The Sins of a Few by Sarah Ballance (GFT)

The Sins of a Few
by Sarah Ballance

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BLURB:


Salem, 1692

The moment he steps off the boat and into his hometown of Salem, Nathanial Abbot knows the rumors about Salem are indeed true. For in the two years since he's left Salem—disowned by his family and seeking a fortune of his own—the town has changed. It is dark with discord and suspicion... and accusations of witchcraft. Now all that remains for him is the woman he's never forgotten.

But Faith Downing isn't happy to see Nathanial. In his absence, his younger sisters have ignited the chain of hysteria that resulted in twenty deaths—including Faith's aunt, to whom Nathanial owed his life. Yet through her acrimony, Faith can't prevent herself from responding to the man Nathanial has become, handsome and kind. A man who kindles something in her that speaks of sin.

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Excerpt


“Tell me,” he said, his voice coarse to his own ears. “Tell me how I dishonor a woman when I chose to forsake my own family to pay my respects.”

The look of utter disdain she passed him was somewhat lost by their proximity. They were trading breaths now, as close as lovers. But their positions could not douse the venom in her tone. “You have hardly forsaken your family,” she spat. “Not unless you’ve pushed them piecemeal into the harbor, which is an event I dare say few would mourn. Do they not await your return, alive and well? That is more than anyone can say for my aunt and the remaining nineteen murdered…or the rest who died awaiting trial.”

Mid-diatribe, her attention had fallen to his lips. He touched her chin, knowing that in doing so he risked the welfare of his finger, and didn’t speak until her liquid gaze found his. “I crossed the ocean and I came here first,” he said. Quietly. Fiercely. “Tell me what more I could have done.”

“You could have been here. You could have stopped them.” A single, heart-wrenching sob escaped from her throat. “You could have saved her.”



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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Sarah and her husband of what he calls “many long, long years” live on the mid-Atlantic coast with their six young children, all of whom are perfectly adorable when they’re asleep. She never dreamed of becoming an author, but as a homeschooling mom she often jokes she writes fiction because if she wants anyone to listen to her, she has to make them up. (As it turns out, her characters aren’t much better than the kids.) When not buried under piles of laundry, she may be found adrift in the Atlantic (preferably on a boat) or in search of that ever-elusive perfect writing spot where not even the kids can find her. To learn more about her work in contemporary, historical, and supernatural romance and romantic suspense, please stalk accordingly.

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Tempting Bella, Her Wicked Sin and Romancing His English Rose (reviews)

Three exciting Entangled Scandalous titles are releasing today!


                                                
It is my pleasure to offer a review of each of the three (she says with crossed-eyes, lol)

Tempting Bella

4.5 out of 5 stars 

Tempting Bella by Diana Quincy is the second book in the ‘Accidental Peers’ series and part of the ‘Entangled Scandalous’ line of novels and follows the adventures of two people, Mirabella (Bella) Wentworth, daughter of a duke and Sebastian Stanhope, who were married when she was merely thirteen and he was a newly-minted adult of nineteen. Sebastian spends the time waiting for his child bride to mature learning how to manage the ducal estates, honing his physical prowess and gaining town polish but he is in no hurry to claim his husbandly rights for six long years. An inexplicable attraction to a beautiful stranger he meets threatens to overthrow all of his lofty ideals but his relief at discovering the truth of her identity is compromised by discovering that his long-neglected bride has no intention of being a biddable wife. Each of these opinionated individuals must learn to compromise and to reveal their true selves to one another if the arrangement that they have been forced into has any chance of becoming a meaningful relationship. Fortunately, neither lacks for tenacity. A sweet romantic read with just a hint of spice.

This delightful historical romance combines engaging characters who superficially should be delighted by all that they have yet have emotional scars that make them afraid to lower their guard with anyone. Bella’s misconceptions about her groom are rivaled by his feelings of inadequacy with his own family and their journey to discover their respective truths is a delightful read. The author has done an excellent job of blending a series of events that could be considered to be cliches into a fresh story that epitomizes the romance and color that I enjoy about historical romances. Sebastian’s steadfast behavior and his gentle wooing of his bride does strain credulity a bit but definitely provides a portrait of an honorable gentleman and the variety of companions that Bella has surrounded herself with give insight into her character while providing intriguing secondary characters who hopefully will get their own stories told. I loved the gradual revelation of facts that caused one to look at various people in a new light and I was compelled to finish the story quickly because I became invested in all of the characters. I greatly enjoyed this author’s style and look forward to many more stories from her.

© Night Owl Reviews

I received a copy of this title in return for an honest review.

Her Wicked Sin

3.5 out of 5 stars

Her Wicked Sin by Sarah Ballance is a book in ‘A Sins of Salem’ series is an intriguing tale of a woman physician/midwife in Salem at the time of the furor about witchcraft.  Ostensibly alone because her husband is traveling, Lydia Colson, finds a mysterious stranger injured and alone on a road near her house.  Events conspire to force them into an intimate relationship which gets even more complicated as details of their respective pasts start coming to light.  The malicious actions of some of her neighbors threaten not only Lydia’s livelihood but perhaps her very life and the stranger may end up not being her salvation as she has become to hope but instead may intensify her danger.

This intriguing read gave a vivid picture of the very different life of those in historic Salem.  It was interesting to read about a woman acting as a physician but the presentation of the escalating hysteria about witchcraft was a bit confusing and it was really frustrating to reach the end of the story and discover that there are quite a few threads left dangling.  There were unexpected developments that complicated the story and one hopes that there is a sequel that will take care of some of the strange developments that ended the story on a unresolved and pretty unrealistic note.  I enjoyed the author’s style but was less than satisfied with the way the story played out.






I received a copy of this title in return for an honest review.

Romancing His English Rose

        


“Romancing His English Rose” by Catherine Hemmerling is a title in ‘A Lady Lancaster Garden Society Mystery’ series which features a select group of young women who have joined together to help solve “mysteries, intrigues and villanous plots throughout London”.  Simon Trumbull has been linked with Rose Holderness since they were both children, despite his self-important lofty five year superiority and rejection of her claims upon him.  They both mature into people who have learned to explore other avenues and a discovery that may radically change Simon’s family relations causes them to embark on a dangerous investigation that will either bring them closer together or result in the death of some of those around them.


This gentle historical romance gives a picture of an intrepid band of young women who refuse to be forced into the mold dictated for those in their class.  There are different mysteries being addressed with this series that blends intriguing scientific discoveries that aid in the various investigations.  The romance that develops between the main characters is fun to watch and the clues being gradually unveiled adds to the allure of the story.  There are a few very convenient developments and some of the action seems a bit forced but overall this is a fun light read and I look forward to learning more about the other members of Lady Lancaster’s Garden Society.

A copy of this title was provided to me in return for an honest review


I have the great pleasure to be able to offer these titles as part of a giveaway for the Fall Into Romance blog hop next week, if you are interested in winning a copy, please return to the blog then!