Saturday, December 1, 2012

An Heiress at Heart (Love's Grace #1) by Jennifer Delamere


A youthful indiscretion has cost Lizzie Poole more than just her honor. After five years living in exile, she's finally returning home, but she's still living a secret life. Her best friend Ria's dying wish was for Lizzie to assume her identity, return to London, and make amends that Ria herself would never live to make. Bearing a striking resemblance to her friend, and harboring more secrets than ever before, Lizzie embarks on a journey that tempts her reckless heart once again . . . 

A committed clergyman; Geoffrey Somerville's world is upended when he suddenly inherits the title of Lord Somerville. Now he's invited to every ball and sought after by the matchmaking mothers of the London society. Yet the only woman to capture his heart is the one he cannot have: his brother's young widow, Ria. Duty demands he deny his feelings, but his heart longs for the mysterious beauty. With both their futures at stake, will Lizzie be able to keep up her façade? Or will she find the strength to share her secret and put her faith in true love?

Type: Historical Romance
Heat: 1 out of 5
Rating: 4 out of 5

I'll admit I'm a little shallow and love a gorgeous book and Jennifer Delamere's debut novel, An Heiress at Heart, definitely caught my eye right away with it's beautiful cover. She quickly won over my heart as well with a wonderful tale and characters that I truly liked and would love to know in real life. 

I really enjoyed the whole premise of the book. The basic gist is that in order to fulfill her best friend's dying wish of making amends with her family back in London, Lizzie, who is all alone in the world, travels to London and takes over her friend Ria's identity. Of course nothing goes quite right from nearly being run over by a carriage when she first arrives to an unexpected attraction with the potential for so much more and a surprising discovery that threatens everything Lizzie has grown to cherish.

Lizzie and Geoffrey were wonderful characters that I felt an instant connection with. Both are dealing with tremendous personal losses and with finding themselves smack in the middle of the ton. The romance was subtle and slow building and utterly perfect for the two even with the tremendous obstacles they have to overcome. I loved that there was an attraction from the start but Geoffrey and Lizzie were able to actually get to know each other and spend time together before the L word ever crossed their thoughts. They didn't just jump into bed together either which was refreshing. It's actually a very innocent book in that regard (there's just a little kissing) but it completely works and feels believable. 
"Though Edward would happily point out that I am a poor second, you have me as well."
She shook her head. "You are your own man Geoffrey. To say you are a poor second is to do yourself a great injustice."
As far as Geoffrey was concerned, the Queen herself could not have bestowed a greater honor.
The secondary characters were absolutely delightful as well and I'm so looking forward to seeing their stories unfold. From Lizzie's Grandmama and her cousin James, who have an infectious humor, to the awkward Miss Lucinda who caught my heart as well with how uncomfortable she was in polite society. I really hope we'll hear more from her as well. They all added so many wonderful moments to the story and interactions with Lizzie and Geoffrey. 

An Heiress at Heart was a truly lovely read that had me laughing, had me in tears and completely won me over. I loved that it wasn't your typical romance and had so much heart to it. It's definitely an inspirational story and one that has me looking forward to many more such books by Jennifer Delamere.

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The youngest child of a Navy pilot and a journalist, Jennifer acquired a love of adventure and an excitement for learning that continues to this day. She’s lived in three countries and traveled through the U.S. An avid reader of classics and historical fiction, she also enjoys biographies and histories, which she mines for the vivid details to bring to life the characters and places in her books. She resides with her husband in North Carolina. 



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82 comments:

  1. a heiress at heart is a great book..i bought one for my self last week :)

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  2. the summary really touched me, i would be very happy to read this even if being as emtional as i am i'm sure to cry a lot
    i will add it to my wishlist!

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    1. It did get me teary eyed a couple times but so worth it. Hope you enjoy it Miki!

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  3. Dont put me in for this book. I have it. And now, I cannot wait to read it!! It looks terrific!!

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    1. Oh I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. I can't wait for the next one!

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  4. i like reading about secret identity, it adds certain spice in the book

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    1. It really did Sienny. It was interesting to see her struggling with her secret identy/personality and who she really was.

