An unforgettable kiss. A kaleidoscope of senses. A night she’ll always remember.From USA Today bestselling author Stacy Henrie, comes NIGHT AT THE OPERA, An American Heiress novel.NIGHT AT THE OPERA –1908–When American heiress Gwen Barton aids an injured gentleman in an opera box in London, she shares a kiss with the stranger that changes her life. More determined than ever to be herself, in … determined than ever to be herself, in spite of the limp she’s sustained since childhood, she will marry for love and not a title. She also resolves to learn the identity of the man she helped—and kissed. Surely he can’t be the irritating Avery Winfield, though. But as circumstances continue to throw Gwen and Avery together, she begins to wonder if there is more to this man than she first thought.
While most of London only knows him as the nephew of a duke, Avery Winfield is actually working for the Secret Service Bureau to ferret out German spies from among the ton. It’s a profession that gives him purpose and a reason to remain a bachelor. But the more he interacts with Gwen Barton, an heiress from America, the more he begins to question his plans and neglected faith. Then he learns Gwen is the young lady from the opera box who helped him. Now his most important mission may have nothing to do with saving Britain from danger and everything to do with risking his heart for the woman he met that night at the opera.
AMERICAN HEIRESS SERIES:
Night at the Opera
Beneath an Italian Sky (April 2019)
Among Sand and Sunrise (October 2019)
Other books by Stacy Henrie:
LOVE INSPIRED HISTORICAL
A Cowboy of Convenience
The Rancher’s Temporary Engagement
The Outlaw’s Secret
The Renegade’s Redemption
Lady Outlaw
The Express Rider’s Lady
OF LOVE AND WAR:
Hope at Dawn
Hope Rising
A Hope Remembered
A Christmas Hope
more
Absolutely adored this book – can’t believe I didn’t review it before – it’s a beautiful love story, bringing an American debutante to England and thrusting her immediately into intrigue. I loved every second of this romance.
Night at the Opera (2018) by Stacy Henrie is the first novel in her American Heiress series. This book was recently released on October 16, 2018 by Mirror Press, and can be purchased wherever books are sold. This novel comes in all forms including eBook, and is 276 pages in length. With a full-time job and a very lively six-year old, this book took me two days to read. I received a review copy of this novel in eBook form from the publisher via Kathy at I Am a Reader. In no way has this influenced my review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own. I give Night at the Opera 5 STARS. This novel is a Historical Christian Romance.
Do yourself a favor and go online to Amazon or run to your local bookstore to pick up a copy of Night at the Opera by Stacie Henrie. I absolutely LOVED this book. I will admit that I had never heard of Stacie Henrie before so I wasn’t sure what I was going to get with this book. But the premise really grabbed my attention, so I went with it. Boy, am I glad I did. I enjoyed every page of this highly engaging story!
Gwen, the heroine of this novel, is an exceptional character. She is slightly introverted and completely endearing. Gwen would prefer a night in her library reading the latest romance released rather than attend the latest society ball. This is a sentiment I can relate to greatly! Gwen is slightly damaged from an accident she suffered when she was a little girl, but refuses to let it get her down. Sure, sometimes the chronic pain from this injury is frustrating and wearisome, but Gwen never allows it to change her positive outlook. I find this quality most inspirational. A negative attitude does nothing but make a person miserable, and Gwen totally gets that. My most favorite character attribute though is Gwen’s strong faith in God. She is NEVER afraid to share her faith no matter what others may say or think. She boldly professes her faith in God as her source of strength even when she worries on the inside that maybe her confessions will alienate herself from others. I genuinely love this about Gwen’s character. It’s a great reminder that no matter who or what comes my way, I must always stand strong in my faith in God and His Truth.
Avery is a wonderful hero. He’s a bit Mr. Rochester meets Mr. Darcy. I immediately fell for his character! Not only is he handsome, intelligent, and refined, but he is also rather cool. He is a spy for what will eventually become Britain’s MI-5 and MI-6. So there is this aura of mystery and danger to Avery that makes his character even more swoon-worthy! Like all good heroes, Avery is a bit damaged by events in his past. His mother died when he was a boy, and his father did not take it well. This leads to a very acerbic relationship between Avery and his father that never finds resolution. It is unfortunate, but such ugly earthly relationships can cause us to question the love and faithfulness of our Heavenly Father, which is exactly the path Avery has taken at the start of this book. I feel that Avery’s questions, worries, and fears in regards to God are all very realistic feelings that I have related to in my own past, which makes Avery and even more relatable character. When Avery does come to better conclusions about God, with Gwen’s help of course, I could not help but cheer for him!
