February Featured Novel - His Shadowed Heart by Hazel Statham

I had never read Regency romance before picking up His Shadowed Heart by Hazel Statham, but I was so glad I had the chance to review this one and will certainly be on the lookout for more of Hazel's books.

In His Shadowed Heart, we find Richard, the Earl of Waverly, plagued by the death of his wife. Now alone and caring for his daughter, he enters into a marriage of convenience to Caroline Northam. Little does the Earl know how much he will come to love her.

But their love is jeopardized by strange happenings that are blamed on the ghost of his first wife. Can their love survive?

The details that Statham includes in this novel paint a perfect picture of the era. Her work has been compared to that of Georgette Heyer and I truly believe that all Regency romance fans will love Hazel's books.

If I remember correctly, Statham has two new books coming out this year. See her website for more information.

His Shadowed Heart by Hazel Statham--Book Review

An enjoyable, romantic read is what you'll find in Hazel Statham's His Shadowed Heart.

The Earl of Waverly might never love again. After the death of his wife, he believes his heart irreparably damaged. Entering into a marriage of convenience to young Caroline Northam, the Earl settles in to a life with his daughter and new bride. Little does he know the affect Caroline will have on him.

But their new-found happiness is jeopardized by strange happenings and heinous acts attributed to the ghost of his first wife. Will their love be strong enough to survive?

This is the first Regency romance I've read, though I am a huge fan of historical fiction and historical romance novels. The story opens with the Earl of Waverly's (Richard's) sister, Lady Victoria Stanton, trying to bully her younger brother into remarrying, even if just for his daughter's sake. The entertaining exchange sets the mood for the remainder of their conversations, which I found almost as enjoyable as the tense moments between the earl and his cousin, Gerald Dent. The author goes to great extents to create Richard and it shows in every emotion and movement he feels and performs.

The rich details draw the reader right into the time period and through Statham's eloquent prose the reader discovers how much meaning can be found in a brief glance, a caress, a tender kiss to an upheld hand.

I only wish I had not discovered the identity of the perpetrator earlier than when it was openly revealed. Perhaps if one or two clues had not been dropped in previous chapters I might have been more surprised. This did not, however, take anything away from the delightful ending--which I believe is perfect.

His Shadowed Heart by Hazel Statham should be on every historical romance lovers wish list.


Title: His Shadowed Heart
Author: Hazel Statham
Publisher: Wings ePress, Inc.
ISBN: 978-1-59088-756-8
U.S. Price: $16.95

Regency Romance by Hazel Statham

In honor of Regency Romance author Hazel Statham's third virtual book tour with Pump Up Your Book Promotion, The Book Connection is featuring a spotlight on Hazel's work. Hazel's latest novel is His Shadowed Heart, which is available at Wings ePress, Amazon.com, and Fictionwise.com.






My Dearest Friend

Devastated by the death of his younger brother, Stefan, in the Peninsular War, Robert Blake, Duke of Lear, is wracked with guilt and grief, believing himself responsible for his death as he had purchased his commission.

He is approached by Jane Chandler, the sister of a fellow officer of Stefan’s, to help hire a craft to bring her seriously wounded brother back from Portugal. Without Jane’s knowledge, he decides to take a hand in the young soldier’s deliverance and together they embark on the hazardous journey.

However, the journey holds more revelations than they anticipate, not least of all, the growing love between the two travelers. When they return to England however, the perfect life they had envisioned is rudely interrupted when events take an unexpected turn and their love is put severely to the test when the tenant of Jane’s former home invades their life.

It is a story of deliverance, retribution, misunderstandings and love.

Author's reflections:

The idea for My Dearest Friend came from a dream. I had written the beginning several years ago and put it aside, but when I had to finish working through ill health, I thought it was time to take another look at it. All the old enthusiasm for Robert and Jane’s story came back to me and I couldn’t wait to begin working on it again.

Even though I had mapped the story out, and knew exactly where I wanted it to go, on several occasions, my characters decided to add yet another aspect. For me, writing a novel is like watching a play unfold or eavesdropping on my characters’ conversations, and frequently, I find words coming out of their mouths that I never expected. Stefan’s illegitimate daughter came as quite a surprise to me. The sergeant took me quite by surprise when he marched in and announced it. I loved writing this book and was quite sorry when it reached its natural conclusion.


Read an excerpt from My Dearest Friend here.

Available at Wings ePress, Amazon.com, and Fictionwise.





Dominic

London, 1775

Dominic Blake, Earl of Vale, is a young man of privilege and breeding whose world is turned upside down by Jack, a beautiful young girl in boy’s clothing whom he finds sheltering on his doorstep after fleeing an attack by her brother.

Despite leaving his protection, Jack is once more destined to enter Dominic’s life when, injured in a horse race, Dominic is forced to rusticate to his father’s estate and again meets Jack in her boyish guise. In turn, she becomes his pupil and his love.

Despite danger and misunderstandings, this is the story of their unconventional and delightful courtship.

Author's reflections:

Although Dominic is the story of Robert’s father, I wrote it after completing My Dearest Friend. So loath was I to leave the family that I decided to write about the previous Duke of Lear. Dominic, then the Earl of Vale just strode onto the scene and told his own story – I just went along for the ride. He was a fun character to write and frequently made me smile.

Despite being a man of his time, Dominic is charming and very hard to resist, as Sophie found out quite early in their acquaintance and this is the story of their unconventional and delightful courtship.

Although the story is set in England, I wrote a fair piece of it whilst on holiday in Orlando. The wind and rain raged and the trees outside our hotel window were horizontal, I wrote and my husband slept and it was one of the best holidays we have ever had.

Read and excerpt of Dominic here.

Available at Wings ePress, Amazon.com, and Fictionwise.com.




And Hazel's latest novel...



His Shadowed Heart

Can a shadowed heart revive? After the death of his first wife, the Earl of Waverly, believing his heart irreparably damaged, enters into a marriage of convenience.

Amidst conspiracy, can Caroline, his young wife, prove his salvation and bring joy into his life or will nefarious deeds and ghostly happenings destroy their chance of happiness? Only time will tell if their love is strong enough to stand the test.

Author's reflections:

I began thinking of the plot line for His Shadowed Heart as I neared the conclusion of Dominic. I don’t know what sparked the thought but I began thinking of this nobleman who was devastated after his wife’s death. The thought started with a central but pivotal scene and grew outward. I had to make sure that I understood the earl’s reasons for remaining unwed before attempting to tell his story.

Not only does the Earl of Waverley have to deal with his shattered emotions but there is a dual aspect to the story where nefarious and strange happenings invade his life and he wonders if his torment will ever ease. Despite his determination to remain unwed, in Caroline, he finds his perfect mate and together they face the haunting memories of his past.

Read an excerpt of His Shadowed Heart here.

Now available at Wings ePress, Amazon.com, and Fictionwise.com.


The HIS SHADOWED HEART VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR '08 will officially begin on July 7, 2008 and continue all month long. You can visit Hazel's tour stops at www.virtualbooktours.wordpress.com in July!

As a special promotion for all our authors, Pump Up Your Book Promotion is giving away a FREE virtual book tour to a published author with a recent release or a $25 Amazon gift certificate to someone not published who comments on our authors' blog stops. More prizes will be announced as they become available. One winner for each author will be announced on the virtual book tour blog on July 31!

This virtual book tour has been brought to you by: