Once Upon a Lady (Soul Mate Tree #8)
by Addie Jo Ryleigh
Genre: Fantasy/paranormal
Respectable Lady Katherine Baxton, striving to meet the requirements of her station, has become the ultimate dutiful daughter. And now, the Duke of Blackthorn’s betrothed. Far from a love match, Kate is nevertheless determined to do as expected and marry.
That all changes the night she panics at her impending future and runs, stumbling upon a private grove, a mysterious tree . . . and a half-naked man.
The youngest son of a viscount widely thought to have purchased his title, Jackson Cooper demonstrates his disdain for the aristocracy by affording himself every luxury available—drinking, wenching, and gambling—while eschewing anything representing the ton. Jackson has little care for his reputation and no desire to marry. His escape from London is all but complete.
Until fate—in the form of a beautiful, mysterious lady—interrupts his plans, enticing him with the very thing he never wanted.
Review:
This was a nice one!
A bit of paranormal in a classic regency, I was all about that.
This is book 8 of a series, but considering I did not realize it and still enjoyed the book, it means my good friends that you can too and are not needing to read all 7 books before.
It was an easy, entertaining and quick read; you get very quickly sucked in and I really loved Katherine, Jackson and even the Duke of Blackthorn. It is going to sound odd but he was my favorite.
Will he get his happy ending? Cause I am really rooting for him, as he was frankly an outstanding character!
But back to Once Upon and Lady, and I am happy to report that the spicing up with a hint of paranormal made it a little bit extra. If you have been following me, you know that most recently I have been enjoying those Regency romances with added spice, like with the addition of murder/mysteries/spies etc… I never considered a bit of paranormal but why not?
It is original and makes the book stand out.
Now, the paranormal element is not the dominant element of the book, Katherine and Jackson are. And they are quite lovely. I found Katherine very relatable and lovable, my heart went out to her taking into account her ass of a dad!
I said it!
I am now curious about the other books and maybe when I have time, I will go back and explore the first 7. I was also very impressed with Katherine’s sisters and would love to know more about their stories too!
At the moment, whilst I am writing this, I did not yet go and check the blurbs on GoodReads, but it is on my to-do list since I really dislike missing out on series.
I am going to highly recommend Once Upon a Lady, I do hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
Excerpt:
“Where have you been? You said ten o’clock.”
“Who knew you were such a stickler for promptness?” He seemed oblivious to the emotions swirling inside her.
“I just expect people to be where they say they will be when they say they will be there.” Her argument lost its intensity when even she got tangled in her words.
His hand reached for her and she stood immobile as his gloveless fingers secured the end of her veil and lifted it from her face. “I hate when you hide from me.”
As insane as it was, his whisper tempted her to sink into his embrace and wish the world away. Get hold of yourself, Katherine.
She cleared her throat. “What is this place?”
He chuckled above her head but thankfully followed her lead and changed the subject by turning her to the sight behind her, the area she hadn’t inspected. Past two large trees was a small structure almost covered in foliage. “This, my Kate, is my favorite place in the world.”
She let her gaze soak in her surroundings. “I thought the pond was your favorite place in the world?”
“That is my favorite place in Hyde Park. This is my favorite place in the here and now.”
“How . . . confusing,” she murmured. But when his fingers slid down her arm and clasped her hand, she found she didn’t care. “I would wager you have a lot of favorites.”
“Only when you are there.”
Author’s Bio and Links:
Addie Jo Ryleigh writes historical regency romances that feature rakish heroes and strong feisty heroines.
Addie Jo has lived in the same cold-winter-hot-summer area of Minnesota her entire life. Sharing in the raising of her three extremely rambunctious boys is her very understanding husband who endured being dubbed “The Duke” by his co-workers. Keeping Addie Jo company while she writes (besides her wonderfully loud children) is her yorkipoo, Bella, who is never far from Addie Jo’s side. And recently the newest addition to their family, a black lab puppy named Max.
Addie Jo has always had a love and passion for romance books and became engrossed in historical romance (particularly Regency) soon after graduating from Lurlene McDaniel’s young adult books. Currently, Addie Jo reads any genre that has a great emotional story that keeps her reading into the early hours of the morning.
Addie Jo has a bachelor degree in accounting and is a financial coordinator when not playing chauffeur for her hockey-playing boys, cuddled up with a good book, or writing her next story.
Author Social Links:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AddieJoRyleigh
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AddieJoRyleigh
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/AddieJoRyleigh
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/addiejoryleigh
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/AddieJoRyleigh
Amazon: http://bit.ly/AddieJoRyleigh
Website: http://addiejoryleigh.com
Amazon Buy Link: http://bit.ly/OnceUponALady