Reviewer: Lori Graham
Title: Unveiled
Author: Kristina Cook
Publisher: Zebra Publishing
ISBN: 0-8217-7779-3
Release Date: May 2005
Genre/Sub-genre: Historical Romance
Year/Setting: 1810
Overall rating: 3.5
Sexual content rating: Sensual
Kristina's Website:
www.kristinacook.com
Jane Rosemoor has heard the family’s whispers from a very young age (in fact, for as long as she can remember). These whispers eluded to a malady that had caused her aunt to take her life as well as causing the decline of her grandmother. These whispers also included the musings that maybe Jane was much like her aunt and grandmother because she was such a melancholy child.
As Jane ages, she makes a vow to herself that she will never marry or have children because this malaise is reported to worsen after childbirth. She spends her "spinsterhood" as the aunt everyone loves. However, she can’t shake the questions, which have formed, in her mind as to the exact nature of this thief of her future. Using her cousin’s pregnancy and need for assistance as an excuse to find the answers to those questions, Jane travels to Derbyshire. While her cousin does indeed need her assistance, Jane is determined to sneak in to see her grandmother who is no longer accepting visitors.
During her spare time, however, she explores the farmland on which her cousin makes her home. She discovers a neighbor child who comes with her own set of troubles and needs. In befriending the child, Jane begins to question her vow as she meets the girl’s uncle, Hayden, the Earl of Westfield.
Hayden has taken his own vow to never love another human being after losing his mother, his father, his sister and his fiancée all at a young age. However, he recognizes his niece’s need for a woman in her life. To that end, he proposes to the spinster while congratulating himself upon her need for his protection and the fact that she is sure to be very grateful. Imagine his surprise when she declines. Can these two people who have taken very similar vows find their way to a joint vow?
Kristina Cook does a good job of weaving the dialogue of the characters of the story such that you begin to feel like you are a party to the conversation. I enjoyed the journey back in time to visit Essex and Derbyshire and meeting the people who lived there. My only hesitation to this story is a few instances that were either a bit too full of information or not full enough. However, these were rare and the book made for a pleasant diversion on a rainy day with my cup of tea. It was almost like being in England.
Lori
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