Three elopements. Three love stories. Three times the fun.SAVING GRACE by Lucinda BrantWhen widow Helen, Lady Dysart, returns to the English border town of Carlisle for a family wedding, she decides to confront local physician Royston Meredith, the man who broke her heart. Royston has loved Helen since they were teenagers. He thought the feeling mutual until she up and married the local MP. While … married the local MP. While everyone around them hopes this reunion will see Helen and Royston sort out their differences, of more immediate concern is Royston’s youngest sister Grace, when she elopes with the steward’s son. Helen and Royston dash after her, determined to save her from scandal and an imprudent match. But in saving Grace the couple may very well be saving themselves.
FOOLS RUSH IN by Julie Daines
Richard Arden needs a wife in order to collect his inheritance. Eliza Barnes needs to escape an arranged marriage to the odious Mr. Barrington. When Richard overhears Eliza’s plight at the coaching inn, he does the most reckless thing he’s ever done—he proposes to a woman he’s never met before. What begins as an easy solution leads Richard and Eliza on a journey across the country with Mr. Barrington at their heels, complicated even more when their fake engagement leads to feelings that are very real.
A LADY OF SCANDAL by Heather B. Moore
Unfortunately, Bridget’s marriage is over in four hours due to her husband’s tragic death. Fortunately, Bridget is now free from her distasteful marriage of convenience. When her year of mourning passes, and she meets her former husband’s cousin, Bridget discovers that her difficulties are far from over. Lord Hugh Wilde blames Bridget for his cousin’s death. But when Bridget’s sister elopes to Gretna Green with a man of questionable reputation, Lord Wilde is the only one who can help, and they both have to set aside their pride to rescue the errant sister.
From the publisher of the USA TODAY bestselling & #1 Amazon bestselling Timeless Romance Anthology series in Regency Romance, comes ROAD TO GRETNA GREEN. Featuring New York Times bestselling author Lucinda Brant, Julie Daines, and Heather B. Moore
Other books in the Timeless Regency Collections:
AUTUMN MASQUERADE
A MIDWINTER BALL
SPRING IN HYDE PARK
SUMMER HOUSE PARTY
A COUNTRY CHRISTMAS
A HOLIDAY IN BATH
FALLING FOR A DUKE
A NIGHT IN GROSVENOR SQUARE
ROAD TO GRETNA GREEN
WEDDING WAGERS
more
A very entertaining read!
Road to Gretna Green (2018) is a really good collection of novellas by Lucinda Brant, Julie Daines, and Heather B. Moore. This anthology is part of the Timeless Regency Collection published by Mirror Press, and was just released on May 15, 2018. This book is available in eBook form, and is 230 pages in length. This collection reads as a stand-alone; it is not necessary to read any of the other books in the Timeless Regency Collection series to understand the stories in this anthology. With a full-time job and an exceptionally precocious six-year old at home, this novella series took me three days to read. I received a copy of Road to Gretna Green 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 this novella collection 4.5 STARS. This collection is a Clean Historical Romance series.
Overall, I found “Saving Grace” to be a very sweet and engaging story. It did take me a moment to sort out who was who at the beginning. I found I needed a second to figure out who the protagonists were because this story begins from Edith’s point of view but she is not a main character, which threw me off for a few pages. But, once the story gets to the main characters’ points of view, I found the story to be rather delightful. The characters are quite likable, and I found myself cheering on Royston and Helen rather early on in the story. I very much enjoyed the plot masterminded by Royston’s family, unbeknownst to him, to get him and his sweetheart to the altar! That part is fun, and actually contains a twist I didn’t see coming until it hit me square in the face! This is definitely a short story I would recommend.
“Fools Rush In” is the funniest short story ever! I laughed out loud reading this one. “Fools Rush In” is a story I would re-read again and again. Eliza and Arden are FANTASTIC characters. I love how they easily interact with each other right from their first meeting. At first, their relationship is born out of self-preservation, but as the story progresses the bond they form is unbreakable even with a crazy lunatic chasing after them. Richard is definitely a knight in shining armor doing whatever it takes to keep Eliza from Barrington. He is a man of his word, and does whatever necessary to protect those he cares for and loves. Richard is a really sweet hero. Eliza is hilarious — the things that come out of her mouth are so outlandish. She is a witty and creative storyteller. Overall, I give “Fools Rush In” a 5+++++ rating. This is such a great story. I am actually sad my time with Eliza and Richard is over.
