Well written and definitely a barn-burner.Autumn Masquerade (By:Nancy Campbell Allen,Josi S.

Its a classic example of a traditional Regency, with a beautiful love story that effectively uses the time period to frame a romance that might otherwise seem impossible.ĥ out of 6, authentic details and interesting hero and heroine balance a serious tone. There is a clear reason this gets high marks on numerous sites, including Good Reads. This makes the love between the H/h so much more palatable and realistic.

The heroine is also different, with a really heart-rending backstory and very little but her strong character to recommend her. The hero is also wonderful and masculine, and although not handsome or titled and with plenty of war-scars, a real gem.

Its definitely more serious than I expected, and more serious than I typically favor, but the characters are well developed and the details authentic enough to really give a strong Regency flavor. Not overly cumbersome, history enriches the plot and characters and provides a wonderful foundation for the drama and romance. Those who favor Austen’s more serious bent or Heyer’s Infamous Army historical detail, you will enjoy Kelly’s deep dive look into the return of Regency soldiers from the Napoleanic wars. Aside from some violence and a few kissing/embracing scenes, its clean, vanilla and full of wonderfully unfolding romance. Summer Campaign is an old Harlequin title now re-released in ebook form, so true to its former publishing tradition is a classical Regency. I confess, the ending was definitely a tear jerker and the novel itself had me staying up into the wee hours to finish it. We have a bit of a Florence Nightgale story unfold, and there is a lot of drama throughout. I don’t want to spoil the ensuing drama, for it very entertaining, but I will say that circumstances eventually throw Onyx and returning solider Beresford together. Onyx Hamilton (and yes, Kelly does provide rationale for her first name) is en route to attend to Reverend Littletree’s parsonage (in need of serious repair) when everything goes terribly wrong. Rather it was what she would do if Jack Beresford took her in his arms… But Onyx’s worry was not what her fiancé would think or what the world would say. Surely tongues would wag about what she was doing with so eminently attractive and intriguingly unattached a gentleman as the major. Surely her husband-to-be, the right Reverend Andrew Littletree, would not condone her leaving the safety of home for the perils that this place posed for so lovely and desirable a young lady. Miss Onyx Hamilton knew the risk of going to Major Jack Beresford’s isolated country estate.

Summer Campaign by Carla Kelly