| Title | : | From London with Love (Rebellious Brides, #3) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 272 |
| Publication | : | First published February 7, 2017 |
Emilia St. George is moments away from marrying the admired grandson of a duke when the man who once jilted her decides to kidnap her at the altar. It’s the second time in five years Hamilton Sparrow has ruined her wedding day, and Emilia isn’t about to forgive him. The mere sight of her ex-fiancé revives painful memories—and, most regrettably, aching desires that refuse to be ignored.
Scanning the guests at Emilia’s wedding, Sparrow spots a familiar face: an assassin he recognizes from his days as a spy in France. Whisking Emilia away, he’s pleasantly surprised by her newly formed curves. Could this be the same flame-haired slip of a girl once promised to Sparrow? And does the fop she still insists on marrying realize what a prize she is? True, Sparrow left Emilia at the altar. But he’s afraid that the only way to right that particular wrong is to risk the one thing he’s always guarded: his heart.
From London with Love (Rebellious Brides, #3) Reviews
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It's not a bad story per se and has a lot of interesting tropes and things.
Plenty of great reviews here and I may add more later but I'm so bogged down and behind with my reviews so not going to expound much.
Only that there are too many ow here - falling out from everywhere- I'd say.
He's such an indiscriminate dog! Not being classist here but having the housekeeper also as mistress is most un-classy of him. And for the author to have the h witness their exchange about sex. And the reader is left to wonder if he'll keep her on or fire her in the future? Btw, he doesn't know that the h knows about the housekeeper ...
And why would he think of her as goddesses in his mind - Titania or Boadicea - and not by her own name? -
I've given this a C+ at AAR, so that's 3.5 stars
This third book in Diana Quincy’s Rebellious Brides series is an enjoyable read featuring a central couple who have known each other for years and were actually supposed to marry five years earlier – until the groom cried off on the morning of the wedding for reasons he never discussed with his betrothed. I enjoy a good second-chance romance, and this one is carried off fairly well, but I am getting just a bit tired of the hero who won’t risk his heart because “a nasty woman betrayed me/used me/broke my heart so I can never love again”. I realise that there are a plethora of such heroes in historical romances, but some of their reasons are more compelling than others, and I wasn’t completely convinced by those attributed to our hero, Hamilton Sparrow (yep – you read that right) and there were times I really wanted to tell him to just man up and get over it already.
Five years since the first time she was supposed to walk down the aisle, Emilia St. George is about to attempt the trip again, this time in order to marry Mr Edmund Worsley, the grandson of the Duke of Arthingon. But before she can get as far as taking the first step, her erstwhile bridegroom suddenly reappears, informs her that her life may be in danger and insists that she leaves with him immediately. Once Emilia has stopped laughing, she refuses in no uncertain terms, and Sparrow, a man who is by no means as puny as his namesake, is left with no alternative than to bodily haul her out of the church and into his waiting carriage.
When they are attacked by a man Sparrow knows to be a highly-paid assassin, Emilia starts to take the possibility of a threat to her life seriously – and to wonder who could be trying to kill her. She’s her father’s only child and heir to his immense fortune, but her fiancé does not want for money, and besides, if she were to die before their wedding he’d get nothing, so he doesn’t have a motive. But if something should happen to her, her father’s heir would be her cousin, Dominick Ware, a man with a shady past, a tendency to disappear, and who, for reasons we don’t learn in this book, is suspected of killing his own parents. It doesn’t help that when Sparrow was attacked by the assassin, Emilia bashed the man’s head in with a rock, so they’re unable to interrogate him due to the fact that he’s unconscious and probably near death. Sparrow and Emilia agree that Ware needs to be found and questioned – but first, they must return to Emilia’s home to lay the whole matter before her father and arrange for Emilia’s protection, so leaving a man with important information and a potentially fatal head wound in the care of trusted servants, the couple heads back to town.
Emilia is well aware that she is marrying Worsley for reasons other than love. Her dearest wish is to travel – first to Paris, then Italy and perhaps Greece – and seeing that her husband-to-be is a diplomat, she is looking forward to visting many different places to study their art and culture. She’s a highly skilled artist and her dearest wish is to complete the copy of a painting she had worked on with her beloved grandfather, but which was left unfinished at his death. (That isn’t to say she’s a forger – art students frequently copy the masters in order to gain an understanding of the techniques employed so that they can use them to develop their own skill). When one particular painting (called Portrait of a Youth in Profile) goes missing – and then turns up in the collection of the notorious reprobate (and friend of Sparrow’s) the Duke of Sunderford – there’s yet another layer of intrigue added to the mix, as it seems that Emilia and Sparrow have not only to discover who is out harm her, but also to find out who could have gained access to her studio and then passed off her copy of the Portrait as an original Italian masterwork.
