Review: The Portrait by Hazel Statham

Genre:  Historical Romance 

Published: August 2010

Publisher: Avalon Books

Author Website: www.hazel-statham.co.uk

Format I Read:  Hardcover

Pages:  185

Source:  reviewed for Pump Up Your Books

Read an excerpt

Book Summary

England 1812

Severely injured at the battle of Salamanca, Edward Thurston, the new Earl of Sinclair, returns home to his beloved Fly Hall. Determined not to present his prospective bride with the wreck he believes himself to have become, he decides to end his betrothal, unaware that Lady Jennifer, for vastly differing reasons, has reached the selfsame decision.

Throughout the campaigns, Edward was often seen relying greatly on a miniature he carried, and it is to this token he clings upon his return. Will he eventually find happiness with the girl in the portrait, or will he remain firm in his resolve not to wed? Reason dictates one course, his heart another.

My Thoughts

After being injured in war, Lord Edward is determined to spare Lady Jennifer the pain of being married to a less than whole man.  Although he is secretly in love with her, he doesn’t want her to pity him.

Jennifer is upset that Edward has never given her a chance to get to know him, but she more than agrees when he proposes that they call off their engagement and just remain friends. 

After I picked up this book, I couldn’t put it down.  I loved Jennifer and Edward.  Although I could tell that the two were already in love with each other, I enjoyed their friendship and all the shenanigans the two managed to get themselves in. 

I loved that their relationship was not rushed.  After they got to know each other, the romance blossomed. I think that’s what made me like story more because I had a forced romance.  It kills the whole story.

The Portrait is historical romance at its best.  The book was short but the story is unforgettable.  Hazel Statham did an excellent job with the plot and the characters. 

My Rating

I give The Portrait four flowers of love.  This is definitely a great romantic read.

  

Author Spotlight: Guest post by Hazel Statham

Today I welcome author Hazel Statham, author of the historical romance The Portrait, to the blog.  A review of the book will be posted later today.

About three years ago, Regency Romance went into decline and many publishers dropped the line altogether.  However, the good news for readers of the genre is that it is making a strong comeback and publishing houses are now opening up new lines.  Several are offering to take previously published books to enable their readers to find out of print works.

Despite the temporary downturn, I resisted the pressure to write in other genres and remained true to the period I know and love.  I love the romance and elegance of the Georgian and Regency eras and wish nothing more than to re-create them in my work.

My books remain ‘sweet’ and the bedroom door is firmly closed, but this does not mean they lack in romance.  On the contrary.  Remaining true to the period when innocence was prized, my heroines remain pure and my heroes strong.  There is chemistry between the two and despite all that fate may throw in their way, they are destined to be together.  There is often humor and pathos in their lives, but throughout it all, remains love.  Sometimes they do not realize that their fate is to be together and they often fight the thought but, nonetheless, the fact remains irrefutable.  Add to this the elegance of a bygone era and you have the perfect mix for a romance.

Although many readers will not admit to reading romance novels, they nevertheless remain one of the most popular genres with very respectable sales figures.  Where else can you find the recipe for a happy life than between the covers of a good romantic book?  You live the highs and lows of the characters’ lives and rejoice with them at the book’s conclusion.

 As with everything else, reading trends run in cycles.  Fortunately, romance in one form or another, remains throughout.

Hazel Statham lives in England and has been writing on and off since she was fifteen. Initially she was influenced by Austen, the Brontës, and Sabatini but when she turned seventeen, Georgette Heyer opened up the romance and elegance of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. She immediately knew she had found her eras and wanted nothing more than to re-create them in her work.

Her latest book is the Regency romance novel, The Portrait, released by Avalon Books in August 2010.

Hazel lives with her husband, Terry, and a beautiful Labrador named Mollie. Apart from writing, her other ruling passion is animals, and until recently she acted as treasurer for an organization that raised money for animal charities.

You can visit her online at www.hazel-statham.co.uk and her blog at http://hazelstatham.blogspot.com/