Review: A Duke's Promise by Jamie Carie

My rating: 2 stars / It was okay

Synopsis

Award-winning writer Jamie Caries concludes her most epic storyline with a wonderful twist in A Duke’s Promise, the final Forgotten Castles novel.

From the Land of Fire and Ice back to England’s shores, Alexandria Featherstone finds herself the new Duchess of St. Easton. Her husband has promised a wedding trip to take them to the place where her imperiled parents were last seen -- Italy and the marble caves of Carrara -- but a powerful Italian duke plots against Alex and her treasure-hunting parents.

Hoping to save them, Alex and Gabriel travel to Italy by balloon. Fraught with danger on all sides and pressured by Gabriel’s affliction to the breaking point, they must learn to work and fight together. The mysterious key is within their grasp, but they have yet to recognize it. This journey will require steadfast faith in God and each other -- a risk that will win them everything they want or lose them everything they have.

My Review

This is the third book in a series where the story continues over the entire series. I really enjoyed the first book and thought it had a great setup, even though the main characters don't meet. The second book however took a downturn for me, and I was hoping that it would recover in this third book when Alexandria and Gabriel are married, but things just got more melodramatic and my patience was completely gone. The scenes told from Alex's missing parents' points of view made it different from the previous books, and we also get the perspective from a lusty crazed Spanish duke who turns out to be a stalker of the Featherstone women as well as pursuing the manuscript. The sexual content of the book is borderline and I wouldn't consider it entirely clean. The vague descriptions of the  machine the manuscript is about reduced the sense of the importance of their discovery. 

(I received a complimentary copy of the book; all opinions in this review are my own)

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Check out the other books in the Forgotten Castles series . . .

Review: The Forgiven Duke by Jamie Carie

My rating: 2 stars / It was okay

Synopsis

Tethered by her impulsive promise to marry Lord John Lemon - the path of least resistance - Alexandria Featherstone sets off toward Iceland in search of her parents with a leaden heart. A glimpse of her guardian, the Duke of St. Easton - the path less traveled by - on Dublin’s shore still haunts her.

Will he come after her? Will he drag her back to London, quelling her mission to rescue her treasure-seeking parents, or might he decide to throw caution to the wind and choose Foy Pour Devoir: “Faith for Duty,” the St. Easton motto. The Featherstone motto Valens et Volens: “Willing and Able,” beats in her heart and thrums through her veins. She will find her parents and find their love, no matter the cost.

The powerful yet wing-clipped Duke of St. Easton has never known the challenge that has become his life since hearing his ward’s name. Alexandria Featherstone will be the life or the death of him. Only time and God’s plan will reveal just how much this man can endure for the prize of love.

My Review

This is the second book in a series where the story is spread out over all three books, with the first two books ending on a cliffhanger. I'm not a fan of that format, and even though I liked the first book, my patience and interest began to wane by the end of this book. The setting in Iceland brought fresh life to the travels of Alex as she follows the clues of her parents' mysterious whereabouts. Her thoughts and choices seemed out of character as she compromises her reputation and safety by pretending to be the wife of her relatively new friend John. The overall tone of the book is darker as there is more violence, trials, and difficult consequences, especially for Gabriel. The politics of the countries vying for the manuscript are also explored more, and the ramifications of Alex's choices grow more complex.

(I received a complimentary copy of the book; all opinions in this review are my own)

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Check out the other books in the Forgotten Castles series . . .

Review: The Guardian Duke by Jamie Carie

My rating: 4 stars / I really liked it

Synopsis

The Guardian Duke is award-winning novelist Jamie Carie’s most exciting story yet, a uniquely arranged Regency-era romantic adventure where hero and heroine know each other through written letters but have yet to meet.

Gabriel, the Duke of St. Easton, is ordered by the King to take guardianship over Lady Alexandria Featherstone whose parents are presumed dead after failing to return from a high profile treasure hunt. But Alexandria ignores this royal reassignment, believing her parents are still alive and duly following clues that may lead to their whereabouts. Gabriel, pressured by what are actually the King’s ulterior motives, pursues her across windswept England and the rolling green hills of Ireland but is always one step behind.

When they do meet, the search for earthly treasure will pale in comparison to what God has planned for both of them.

My Review

I'm not a fan of books that end on a cliffhanger, and this book is like part one of a three part story. But because I'm able to read all three in a row without waiting for the next book to release, it's not as bad. The characters are compelling and even though Gabriel and Alexandria don't even meet in this book, they form a relationship through letters and their personalities come across strongly. The element of suspense propels the plot forward and the traveling Alex does prevents the setting from becoming stagnant. I like the strong cast of secondary characters and look forward to continuing the story in the next book.

(I received a complimentary copy of the book; all opinions in this review are my own)

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Check out the other books in the Forgotten Castles series . . .