The identity of the villain isn’t too difficult to guess, so the story is as much a ‘whydunnit’ as it is a ‘whodunnit’, and there’s plenty of action and interesting revelations to keep things trundling nicely along. The relationship between Emilia and Sparrow is well-realised; the sparks fly from the outset, and the author allows them time to get to know each other again for the people they really are. The problem is that they are both characters I’ve read hundreds of times before; Emilia is ashamed of her vibrant red hair (afraid it makes her look like a whore), thinks she’s too plump (which of course, she’s not, she’s built like a goddess), and believes that because men don’t want wives with minds of their own, she must simper around her fiancé and defer to his obviously more informed opinions, whereas the real her is vibrant, clever and passionate. I did, however, like that Emilia felt able to be herself with Sparrow because, not having anything to lose or prove, she didn’t have to pretend to be something she wasn’t; and that Sparrow came to see and fully appreciate her for the woman she really is and to see what he’d lost by not marrying her when he had the chance.
But in terms of the characterisation, Sparrow is similarly stereotypical. He’s knee-weakeningly gorgeous (of course) but a woman done him wrong so he has sworn off love and just sleeps around instead. He’s also recently inherited an impoverished title, so has resigned from the job he loves – as a Home Office agent – in order take up the reins of his crumbling estates and see if there’s any way he can possibly hold back the tide of debt about to engulf him. And as if that weren’t bad enough, the evil woman who broke his heart was a spy who leaked valuable information to the French which caused the capture, torture and deaths of a number of his men. Sparrow is thus guilt-ridden as well as debt-ridden, so even if he did have a heart to give to Emilia, he would still not be worthy of her.
To sum up, From London With Love is fast-moving and entertaining romp, and I certainly didn’t dislike it. But it relies on too many conveniences and contrivances for the plot to work, and I got particularly stuck on the fact that the paid assassin Sparrow spots at the beginning is so expediently incapacitated, forcing Sparrow and Emilia to solve the mystery on their own. I also couldn’t get past the fact that SHE BASHED HIS HEAD IN WITH A ROCK – yet they expect him to be able to spill the beans when he recovers. The ending falls into the “how convenient” category, too, with the baddie abducting Emilia when Sparrow is conveniently away from London (interrogating rock-guy who has made an amazing recovery), yet he somehow miraculously manages to get to the destination in time to Save The Day.
Diana Quincy is a good storyteller and can certainly create strong, attractive characters, but From London With Love is nothing new and the author doesn’t manage to transcend the tropes. I’ll keep an eye out for her future books and will probably read some of them, but she hasn’t yet convinced me to make her a place on my auto-read list. -
Coffee dates with From London with Love
First date: Hamilton Sparrow abducts Emilia St. George moments before she is about to wed the grandson of a duke. This is the second time he has ruined her wedding plans. The first time was when he jilted her. Ooo right away I am intrigued! Quincy further ensnares me when we discover someone is attempting to kill Emilia. I enjoyed their initial interaction but can see both of these two need work. It will be interesting to watch this tale unfold.
Second date: Quincy shares some back story, as another attempt is made on Emilia's life. I like Emilia despite her self-esteem issues, and I must say I blame her mother for some of those problems. She is about to marry into a loveless marriage, but I understood her reasoning. With her reputation still intact, Sparrow, the St. George's, and Emilia herself try to discover who wants her dead. The list of suspects is long from the obvious- her fiance to a shady art collector. Of course, all of this has Sparrow, now Lord Vale and Emilia spending time in each other's company, While they may have been childhood neighbor's Vale begins to realize there is so much more to Emilia. I loved seeing him become more aware of her. It was surprising, tender and lent to delicious moments of laughter.
Third date: Emilia surprised the heck out of me. She is quite the forward-thinking woman. This slow building, unplanned romance begins to heat and I am quite enjoying myself. I always laugh when characters make these plans in their heads or have preconceived notions. We all know it never turns out as expected and such was the case here. I will readily admit I love seeing it all unravel! With the suspect list narrowing, Quincy had me flipping the pages as intentions are made, traps are laid, and danger ensues. The build to the climax was not rushed allowing the case and the romance to weave together. While nothing was surprising I enjoyed watching the events unfold and Quincy left me grinning.
