The Valentine Skates by Andrea K. Stein
Will Lady Lilianne Howick
Be able to enjoy freedom
Along the banks of the River Wey
Despite society’s prison of duty?
And…
Will a tattered Teddy bear and
A moonlight Valentine’s skate
Be enough to turn friends into lovers?
It’s 1820, and Lady Lilianne Howick hides away from the judgment of the ton on her family’s country estate in Surrey. She escaped the Dey’s harem four years earlier and was rescued after Lord Admiral Exmouth’s bombardment of Algiers. Although the gossip sheets speculated about her supposed lurid experiences, no one outside her family knows the truth.
The man she once loved, her neighbor, Squire Frederick Meredith, doesn’t care. He’s endured heartache of his own and has tried for years to break through her self-imposed exile. Will one small girl and a tattered stuffed bear be enough to create the magic necessary to bring these two back together?
- File Name:the-valentine-skates-by-andrea-k-stein.epub
- Original Title:THE VALENTINE SKATES
- Creator:Stein, Andrea K.
- Language:en
- Identifier:853868673
- Publisher:Muirgen® Publishing, LLC
- Date:2022-02-08
- File Size:355.570 KB
Table of Content
- 1. Title Page
- 2. Introduction
- 3. Copyright
- 4. Thank You!
- 5. Contents
- 6. Dedication
- 7. Acknowledgments
- 8. Chapter 1
- 9. Chapter 2
- 10. Chapter 3
- 11. Chapter 4
- 12. Chapter 5
- 13. Chapter 6
- 14. Chapter 7
- 15. Chapter 8
- 16. Chapter 9
- 17. Chapter 10
- 18. Chapter 11
- 19. Chapter 12
- 20. Chapter 13
- 21. Epilogue
- 22. BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE…
- 23. Other Books By Andrea K. Stein
- 24. Excerpt: Pride of a Warrior
- 25. Chapter 1
The Valentine Skates was about Lady Lilianne Howick, sister to the Marquess of Howick, and Squire Frederick Meredith, her long-time friend. Four years after being rescued from the Dey's harem by Lord Admiral Exmouth’s bombardment of Algiers, Lili has kept herself hidden away from the judgment of the Ton and the surrounding village where she lived. Although having been trained in the ways of a courtesan while in the captivity of the Dey, Lili still remained a virgin, although no one else was aware of that fact. Still, she blamed herself for the death of her brother, who had given his life defending her from the barbarians who had sold her into slavery, and she felt guilty for having been taught how to pleasure a man in all ways. While Lili had been in captivity, Frederick had married her best friend Jane, the vicar's daughter, who died giving birth to his daughter Emily. (Note: In one chapter of the book, it stated that Emily had just turned five, but in a different chapter, the author made the statement that she was 8.) While the storyline was well-written, it was rushed through so fast that the reader was at times uncertain as to what had just occurred. It was almost as if chapter 1 actually started in the middle of the book because it left so much information out. No one knew what had occurred four years before, from either the viewpoint of Lili or Frederick. The author just sort of dropped the reader into the middle of an idea...no explanations...and continued on with the idea until the end. On top of that, it was like two or three love stories thrown together to make one short love story with hints of two others. While the characters seemed to be well-developed, they left much to be desired. Understandable though it was for Lili to be nervous and want to hide away from society, the author only gave small glimpses into the reason for those feelings. As for Frederick, there was truly not much information as to why he married Lili's best friend when he was supposedly in love with Lili. Once again, there was little to no information given as a background to support the story. There were little to no emotions present in this book. Sure there was a touch of angst and drama, but that didn't cover up for the lack of chemistry, passion, or romance between the two main characters. There was some sex, sure...but that wasn't passion or romance. It was just sex. This book left a lot to be desired, especially as it jumped around so fast with so little to support the story. Definitely not worthy of a five-star rating.