I love Heather B. Moore’s writing. She is SOOOOOO good! I have not come upon a story written by her that I did not like. Of the three stories in this collection, “A Lady of Scandal” is the best. It is well-written and well-paced. It flows like a full-length novel. The characters in this short story are excellent, too. Hugh and Bridget are perfect. I love stories where the main characters don’t like each other at first. It’s one of my most favorite tropes. Moore does an excellent job with this in that the characters don’t know each other at all, they’ve never even seen one another, yet the dislike and distrust between the two at first is palpable — I could have cut it with a knife! As the story progresses, Hugh and Bridget slowly begin to thaw towards one another and the love that grows between them grows naturally and realistically (for a short story). I really love this story, and I’m so sad my time with the characters is over. I definitely rate this story 5+++++ STARS.
Overall, I highly recommend this collection of novellas. The writing is good in all three stories. I found the story lines of each story highly engaging and fast paced. And, I genuinely loved the characters. For a short story length, the characters were all well developed and realistic. If you are looking for a really good anthology to escape into, then I highly recommend Road to Gretna Green.
This is a fairly good collection of stories. I enjoyed reading each of them and have no hesitation recommending them to others.
Saving Grace – This is a second chance sort of story. Somewhat simple, but I appreciated the maturity exhibited by the main characters in discussing what happened in their past. I also liked how the extended family were instrumental in the relationship. All in all, a solid story.
Fools Rush In – This is a “convenience” theme story. Each character has a need that the other can fulfill. This is one of those stories that you simply suspend reality and enjoy an engaging tale. It’s almost like a fairy tale in the telling. Nonetheless, I enjoyed it.
A Lady of Scandal – When you’ve only ever heard one side of the story, what are you supposed to believe? That’s the case here. Bridget has only heard criticism of Lord Hugh Wilde and Lord Wilde believes that Bridget is responsible for his cousin’s death. But, when the two are repeatedly forced to spend time together, they realize that their image of the other may be wrong. This is my favorite of the three stories.
Romance – PG – kissing
Language – PG / clean
My rating for the collection – 5 stars
The Road to Gretna Green is an anthology by three lovely authors. Saving Grace by Lucinda Brant, Fools Rush In by Julie Daines, and A Lady of Scandal by Heather B. Moore. All three books were quite lovely reads. I did receive an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
These stories are a delight. There’s a kidnapping, rescue, scandal, death, humor, family loyalty, bonding, sacrifice and much more, and of course 3 HEAs. Oh, and they are just fun, easy books to get into. I would recommend this book.
Three fun reads by three authors new to me. Really enjoyable. The first story has problems with time orientation–too many flashbacks, but the plot is unusual. The second starts out funny and ends as a thriller. The third has wonderful characters and an interesting plot.
Road to Gretna Green by Lucinda Brant, Julie Daines, Heather B. Moore
I rated this anthology overall at 4 Stars and it is reviewed individually.
Saving Grace by Lucinda Brant – 3.5 Stars
Saving Grace shows what happens when family decides to meddle. It was a sweet, romantic tale.
There were a few things in this story that didn’t make sense to me, however. With the relationship between Lady Helen and her husband, it is strange that he left that condition in his will. He really didn’t seem very nice and was selfish, so why? There was also what Leonard did at the end. He never did explain what his motivation was. . .
Fools Rush In by Julie Daines – 3.5 Stars
Richard and Eliza weave a web of deceit to accomplish their goals. Though this sounds rather terrible, their motivations are quite noble. Well, Richard’s is, at least. I enjoyed the journey and the adventures they found along the way.
However, I did not like the continued mentions of reincarnation and superstition that Eliza had picked up from her Chinese cook.
A Lady of Scandal by Heather B. Moore – 4.5 Stars
This was a fun story that drew me in from the start. Bridget and Hugh had such an aversion to each other before they had met, from reputation only. In fact, there were a number of assumptions made due to gossip and misinformation throughout.