Copy provided by publisher.
This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Book Reviewer -
From London with Love is the third book in the Rebellious Brides series by Diana Quincy. It can easily be read as a stand alone story despite being part of a series.
Emilia St George is ready to walk up the aisle to marry Edmund Worsley, a diplomat and the grandson of a Duke. She isn't insanely in love with the man, but after being jilted 5 years ago by a man she had been betrothed to since a young age, she's wasted enough time and wants to marry before she becomes a spinster. Emilia loves to draw and paint and as the wife of a diplomat she has dreams of travelling all over Europe and being able to paint the many wonderful scenes she will see. It's Edmund's biggest attraction.
She isn't at all pleased when before she has time to even let people at the church know she is there she is whisked away over the shoulder of Hamilton Sparrow. The very man who broke their engagement. She loved him back then, but he barely knew her, so when he broke up with her he thought there would be no hard feelings. Emilia, to save face, assured him that she was fine with him leaving. But she wasn't, and for one fanciful minute she thinks he might finally realise he made a mistake leaving her, and that he couldn't bare to see her marry another man. Soon enough she realises that it was indeed just a fanciful notion. Hamilton had spied an assassin outside the church, put two and two together and realised that the man must be there to kill Emilia.
He manages to whisk her away to safety, and he must keep her safe which means finding out who wants her dead and stopping them. Emilia can't believe it's Edmund, besides he wouldn't get any money unless their marriage was consummated, so who wants her dead? Sparrow ends up spending a lot of time with Emilia and starts to realise that she's a very fine woman, and definitely far more beautiful and curvy since he last saw her. Will he start to have feelings for her, can he get her to forgive him for breaking their engagement years ago, and most importantly, whether they become a couple of not, can he keep her from being killed?
I loved this book, the action started right from the get go and it carried on right until the end. I loved the romance developing between Sparrow and Emilia, but I especially loved trying to figure out just who had paid a hired assassin to kill her. I can't say I was surprised at who the culprit was, but I was definitely pleased with how we were kept guessing until the end when he had to show his hand. I especially loved the way the book ended, one of the nicest endings I've read that brought a big smile to my face.
I only had a couple of small issues with the storyline...one is I don't know why Sparrow would jump to the conclusion that the assassin was after Emilia, after all, there were a lot of dignitaries at the church. Secondly, during their escape there was a lot of noise including a smashed window, and yet nobody heard it or even realised that Emilia was at the church and then by all accounts, is being kidnapped. These things certainly didn't stop me enjoying the story and I still recommend it highly.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Reader's Copy of this book. -
'From London with Love: Rebellious Brides' by Diana Quincy is book Three in the "Rebellious Brides" series. This is the story of Emilia St. George and Hamilton Sparrow. I have been reading the series but feel you can make this a standalone book. Emilia is at the church getting ready to marry when all of a sudden she is taken by Sparrow. Sparrow was the man she was to marry a few years ago but he broke their engagement along with her heart. Now Emilia has the mind set to marry Edmund Worsley who is a grandson of a Duke. Even though there is not love there she thinks it is a good match for her. For a few minutes after realizing that Sparrow has taken her she thinks he came to realize that he loves her but that dream is busted. Sparrow was just trying to save her from someone he thought was trying to kill her. Sparrow now being reunited with Emilia starts to realize that there is more to Emilia than he first thought. This was an exciting read trying to get to the mystery of who might be out to get Emilia. Also a great book about second chances at love! "My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read."
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'He was no Prince Charming. More like Prince Misery and Disappointment.'
Interesting if somewhat harsh words for someone who thinks they're saving your life!
Jilted and left at the altar five years earlier, Emilia St. George is sure that this time her marriage to the grandson to a Duke, Honorable Edmund Worsely, will go without a hitch. That is until Emilia's former fiancée jiltee, Hamilton Sparrow turns up at the wedding and kidnaps her just as she's about to walk down the aisle. Sparrow, a former spy for the crown had spotted an assassin in the wedding crowd, and he appears to be tracking Emilia. Sparrow needs to get Emilia out of there, even if he does have to 'scoop her off her feet, and toss her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.'