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  5. It would be great to have a secret identity!! Would love to read this book. What an awesome giveaway!!

    Julie K
    kornhsl@yahoo.com

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    1. I think it would be kinda fun now and again too! Good luck!

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  6. This one is sitting here on my TBR pile that I've received recently. I'm looking forward to starting it!

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  7. This book sounds great. I love the at the heroine is pretending to be her dying friend to make amends for both of them, and that the hero is falling in love with his late brother's "widow". This sounds like a great story.

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    1. Oh, I don't think I have ever really wanted to try a secret identity or anything.

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  8. I'd order An Heiress at Heart and can't wait for the book coming :)

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  9. I enjoy books that can make me laugh and cry and have all sorts of emotions while reading it. Thats when I know I've picked a good book.
    I think a secret identity would be such fun. Just think of all that you could do.
    I'd be so excited to be able to do that.
    luvfuzzzeeefaces at yahoo dot com

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    1. I think it would be kinda fun too Julianne! Maybe not all the time but every once in a bit it would be fun to slip into someone elses life. And oh right there with you. Love when a book can get all of your emotions involved. Always such an experience!

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  10. Wow maybe one day I'll have a secret identity...humm has potential. This book sounds great I totally have to get it to read soon

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    1. ::snort:: It does doesn't it? You could do oh so many things ;) Hope you enjoy An Heiress at Heart!

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  11. New Follower ~ No I never really though about a secret identity.

    Heather ~ Books Books and More Books

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    1. Hi Heather! Thanks for following! Can't say I'd put much thought into it either until I picked this one up LOL

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  12. Well, only when I was a kid and wanted to be a superhero(heroine)!

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  13. Love this, def. going up on my TBR list! =)

    Best wishes, Linda

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  14. Enjoyed the review - I think it would be cool to assume someone else's identity - to see what it feels like to be someone else for a while.

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    1. Thanks Barbara! I think it would be kinda neat too. Not for a long while but just to see for a little while :)

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  15. Enjoy the review. Can't wait to read full story!!
    Thanks for sharing :)

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  16. The review opened my eyes to this book. I would really like to read more of it to see what happens to the characters and bet more into the story. sdylion(at) gmail(dot)com

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  17. Id love to have a secret Identity that would be so cool.

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  18. You'd have to keep your story straight if you tried to pull off a secret identity - It might be fun if you kept the new identity close to your real one except for a few critical facts

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    1. See that's where I'd have trouble. I'm so good at forgetting things LOL I'd get myself caught right quick!

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  19. Hmmm, I've never read a book where the hero is a clergyman, plus it sounds like there could be some major angst in this book (which I love in my reads).

    Adria
    Breath of Life Reviews

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    1. I've read a couple now Adria and they're very interesting. Lori Foster did one and I just finished one for tomorrow's post that was a "fake" clergyman. Always brings a great element into the mix.

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  20. Sounds like a wonderfully exciting read. Enjoy an action packed storyline. Thanks and can't wait to read it.
    lorih 824@yahoo.com

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  21. It'll be OK for a little bit, but after awhile, you might miss your real identity.Book sounds really good.

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    1. I think you're probably right. I really like my life and would miss if but could be fun for a little "vacation" every once in a bit :)

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  22. As long as I hurt no one (although someone would be hurt because inevitably it always happens), I would like to step into the shoes of a woman who had adventure. But only for a short period as I love my life!!

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    1. That would be a must. I wouldn't want to cause anyone any grief by it. Would be hard to form any real "connections" with new people though since you know the truth would get out eventually and hurt feelings.

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  23. Sounds like a great book! And yes, I have always wanted a secret identity!

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  24. The old saying Walk a mile in their Shoes.... I would actually love the chance to assume someone's identity just to see what it is really like in their mile.

    Creating a whole new persona would also be awesome!

