Blackmoore (Proper Romance)

I always love a good romance, but I think this book takes it a bit too far. If there was an immediate thought I had when I finished this book (amidst the swooning) I think it would have been "life-ruiner!" As in, this book has characters, setting and a romance that is simply never to be had in this lifetime. What a joy this novel is. It's the ultimate escape for people who want to read about romance that will hurt your heart with it's perfection.Now I can talk about the depth of the character development, the perfect weaving of backstory in the lives of the characters with their present-day action and the surprising twists in the story's development (and I will talk about those things) but all I'm thinking about right now is the romance. The glorious, achingly tense, perfectly pitched romance that had me constantly turning pages. Seriously, I had to remember to breathe through all that tension. Kate Worthington is determined to live an unconventional, independent life away from a family that she doesn't understand and who doesn't understand her, and the lengths she goes to achieve her goal - her uncompromising persevering pursuance of it - shows the indomitable nature of her character. And the tension in her need to resist her romantic feelings for her best friend because it gets in the way of the freedom she craves, is what drives the narrative. I think it's pretty clear early on how the couple feel about each other but with a myriad of secrets kept between them, they don't feel free to say what they feel. And the author torments the reader in letting slip so many tender moments between them, while still keeping them apart. It's so beautifully done and so utterly enchanting, I was reduced to a starry-eyed sop by the end of the story. No regrets though.The characters are of course a very important component to why this novel worked so well. The main characters are believable and inspiring and truly deserving of each other. Kate is a very strong heroine, and one who is compassionate and intelligent. Often heroines who are rebels are also a bit wild, but Kate is on the whole modest and refined - a contrast to her family who are involved in a shocking scandal or two. It's partly because of the these scandals that Kate's prospects have been hurt, and because she is not like them, but an interesting, bookish, and vibrant character I really rooted for, I was so looking forward to her happy ending.Her dear friend Henry Delafield who is very caring and chivalrous and downright swoonworthy, tries to keep his feelings locked up, but whenever there were glimpses of it, it made him that much more appealing because of the sincerity in his character and the effort he made to keep what he thought would not be wanted. It's so lovely to read a romance that begins with a true connection between the characters, and maintains that through their conversation and interactions.With the story set on the English seaside moors and a lovely old manor home the backdrop for such a tense but curbed passionate love story, the atmosphere of this book is pretty much perfect. The wildness of the moors and the sea compliments the brimming life in Kate, and although I was surprised by a certain turn the story took in the end, it made complete sense and made me very happy for Kate. I think this is an extraordinarily lovely novel and perfect for readers who love an intellectual romance between two strong characters.

This was an audio listen for me and it was so enjoyable. The reader had an English accent and it was just wonderful. If I would have actually read this I would have lost the accent, so I loved listening to it. Mrs. Donaldson writes beautifully. Her writing has a Jane Austin flair to it that was so enjoyable. I was so entranced with the story that I didn't want to turn off my ipod. I loved her description of the Moore's, and Blackmoore itself. Characters were wonderful and the story was great.Kate is a reserved, smart, doesn't see her own beauty, and feels caged by the restrictions of the time. Her mother is cruel and doesn't fallow as she should the customs of discretion towards her pursuits of men, and yes she is married. Her mother is willing to connive with the best of them to get what she wants no matter the cost. Kate has wanted for years has wanted to go visit Blackmoore. It is home to her childhood friend Henry. Every year Henry and his sister Sylvia come to visit and every year excuses are made as to why she can not go. Finally an opportunity presents itself and Kate makes a bargain with her mother. As you can imagine this has disaster written all over it....but she finally gets to go to her beloved Blackmoore.While Kate is at Blackmoore she starts to recognize Henry as a very handsome man instead of the childhood friend he has always been to her. However she refuses to ever marry and keeps pushing away her feelings. There is much more to this story than meets the eye. Kate has secret that she feels she must keep. The way she put off Henry at times was frustrating, but as the story unfolds you see that her heart was always in the right place. Henry he is so sweet and handsome and completely smitten and in love with his childhood friend. I loved the part in this story where he makes a replica of Blackmoore for Kate while they are apart over the summer and what that all meant, so beautiful. The end was a little rushed or maybe the problem was that I just didn't want it to end. I loved watching all the secrets come to light. Loved it!If you are a Jane Austin fan you won't want to miss this one. Really a sweet and beautiful story.clean read