Mind you, Emilia has had the mantra, 'You can do this' running through her head as she's standing in the church vestibule, so what's the real story here?
Somewhat hilarious despite the dangerous events that crowd the pace, Emilia finds herself reluctantly drawn to her cad of an ex-fiance! After all what sort of a man jilts you, and then kidnaps you just as your life is about to settle into an ordered if somewhat mundane path, and by the way who on earth would want to kill her?
By the way, I am loving the James Bond play on Quincy's titles for this series.
Adds to the piquancy and underlying humour of the novels.
A NetGalley ARC -
If you're into "Womanizing rake gives up his roguish ways for sweet and innocent (but feisty, of course) miss" stories, this should be right up your alley. Alas, I hate those stories. The writing itself is good, and I loved the suspense element, but by the time I'd read 50 pages I just wanted to slap both characters.
Note: Thanks to Loveswept and NetGalley for providing an advance review copy. -
This is a sweet (and sexy) historical romance; good plotline and fun characters.
Emilia is about to marry the grandson of a duke when she is swept out of the church by Hamilton Sparrow, the man who jilted her five years before. Emilia is still hurt by Hamilton’s abandonment and she doesn’t understand why he has to ruin her second wedding even if he claims that she is the target of an assassin. The fact that a bullet flies by their heads as they flee does give some strength to Sparrow’s pronouncement.
Hamilton snatched Emilia after he spotted an assassin who he recognized from his spy activities. He was quick to react and once he finds himself protecting Emilia he feels he must solve the mystery of why she is a target. Hamilton thought he had a good reason to leave Emilia behind five years earlier, but the more time he spends with her the more he thinks that he made a mistake. Yet he loved a woman once who betrayed his trust. He doesn't plan to let that happen again.
There are several potential suspects who might want her dead, even her fiancé, although he would do better if they were married first. Ms. Quincy does a good job blending the danger and mystery with the growing relationship between Hamilton and Emilia which is warm and lovely. The characters are nicely developed and make the story more engaging. There is some fun banter but also some rather base descriptions. The couple of sexual encounters are on the visual side but still tastefully done.
The story moves quickly and I enjoyed the twists and turns that complement the romance. I recommend this to readers who enjoy historical romance with a mix of mystery, and sweet, sexy romance.
I received this through NetGalley. My rating 4.25. -
I HAD MIXED FEELINGS ABOUT THIS AT FIRST BECAUSE IT WASN'T A VERY SPECIAL PLOT BUT I DO ADMIT THE UNREQUITED LOVE PART WAS THE ONLY THING THAT MADE ME FINISHED THE WHOLE BOOK.
HERO broke off their engagement five years ago to protect our heroine but it was never out of love but care for her...like familial love. What he didn't know is that it broke her heart but she never showed it. He works an agent for the crown and got his heart broken then too. My opinions of him were low. Frankly...he obviously never was in love with our heroine, given by his many liaisons and etc, and I thought his broken heart by his mistress just silly...and it got me mad that he never appreciated the heroine in his life until she was going to walk down the aisle with someone else. That's when I'm like YES! Groveling! Well...there wasn't much but the hero just realised that he's going to lose the most precious woman in his life. Though, he was dense about it.
HEROINE was more subdued 5 years ago, always believing that a man wants a biddable wife when she was anything but. Brokenhearted, she moved on and found another man to marry, a future Duke. Unfortunately her wedding day was ruined by none other than our hero who insisted that her life was in danger. She's quite dedicated to her art and also bold about what she wants although I wasn't all that convinced about their chemistry. She definitely deserved a man who loves her, but at least the hero did prove himself in the end.
OVERALL it wasn't a wow kind of story but it would do for an average read. -
3.5 Stars. Though I was not enamored of Sparrow in the beginning, he began to grow on me, and I adored Emilia. I enjoyed their banter and watching them become friends and then lovers. The mystery of who was trying to kill her was also very exciting. Lots of action and angst in this one. Unfortunately, what I thought was headed for solid four-star territory was marred by a rushed and rather unsatisfactory conclusion. Could have used an epilogue. Still, I liked it better than book two, though neither lived up to book one, imo.
