Never Before (American Beauties Trilogy)

Ann Brighton reluctantly goes to England with her millionaire father and serves as his hostess in exchange for the money to start her own horse farm back in post-Civil War Virginia. She can't forgive him for deserting her family to run blockades. She's adamant about returning to the States until she meets Rhys Kendall, a man on a mission of vengeance against her father. Their liking and respect for each other blaze into a passion neither can deny, which endangers both his plans and hers. But when a mysterious blackmailer threatens not only Ann's father's life, but Ann's as well, Rhys and Ann both have to decide what path they want to follow and what they're willing to do to follow it ... The heroine is beautiful from the inside out, generous to her friends and devoted to family, with a gutsy, bold, "American" brashness I admired and chuckled at from the start. The hero is one to live for ... intelligent and sensitive, sexy and bullheaded, in fact, all through the book I wished he was locking horns with me! I haven't read an historical romance in a long time but I couldn't resist this one, from page one on. I highly recommend it and can't WAIT to read the others in the three-part series! Bravo, Jo-Ann Power!

I took it with me everywhere. From the beauty salon to my son's track meet. I couldn't let it out of my sight until I finished it. Now I can hardly wait till the next book. It has all the elements of a fantastic book: romance, mystery, and rich historical detail. Ann is a true delight!!! I even bought extra copies to give to my friends!

It started out a little slow for me because our first American Beauty Ann was getting on my nerves but as the story continued she began to grow on me and I came to enjoy her very much. She definitely had a mind of her own and I like that type of character.

In 1875 Alexandria, Virginia, Ann Brighton awaits the arrival of fiancé so that they can elope. Her intended never shows up. Desperate to finance the purchasing of a horse farm, Ann accepts a deal with her estranged father, Skip. He will bankroll her ambition if she will serve as his hostess during a trip to England. Skip wants to make amends to individuals, including his daughter, whom he hurt during his business ventures. He also wants Ann to marry one of his victims, Rhys Kendall, the Duke of Carlton. Though Rhys and Ann are immediately attracted to one another, neither one wants a relationship to develop between them. She wants to maintain her independence and he despises her father. Still, with the impetus of a matchmaking father, love soon flourishes. Now, if the stubborn couple would only allow their feelings for each other to overcome their reluctance, this couple can have a lifetime of happiness as their reward. NEVER BEFORE, the first novel in the "American Beauties" series, is a fabulous Victorian romance that will excite fans of that sub-genre. The lead protagonists are a wonderful pair, but it is the machinations of Skip that turns the story line into a novel worth reading by any fan of historical romances. Jo-Ann Power is clearly a powerfully talented force in theromance genre Harriet Klausner