Blurb for Bride of a Distant Isle
An unforgettable romance set in Victorian England, Bride of A Distant Isle is the engrossing story of Annabel Ashton, who fights to save her family home and her mother's honor while trying to figure out if the man she loves wants her—or just wants to use her to achieve his own ambitions.
Miss Annabel Ashton is a teacher at the Rogers School for Young Ladies in Winchester when she takes a brief visit to her family home, Highcliffe Hall at Milford-on-Sea. She believes her stay will be short but soon learns that she will not be returning to the safety of the school. Instead, she remains at Highcliffe, at the mercy of her cousin, Edward Everedge.
Annabel protests, but as the illegitimate daughter of a woman who died in an insane asylum, she has little say. Edward is running out of money and puts the house up for sale to avoid financial ruin. He insists that Annabel marry, promising her to a sinister, frightening man. But as the house gets packed for sale, it begins to reveal disquieting secrets. Jewelry, artifacts, and portraits mysteriously appear, suggesting that Annabel may be the true heir of Highcliffe.
She has only a few months to prove her legitimacy, perhaps with assistance from the handsome but troubled Maltese Captain Dell’Acqua. But does he have Annabel’s best interests at heart?
And then, a final, most ominous barrier to both her inheritance and her existence appears a situation neither she nor anyone else could have expected. Will Annabel regain her life and property—and trust her heart—before it’s too late?
After earning her first rejection at the age of thirteen, bestselling author Sandra Byrd has now published more than forty books. Her adult fiction debut, Let Them Eat Cake, was a Christy Award finalist, as was her first historical novel, To Die For A Novel of Anne Boleyn. To Die For was also named by Library Journal as a Best Books Pick for 2011 and The Secret Keeper: A Novel of Kateryn Parr was named a Library Journal Best Books Pick for 2012. Roses Have Thorns: A Novel of Elizabeth I published in April 2013.
Sandra has also published dozens of books for tweens and teens including the Secret Sisters Series, London Confidential Series and a devotional for tweens.
A former textbook acquisitions editor, Sandra has published many nonfiction articles and books. She is passionate about helping new writers develop their talent and their work toward traditional or self-publication. As such, she has mentored and coached hundreds of new writers and continues to coach dozens to success each year.
Please visit www.sandrabyrd.com to learn more, or to invite Sandra to your book club via Skype.
Sandra has also published dozens of books for tweens and teens including the Secret Sisters Series, London Confidential Series and a devotional for tweens.
A former textbook acquisitions editor, Sandra has published many nonfiction articles and books. She is passionate about helping new writers develop their talent and their work toward traditional or self-publication. As such, she has mentored and coached hundreds of new writers and continues to coach dozens to success each year.
Please visit www.sandrabyrd.com to learn more, or to invite Sandra to your book club via Skype.
My Thoughts
I am always excited to get one of Sandra Byrd's novels. Bride of a Distant Shore is no exception. The second in the Daughters of Hampshire series. In Victorian England, Annabel Ashton is called back to the home of her cousin Edward, Highcliffe. He has run out of money and wants to sell the family home and can not continue to pay for Annabel to stay at the Rogers Day School for Young Women, where she is a teacher.
The family has always claimed that Annabel was illegitimate, supposedly the daughter of a man from Malta and because of this she is unable to inherit. Annabel does not believe this and she starts on a mission to clear supposed her illegitimacy and clear the name of her mother who died in an insane asylum put there by her family because they claimed she was insane.
Now her cousin Edward wants her to marry and finds a man who Annabel does not like but who would line Edwards coffers. As time goes on secrets come to the surface and Annabel makes the acquaintance of Maltese Captain Dell'Acqua. There is an immediate attraction between them. Can Annabel right the wrongs that have been done to her mother and her good name? I sure do hope so!! But you have to read the book to find out.
Like I said before, I have always loved Sandra Byrd's work, from her Tudor stories to this series. Her research is impeccable, her writing understandable, the pacing fast, exciting and sometimes creepy. This is a mystery as well as a romance so you get a bit of both! You certainly can not go wrong with this wonderful author! I look forward to the next in the series, A Lady in Disguise, publishing in 2017.
“I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for posting my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own”
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