, kissing her (barely above not-detailed); Edward says two suggestive comments to Amelia (one about having as many babies as she wants & he comments about sleeping alone); *Spoiler* A baby was conceived out of wedlock. *End of Spoiler*; Love, falling in love, and the emotions.
-Amelia Barrett
-Graham Sterling
P.O.V. switches between them.
Set in 1814
310 pages
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Pre Teens- One Star
New Teens- One Star (and a half)
Early High School Teens- Two Stars
Older High School Teens- Three Stars (and a half)
My personal Rating- Three Stars (and a half)
The big twist mention on the back of the cover doesn't happen till a bit half-way through the book--which I was totally okay with. Because that meant I wouldn't be in suspense for so long. ;) As I've mentioned before I like predictable stories and "The Heiress of Winterwood" was a bit predictable but there were also some surprises I didn't see coming!
*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.
*{{'Books for Christian Girls' reviews all genres of Christian books, writing down all the Spiritual, Negative & Sexual content and does ratings for girls ages 9-19.
Keep in mind, when reading a BFCG review, ignore the things that don't bother you, but take notice of the things that do.}}
"Pride goes before the fall . . . but what comes after?
Darbury, England, 1814
Amelia Barrett, heiress to an ancestral estate nestled in the English moors, defies family expectations and promises to raise her dying friend's infant baby. She'll risk everything to keep her word--even to the point of proposing to the child's father, Graham, a sea captain she's never met.
Tragedy strikes when the child vanishes with little more than a sketchy ransom note hinting to her whereabouts. Fear for the child's safety drives Amelia and Graham to test the boundaries of their love for this infant.
Amelia's detailed plans would normally see her through any trial, but now, desperate and shaken, she examines her soul and must face her one weakness: pride.
Graham's strength and self-control have served him well and earned him much respect, but chasing perfection has kept him a prisoner of his own discipline.
Both must learn to accept God's sovereignty and relinquish control so they can grasp the future He has for planned for them."
Series: Book #1 in the "Whispers on the Moor" series. {Book #2 & #2 on both on here. :)}
Spiritual Content- In the Prologue, Psalm 23 is said & Amelia isn't happy with God for taking another person she loved; Katherine had a strong Faith; "for all that is good and holy" is said once; Many Scriptures; Jane witnesses to Amelia & another man witnesses to Graham; Church going; Many Prayers; Amelia & Graham both have difficulty trusting God (they work on it near the end).
Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a hush', a stupid', two Egad!'s, two idiot's, three shut up's (or "shut yer mouth"s); five forms of blast', a "who in blazes", a "what in blazes", a "devil of a time"; Four curses are said but not written; A mention of how a horse runs as if "the devil himself was at it's heels"; Mentions of gambling; Mentions of drinking, drunks & pubs(and Wanting to drink but does not); Fighting, Guns, Knifes & Blood (semi-detailed); A not-scary nightmare; And like the back of the book says, kidnapping.
Sexual Content- a semi-detailed kisses & a detailed kiss; Wanting to kiss; Nearness & blushes that cause warmth & shivers; Notices of a person's smell; Flattery; A mention of how William was drunk and forced himself on Amelia, kissing her (barely above not-detailed); Edward says two suggestive comments to Amelia (one about having as many babies as she wants & he comments about sleeping alone); *Spoiler* A baby was conceived out of wedlock. *End of Spoiler*; Love, falling in love, and the emotions.
-Amelia Barrett
-Graham Sterling
P.O.V. switches between them.
Set in 1814
310 pages
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Pre Teens- One Star
New Teens- One Star (and a half)
Early High School Teens- Two Stars
Older High School Teens- Three Stars (and a half)
My personal Rating- Three Stars (and a half)
The big twist mention on the back of the cover doesn't happen till a bit half-way through the book--which I was totally okay with. Because that meant I wouldn't be in suspense for so long. ;) As I've mentioned before I like predictable stories and "The Heiress of Winterwood" was a bit predictable but there were also some surprises I didn't see coming!
*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.
*{{'Books for Christian Girls' reviews all genres of Christian books, writing down all the Spiritual, Negative & Sexual content and does ratings for girls ages 9-19.
Keep in mind, when reading a BFCG review, ignore the things that don't bother you, but take notice of the things that do.}}
Kay M. (maydayzee) reviewed Heiress of Winterwood (Whispers on the Moors, Bk 1) on + 754 more book reviews
I had wanted to read this book for quite a while and I'm so glad I finally got around to reading it. I love the setting, England 1814. As a bonus, one of the main characters was a ship's captain. Captain Sterling was my favorite character. His character and personality were what I would have expected and hoped for. I love the contrast between his professional persona and his personal portrayal. I really enjoyed this historical romance.
Jennifer E. (hotmama89) reviewed Heiress of Winterwood (Whispers on the Moors, Bk 1) on + 64 more book reviews
Great debut novel. Romance, action, and adventure were all there. I really enjoyed it. I hope she has plans to do stories for William and Helena.
CANDACE B. (prisonlady) reviewed Heiress of Winterwood (Whispers on the Moors, Bk 1) on + 20 more book reviews
This was the first book I have read by this author and it was very good. It didn't drag, but kept your interest all the time. I am a librarian and I read lots of books. I usually have no trouble putting them down, but I actually couldn't do that with this book towards the end. It was so exciting. We will be putting this author's books in our church library. This one is already there and I have ordered her other ones. Her characters come alive and you can't wait to see what happens next. Very well done!
Sarah H. (thedestinyofone) reviewed Heiress of Winterwood (Whispers on the Moors, Bk 1) on + 31 more book reviews
Age Appropriate For: 15 and up for mild violence and thematic elements
Best for Ages: 16 and up
Just when you think that authors have exhausted a theme and there is no way that they can writer something unique, someone like Sarah Ladd comes along and shakes it up.
