Winter Garden

Rating:
Summary: "I've been waiting for you, Madeleine."
Review: "Winter Garden" comes up frequently on romance readers's lists of favorite books, and with good reason. It is a lushly romantic story set in Victorian England with unusual and memorable lead characters. For jaded historical romance readers who are bored with the boiler plate "plucky 18 year old virgin tames cynical 30-some year old rakehell" plotline, this story is a breath of fresh air.

Madeleine DuMais, a beautiful half-French/half-English spy working for Britian, arrives in the small town of Winter Garden with the assignment of investigating and exposing an opium smuggling ring in the area. Her associate in the the investigation is Thomas Blackwood, a British spy who is posing as a scholar writing his memoirs of the Opium Wars. Living alone with Thomas in a small cottage, Madeleine is reportedly translating these memoirs into French.

Madeleine is an excellent character. The illegitimate daughter of an opium-addicted French actress, she has made a decent life for herself by virtue of her wits and her beauty. She has had a series of lovers in her life--but has never allowed herself to fall in love. (Her sexual history makes her a very unusual historical romance heroine, but would barely even register on the radar for the usual historical romance *hero*. Ah! Double standards!)

Thomas is one awesome romantic hero--intelligent, passionate, intense, honorable and somewhat mysterious. Tall, dark and handsome, he walks with a pronounced limp due to an injury from the Opium Wars. He is obsessively in love with Madeleine and wants more from her than the brief affair she envisions. It is a nice twist to see the hero holding out for true love for a change.

The pace of the story is relatively slow and the opium smuggling plotline seems to drift away at the end, because the spotlight is really on Madeleine and Thomas's developing love affair. I found the character development in the story to be excellent. Thomas is a man with secrets--some of which I guessed and some of which surprised me. The sexual tension is intense and the sex scenes very passionate and sensual without being overdone.

In summary this is an excellent and unusual historical romance with complex, memorable characters and a wonderfully romantic story line. Readers who enjoy character-driven romance and are tired of the usual "historical romance formula" will appreciate "Winter Garden".

Highly recommended!

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful Story
Review: A true romance and wonderful love story. Unique. Definitley worth reading

Rating:
Summary: Can I give more stars?
Review: After reading the reader reviews at Amazon, Winter Garden did not live up to my expectations but, in fact, surpassed my expectations by so much that it almost can't be rated or compared to any other books I've read with the possible exception of Flowers from the Storm. What makes it so spectacular? To begin with, the hero, Thomas, is to-die-for and his heroine, Madeleine, is simply perfect for him. In an unusual twist for a romance novel; she's the one with the sexual experience and desirous of a brief affair. He's the one whose complicated feelings demand so much more of her. Secondly, the dialog is stunning and not one false word is spoken. Each verbal exchange between Thomas and Madeleine is teeming with innuendo and intent and gives me goosebumps just thinking about it. Thirdly, this book is character study at it's best. The secondary plot never interferes but rather provides a backdrop for the story of Thomas and Madeleine. While Thomas is a tortured hero, neither Madeleine nor the reader feels abused by his past. He's true and faithful to what he knows and wants, and what he knows and wants is Maddy, now and forver. Finally, Winter Garden has some of the most intense and realistic scenes of passion I have ever encountered. No one's flying to the sun or bursting into white hot flashes of light and the waves don't swell and crash to the shore. Not one word of purple prose is used to convey the intensity of the love scenes. Simply put: this is one of the best romance novels ever written!

Rating:
Summary: Another winner for Adele Ashworth
Review: I have to tell you I have read every one of of Ms. Ashworth's books and she just gets better and better.

Her story lines are always unique in their way. The stories are heartwarming, emotional and endear you to the hero and heroine, even as they work through their feelings and doubts.

I am not a reader who is fond of reading through a lot of emotional baggage and what-not, and I have got to say Ms. Ashworth delivers a well-written, fast-paced story that will tug at your heart strings, but also one that has substance in the relationship of the main characters.

