Enslaved

Daisy Lake and Gavin Carmichael are orphans at Roxbury House. Daisy is the classic orphan, who doesn't even know her last name. Gavin's family perished in a tenement fire. Along with their friends, Harry and Rourke, they form a club that makes them as strong as a family. Then, Gavin's long-lost grandfather shows up to claim him, and things change. Gavin and Daisy share a special bond, and agree to keep in touch no matter what happens. As things go, though, they lose touch. Many years later, Gavin is a successful barrister in London. He has been searching for Daisy to no avail. When he receives yet another bad report from a private investigator, Harry and Rourke convince him to visit a supper club where a new French entertainer, Delilah du Lac, is performing. When Gavin realizes that Delilah is Daisy, he thinks his prayers have been answered. But a long time has passed, and things have changed since they were children. Can Gavin, raised by his stuffy grandfather, find love with Daisy, who is now a stage actress with a past? When I first read the blurb for this I thought, well, this is a well-used plot about two people who are very close, who are broken apart, and come back together again. It should be okay to read. But in the deft hands of Hope Tarr, Enslaved became something much more. Fantastic characterization brought this book to life, making me feel as if I'd known the players all my life, instead of it being my first introduction to them. I loved watching Gavin and Daisy grow together, learn about each other and themselves. When I got to the last page and had tears in my eyes, I knew this was a story I would want to read again. Hope Tarr has a new fan. I can't wait to check out more of her work, and see what she has in store for her readers. Enslaved certainly put chains around my heart. It is a Joyfully Reviewed Recommended Read for me. Amelia reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

I grabbed a copy of this book at the store as soon as it was available and I actually read it in three evenings! Hope Tarr is a writer who knows how to keep the reader's attention all the way through her books and this one is no exception. ENSLAVED is a historical fiction tale I liked best for it's "teasing" subplot, the sexual tension between Gavin and the woman he falls for deeper as time goes on. Nothing like having a delicious prize dangling before you just inches away! :) I won't spoil any of it for others in this review, but suffice it to say Ms. Tarr is one Romance Novelist whose stories can be read and enjoyed by ANYONE, female or male! ENSLAVED is a very unique storyline written in a way that the reader can clearly visualize what he or she is reading! After you put the book down, you feel like you've just stepped through a time-warp to another Century. Hope Tarr has done it again...she has a man (who never reads romance novels~ME) reading her stories!! Her "descriptives" are amazing, i.e. the way she'll describe the movement of a hip or shoulder, the way she designs the climate for each scene, etc. Now I will be waiting for her next titles to come out in 2008 with anticipation! There's only one Romance Writer worth going to the Book store for, and that is Hope Tarr :)

In 1876 at the Roxbury House Orphanage in Kent, England, the four friends (Teenagers Patrick O'Rourke, Harry Stone and Gavin Carmichael and nine years old Daisy) meets in the attic whenever they can. Daisy believes they are a "real family" until Gavin's hard-nosed grandfather Friend St. John arrives to take him home with him. Gavin promises Daisy he will never forget her. In 1891 now a barrister Gavin has almost given up his search for Daisy as even a private detective has not been able to find her since she was adopted by the Lakes in 1877. Gavin's two pals Harry and Patrick persuade him to attend a show starring Delilah du Lac. He is stunned to realize she is his Daisy; she is as shocked to realize he is her Saint Gavin. As they fall in love, Gavin remains upset she never wrote him and Daisy thinks he can do much better than her; however, both also dream that they can become a "real family", but first one of them must have the courage to step forward and explain their doubts to the other. The likable lead couple makes for a fine Victorian romance that will have the audience rooting for the pair to find a way to remain together. Character driven, Gavin and Daisy struggle to overcome their past and their perceptions of what is best for the other. Although Gavin's his cold blooded interfering grandfather seems more like a Dickensian stereotype, the support cast especially his two pals Harray (see VANQUISHED) and Patrick (future tale) augment an enjoyable historical tale. Harriet Klausner