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"From London with Love" is another exciting and enjoyable book from the talented Ms. Quincy. Her characters are always complicated and she has a way of crafting a story that holds your interest to the end. Emilia St. George, jilted at the alter by Harrison Sparrow 5 years ago, finds herself in the retired spy's company once again as she gets ready to marry another man. The interactions between these two is witty and passionate and I loved to see that Emilia was not a retiring wallflower. She was a complicated, spirited and a sensual young woman. Sparrow thought he was doing the right thing 5 years ago when he cryed off the wedding because of his work for the Crown, but now, he wonders why he ever let Emilia get away.
My only criticism of the story is that Sparrow lamented over his lost chance with Emilia throughout the book and it became annoying. He was an accomplish spy, now elevated to a Viscount, and he should have figured out his feelings earlier on. Aside from this, I totally enjoyed the story and I rated it a solid 4 star effort. Ms. Quincy is one of my favorite authors and her latest book will thoroughly delight regency romance fans.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. -
Emilia is about have the wedding that was denied to her 5 years earlier when her fiance, Hamilton Sparrow, left her at the altar. She was just minutes away from walking down the aisle when she was kidnapped by none other than…..Hamilton Sparrow. His reason for kidnapping her….there was an assassin in the audience and that assassin was there to kill her.
He brings Emilia to his manor, where she notices that his housekeeper is overly friendly with him. Put it this way, she was shoving her boobs in his face, giving Emilia (who she referred to as “the ginger”) dirty looks and the kicker, she tried to give Hamilton a blow job while he was sitting at his desk, which he quickly deterred but not before Emilia sees.
The assassin catches up with Sparrow and Emilia at Sparrow’s estate….where Emilia brains him with a rock while Sparrow fights him. The injury to his head, causes the assassin to go into a coma. Which is bad in a way because he can’t tell Sparrow who hired him.
So begins the mystery of who wants to kill Emilia and why.
Come to find out that there are a couple of people who want to kill her and they all have motives. Her cousin, a recluse, whose parents were murdered in their beds years ago and who people suspect of killing them. A shady art dealer who Emilia caught swindling people and got him fired from his job. Her current fiance who, come to find out, is a spendthrift and really isn’t nice to Emilia.
All the while, Sparrow is fighting a growing attraction to Emilia and he is trying to figure out how to get out from under a mountain of debt that the previous holder of his title left him when he died.
I really enjoyed this book. It was definitely something that I needed to read after the last few books I have read. The humor in the book was great.
I really liked Emilia. She knew what she want and wasn’t afraid to go after it. Which was pretty funny in some scenes (like when she wanted to paint Sparrow naked…she was tenacious….lol).
Sparrow wasn’t the perfect hero either. He was hurt, badly, in the past by a former lover and he couldn’t move past that. So, what does he do? He forms attachments that won’t require him to get emotionally involved with the women. If that starts to happen, he ends the relationship. The gradual change in him took place from the minute he kidnaps Emilia. He turned down sex (from his housekeeper) because Emilia was there.
The sex scenes between Sparrow and Emilia were very hot and I loved how she propositioned him….lol.
I was surprised at who the person was who wanted Emilia dead and the reasons why. Well, I take that back. I wasn’t surprised at that because it made perfect sense. The end of the book was perfect. I do wish that there was an epilogue to show how Sparrow and Emilia were doing. I am sure, though, that they will make an appearance in the next book!!
How many stars will I give From London with Love? 4
Why: This was a funny, sexy, mystery/romance that keeps the pages turning.
Will I reread: Yes
Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes
Age range: Adult
Why: Sex and violence
**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy** -
Hamilton Sparrow is the new Viscount Vale. He formerly worked for the Home Office. He misses the work which provided so much adventure. He also has the task of finding a way to restore income to his estate. The previous Vale spent money as though he actually had money.
While at the wedding of Emilia St George, Sparrow sees an assassin he knew in France. It appears the man's sites are set on Emilia. So, Sparrow does the only possible thing. He kidnaps her as she starts down the aisle to get married.
I liked Sparrow. He was formerly betrothed to Emilia, but because of his work, he ended the betrothal. He wanted to keep her safe. He is smart, courageous and has a strong sense of duty. He also has a wonderful sense of humor.
Emilia is a lovely heroine. She plans to marry Edmund. He is a stick, but he is in the diplomatic corp and they will travel. Edmund says he will encourage her painting and drawing. Emilia has worked hard to become an artist. It is her passion. Her previous passion was Sparrow. When he ended their betrothal, it broke her heart.
The idea of someone wanting Emilia dead is beyond reason. She has no idea why nor does her father have any idea why she should be a target. Sparrow is determined to find out the who and the why.