The story of Thomas and Madeleine-who was introduced in "Stolen Charms", is one of two people coming to terms with not only their past, but also discovering what they really need in life.

The story sets Thomas and Madeleine as undercover British spies attempting to break up an opium drug ring. But unbeknown to Madeleine, Thomas arranges for her to be with him and tries to cultivate a relationship between them and to culminate his feelings he has had for her since a fateful meeting with her years ago shortly after he was crippled in an accident.

If you have never read Adele Ashworth you need to start now. You will not be disappointed.

Rating:
Summary: I hated this book
Review: I'm not even sure it's a romance novel, except I can't think of anything else to call it. Why is everyone raving about this book? It would take too long to explain all the reasons why I hated it, but here are a few of its biggest flaws:

1. No tension. Every romance novel has some kind of tension that keeps the characters apart. This is what makes the book interesting. These characters are together and in love from the moment they meet. They live in the same house. Alone. The only thing keeping them apart is the flimsy excuse that Madeleine fears intimacy because she had an abusive, opium-addicted mother. And Thomas wants her to love him, not just use him for sex, so he holds back too, waiting for the right moment. The author seems to be trying to create a psychological romance novel, perhaps something along the lines of Crime and Punishment, only culminating with a confession of love instead of crime. But Dostoevsky she is not. She should have stuck to the traditional romance formula. I quickly grew bored of the same long, repetitive treatises on Madeleine's fear of intimacy and Thomas' desperate need for her to love him.

2. Ridiculously long and unrealistic monologues used to reveal the characters' emotional states. As if we didn't already have enough pages telling us about Madeleine's fear of intimacy due to her abusive childhood and Thomas' desperate desire for her, each of them insists on repeating these facts over and over again in what are supposed to pass for poignant and heart-felt revelations to each other, but look more like clumsy writing.

3. The amazing fact that through 344 pages of internal turmoil, the author somehow manages to avoid any kind of meaningful character development. I'm not even sure what they looked like, except that Thomas is ruggedly handsome and very masculine, and Maddie is devastatingly beautiful. According to Thomas, she is also devastatingly clever and brilliant, warm, gentle, and basically perfect in every way. But other than a couple of tea parties in which she accomplishes the astounding feat of being polite, no evidence of any of these qualities is actually presented. Likewise, other than being handsome and masculine and rugged and desperately in love with Maddie, almost nothing of Thomas' character is revealed. Perhaps a plot would have helped.

4. Lack of a plot. There was some kind of excuse for the two of them arriving in Winter Garden and living together, something about an opium-smuggling ring and villain they were supposed to catch, but this plot took such a backseat to repetitive meandering about the characters' inner turmoil that it was barely noticeable. Even the author seemed to forget about it toward the end, and the entire subplot just kind of disappeared before reaching any kind of climax. Of course, we know that the investigation was largely an excuse for Thomas to bring Maddie to Winter Garden, but a novel still requires a plot of some sort to move it forward. Like Thomas, the author uses the investigation to bring the two characters together, but then relegates it to the background, counting on inner monologues and sex scenes to carry the book thereafter. It didn't work. Instead of using action to demonstrate the qualities of the hero and heroine, the author simply writes over and over again that Maddie is beautiful and clever and fears intimacy because of her abused childhood, and Thomas is ruggedly handsome and masculine and desperately in love with her. Perhaps if the reader hears it enough times, he or she will simply take her word for it. I didn't. Also, we're supposed to believe Thomas and Maddie are brilliant spies because they figure out a brilliant smuggling scheme that isn't the least bit brilliant and has been painfully obvious to the reader since about page 5.

I'll give it two stars for good sex scenes and a mystery involving a limp. I could go on, but suffice it to say that I don't recommend this book to fans of the romance genre. Or any other genre.