Overall, this book is a captivating read with a well-developed plot. The author has done an excellent job in creating layered and interesting main characters. The heroes are intelligent, well-read, and share common interests in birds, Greek mythology, and poetry. The moors and Blackmoore scenery, along with its legends, have played a significant part in creating the book's mood.Furthermore, I appreciate the author's ability to paint the young heroes according to their age. Although they started forming an attachment at a young age, the author did not cross the line of impropriety, even though the heroine was only 17 when the main events happened.However, despite the book's happy ending, it evoked sad emotions in me, and I found it hard to address the reasons for this. Mostly, it was because I found Henry's character confusing and not entirely understandable. Specifically, I couldn't comprehend his reasoning for inviting Kate to Blackmoore while courting another girl. Although he had made a promise to Kate a long time ago, I couldn't determine if he had given up on her or had a plan of his own. I would have liked to see more backbone in him, as he appeared to be on a tight leash of his mother, and he seemed to satisfy every one of Kate's whims. Asking him to propose to her, given their history, seemed cruel, and Kate didn't seem to consider his feelings at all. The lengths he had to go to get answers from Kate and be together were a bit too much.In summary, this book is well-written and engaging, with developed characters and a captivating plot. However, I would have liked stronger main male hero character.

most beautiful, heartbreaking, joyous romance ever!! And it manages to be very clean on top of it. So sweet! I wish I could wipe my memory and read it again!!

Fun read

Oh how I loved this novel!I met again the same beautiful atmosphere, the same style of writing which I loved so much in Edenbrook, the same ability to capture me and take me into another age, with a love story so beautiful so heartbreaking that I couldn't leave this book alone, I have devoured every page till my eyes set on the last sentence of this story.I wasn't disappointed, and i'm so glad I decided to read also this novel, I was afraid it couldn't be able to sustain the same feelings I had experienced for Edenbrook but here I am with a heart full with beautiful emotions.I loved the main characters, I loved Kate, even if she couldn't be more distant to what my personality is I felt I've would loved to have a friend like her. She was a really well written characters with a lovely evolution. How could anyone not fall in love with Henry? I dare any of you to read this novel and tell so. Henry really made my eyes sting with tears, such devotion makes even the most cold heart melt.There is only one thing I have to complain about and it is the fact that the secondary characters felt a little "fake". Of course every character in a novel is a fake, but I mean that they didn't take life, it felt like they were just there to have a certain role, and of course there are characters like that in every story but when it comes to characters that have a main role in the story I feel the should have a well written background, a well built personality with reasons that made sense and behaviour that are motivated by something and not just because they are supposed to act like that. Maybe I didn't explained my self very well, after all English is not my first language but I hope that I have delivered the main concept about it.However I highly recommend this book to everyone who loves the genre, to every romantic soul out there who crave for a proper romance.Enjoy this wonderful story, let it rapture you mind and heart as it did with mine

Lo devolvi venia en ingles.. Me imagino no me fije en eso.. No entiendo como me ofrecen un libro en ingles si estoy buscando libros en español

I’m still a bit teary but I wanted to review this lovely book before I started something mundane like the washing. A gorgeous clean regency novel. I have read Edenbrooke by Julianne Donaldson and absolutely loved it. Blackmore was a little harder to initially feel comfortable with the characters but once everything started to fall into place it certainly evolved into a rather moving love story. Well done to Julianne in creating depth to her heroine and her wonderful research of the period. Recommend it to any lover of regency or historical books. The storyline is heartwarming and indicative of regency

A história se passa na Inglaterra de 1820. O enredo conta a história de Kate Worthington que está determinada a nunca se casar. Seu plano é viajar para a Índia, a fim de escapar de sua família um tanto quanto indiscreta. Mas a mãe Kate, disposta a casar a filha a todo custo, decide fazer um trato com Kate: ela poderá ir à Índia desde que receba e rejeite três propostas de casamento durante a sua estadia na mansão de Blackmoore, de propriedade de Henry Delafield.Blackmoore é um romance cativante, de uma profundidade que normalmente não se encontra nos romances de hoje em dia. Eu li este livro em uma sentada, a necessidade de saber como as coisas acabariam para Kate valeram o sono perdido.As descrições de Blackmoore são impecáveis e floreadas. Donaldson não exagera em seus detalhes mas ao mesmo tempo lhe dar informações suficientes para imaginar toda a beleza austera de Blackmoore sem muito esforço.Os personagens foram muito bem delineados, inclusive os secundários. Eu me apaixonei por cada cena com Henry e sofri junto com Kate. Ao terminar o livro, tive a impressão de que eu conhecia os personagens. A marca de uma excelente escrita pode ser percebia com o fato de que Donaldson conseguirá fazer com que você saiba exatamente o que o herói estava sentindo sem ter que escrever sobre o ponto de vista dele. Muito bem feito!Eu realmente recomendo para os confessos românticos de carterinha.