When Persephone Lancaster receives a marriage proposal from the ill-tempered Duke of Kielder, she refuses—and then reconsiders. The obscene sum of money he’s offering Persephone would save her family from ruin. With her characteristic optimism, she travels to the far reaches of Northumberland to wed a greatly feared stranger. Lodged deep in a thick forest infested with wild dogs, the Duke’s … castle is as cold and forbidding as the Duke himself, a man with terrible scars on his body and his soul. But the Duke’s steely determination to protect his heart at all costs is challenged by his growing attachment to his lovely and gentle bride. With caring persistence, Persephone attempts to pierce the Duke’s armor and reach the man beneath. Yet he cannot tolerate such exposure, and his repeated rejections take their toll. But when grave danger arises, the Duke realizes he must face the risk of revealing his true feelings or lose the woman he cannot live without.
A regency romance novel you won’t want to put down.
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This was just as good as I had hoped! I had been hearing about Sarah M Eden’s books from bookstagram, so this is a bookstagram made me do it book. But it was amazing! And it got me hooked on all of her books! Seeking Persephone is the first book in Sarah M Eden’s series, The Lancaster Family series.
All Persephone wanted was to care for her family, she wanted to see her siblings happy and healthy. However, when she receives a proposal from the ill-tempered Duke of Kielder, Adam, she finds a way to give her siblings all they could need. Life takes a different turn and Persephone finds herself wed to a greatly feared stranger, who lives in his castle deep in the forest. However as she spends time with the Duke, she finds there is more to him underneath the armor he wears to protect his heart. And against his best efforts, Adam finds himself growing attached to his lovely and gentle bride. Will Adam and Persephone’s marriage last or are they doomed to a loveless marriage?
I liked Adam a lot. He came off as gruff but he was kind at heart. Life had not been kind to him, and he used distance to protect himself from getting hurt. It was sweet to read about him interacting with Persephone because he wanted her to be happy despite all of his walls. She had become important to him in such a short time. As he spent time with Persephone, he came to care for her. He struggled in showing her his love and care, but he knew that she would be worth it. Would Adam learn how to show his love to Persephone and allow her to see his home as hers?
Persephone was a lot of fun, she loved her family dearly. At first she didn’t know what to do with Adam, but as she spent more time with him she began to see him in a different light. It was fun to read about Persephone breaking down Adam’s walls and showing him love. She was trying to be strong for her family, but she was struggling to find the good in her struggles. However, as she got to know Adam, he began to change things for her. Will Persephone choose Adam even when life gets crazy?
This was a great start to the series! This was actually my first Sarah M Eden book and I loved it! I was super excited to read the next books in the series and see what happens to Persephone’s siblings. Persephone and Adam were cute together and I loved how he was a different person with Persephone, she brought out the best in him. Harry was also an awesome character! I loved him, he helped make the book!
I would totally recommend Seeking Persephone! It was even better than I had hoped. Seeking Persephone is a clean historical romance.
This is a reread for me. I enjoy this book so much, I probably reread it every year it’s that good.
In preparation for Charming Artemis, I decided a reread was in order for all my favorite Sarah Eden books, particularly the Lancaster and Jonquil family series.
Seeking Persephone is amazing! I love Adam, the Duke of Kielder, who on the outside is cruel and intimidating. When he arranges his marriage to Persephone Lancaster, knowing he needs an heir or his title will fall into the hands of his unlikeable relatives, he gets way more than he bargained for as she slowly opens his heart.
The writing in this book is so well done. The story is engaging and full of unexpected little moments. I love the idea that the Lancaster children all live out their myths in their own happily ever afters.
A fabulous romance, I highly recommend this book!
I thought this book was sweet! It was pretty obviously a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, just regency style. I really liked the characters. It was frustrating to see them push each other away when if they’d just communicated, everything would have been solved. I liked the ending a lot. It was a good book and seems like it will be a fun series as well!
I love reading how Adam’s steel walls (who is my all-time favorite character Sara M Eden has imagined and brought to life) crumbled to mush by the constant, loving presence of his dear Persephone. I’d say they are the perfect couple!
Charming but not overly impressive. A little Beauty-and-the-Beast, a little Hades-and-Persephone, with a regency romance flair. Some of the similarities between the previously mentioned stories were a little too obvious, a little too drawn in, to me. Persephone is a lovely character, very selfless and caring. Adam is an absolute beast, a narcissist to the core it seems. I didn’t like him for most of the book. Persephone was finally bringing out the long buried (and thought dead) feelings of empathy and love within his heart, but it takes an awfully long time and the transformation feels as though it lasts mere pages. So it is a cute little romance, just not my favorite Eden book.
In Seeking Persephone, Ms. Eden retells the story of Persephone and Hades. Hades appears in the form of the Duke of Kielder, a dangerous scoundrel of a man with a magnetic personality that drew me in. In a marriage of convenience, sweet Persephone must labor intensely to break through the walls of his self-constructed cage.
Wow I loved this book! I was engrossed in the first page and couldn’t put it down. Not that it is a fast passed action packed adventurer, far from it. This is a English romance that was a joy to read! Eden creates great complex characters and explains why they do the things they do and why it is logical to do them. In so many romance novels the heroines are very changeable and you wonder why they do the things they do but not Eden’s characters. I just love a sweet, complicated love story and you get it all here. Her books are so clean! No references to sex at all, yet they hold such passion! This is they way to write a romance novel! I just can’t say enough good. And the best part…..there is more to come! The story of the friend in this book is continued in Courting Miss Lancaster and other characters in Kiss of a Stranger! Both excellent books!
Reread_ 6-7-17. I think this is one of my favorite Eden regency books. I read it quickly to remember before I read Daphne’s story. I just love these two and I love the way this one was written. It is so fun to go back and read them in order.
One of the best proper romances I have ever read. And the books in this series were all fantastic.
This is a sweet novel. A mix of “Beauty and the Beast” and the story of Persphone and Hades, this book takes a Regency look at that classic archetypal story. While it isn’t a particularly unique take on the story, it does have interesting characters. The hero is fabulous. He takes some time to warm up, but when he does, it melts your heart. I felt for him throughout the story and he struggles with how his past has shaped him vs. the life he wants with his new wife. The heroine isn’t nearly as interesting, but she’s likable and you root for her from the first page.
I loved the characters in this book!