This review was originally posted at AmongTheReads.net
I would like to thank Heather B. Moore for giving me this item. This gift did not influence my opinion or review.
Three love stories, three elopements, all to Gretna Green, which is a famous town in Scotland where many went to elope, starting in the mid-1700’s. You would think knowing how each story ends would take away from the stories themselves but if anything it adds to the charm.
Saving Grace by Lucinda Brant is the story of Helen, a heartbroken widow, and Royston, the man who broke her heart long ago. They are back in each others lives, each with their own lot of unanswered questions, journeying together to Gretna Green to stop the elopement of Royston’s youngest sister, Grace.
The premise of Saving Grace is sweet, and I really wanted to love this story, but it was a dry read for me, and a story that I struggled to get into the entire time I picked it up. I loved all of the characters but with the majority of the story taking place inside the carriage on their way to Gretna Green the story lacked that spark I so desperately craved.
Fools Rush In by Julie Daines was hands down my favorite story of the three. Richard needs a wife to collect his inheritance and Eliza needs liberation from an arranged marriage. When Richard overhears Eliza’s plight, and recognizes the similarities with his own, he proposes a scheme to Eliza that will save them both from their predicaments. Before either of them realize they are off on a crazy journey that has them both wondering who exactly are they fooling: everyone else or themselves.
I have to say that I loved everything about this novella. The story line, the character development, action and adventure, and of course the love were all perfect. This was one of those stories that had me literally signing at the end and even though you can predict the outcome quickly the journey getting there is not what you’d expect at all.
A Lady of Scandal by Heather B. Moore starts off with a bang. Literally. Bridget has only been married four hours when her husband accidentally shoots and kills himself, making her a widow before she is even a wife. You soon find out that this death is a blessing in disguise since their marriage was one of convenience and not of love. Her late husbands family detests Bridget, including his cousin and best friend, Lord Hugh, whom has never met Bridget, and blames his cousins death on her.
When Bridget’s young sister runs away to Gretna Green with a man who is believed to have questionable intentions, Bridget turns to Lord Hugh to help her stop the elopement. It is on this trip that the truth is finally revealed and takes both Hugh and Bridget by surprise.
This was another adventure that I adored. Your heart goes out to Bridget and everything that she’s endured and the story does have a few twists that are unexpected. The characters are developed, the premise is interesting, and the way the story began was so unexpected.
All in all, Road to Gretna Green was a great installment in the Timeless Regency Collection and one I think many will enjoy.
*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Mirror Press in exchange for an honest, unbiased review. All opinions are my own.
What a wonderful collection! Gretna Green – The scandalous place of elopements. There’s something quite romantic about it. Of course, since they’ll marry anyone, it can also be used for sinister purposes. And it’s usually always a place people are racing toward. I was quite interested to see what would set the couples in these novellas on the road to Gretna Green. Each story was unique, with characters that I wanted to see find a happy ending. And the romance – so sigh worthy! I just didn’t want them to end. I loved all three!
I received a copy of the book, which I voluntarily reviewed. I have given my honest opinion.
An enjoyable set of novellas. The blurb says 3 times the fun, and it was.
Two of the stories about someone else’s elopement, with our couple dashing after them, despite the antipathy from their previous history. I love to see the enemies to lovers theme, when it is well done. The third, Fools Rush In, does something different, with a hero who puts proposes to a stranger in order to save her. I think this was my favourite.
Another lovely Regency collection from Timeless Romance Anthologies! There is plenty of drama as carriages race across England to Scotland, some couples seeking elopement while others are seeking to prevent it! There’s something about traveling together that brings these couples closer together and provides opportunities for deeper feelings to develop. I especially enjoyed Richard and Eliza in Fools Rush In with their fabricated stories and the joy they find in each other’s company. Their journey was entertaining and they were both easy to like. A Lady of Scandal was my other favorite story because of the relationship dynamics of the Reeve and Wilde families. Bridget and Hugh are both misinformed about each other’s character, so it was interesting to see how their true natures are revealed, recognized, and hearts are softened. Perfect for fans of sweet Regency romance!
(I received a complimentary copy of the book; all opinions in this review are my own)