Passionate

Anthea Lawson writes a book that thrills and warms the heart. Her characters jump off the page as real people, and have stayed in my mind long after I put the book down. I want to spend time in the world Anthea creates. Looking forward to her next book!

Orphaned at a young age, James Huntington was taken in by his wealthy Uncle. This event marked the beginning of a lifelong rivalry between James and Reggie, the Uncle's son. When the cousin's grandfather, a famous botanist, wills his favorite property to the person who can recover an elusive flower along with his lost journals, James decides to try. The twist? The flower and journals are in Tunisia, Africa, and Reggie will do anything to make sure his cousin stays propertyless. While traveling, James meets Sir Edward Strathmore, a friend of his grandfather's who is also a botanist. Upon hearing of James' quest, Edward is delighted and offers his services. The problem is that his family, and his niece, Lily Strathmore a botanical illustrator, must accompany them. While James doesn't like the idea of an entourage, he can see the benefits and agrees. While initially at odds, Lily and James get to know and understand each other and a passionate romance begins. However, Lily is the daughter of one of the most powerful and rich families in London and is expected to marry well. For all intensive purposes, she is already betrothed. If that weren't enough, James feels that until he has property he is unworthy of her. Lily however is more passionate about her art and her work as an illustrator then her status in society. Amid heated encounters, the quest continues and Reggie, who will stop at nothing to make sure James fails, causes problems at every turn. As a showdown between Reggie and James builds, so does the likelihood that Lily will be forced to marry someone she doesn't love. Passionate is well-titled because it has a lot of heart. The passion of the main characters shows through as does the authors' passion about the story. It's a vibrant, well-paced Victorian historical with half the story set in Tunisia, a change I enjoyed. The settings placed in historic places and the contrast in cultures was interesting. My only criticism is that the set-up was complex. At any rate I see why Passionate has been nominated for a RITA award. It is a compelling story with likable characters.

I don't usually read romance, but this book was recommended to me. I found it to be a well-crafted story that I thoroughly enjoyed. A pleasant surprise! I also recommend it. It's a very entertaining read.

Debut novel Passionate is a fairly engaging read. It's not perfect but it does have a nicely flowing plot and the characters are easy to like. James Huntington must go to Tunisia to obtain journals his botany loving grandfather left behind that contain information about a very rare flower. If James succeeds in finding the journals then he will inherit his grandfather's estate complete with a very nice greenhouse. James is no botanist and seeks the help of Sir Edward Strathmore. Sir Edward is delighted to assist and search for the flower in Tunisia and he is bringing an entourage to include his wife, grown son and daughter and his niece Lily, the daughter of his brother who just happens to be an influential member of parliament. Lily is also a wonderful painter. She is almost betrothed to a future Earl at her mother's insistence. Lily has never met the nobleman but feels he is the lesser of the two evils of spinsterhood or a dull marriage. Lily and James at first are at loggerheads, thanks to Lily's prickliness. They soon get past this, or rather Lily does, and they really begin to enjoy each other's company. Lily is independant and interesting. They have chemistry and James is a really nice man, he's not alpha male so much as he is one of those heroes who really is smart, carefree and respectful. Accompanying the Strathmores and James on this hunt for the flower is James cousin, Reggie, who is in line for the title but is selfish and despises his cousin. He has a part to play and it isn't a good one. In Tunisia James and Lily draw closer to each other and both feel that they are falling in love but Lily is keeping information from James. I found this part of the story to be a little flawed, Lily was so up front in so many areas of her life I wondered why she was hush hush about aspects of her future which had a direct bearing on her relationship with James. There are lots of adventures in this novel with a few plot twists which were well done and one or two which left some gaps (especially James's search for the journals and flower toward the end of the novel). Still the ending is well done and I never doubted that these two people really loved and cared about each other.

"Passionate", a debut novel by husband and wife team Anthea Lawson, was a delight from beginning to end. The characters, including the secondary ones, are endearing and enchanting. Lily, a true feminist in an era when the word had not yet been invented, is passionate about her artwork. James, passionate about his family and finding his place in the world, is also sexy, intelligent, strong and very appealing. When these two passionate beings meet each other, sparks fly! The settings, Victorian England and Tunisia, are romantic and exotic; some of the encounters between Lily and James are romantic and erotic. However, the story line is much more interesting than a simple catalog of seduction and lust. The happy ending confirms a belief in true love triumphing over seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Highly recommended!