It was a wonder, the way she found herself. Not in her name, but in his arms…Merial Hanraham has no recollection of who she is.Found unconscious in a dinghy with nothing but a mysterious coffer, she is taken on board by a crew of British sailors heading to England.Christopher Buckthorn, son of the Duke of Heyerdahl and proud captain of the “Valkyrie”, never expected to find a woman with no … never expected to find a woman with no memories floating in the middle of the ocean. Especially not one as stunning as Merial.
Amidst old superstitions turning the crew against her and pirates constantly on their tail, Merial and Christopher must piece together the fragments of her returning memories.
And the key to the truth might just lie in a riddle carved on the mysterious coffer; a single word to unveil not only Merial’s true identity but also the name of the person hunting her…
*If you like powerful Dukes, loving Duchesses and a marvelous depiction of the majestic Regency and Victorian era, then The Lost Countess that Counted Stars is the novel for you.
This is Patricia Haverton’s 5th novel, a historical Regency romance novel of 80,000 words (around 400 pages). No cheating, no cliffhangers, and a sweet happily ever after.
Pick up “The Lost Countess that Counted Stars” today to discover Patricia’s captivating story!
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I loved that this story did not follow the typical, historical romance ‘formula’. It was a very unique tale that immediately drew me in. Not only is this a very well-written book with wonderfully-interesting characters, but the suspense builds at just the right pace as the story unfolds.
*I received a complimentary ARC of this book in order to read and provide a voluntary, unbiased and honest review, should I choose to do so.
Lost Countess that Counted Stars takes off into a deceitful web of danger and deception with a murderous villain slinking in the background in this action-packed novel that has a incredible strong plot, wonderful characters, and great dialogue that bring this together perfectly. The book starts out with a shocking beginning that hooks you and you can’t put the book down until the end. Merial just escaping with her life from a fire at an inn that kills her parents is found later in a dinghy alone in the middle of the ocean. Rescued by Christopher, captain of the Valkyrie, Merial has no memory of her past. Aboard the Valkyrie her crew are superstitious and believe sharks following a ship and an dead albatross dropping dead out of the sky are bad omens of what’s to come, a ship cursed with a woman aboard! With a “lucky” black cat aboard ship who can foretell storms and raiding pirates! With Christopher protecting Merial against a disgruntled crew and murading pirates is trying to help Merial remember her past. With their passions building in this heart pounding story full of drama, secrets, turmoil, trials and tribulations while the suspense builds, tensions escalate and all twist and turns abound that makes for one outstanding story! Patricia Haverton has written a novel that is a must read!
I love Regency Period tales, especially when they’re period appropriate, and I have a “soft spot” for powerful Dukes. (I’m still quite a bit miffed that the love of my life is not secretly a Duke.) i also love it when an author had an imaginative take on things and runs with it. That’s certainly the case with Merial and Christopher’s tale in Patricia Haverton‘s The Lost Countess that Counted Stars: A Historical Regency Romance Novel. Read the publisher’s and you’ll get a sense of what I’m writing about. This is superb stuff. Wonderfully told and with really perfectly crafted complex but real characters with an exciting romantic plot. Highly recommended.
Merial Hanrahan is woken from a deep sleep by banging at her door. She is rushed out and she with the servants rush to a ship heading for America. Her parents are dead and she does not know what to do. Her parents arranged for her to go to her aunts. Then Pirates attack and she is thrown into a dinghy. She is being shot at and bangs her head and forgets just about everything.
Lord Christopher Buckthorn, the second son of Duke Heyerdahl, owns his own ship, the Valkyrie. He
loved the sea, wind blowing in his hair the sounds of the sea washing under the ship’s hull. He rescues her and the suspicions begin. When she tried to sleep, nightmares came and scared her almost to death. So many things happened during their voyage. From meeting Henry to Pirates to
sailors trying to kill her. It is like a rollercoaster but the reading is smooth and even-paced. The characters are quite amazing and realistic. The author has done a marvelous job with the details of the tale. It is entertaining and interesting. I highly recommend this lovely novel.
I received this ARC from the author and voluntarily reviewed it.