One reason why I love Christian fiction so much is because it tries to answer the tough questions in a way people will understand and accept. Avery’s tough question in this story is: why does God allow pain if He loves us? Gwen thinks about her own pain and explains to Avery that sometimes pain is the best way to grow into the person God wants him/her to be. This confounds Avery until Gwen states that until she experienced her own pain, she wasn’t really conscious of the pain of others. It took her getting hurt to realize that others get hurt too and need help. This realization allowed Gwen to follow a path towards helping injured and sick children that she probably would never have followed if she had never been hurt. I found this to be a stellar answer to this rather difficult question. God doesn’t want His kids to be in pain. That is not God’s will for us. But, God will use our pain to shape us into the men and women He hopes we will become. Pain, in a sense, is a refining tool used by God. It is not a punishment. What a fabulous take away!
Truly, I am sad to be done with this book. I will miss my time with Gwen and Avery very much. If you are looking for a highly engaging, captivating, and well-written Historical Romance then I highly recommend Night at the Opera. It is a definite must-read!
There were a lot of things I enjoyed about this book: the historical setting (early 1900s are my favorite), the mystery (not too much, just enough to keep things interesting) and the main characters, of course.
Avery and Gwen meet under unusual circumstances that seal them to one another, however unknowingly in the beginning. By the time they discover each other’s identity, they keep their secret to protect the other.
The development of their relationship was a joy to read and I can’t wait for the next installment.
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
–1908–
When American heiress Gwen Barton aids an injured gentleman in an opera box in London, she shares a kiss with the stranger that changes her life. More determined than ever to be herself, in spite of the limp she’s sustained since childhood, she will marry for love and not a title. She also resolves to learn the identity of the man she helped—and kissed. Surely he can’t be the irritating Avery Winfield, though. But as circumstances continue to throw Gwen and Avery together, she begins to wonder if there is more to this man than she first thought.
While most of London only knows him as the nephew of a duke, Avery Winfield is actually working for the Secret Service Bureau to ferret out German spies from among the ton. It’s a profession that gives him purpose and a reason to remain a bachelor. But the more he interacts with Gwen Barton, an heiress from America, the more he begins to question his plans and neglected faith. Then he learns Gwen is the young lady from the opera box who helped him. Now his most important mission may have nothing to do with saving Britain from danger and everything to do with risking his heart for the woman he met that night at the opera.
MY TAKE
This was my first book by, Henrie, and I LOVED it! I listened to the audiobook, and Kelly Burke was wonder as the narrator. She blended the American and English accents very smoothly. Both Gwen and Avery were fun characters. Gwen had a crippled foot that’s helped to make her compassionate and able to see outside of herself, in spite of her family’s affluence. She’s not looking forward to the trip to London but makes the most of it by telling herself it will give her a chance to to talk with a doctor who specializes in the kinds of problems the children suffer from at the orphanage she volunteers at. He might even be able to help her.
Very early into the story, Gwen comes across a wounded man in a dark opera box and renders him aid. They end up sharing a kiss–hey it worked to wake up Sleeping Beauty, right? Though neither she nor Avery know who the other one is, they were both touched by the short time they spend together. What follows is a charming romance with just enough intrigue to spice it up. Wonderful characters, flawed but trying to do the right thing.
I’m excited to listen to the next book in the series.
This is a clean, sweet romance with some mystery and suspense. Gwen is an American heiress who has a bad limp due to an accident as a child. Gwen is down to earth and prefers helping out at her cousin’s orphanage rather than attending social activities. Her mother takes her to England for a season to try and find a titled man to marry. She decides to be herself with men while in England and discovers a strange friendship with a man named Avery. Avery doesn’t have any desire to marry, but enjoys Gwen’s frank discussions and friendship. What will happen when there are men intent on hurting Avery? Will Gwen be in danger, too? Great book, really enjoyed it, highly recommend it!