Rating:
Summary: WNTER GARDEN scores poignantly
Review: In 1849, celebrated French beauty Madeleine DuMais arrives in Winter Garden which is near southern England to embark on a covert mission to smash a smuggling ring involving Baron Rothesbury - and her partner turns out to be a cripple. Thomas Blackwood is a recluse with an incognito as a scholar while she poses as a translator for his war memoir. She is inexorably drawn to Thomas despite his flaws and feels deeply attached to a man who made her feelings unfathomably confused. Thomas finds solace and love in a woman who is exquisite and bold - and they are soon consumed by love.

WINTER GARDEN under the pen of Adele Ashworth is hypnotically galvanizing - not for its action nor plot on spying missions but in its character study. Thomas and Madeleine are flawed creatures made beautiful each by their own spirits. Their vulnerability is excruciatingly heartfelt and poignant and their declaration of love sincere. Thomas is ashamed of his own past and Madeleine traumatized by her childhood - they each learn that love can heal two lonely souls. Gentle as it is, Winter Garden is strong for tantalizing love passages that soar with boldness. It is erotic and sensuous. Ms. Ashworth knows how to heighten the mood with a dash of innuendo and sizzling tension. .... WINTER GARDEN is surprisingly riveting in its portrayal of tragedies and human emotions and rarely in a romance novel does readers feel for the characters. It is nuanced enough to confirm Ms. Ashworth as a seasoned writer.

Rating:
Summary: "R" is for ROMANCE
Review: No way I can possibly add anything to the positive reviews already posted except to say, I really enjoyed this book. Most of the books I've read where there is a mystery to be solved, the character of the villian tends to be the main focus of the book and the love/romance occurs as a result of the villian and/or criminal - not in this case.

It was really about Madeleine and Thomas's relationship. It's not a mishy mosh sappy love story. Yes, they were there to solve a case. They were equals; each respecting and listening to what the others possible conclusions. That in itself is rare. The case didn't become the main focus of the book and for that I thank Ms. Ashworth for a very well written, different read. I appreciate the escape and if you read this, thank you.

I place alot of value on the reviews before I buy the book. I'm glad I did and hope you DO take the time to read this. Honestly.

Rating:
Summary: Poignant love story, intriguing characters and yet . . .
Review: So typically in this genre, the heroines are 21, virginal, and reactionary. Here we have someone pushing 30, a woman who takes control of the situation to get what she wants - and we both are satisfied! The hero has a dark secret that is unveiled bit by bit - and he's as interesting as she is! This is one of my favorite books - definitely a keeper. I can't wait to read more from Adele Ashworth, she really knows how to keep the reader entralled. Don't miss!

Rating:
Summary: Tantalizing yet serene -- a keeper!
Review: This is my first experience with an Adele Ashworth novel and one that I will cherish for some time.

The characters, Thomas and Madeleine, spies for the British government, have come to Winter Garden to uncover an opium smuggling operation. Unbeknownst to her, Madeleine is about to embark upon an adventure of another sort -- an encounter with a most genuine, honorable man, Thomas, who gently yet unrelentingly challenges the identity she has come to hold dear in her attempt to salvage an otherwise painfilled life. Thomas is a tortured soul, yet the depth of his love could only have come from one who has suffered the losses he's experienced.

The language of this story is beautiful without being florid. The love scenes are just that -- love scenes, not gratuitous and written to fill an otherwise mindless plot. The feel of this book is a quiet one, yet intense with the developing relationship between the main characters. I will recommend this story to my friends but I will not lend my book! This is a keeper.

Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Wonderful...
Review: Winter Garden has to be one of the most romantic stories I have ever had the pleasure to read. It is a quiet story..slowly paced and character driven. The book mainly focuses on the developing relationship between Maddie and Thomas and little else. Ah, Thomas...where to begin? I found him to be heartbreakingly sweet and unsure. He was SO IN LOVE..the manner in which he spoke and reacted towards Maddie had me melting. I will never forget him or this story and fully intend to read it over and over. Now this is a what I would call a GENUINE love story that I would DEFINITELY recommend.