Bride of a Distant Isle
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Bride of a Distant Isle (Daughters of Hampshire) by Sandra Byrd {Review}

Bride of a Distant Isle (Daughters of Hampshire) by Sandra Byrd {Review}

I received this product free from Blog Tour, NetGalley, Wynn Wynn Media for the purpose of reviewing it. I received no other compensation for this review. The opinions expressed in this review are my personal, honest opinions. Your experience may vary. Please read my full disclosure policy for more details.

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Bride of a Distant Isle (Daughters of Hampshire) by Sandra Byrd {Review}Bride of a Distant Isle by Sandra Byrd
Series: Daughters of Hampshire #2

Find the Author: Website, Blog, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads
Also in this series: Mist of Midnight
Also by this author: Mist of Midnight
ISBN: 1476717893
Genres: Christian Fiction, Christian Historical Fiction, Historical Fiction, Romance, Victorian Gothic Romance
Published by Howard Books on May 22nd 2016
Pages: 352
Format: eARC, ARC, Paperback
Source: Blog Tour, NetGalley, Wynn Wynn Media
Buy on Amazon | Buy on BN.com | Buy on Thriftbooks
Find on Goodreads

Miss Annabel Ashton is a teacher at the Rogers School for Young Ladies in Winchester when she takes a brief visit to her family home, Highcliffe Hall at Milford-on-Sea. She believes her stay will be short but soon learns that she will not be returning to the safety of the school. Instead, she remains at Highcliffe, at the mercy of her cousin, Edward Everedge.
Annabel protests, but as the illegitimate daughter of a woman who died in an insane asylum, she has little say. Edward is running out of money and puts the house up for sale to avoid financial ruin. He insists that Annabel marry, promising her to a sinister, frightening man. But as the house gets packed for sale, it begins to reveal disquieting secrets. Jewelry, artifacts, and portraits mysteriously appear, suggesting that Annabel may be the true heir of Highcliffe.
She has only a few months to prove her legitimacy, perhaps with assistance from the handsome but troubled Maltese Captain Dell’Acqua. But does he have Annabel’s best interests at heart?
And then, a final, most ominous barrier to both her inheritance and her existence appears: a situation neither she nor anyone else could have expected. Will Annabel regain her life and property—and trust her heart—before it’s too late?

Creative Madness Mama reviews the first in a new series from @SandraByrd Mist of Midnight, a gothic Victorian romance with a bit of mystery from @HowardBooks

Last year, I found myself captivated by the writing in Sandra Byrd‘s first book in the new Daughter of Hampshire series. I knew from reading that one as well as others in the past of Sandra’s historicals that I needed to plan some time. When I read Sandra’s books I’m not satisfied with a few minutes and done. I want to sit and pour in the details and get enveloped within the story. I have found that to be completely true once again with this latest book, Bride of a Distant Isle.

Intrigue, friendship, romance, hardship, pride, adventure, feminist independence, and gentlemanly flirtations all reside within these pages. 

In addition to these first two books, a third in the series, A Lady in Disguise is tentatively scheduled to publish in 2017 and I can already tell you that I eagerly await that next release as well!

Creative Madness Mama reviews the second in the Daughters of Hampshire series from @SandraByrd Bride of a Distant Isle #ChristianHistorical

Read an excerpt in the 2016 Howard Books Sampler!

It just so happens that I have had this book in my stack of to be reads for a little longer than usual. As you may have noticed, book reviews have slowed down a little bit as homeschooling has picked up. (Plus there is that Rascal as a toddler reigning a bit of havoc as well…) While still a book in the Daughters of Hampshire series, Bride of a Distant Isle stands completely on its own. This is once again a page-turning gothic Victorian romance with a good bit of mystery. While we had a flare of India in Mist of Midnight, in Bride of a Distant Isle our flavor is decidedly Maltese. While I do not know much about Malta yet, it was interesting to learn snippets of this near Greek and Italy isle. (AppleBlossom will be studying Greece and Rome history next year, so I’m sure to be reaching for more books featuring such locales.) I was captivated from the first page is an earnest statement.

I started reading Bride of a Distant Isle one evening and enjoyed myself that I hated to put it down. Later that night, we had storms and scared children and an insomnia mama and I read and read until finally around 5:30 in the morning I put the book down and blissfully got a few hours of sleep. Sandra Byrd’s writing continues to impress me with each new book of hers that I read. While I haven’t read her contemporary or youth titles, her historicals are fascinating and entertaining. Filled with vivid details that bring the characters alive and right off of the pages and into my imagination. I always know that with Sandra’s books I will not be disappointed and I could definitely recommend this one highly. I’m disappointed that it had to end and now while I will await the next book in the Daughters of Hampshire series, I will attempt to find something to hold me over until then.

What is your favorite Victorian Romance novel?

 

Rating Report
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FTC-Book-Review

 

More Sandra Byrd on Creative Madness Mama… 

 

About Sandra Byrd

After earning her first rejection at the age of thirteen, bestselling author Sandra Byrd has now published more than forty books. Her adult fiction debut, Let Them Eat Cake, was a Christy Award finalist, as was her first historical novel, To Die For: A Novel of Anne Boleyn. To Die For was also named by Library Journal as a Best Books Pick for 2011 and The Secret Keeper: A Novel of Kateryn Parr, was named a Library Journal Best Books Pick for 2012. The Tudor series’ end cap, Roses Have Thorns: A Novel of Elizabeth I published in April, 2013.

A life-long lover of Victorian Gothic romances, Sandra’s new series, Daughters of Hampshire, weaves elements of that mystical, traditional genre with inspirational and literary threads. Mist of Midnight, the series’ first book, debuts in March, 2015.

Sandra has also published dozens of books for tweens and teens, and is passionate about helping new authors develop their talent and their work toward traditional or independent publication. As such, she has mentored and coached hundreds of new writers and continues to coach dozens to success each year.

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The Creative Madness Mama also known as Margaret is a Christian Stay-at-home Mama, married to the Enginerd, quilter, cross stitcher, avid reader and book-a-holic. As book blogger for various publicists, she loves to share the latest and greatest about books coming out as well as her needle art and other crafty projects with some pictures of her fourteen-year-old AppleBlossom, twelve-year-old OrangeBlossom (the Princess), nine-year-old Almond Blossom (the Rascal boy!), six-year-old (red) Mermaid Warrior, the four-and-a-half-year-old Viking Dragon, and Huckleberry (due in June 2024!) in between. Homeschooling, cloth diapering, breastfeeding, babywearing, bone broth brewing, tea drinking, list making mama full of a little creative and a lot of madness.

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