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    1. I think the "day in the life of" shows are kinda fun. Been a long time since I saw one but where people would switch their lives and see what it was like. That would be kinda neat I think. Not really a secret identity but kinda sorta the same. LOL

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  25. This sounds like a wonderful read...maybe one that would make me cry at times (in a good way)! Love the secret for a worthy cause! I'm definitely putting this on my must list!
    ivegotmail8889(at)yahoo(dot)com

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    1. She really had good intentions so def for a worthy cause :) Hope you enjoy it PC!

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  26. I love the cover. It looks like a very interesting read.

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    1. Me too. As soon as I saw it I knew I wanted to give it a read :)

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  27. Thank you for the post. I am picky on my historical romances, but this sounds really, really good, so I am putting Heiress at Heart on my wish list.

    koonie2888 at yahoo dot com

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  28. Thanks for sharing the post, seems like an interesting read.

    BeckeyWhiteATgmailDOTcom

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  29. OH, this looks so good! It is going on my ever growing to-be-read list! I love the secret identity angle!

    grapeapril75(AT)gmail.com

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    1. It was kinda fun. I haven't read too many of those so really enjoyed having something new to explore :)

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  30. Loved the post & I'm putting this book on my TBRs. I'm going to have to find out how Lizzie handles her friend's identity. Congratulations on this books release.

    JessieL62(at)comcast(dot)net

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  31. Secret identity..no. I would hope that I would never need one but if I did, then yes, I would definitely do it in a heartbeat:)
    Nicole.nobles@aol.com

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  32. i like the whole taking on a different identity thing and the cover is nice thanks for review
    kaholgate at ymail dot com

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  33. I love the review. My TBR list is getting longer now lol
    I think it would be awesome to try out a secret identity :)
    cassandrahicks1989@yahoo.com

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  34. I love the cover;) The review was great and adding to my TBR list, sounds like a great read! Merry Christmas!
    allysonbrann06@yahoo.com

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    1. Thanks Allyson! It was such a good one! I hope you love their journey!

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  35. I agree about the cover issue...even when I know better, a good cover will keep pulling me back to a book repeatedly. This books sounds really good, though. For all that I am very modern, and like my erotica stories, I love a good historical that doesn't jump into bed too early since most characters wouldn't do so. And I love a good romance that can engage me enough to get me to cry or laugh aloud. The whole point is to pull me out of my life, right?
    As for the secret id...no, never wanted one, I have enough trouble keeping up with my own life and all the things going on inside my own head (its never quiet in my brain as it is, I don't need to add an outside personality as well, lol).
    vickykerr(at)sbcglobal.net

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    1. Exactly Vicky! I love getting to step into so many lives and see what it's like. I really love a variety in my reads too from fairly sweet like this one to the hot and heavy right from the start. All about how it's written :)

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  36. Oh secret identity book? That sounds like it would be an interesting read :D even with the heat level so low, the book itself has a capturing premise

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    1. I really like heat in mine but it so worked with this book and really I didn't miss it at all. Great writing to accomplish that!

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  37. I´ve never wanted a secret identity of my own, but i love reading about others, =)

    Happy New Year!
    //Linda

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    1. Me too! I love seeing what happens and how things unfold :)

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  38. Great review! An Heiress at Heart is definitely getting added to my TBR Pile!

    elizabeth @ bookattict . com

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  39. You are sooo bad for my wishlist! It is growing with almost every book you review!

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    1. LOL sorry about that! I killed my tbr list this month too! It's MASSIVE now. Gonna be a great 2013 working through them!

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  40. I am interested. I am always looking for a good read

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  41. I love this genre and Heiress at Heart looks like it would be a great addition to my collection :)

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  42. Great review. Not a genre I will typically read but might pick this up.

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  43. This sounds like a great book. I'd love to try out a second identity like Lizzie, but I'm not sure if I'd be able to keep it up and remember two different personas.

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  44. I loved your review and found the story line to be captivating! I love that by honoring her friend that Lizzie has the chance to change her life and find the love she deserves! This story really caught my interest because of the conflicts that must be overcome by both Lizzie and Geoffrey!

    jeannemiro(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  45. I would totally have a secret identity especially if I could meet a dashing lord. :)

    smurfettev AT gmail DOT com

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