Gwen Barton is beautiful, wealthy, and walks with a limp. Deciding that trying to cover up her limp during her 2 seasons in New York were partly to blame for her failure to make a match, she decides that she will be herself while in London for the season. Therefore, when she encounters an injured man at the Opera, she doesn’t shy away from helping him. But, who is he?
Avery Winfield is handsome, soon to be titled, and determined not to marry. He’s convinced that his spy work would put a wife and children in too much danger. But, after an American helped him at the Opera, he’s determined to find her. And, once he finds her, can he stick with his plan or will she get past his defenses?
There is much to like about this book. I love Gwen and find her to be a perfect balance of strength, intelligence, and vulnerability. I also love Avery in spite of his misplaced determination to protect others from the dangers of his job. The development of their relationship is well timed and realistic.
Beyond the romance is a nicely paced suspense story where the bad guy isn’t clearly discerned until near the end. I also appreciated Gwen’s efforts to understand her mother and likewise, Avery’s efforts to understand his uncle.
Themes include – spying, family relationships, matters of faith, and caring for orphans.
Romance – PG / kisses
Language – Clean
Violence – PG – a couple of scenes where a characters life was in danger.
My rating – 5 stars.
I enjoyed this book. It was different having an American in England for the season. I liked both Gwen and Avery. I liked that they were real with each other and not putting on false airs. I did question the believability of the first kiss but since the whole rest of the book was based on that kiss I chose to overlook that and just enjoyed the story. I liked that Gwen was a strong character even though her body suffered weakness.
It is Christian lit but not over done. There are a few discussions about belief and faith in God but not over the top sermons. I felt like Gwen’s beliefs were a part of her core and therefore a natural part of conversation.
I did wonder a few times about Avery’s spying ability but having never been a spy I can only suppose his oversights may be typically human.
I’ve only ever read a novella of this author before but I would be willing to read more of her works.
No sex or language
Violence: some, attempted murder. Not overly graphic
I received an ARC of this book and chose voluntarily to write a review with my honest opinion.
I have loved every book that Ms. Henrie has ever written, but seeing that NIGHT AT THE OPERA was about spying, I was especially eager to read it, and it’s even better than I hoped! Ms. Henrie is my go-to author for comfort reading, in the sense that I can relax because I know I need not check anything: the author is always historically accurate, or as in this case that she acknowledges where she took some liberties. Gwen and Avery don’t share the same views on faith, and it is the cause of a slight disagreement between Gwen and Avery, and from his point of view, it’s easy to understand his reasoning. I love how Gwen turned her “shortcoming” – her limp – into a strength and made her more resilient, in a very believable way. She knows what she wants, she will do what needs to be done to achieve it, but she never behaves recklessly or stubbornly; she evaluates what must be done and when, which makes her very much alike Avery. Gwen’s constant and subtle battles with her mother also show her fortitude; Mrs. Barton can be a bit aggravating at times!
Avery is a spy, and I love how this part of the story was handled: it was always present, but not overwhelming and very realistic. NIGHT AT THE OPERA is masterfully balanced: the spy story is essential to the romance, while the growing romance bleeds into the spying, and so seamlessly, it’s a pleasure to read every page. NIGHT AT THE OPERA is just so smooth, so lovely, and still riveting: there is a traitor amidst the ton: who is he, how will he be uncovered; how will Avery and Gwen reconcile their differences and find their happily ever after. Stacy Henrie continues to enchant and delight me with every book she writes!
Settle into some highly satisfying hours of reading pleasure with this delightful Edwardian era novel set mostly in London in 1908. This book had all the ingredients for a page-turning and compelling read: a beautiful and strong American heiress with a disability, a mystery man, intrigue and danger, compassion, an inspirational faith message, personal growth, and a sigh-worthy clean romance. I absolutely loved it and can’t wait to read the rest of the American Heiress Series by Stacy Henrie!
A chance encounter with an injured patron of the opera gives Gwen a glimpse of romance, a kiss from a stranger. Gwen prefers to spend her time helping orphans rather than being courted by suitors who see her fortune rather than her true self. She is conflicted when she meets Avery and while she enjoys spending time with him does not know if she can trust him as he keeps things close to his chest. Learning that he is a spy, she is keen to help him. I enjoyed Stacy Henri’s writing style and found the story engaging and intriguing. I like the way the plot unfolded and look forward to reading more from Stacy.
This was a cute and romantic read, it was a little bit fast-paced but I really enjoy the story and the book.
