Wednesday Wonders: THE DARKEST SUMMER

This week's Wednesday Wonders is part of a blog tour for

The Darkest Summer 

by Rebecca J. Greenwood

About the book:

Lady Cora Winfield’s life has always gone according to plan–her mother’s plan. So when she meets the dark Duke of Blackdell, Cora is fascinated. Knowing his dangerous reputation, Cora’s mother flatly forbids the match, and the duke decides to take matters into his own hands. Kidnapped and facing a scandal, Lady Cora must now decide whether love will be her downfall or the beginning of a new plan, one she never dreamed possible.

Set in the stormy summer of 1816, this Regency romance is a retelling of the myth of Hades and Persephone.

Excerpt:

She wanted to press for more details, but caught her mother’s glare and remembered that she was dripping on the carpet. Lord Eastham wasn’t the type to have really noticed or cared about the crops or the tenants who worked them unless they weren’t getting enough money to him. This might be an unfair assessment, but he did give that impression. While he was blond, handsome, athletic, and dressed in the height of fashion, Cora had always found him to be mocking her on some level whenever they met. But he was her mother’s favorite, so they met far too often.

Author Rebecca J. Greenwood is offering a Goodreads giveaway for her book for an opportunity to win a copy, please click on the following link:

Goodreads Book Giveaway

The Darkest Summer

by Rebecca J. Greenwood

Giveaway ends November 27, 2017.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

The promotional prequel novella, The Darkest Hour, is out and available on Instrafreebie, if you would like to check it out in connection to The Darkest Summer. 

Blurb for The Darkest Hour:

When Lady Hester discovers her brother Adam, the Duke of Blackdale, was injured in the Battle of Waterloo, she rushes from Scotland to Belgium to be by his side. Her minister, the widowed Reverend Alasdair Gilchrist, escorts her on the journey. She is determined to keep her brother alive, and to keep her greatest secret: she’s been in love with Mr. Gilchrist for years.

The novella is both a standalone romance and a prequel to The Darkest Summer. 

To download a copy of The Darkest Hour from Instantfreebie, please CLICK HERE. 

My Book Review of The Darkest Summer:

I have read several Regency novels set in 1816, but this novel got the details right about this particular year. It became known as the year without a summer. Although the inhabitants of Europe did not realize it at the time, the eruption of Mount Tamora in the Dutch East Indies in 1815 was to blame due the volcanic ash in the upper atmosphere blocking the sun. However, the author used this phenomenon as the setting and an important element for her novel.

I loved how the author depicted the novel’s characters. With her peculiarities, Cora was such an unlikely, yet lovable heroine. She was as distressed about the effect of the summer weather on plants, including crops, and what poor growth would mean to the common people as she was about her court of fortune-seeking suitors. Her mother, and overbearing, over-protective personality, micro-managed her daughter’s life, yet there was a little room for empathy for her reasoning. And our hero, Adam, struggling to overcome the effects of being raised by his abusive father, fighting what we know today as PTSD, and struggling with physical pain as a result of a battlefield injury not completely healed, was a hero easy to love and cheer for. I ached over his inability to know how to court according to the accepted customs of the day—the man could not “say the pretty,” yet he loved deeply.

This novel engaged me from the start, first with the character of Cora, and then with the action and suspense as she and Adam struggled with the effects of the winter weather in summer while they traveled north. I also enjoyed the secondary romance between two very interesting characters. This was a sweet romance about some dark times, and one that was a pleasure to read. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves a good romance. 

Purchase Links: 

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books & things

About the author:

Rebecca J. Greenwood is an author, artist, and designer with a love of stories, especially Regency romances. She grew up in Texas as the oldest of six, and studied visual art with a music minor at Brigham Young University. Rebecca lives in Utah with her husband, where she listens to audiobooks, cooks experimentally, has an interest in alternative health, and constantly has a new project in mind. Visit rebeccajgreenwood.com to experience more of her art, writing, and upcoming projects. Author Residence: Orem, UT

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