An unknown countess found alone in a small dingy with a small wooden coffee with her. Lord Christopher Buckthorn, captain of the Valkyrie takes Lady Merial Hanrahan under his care despite of his ship of suspicious sailors. With no memory of who she is other than her name she befriends the crew and becomes one of them working along side the ships cook Gauthier. As danger and nightmares seem to plague Merial the closer they get to London the closer she and Christopher become. Can they solve the mystery of who she is and why she has nightmares of a fire or will she be killed before they find out the truth? A winding, mysterious tale that will leave you on edge till the end.
“The Lost Countess that Counted Stars” by Patricia Haverton
This story was a lot of fun to read. I received an ARC from the author with the request for an honest review. I must admit I got weary of the amount of time spent at sea, although I must also admit there was nary a boring moment in this whole story. And, all ends well as all novels should. Happy Reading ! !
The opening of the story is full of fear, fire and danger. Then we jump to a dingy on the sea. A lot of time was spent describing the day to day minutia of the crew, Lady Merial and the captain Lord Christopher. It covered the many. many superstitions sailors had. One being a woman on the boat was bad luck. The story covered the deeply swaying of approval of the sailors one day and something would happen and they would blame Merial for it. As courageous as Merial was she was intensely sensitive when something happened between the crew and herself. At time she felt she was the cause of the problems. Christopher was a comfort and provided the reassurance she needed. Although she had lost her memories, Christopher told her it would take time for them to return and they would. Merial almost gave up all hope. Christopher was the second son of a duke, owned the ship the Valkyrie and was a stern but fair captain. He knew his men and how to deal with them. The weeks at sea on their way to London, Merial had an education in the superstitions of the crew, how Christopher handled infractions by the men and also about mercy. Merial life was threatened more than once. The sailors who threatened her threw themselves overboard instead of hanging. The threats against her life on board eliminated they sailed into London Harbor. Christopher took Merial to his parents’ home in Mayfair where she was greeted warmly. There was this wooden box called a coffer that was with her when she was found unconscious floating in a dingy on the sea. Merial still did not know the importance of it. While in London she recognized nothing. She was told of the death of her parents and that her uncle now held the title. She did not know how very close her death was when she returned to her home and to her Uncle Edward. This is an interesting story. Like I mentioned earlier too much of the book was spent on the day to day minutia and not enough on the romance between Merial and Christopher. There were several lovable secondary characters. Henry, an exotic cat who could predict trouble before it came. He was also a great rat catcher. Then there was the Maurice the cook from France who made every meal delicious. There was also the first mate Mr. Mayhew who feared women and sailor Jack who was finally won over by the goodness of Merial. There are others but none as memorable as these. I give this a 3.5-star rating. Like I said this is a different look of nobility out of their normal setting of balls, soirees, outings etc. Based on their personality how they adapt to their circumstances being at sea for weeks dodging pirates, storms and sea creatures. I believe the story livened up for me towards the end. This book is okay. I feel there is room for improvement.
Patricia has served up a delicious tale full of suspense and mystery. Rich characters navigate the deep waters of the Atlantic while dangers lurk onboard. I loved this book. It moves at a nice measured pace as the story develops, but is never dull. I never guessed the previous events until the final outcome. Wow!
I don’t want to spoil anything, so suffice it to say that I recommend this book. Patricia Haverton is a master storyteller.
Knuckling their brow! What does that mean? I had never heard that phrase before but it seemed that every man in th book were constantly knuckling their brow. My only complaint. It seemed to be in every page. There was finally a time when Merial copied the look of Christopher knuckling her brow at him. That was funny. Otherwise it for old quickly.
Lady Merial Hanraham has been found unconscious in a dingy by Christopher Buckthorn, son of a Duke captain of the Valkyrie, as merchant ship on it’s way back to England from America. Merial only remembers her name and has nightmares of escaping a fire. That is it.
Christopher is intrigued by her. The crew, not so much. They are a superstitious crew that believe having a woman on a ship brings has luck. How will they treat Merial? Will they make her walk the plank? It was interesting learning the superstitious says of sailors. And how a woman in Regency England has to be aware of proper behavior even under Merial’s unusual circumstances.
The interaction Merial and some crew members were very tense and she was a bit too easy at letting some behavior and acts of violence against her not be punished too strongly. Could have gotten herself killed.
Still, it was a very enjoyable read. Sometimes I got too wrapped up in the storyline. Which I sometimes do. I received an ARC of this ebook to read and write an honest review. I also purchased a copy of the published book from Amazon. Looking forward to book six.