When I started reading The Heiress of Winterwood I thought I would have a cute book that was much like many other marriage of connivance books I had read. Half-way through the book, the book was nothing like what I thought it would be. Instead, I was drawn into a story with well-developed characters, amazing settings, and a plot that took many twists and turns.
Amelia was a very strong woman and I love that she is willing to do so much to keep a promise to a friend. One thing that I have realized is that in our culture today, we dont value keeping our promises. Amelia makes the hard decision that she will propose marriage to a stranger rather than go back on that promise. With that said, the one thing I didnt like about the story is I felt she was also willing to break any other commitments she had made in order to keep her promise.
I liked Graham as well. I loved how Sarah Ladd lead him through the grief of losing his wife, before any serious romance developed between him and Amelia. Graham was a strong hero with all the gentlemanly qualities that I love when reading a period book.
I recommend this book for those who love period dramas, plots that twists and turns, and sweet romance.
I received this book from the author in exchange for my honest review. I was under no obligation to write a positive review. The opinions in this review are entirely my own.
Best for Ages: 16 and up
Just when you think that authors have exhausted a theme and there is no way that they can writer something unique, someone like Sarah Ladd comes along and shakes it up.
When I started reading The Heiress of Winterwood I thought I would have a cute book that was much like many other marriage of connivance books I had read. Half-way through the book, the book was nothing like what I thought it would be. Instead, I was drawn into a story with well-developed characters, amazing settings, and a plot that took many twists and turns.
Amelia was a very strong woman and I love that she is willing to do so much to keep a promise to a friend. One thing that I have realized is that in our culture today, we dont value keeping our promises. Amelia makes the hard decision that she will propose marriage to a stranger rather than go back on that promise. With that said, the one thing I didnt like about the story is I felt she was also willing to break any other commitments she had made in order to keep her promise.
I liked Graham as well. I loved how Sarah Ladd lead him through the grief of losing his wife, before any serious romance developed between him and Amelia. Graham was a strong hero with all the gentlemanly qualities that I love when reading a period book.
I recommend this book for those who love period dramas, plots that twists and turns, and sweet romance.
I received this book from the author in exchange for my honest review. I was under no obligation to write a positive review. The opinions in this review are entirely my own.
Loraine N. (momrain) reviewed Heiress of Winterwood (Whispers on the Moors, Bk 1) on + 205 more book reviews
I have to admit that it took me some time to get invested in this story, and I can't even tell you why. Perhaps the story took longer than I would have liked to get to a climax. Having said that, once Lucy (the child) is kidnapped, I was hooked! From there, the story was brisk and exciting.
A new regency a la Downton Abbey, The Heiress of Winterwood combines likeable characters, unique romance and plot line to create a sweet and enjoyable story.
Amelia and Graham are two characters thrown into a situation neither one would have chosen if given a choice. Amelia has such a strong love for this little girl that isnt even hers and drives her to takean unconditional method to protect her.
I liked the flavor of this regency that it didnt stick with the normal and acceptable route to romance and the regency pattern. It breaks normal clichés and drives forward with a purpose to the story. Subplots blended well to add layers and tension. Descriptions were sweet and inviting, taking the reader into the story until I could close my eyes and see the story.
I thought the first quarter of the story could have used a bit of tightening and tension, but the middle was by no means sagging! I tried to pinpoint what I didnt immediately connect with while reading the story and I think it was just simply the style. It was by no means anything to dislike, I just struggled to always stay completely invested.
A beautiful cover, a good cast of characters and a novel I would definitely recommend to any regency lover.
This review is my honest opinion. Thanks to the publisher through Litfuse for my copy to review.
Amelia and Graham are two characters thrown into a situation neither one would have chosen if given a choice. Amelia has such a strong love for this little girl that isnt even hers and drives her to takean unconditional method to protect her.
I liked the flavor of this regency that it didnt stick with the normal and acceptable route to romance and the regency pattern. It breaks normal clichés and drives forward with a purpose to the story. Subplots blended well to add layers and tension. Descriptions were sweet and inviting, taking the reader into the story until I could close my eyes and see the story.
I thought the first quarter of the story could have used a bit of tightening and tension, but the middle was by no means sagging! I tried to pinpoint what I didnt immediately connect with while reading the story and I think it was just simply the style. It was by no means anything to dislike, I just struggled to always stay completely invested.
A beautiful cover, a good cast of characters and a novel I would definitely recommend to any regency lover.
This review is my honest opinion. Thanks to the publisher through Litfuse for my copy to review.
Kimberly N. (kimberlyrav) -
This was one fantastic book. I hate to say the same things that I hear so many say but this book fits the 5 star review cliches! Read like I was watching a movie. Loved the setting, the characters, the descriptions of all things, the situations. This is a series I will deff be reading more of. This book was so hard to set down, I couldn't turn the pages fast enough! Light on the romance which I like. A must read!
Lisa G. (plum-marie) -
First time reading this author. It wasn't bad, clean, no language. Relationship seemed a bit rushed and after three weeks of knowing a person with limited interactions it is a bit hard to believe the outcome of the story. I felt Amelia's descriptions of Edward's behaviors and unpredictability very interesting and well detailed. It showed what she was up against as a woman back then. Didn't feel the relationship with Katherine was established enough for Amelia to be so wholly committed to keeping her promise. I did not like that the story finally picked up and then ended much too soon after what should have been the middle of the story. The religion in the story somewhat took away from it for me, even though I am religious-it pulled me out of the story. I found myself skimming really far ahead to see if the pace of the story would pick up and then forcing myself to go back and read. It has room to grow but wasn't bad.