A beautiful heroine with a disability that makes her even more powerful, more kind with so much to give and so much to teach.. her mother wanted to arrange her marriage with men who really didn’t understand her but life and circumstances put her in the right place and moment to meet the right man for her heart.
This is a good read it was a little fast-paced and things got to resolve a fast but I did enjoy the romance.
The characters were well-developed throughout the story. Our hero was a decent, ethical man, and thought he was doing okay, but realizes something is missing. The heroine has desires that she thinks are what God wants her to do, but experiences disappointments. Mystery enough to keep the story moving and the scenery of London brought in enough to make it believable. I gave it five stars because Ms. Henrie did a wonderful job of making us aware of the attraction between the hero and heroine without just the physical attraction.
I enjoyed this book. I thought she wrote the mystery well and was able to believe the connection with the H & h was realistic. Reading of the romance bloosoming was sweet. The characters were well rounded.
Overall, I liked the book quite a bit. I liked the way the relationship developed. I like a heroine who, while nice, speaks her mind. The book moved well through the story. My only real complaint is that the bad guy was pretty obvious, even if it wasn’t to the characters in the book. Otherwise, an American heiress going to seek a bride in Edwardian England is a romance type I haven’t read many of. I was also happy that there were few typos to distract from the story.
This was a nice historical romance. It’s a time period I haven’t read much of. I liked the setting and the American/British crossover. The writing was well done, the characters unique and the plot interesting. I liked the bit of intrigue as well. Great book!
Stacy Henrie’s book covers have attracted me for some time, so her name is familiar, but this is the first book I have had the chance to read by her. I have to say I’m very impressed! The story was fast paced, I absolutely loved these characters, and the historical details and setting were perfect for the tale.
I was instantly sympathetic to Gwen, not because of her disability, but because she allowed it to shape her into a kinder human being. Her love toward others was inspiring and a good reminder that life is more about how we react to our challenges than about which specific difficulties we face.
Avery is a hero fit for Gwen, more for his character than his profession. I loved how he supported and encouraged her, even when he thought he only wanted to be her friend. His own particular struggles were realistic and I appreciated how it took him some time to understand what they were and then attempt to overcome them.
The plot was very interesting, and while I had heard about American heiresses seeking titles and acceptance in England, this is the first novel I have read about it. It has intrigued me, and I’m happy to learn there are more books to come in this series.
This is a clean and thoroughly enjoyable romance. I highly recommend it for those who love excitement, intrigue, and great storytelling without scenes or language—books that can be shared with teen daughters without caveat or reservation. I will be looking for more from this author and checking out her backlist soon!
I received a complimentary copy of this book but was under no obligation to post a review. The opinions expressed are both honest and my own.
Night at the Opera is a pretty good read. I enjoyed Gwen’s story. Especially, when she was in the scenes with Avery. Those two were so sweet and fun together. The plot has them involved in a little adventure, mystery and suspense. Which kept me intrigued and wanted to keep reading.
Night at the Opera is a wonderful inspiring story of hope, forgiveness and faith, that many readers would relate to. I am giving it four and a half stats. I would love to read more stories like this by Stacy Henrie in the near future.
Night at the Opera is a great read and I recommend it.
I received this book from the publisher. This review is 100% my own honest opinion.
An absolutely amazing novel. It contained all the elements I prefer like capturing your attention from the beginning paragraph. There was depth to the characters that made them endearing and believable, particularly their weakness and how they overcome them. The story line engaged you making it nearly impossible to put down especially with the suspense underling the romance. Brilliantly written and wonderful to read.
I loved this book. Started yesterday and spent every spare minute reading it since then. My heart raced along with Gwen’s and I loved Avery’s awakening to the spirit and knowing he was capable of love. Such a sweet story full of heart and spirit.
A great romance with a little suspense thrown in. I loved Gwen’s character. She’s been through a lot, but didn’t let it affect her faith or goodness. She is a good strong woman. Avery is a kind man, but he fears letting anyone get close to him. Their friendship is so sweet. I really enjoyed how well they worked together and that they could joke around with one another. I’d read some of the reviews beforehand, so I wasn’t expecting a lot of spy work, so I wasn’t disappointed by that as others had been. It is a clean romance that touches on real life issues; injuries, loss and illness, but also how to have faith in God through those hard times.