Rating: 
Summary: I Liked This and You Will, Too!
Review: This book was a little out of the ordinary for a traditional Regency romance. For one thing, the heroine (Jane Lovering) is a widow. Having once been sacrificed on the altar of family finances, she refuses to go along with her father's plot again. Her flight leads to encountering Rolfe, the Earl of Graystock. He is out of the ordinary, too. Although he has a secret in his background which makes him a tortured hero, he doesn't bemoan his fate. He accepts what life has dealt him and tries to do the right thing--even when the heroine prefers to marry another man. An honorable man as a hero is one who grabs my heart every time. I must also admit to a sneaking affection for the other suitor in Jane's life. Harry is exactly the happy-go-lucky guy who would make a girl's life happy, yet Rolfe is the one who makes your heart beat quicken. Pick up A Secret Passion and indulge yourself in a passion that refuses to stay hidden.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best Regencies I've read in a long time
Review: This is a great story! I couldn't put it down. The hero, Rolfe, is to die for and the romance is wonderful. Definitely a book for your summer reading list. I can't wait for Ms. Nash to write another!
Rating: 
Summary: A silly paragon wasted on a promising hero
Review: This is a very uneven book. I quite liked the hero - as an earlier reviewer pointed out, he is one of the very few romance heroes who actually accept that when a woman says "no" she really means "no". But the heroine was so stupidly stubborn (the author calls it pride) that one keeps wondering that one so lacking in any sense of self-preservation actually managed to reach the ripe age of twenty-three or so. In addition, the heroine was incredibly beautiful, a wizard with horses and able to dash off a novel in her spare time. I do believe she was bad at embroidery, though.
There is what could have been a very touching secondary romance - but the author quickly relegates it to the sidelines, just summing up most developments and resolving everything very patly half-way through the novel. More might have been made out of this.
This phenomenon is quite typical of the novel as a whole: The author often does not know what to write about in scenic detail and what to sum up. So I verged between being growing bored with some descriptions and being annoyed that some other developments happened too fast.
What really annoyed me, however, and almost made me lay the novel aside half-way through, was the heroine's family. I don't want to give away too much, so here are just some hints: Both the heroine's father and brother are involved in a power struggle based on a misunderstanding of an event that occured five years earlier. As a result of their both keeping quiet about vitally important facts, they damage the heroine's happiness to a terrible degree not once, but twice, while both claim they love her. She forgives each of them after half a page. Now I do not think that forgiveness is unbecoming in a character, but to forgive such incredible selfishness (which had caused such suffering) after five minutes, went deeply against my grain. It read like an invitation "go on, trample on me again" - but I already mentioned that lack of any sense of self-preservation...To sum up, the author shows some promise, but she should rely less on a convoluted plot (with many accidents) and more on convincing character development.
Rating:
Summary: A feel-good read
Review: This was a fun, fast read with just the right amount of sexual tension, nice give-and-take between the lead characters and interesting subplots. I'd definitely read another Nash book.
Rating:
Summary: Perfect for a rainy afternoon.
Review: Widow Jane Lovering refuses to allow her father to wed her to another old man for money. She flees to the small town of Littlefield to reside with her spinster aunt, Clarissa Fairchild. It is there she meets Rolfe. At first she thinks he is a stable hand on a runaway horse. She quickly learns he is the obnoxious arrogant, and short tempered Lord Graystock. Rolfe Fitzhugh St. James, the Earl of Graystock, has never met a woman like Jane before. She remains unbowed before his temper and even goes so far as to offer her help in training his stallion! Rolfe decides to marry her instead of strangle her. But while Rolfe goes behind her back with her knowledge to her father to make arrangements Jane is deciding her own future. By the time Rolfe returns, Jane has met up with a childhood sweetheart Harry who has his own marriage proposal. As for Aunt Clarissa, it is just her luck that Rolfe's visiting friend, Sir Thomas Gooding (previously his subordinate officer in the military), happens to be one of her suitors from years ago. ***** There are two, sometimes three, sets of romantic suits going on at once in this deliciously scandalous romance novel. Jane is often coming up with wild plans and attempting to follow through without really considering the consequences of them, or of what her heart tells her. The story is not set in London with all the balls and parties, so no vicious gossiping from anyone in the Ton to speak of. But readers know the tongues in London are blabbing away. This story is the perfect way to spend those rainy afternoon hours. I look forward to Sophia Nash's next release. ***** Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding New Regency Author--Captivating Voice and Story
Review: Wow, I really enjoyed this book by new author Sophia Nash! This is a Regency that packs a sensual punch and brings new energy to the genre. The author writes with an elegant style and grace, with an obvious affection for the traditions of Regency England. I was pleasantly surprised to find much of the action taking place among the countryside and sea cliffs of Cornwall, well away from the elegant parlors and gilt-clad ballrooms of London. And since I've been a horse-lover from early childhood, I enjoyed reading equine scenes written by someone who obviously knows horses and doesn't relegate them to the place of decorative accessory to the well-dressed peer! The romantic tension between Jane Lovering and the Earl of Graystock bubbles beneath the surface, even as Jane and her childhood sweetheart Harry plan a covert marriage in Scotland. But past secrets throw a truncheon into the best laid plans. I'm won't reveal more so that you can enjoy this delightful story on your own, but I must say, I read most of this book from cover to cover without stopping once to come up for air. Congratulations and a heart-felt "Well done!" to Ms. Nash on her first book. I believe this new author has a long and successful career ahead of her. A Secret Passion now has a place on my "Keeper" shelf, and I can't wait to see what treats Ms. Nash has in store for us with her August release of A Passionate Endeavor!
Rating:
Summary: I loved this book!
Review: Wow, I really enjoyed this book by new author Sophia Nash! This is a Regency that packs a sensual punch and brings new energy to the genre. The author writes with an elegant style and grace, with an obvious affection for the traditions of Regency England. I was pleasantly surprised to find much of the action taking place among the countryside and sea cliffs of Cornwall, well away from the elegant parlors and gilt-clad ballrooms of London. And since I've been a horse-lover from early childhood, I enjoyed reading equine scenes written by someone who obviously knows horses and doesn't relegate them to the place of decorative accessory to the well-dressed peer! The romantic tension between Jane Lovering and the Earl of Graystock bubbles beneath the surface, even as Jane and her childhood sweetheart Harry plan a covert marriage in Scotland. But past secrets throw a truncheon into the best laid plans. I'm won't reveal more so that you can enjoy this delightful story on your own, but I must say, I read most of this book from cover to cover without stopping once to come up for air. Congratulations and a heart-felt "Well done!" to Ms. Nash on her first book. I believe this new author has a long and successful career ahead of her. A Secret Passion now has a place on my "Keeper" shelf, and I can't wait to see what treats Ms. Nash has in store for us with her August release of A Passionate Endeavor!
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