Blog Tour Stop & Giveaway: Blackmoore by Julianne Donaldson

I know I've been a bit silent around here on my blog (all work related), but I have read some mighty AMAZING books lately that I can't wait to share.  Blackmoore by Julianne Donaldson came out on September 10th and was one of those books that I have been passing around to friends and neighbors, and just about anyone who I can get to listen!

Today I'm excited to be the next stop on a Blog Tour for Julianne's newest book Blackmoore, and I really can't say enough about it, so let's get to it.

About Blackmoore:  "Kate Worthington knows she can never have her heart’s desire and so believes she will never marry. But Kate’s meddlesome mother has other plans. Kate journeys to the stately manor of Blackmoore on the cliffs above the seashore, where she must face the truth and the man that has kept her heart captive.

Set in northern England, Blackmoore is a Regency romance that tells the story of a young woman struggling to learn to follow her heart. With hints of Jane Austen and the Bronte sisters, Blackmoore is a page-turning tale of romance, intrigue and devotion."

Review:  Here is a book that is so good that it makes writing the review almost too hard to write. Do I need to pull out an old fashioned ink and quill to do this time period novel its due credit?    In some ways, there is nothing short of a good old fashion I loved it that will work.  Julianne Donaldson has written a heart-rending romance that cannot be called sweet, and yet it is sweet; it cannot be called tragic, and yet it can be tragic; it cannot be called gut-wrenching, and yet it is gut-wrenching; and it surely cannot be called tear-jerking can it, and yet I definitely spilled many a tear reading this tear-jerking romance.  It was that good.

What can I say about this glorious novel?  Written with an Austen-esque/Bronte feel to it, Donaldson has captured all that is dark, brooding, and lovely about a Regency and Romantic period novel--and some that you didn't know that you missed.  Kate Worthington, as our main heroine, has sworn off marriage and has looked to India as the next frontier for adventure.  But as any reader knows, young ladies are expected to marry, and marry young and well.  Thankfully her dear friend Henry Delafield, the next in line to own Blackmoore, has grown up with Kate and knows her heart and her deepest desires.  Surely this "adventure" to India is misguided?  Although he is returning to Blackmoore to get engaged to his own fine young lady, he has invited Kate back to visit Blackmoore with him and his sister, hoping to uncover what might be behind her plans.

The novel, from beginning to end, is nothing short of a complete joy to read.  There are moments you think you know what is going to happen, and moments you know so until things change.  Regardless, I found myself shedding tears and loving these characters so thoroughly that I kept flipping pages back to the beginning to remind myself of things they had said in previous conversations.  On the whole, this novel was a pure delight to read and one that I felt sad to conclude.  It was one of those books that I almost wish I could unread, just so I could have the experience of reading again!

Giveaway Details!  Now, if YOU would like a chance to win one copy of this great read from the publisher, here's what you need to do.  First, go to facebook and "Like" Julianne Donaldson's facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/DonaldsonJulianne  Second, just leave me a friendly hello below w/ your name and email address so I can contact you if you win!  The giveaway will run through 9/25.  I will email the lucky winner personally.  (Sorry, this giveaway is U.S. & Canada only.)

Author Details:  Julianne Donaldson grew up as the daughter of a U.S. Air Force fighter pilot. She learned how to ski in the Italian Alps, visited East Berlin before the wall came down, and spent three years living next to a 500-year-old castle. After earning a degree in English, she turned her attention to writing about distant times and places. She lives in Utah with her husband and four children.

Thank you so much to Shadow Mountain and Julianne Donaldson for the opportunity to review Blackmoore.  To check out other reviews, giveaways, and stops on the tour, visit the Blackmoore Blog Tour site at Shadow Mountain's site.