Georgian Awards

Editorial Review 

Lord William and Emma Lady Hamilton are hosting glamorous soirees for the titled and social elite of Naples the year of 1800. Admiral Lord Nelson is a regular and well loved guest. While men and ladies parade in peacock glory, a Russian countess flirts with a British naval officer. Soon the theft of a lady’s prized necklace creates a hullabaloo, and a murder most foul is committed. To the horror of Countess Roscoff, the death is too much to bear and she flees from Naples to the safety of her home in Venice. There to her consternation her young ward disappears during the splendour of the Venice carnival. Period atmosphere of white slavery is depicted with reality of a rescue at sea. While the death of a Russian count in Venice is a mystery to unfold. A glimpse of snow bound St Petersburg emerges with the countess’s later arrival in England. There with hope of rekindling a love that once bore no restraint, Commander Herne’s expression bears no resemblance to his thoughts. The final scene is memorable. No emotional stone is left unturned from page one to the last in this heart-warming sexually explicit romance. Well written with natural dialogue, crisp descriptive narrative, the seamless historical facts are woven with clarity throughout. The Georgian Award is hereby granted to Francine Howarth for Venetian Encounter.

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Editorial Review

In his quiet rural retreat Viscount Beaumont believes London is the right place for his daughter’s coming out into society. He knows he must shake himself from his dormant existence of mourning his late wife. Good sense as he sees it soon prevails. He intends to foist the hunt for a suitor to Henrietta’s aunt, her French mother’s sister. Gabrielle is a woman of cultured taste and eye for detail. Therefore, reluctant in duty as a father in escort to a headstrong young lady, London suddenly holds appeal he hadn’t foreseen. A French born actress catches his eye, and Henrietta has an admirer. Could this be love or is he vulnerable to Verity’s prettiness? All is going swell for Henrietta, with exception of a caveat. Fate is inescapable as deceitful webs spin around Henrietta and her father. Spies are everywhere, and revolutionary Paris soon beckons. Father, daughter, and Verity all risk the alien atmosphere of a despoiled France for very different reasons. With sense of adventure and derring-do Beaumont and Verity Garnier risk their lives for love and honour, while Henrietta puzzles through a gypsy’s foretelling. Thankfully Henrietta’s heart solves her predicament, and her father fulfils Verity’s dreams with steel determination to never let her out of his sight again. The author weaves suspense, suspicions, and intrigue throughout with historical merit. The Georgian Award is hereby granted to Maggi Andersen for Hostage to Love.

The Valiant Viscount - Sarah Waldock

Editorial Review:

A gentleman’s fortune is subject to the property he owns and its asset value. Poor Lucius, Viscount Rokemore’s inheritance is somewhat dilapidated. Unfortunately all avenues of raising a loan are exhausted. The humiliating prospect of a convenient marriage to a rich heiress is for Rokemore an outrageous proposition. As an alternative he turns to a sporting pastime with great hopes of quadrupling his finances. A strict training regime takes priority. With triumphal victories guineas fall from heaven. In the meanwhile, his gallant nature proves extremely fortunate and results in a charmingly romantic affair, itself incurring unforeseen danger. But Rokemore is a true knight in a frockcoat, and with wonderful sense of historical atmosphere, the author needles a well written, well-researched tapestry of one man’s sheer determination to rebuild his ailing estate and owe not a penny to a living soul. Therefore it is a great pleasure to bestow a Georgian Award to Sarah Waldock, for The Valiant Viscount.

The Purchased Peer - Giselle Marks

Editorial Review:

Xavier Falconer is man in dire straits, down on his luck in a vast mansion and barely a penny to his name. Liquor prevents sober hours from worsening the reality of his ceaseless torment of past recklessness. One day and unsure if he’s drunk or dead, a veiled apparition appears. The woman’s proposition is outrageous. But what does a penniless earl have to lose beyond gaining a wife in exchange for the one thing she desires from an aristocratic wastrel. While the ritual of making love to his veiled bride is disconcerting, although gratifying, investment in hard labour keeps him sane by day. While by night his duties progressively turn potent and desire abounds. With the unexpected day of the lifting of the veil stark reality is shocking for Xavier. His confession is his redeeming quality, his wife’s vain hope of revenge is then to no avail and love withheld spills forth. Well written with a mysterious web of deceit, the psychology of Xavier’s sexual desire and urge to please the veiled lady is highly intriguing. The Georgian award is hereby granted to Giselle Marks, for The Purchased Peer.