The Great Estate by Sherri Browning
Publisher & Release Date: Sourcebooks
Casablanca, August 4, 2015
Time
and setting: June 1909, England
Genre:
Historical Romance
Length:
352 pages
Heat
Level: 1 Scorching Hot Flame
Rating: 4 Gold Crowns
Book Description:
If you're a fan of Downton
Abbey, don't miss the fascinating Edwardian world of Thornbrook
Park.
Pulled
apart by past mistakes. Driven by a passion neither could deny.
Sophia Thorne was young and inexperienced when she married the dashing Earl of Averford...and through dark and troubled times, their relationship nearly came to an end. Now she's determined to transform herself into the fiery, ardent lover she always wanted to be, giving them a second chance at love... before they're lost to each other forever.
Sophia Thorne was young and inexperienced when she married the dashing Earl of Averford...and through dark and troubled times, their relationship nearly came to an end. Now she's determined to transform herself into the fiery, ardent lover she always wanted to be, giving them a second chance at love... before they're lost to each other forever.
It took
nearly losing Sophia for Gabriel to realize he had allowed his love for his
great estate to distract him from his beautiful wife. But that time is over.
Despite all the obstacles standing in their way, Gabriel vows to teach Sophia
what it is to truly love...and to be loved by a husband devoted heart and soul
to her every desire.
Thornbrook
Park series:
Thornbrook Park
An Affair Downstairs
The Great Estate
Thornbrook Park
An Affair Downstairs
The Great Estate
Buy
Links:
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1LR3ai0
Apple: http://apple.co/1KQtgkA
Chapters: http://bit.ly/1Co93S5
Indiebound:
http://bit.ly/1gmvOeQ
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Goodreads:
Vikki’s
Musings
When I read the book description for The
Great Estate, I found it intriguing. I am a huge Downton Abbey fan and
have recently read some books written in this era and enjoyed them a great
deal. Sherri Browning has written a fine addition to her Thornbrook Park series.
This is the first book by Ms. Browning I have read, but it will not be the
last.
Sophia, Countess of Averford made a grave mistake
when she allows another man to kiss her. Even though her husband had become
distracted, she should have never given in the kiss. When her husband finally
returns from his year abroard, she is determined to show him the passion she
held back.
Gabriel, Earl of Averford, is determined to earn
back his wife’s affection. After spending a year on the continent learning ways
to show his love for Sophia, he returns and sets out to seduce his wife and win
back her love. Even though he witnessed a kiss between his wife and another
man, he knows Sophia would never have given into the kiss if he had not
neglected her.
Will Sophia and Gabriel be able to mend their
differences and find true passion in their marriage, or will the past separate them
forever?
The Great Estate is a continuation of the family
saga of a dynastic family. Even though this is the third book in the series, I
did not feel as if I had missed anything by not reading the other books first.
However, after reading this entertaining book, I do plan to read the other two
books.
This is a lovely love story between a couple who
married without truly knowing one another. Sophia’s character had been
incredibly young and naïve and had listened to the strict advice of her mother
regarding relations with her husband, much to her detriment. It is only after
she spends a year looking back that she is able to move past that and embrace
the passion she feels for Gabriel. Sophia is now an independent woman who has
managed her husband’s estate during his absence and has even made it more
profitable. She has at last matured into the woman she wants to be. I felt her
remorse over her actions and her determination to prove herself to her husband.
I liked her character quite a lot.
I fell in love with Gabriel’s character right away,
although, I am not so sure a man of this age would have been as forgiving and
accepting of his wife’s indiscretion. However his wiilingness to see his culpability
is refreshing and made for an interesting read. I loved his determination to
become a better man. I could feel the love he has for Sophia on every page. He had
me completely vested in his quest from the very beginning.
While I enjoyed the various sub-plots, I’m not sure
they truly moved the story forward. They at times took away from the central
focus of the book. Nonetheless, The Great Estate is a beautifully
written story, and I enjoyed it. I recommend this book for it has a real sense
of the time period, a time that will face revolutionary changes during the Great
War. It is a time that will change forever the way the aristocracy will live
their lives. Happy reading!
Excerpt:
A short time later, Sophia glided down the stairs refreshed
and feeling pretty. Jenks had worked her usual magic in pinning her hair at her
nape, with soft strands falling to frame her face in perfectly planned “escape”
from her diamond comb. The beading of her gown picked up the low light,
shimmering as she crossed the drawing room.
“Champagne?” Her breath caught at sight of her handsome
husband awaiting her, two glasses in hand. She hadn’t exactly forgotten how
well he filled out a tuxedo, but she couldn’t help but feel the fresh tingles
running through her blood like bubbles in the champagne when she looked him
over. Golden blond hair just brushing the top of his dark collar, tanned skin.
He’d spent a lot of time outdoors in Italy, apparently. His shoulders were
broad enough to carry the weight of the world or at least, all of Thornbrook
Park.
“It’s appropriate for tonight.” He handed her a glass and
held her gaze, his coffee eyes aglow. “A celebration. I’m so happy to be home.
Happiest to be with you, my exquisite wife.”
She clinked her glass to his. “To your return. I’d almost
forgotten how suited you are to dressing up, for a man who prefers the out of
doors.”
His full lips parted in a smile, bringing out the single
dimple in his left cheek. “I’ve a new interest in interiors.”
“Oh? So you won’t be getting up at the break of dawn to go
out and kill some poor unsuspecting animal?”
“Some poor unsuspecting animal will be gracing our table
tonight, and thank goodness for it. The Italians offer some interesting
cuisine, but there’s nothing like a good English roasted haunch.”
“A haunch? You make it sound so appetizing. Not exactly what
you learned to cook in Italy, then, I presume.”
“I learned to make gnocchi, little Italian potato dumplings,
served with sage in a butter sauce. And risotto. I’ve perfected my risotto, or
so our cook, Signora Gugino, told me. She was my instructor. Some mornings, I
would help her go out and look for mushrooms. She taught me which ones were
good for eating, and which to avoid.”
“My husband, the mushroom hunter? Astounding.”
“I can show you. We have a few of the same kind growing in
the woods here.”
“I would like that.” She took a long sip of champagne.
Author
Bio:
Sherri Browning writes
historical and contemporary romance fiction, sometimes with a paranormal twist.
She is the author of critically acclaimed classic mash-ups Jane Slayre and
Grave Expectations. A graduate of Mount Holyoke College, Sherri has
lived in western Massachusetts and Greater Detroit Michigan, but is now settled
with her family in Simsbury, Connecticut.
Find her online
at www.sherribrowningerwin.com
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