England, 1673
The Ashcroft family motto is "Question Convention," and eldest sister
Violet agrees with the sentiment completely. For one thing, she's not
planning to marry. Plain Violet is smart enough to realize any suitors
would be after her large inheritance, or else interested in her
beautiful younger sisters--and she'd much rather spend her time
improving her mind than risking her tender heart...
After wasting six years wooing a lady who eloped with another man, Ford
Chase, the handsome and eccentric Viscount Lakefield, has had it with
women. Ford is passionate about his scientific pursuits and doesn't need
to find love, thank you very much. When an unwelcome distraction--in
the form of his six-year-old niece--is dropped in his lap, he enlists
the help of an uncommonly intelligent neighbor named Violet. But
Violet's surprising allure proves to be even more distracting, leading
to a passion the likes of which he's never even imagined…
Lauren Royal is an absolutely fabulous & amazing writer! I loved how she finishes the Chases stories while beginning a new wonderful series. I fell in love with Ford who I thought was kinda obnoxious & flighty in the Jewel Trilogy. He is actually kinda dashing! When his nose isn't stuck in a science book or he's stuck in his laboratory!
England, 1677 Lily Ashcroft is far and away the most conventional member of her
eccentric family. Though she fell for dashing Oxford professor Lord
Randal Nesbitt at the tender age of sixteen, she buried her feelings in
deference to society's expectation that her older sisters marry first.
Four years later, her sister Rose has now set her sights on Rand--and
though it breaks her heart, what else can Lily do but help her beloved
sister land the man of her dreams?
What no one considers are Rand's feelings on the matter. He's been
nursing a secret affection for sweet, compassionate Lily ever since
their first meeting. But Rose is just as beautiful and shares his
academic interests. Now he finds himself caught between two lovely
sisters--the one he's expected to wed and the one who's captured his
heart...
I LOVED Lily's story! She is the sweetest of the 3 sisters for sure! I loved the emotional aspect & the fact that you could see something was there in Violet! Such a sweet love story! The only thing that is lacking in this series that there was plenty of in the Jewel Trilogy was action & adventure!
AMETHYST
(Nominated by Romantic Times for Best First Historical Romance!)
London, 1666
Amethyst Goldsmith makes dazzling jewelry, but her future isn’t nearly
as bright as the pieces she creates. Though custom dictates she wed her
father’s apprentice, her heart rebels against the match. In mere days
Amy will be condemned to a stifling, loveless marriage, and she sees no
way out—until the devastating fire of 1666 sweeps through London, and
tragedy lands her in the arms of a dashing nobleman who knows a diamond
in the rough when he sees it…
Colin Chase, the Earl of Greystone, has his future all figured out. He’s
restoring his crumbling castle and estate to its former glory, and the
key to its completion is his rich bride-to-be. But the Great Fire lays
waste to his plans, saddling him with trouble—in the form of a lowly
shopkeeper’s daughter with whom he’s most inconveniently falling in
love...
EMERALD
(Finalist for the Booksellers' Best Award and RWA Award of Excellence!)
England & Scotland, 1667
Jason Chase, the Marquess of Cainewood, is out to bring a blackguard to
justice when he crosses paths with a woeful Scottish lad. When the lad
turns out to be a lovely Scottish lass, he realizes she must be the
notorious bounty hunter Emerald MacCallum. Convinced they're after the
same man and her very life may be in danger, Jason decides he must keep
Emerald close…
In Caithren Leslie's view, there couldn't be enough distance between her
and the handsome but overbearing Englishman. She's searching for her
wayward brother, but Jason won't let a little thing like the truth
interfere with his absurd conviction that she's living under an assumed
identity. Mindful of the dangerous traveling conditions, Cait grudgingly
accepts his protection. Until, that is, she begins to suspect that
mistrust isn't the only emotion between them…and their mission for
justice just might turn out to be a quest for love...
AMBER
(A Booklist Top Ten Romance of the Year, with a Romantic Times K.I.S.S. Award-winning hero!)
England & Scotland, 1668
Kendra Chase's brothers are telling her it's high time she get married.
But although they've presented her with many wealthy, titled suitors, no
man has caught her fancy—until her coach is held up by a dashing,
mysterious highwayman. When she and the dangerous man are caught in a
compromising embrace and her overprotective brothers insist they wed,
Kendra cannot believe it. Are they really desperate enough to match her
with an outlaw?
Patrick "Trick" Caldwell is the Duke of Amberley—and also the notorious
Black Highwayman, an identity he has assumed in order to right past
wrongs and serve his king. But his already complicated life becomes
positively convoluted when he finds himself compelled to marry a
red-headed temptress he's only just met. Caught in a web of half-truths
and forced into a perilous mission, can Trick extricate himself and find
love with the woman destined to steal his heart?
A JEWEL TRILOGY NOVELLA
England, 1667
Sensible Clarice Bradford is content in her widowhood. She has a pretty
one-room cottage and a lovely little daughter, and the last thing she
wants is another husband. Until one fairytale evening when she’s invited
to a wedding at a castle…
Scottish gentleman Sir Cameron Leslie is smitten with the shy, English
beauty at first sight. He’s fiercely drawn to the very strength and
independence that make her unwilling to throw caution to the wind and
bestow her heart on a younger man. Though passion flares between them,
it will take everything Cameron can muster to reawaken Clarice’s
long-forgotten dreams of true love…
~~~~~
PLEASE NOTE: This Jewel Trilogy novella is about 1/4 the length of
Lauren's full-length novels--longer than a short story, but shorter than
a typical book. Forevermore stands alone as a complete story, but if
you'd prefer to read it in order within the trilogy, chronologically it
falls between Emerald and Amber.
Lauren Royal is just an AMAZING historical romance author! I absolutely adored the Jewel Trilogy. I enjoyed the fact that Lauren intertwined the characters in these book. Instead of just ending a story when the book is done. The characters have depth & you get drawn in & fall in love with each of them so when they appear in the next book it's like seeing an old friend again!
