Random Reads: Blackmoore

 Not long ago I wrote about how much I enjoyed author Julianne Donaldson's Edenbrooke, and now I'm back to say that I think I enjoyed her Blackmoore even more. 

While both books were great, they were as different as night and day in terms of overall feeling and in the types of emotions they elicited. Edenbrooke was lighter and more predictable. You never really worried about how the story would turn out or if the heroine would get her man. Blackmoore had a tenser, more hopeless feel about it. The desperation of the protagonist's situation was palpable and made a storybook ending feel unlikely.

In most historical fiction, the plight of women and their utter dependence on making a good match is only hinted at. The likelihood of the main character actually being forced into an unhappy marriage or remaining a spinster is impossible because it wouldn't make for the outcome most romance novel readers are looking for. So those possibilities are always lurking in the background, but are never a serious threat.

If you're looking for a period romance that is clean and yet doesn't shy away from some of the heavier and darker emotions, check out Blackmoore.