The mystery of who would want her dead, is pretty easy to figure out. The motives are slowly revealed.
Because he wants to keep Emilia safe, Sparrow spends a great deal of time with her. They get to know one another and find qualities which are admirable in one another.
Emilia and Sparrow make this an entertaining book. They are well developed characters. The secondary characters add a texture to the fabric of the story. I was not a fan of everyone in the story. Some people are supposed to be villains, others just seem to make really disgusting life choices.
The plot is well done. The reader is slowly exposed to events at the same time as Sparrow.
Because of his history, as he puts pieces of the puzzle together he takes action. All this is to protect Emilia, someone he is beginning to admire.
I enjoyed this book and Ms Quincy's writing very much.
I received this book from the publisher through NetGalley. I am voluntarily writing this review and providing my honest opinion. -
In Spy Fall by this author, the hero has the heroine land on him with a thump, as she has jumped out of a balloon basket to test a parachute. The present story similarly opens with a big physical gesture, as a lady is about to get married when a man who had previously broken off an engagement with her, runs up and grabs her, throws her over his shoulder and rides off with her. However for me that one just doesn't work, as a woman in a Regency wedding gown would be heavy and bulky, and very hard to manhandle in this way; not to mention that her intended, a diplomat, would perhaps be so outraged at the insult to her dignity that he would insist on a duel or would feel he could not marry her after the scandal that would ensue. After an explanation is provided nobody seems to care, which would certainly not have been the case.
The danger derives from a hired assassin in the crowd, and true enough Europe was in a constant turmoil with would-be revolutions, so one of them might have been in London. A nicer venue is the British Museum, where as the author points out, ladies were wont to go with sketchpads and easels, and might even paint copies of the nudes. Well off ladies were not allowed to work but our heroine defends her right to paint and has gained a good expertise around the subject. The hero is secretly a Crown agent but we don't really like him until well down the tale. This isn't the most romantic of adventures and the hero has been having relations with everyone including his servants.
This is an adult romantic suspense tale. I was sent an ARC and this is an unbiased review. -
I found this book through netgalley and thought they blurb sounded fun and received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. A bride whisked away from her wedding by the ex that broke her heart years ago. Doesn’t that sound fun? I thought it must be because he loved her and couldn’t tolerate anyone else marrying her. Nope, it is because he saw assassins in the church’s congregation! Oh my!
I generally can’t abide reading a series out of order, so I found the first two books in this series at my local library. While the first and second books rely heavily on each other, this book could quite easily be read as a standalone novel. The characters are familiar, but fun. I enjoyed Sparrow’s sense of honor and adventure, as well as Emilia’s conversations about painting and art. I am still wondering what happened to the original painting at the heart of this book’s mystery. That plot line must get resolved in the next book, because it seems to be a hole in this one. Though, in all fairness, I stayed up well after bedtime to finish this book and may have missed that resolution. Overall, the book is well written, enjoyable, and a solid installment in this series. I love how the writer incorporates a Bond title into the book titles and into the plot. The pacing is on an even track in this book and the romance builds nicely, though the first kiss comes a bit out of the blue.
From London with Love is a fun mystery/spy themed historical romance novel. I can happily recommend it as a standalone or as part of the series and look forward to reading more books by this author. -
I really enjoyed this book by Diana Quincy, it is everything I love in a book and more. This book tells the tale of Emilia St. George, and Hamilton Sparrow.
Emilia is minutes away from getting married when she is kidnapped by none other than the man who ruined her first wedding, her ex-fiance Hamilton Sparrow. She is beyond furious, however she has no knowledge that someone is trying to kill her, and when Sparrow sees the assassin in the crowd outside the wedding he has no other choice.
This book is full of angst, mystery and some really good encounters between Emilia and Sparrow, even though Emilia is to be married in two weeks time. I loved how the author weaved in and out of the plot with different characters, and I never knew who would be the one responsible for everything!
I really liked the dialog in this book as well, and it keeps the book moving at a good pace. So the question remains-will emilia go through with the wedding with her current fiance, or will she realize that she may have other options! Loved how the book ended!
I gave this book 5***** romantic stars! -
Ms. Quincy writing is so wonderful and creative. From London with Love is such an engaging novel with a perfect blend of mystery, and delightful romance. Emilia and Sparrow was very good together and I loved every time they were on the page. The banter and the sensual tension was well done, and progressed in a believable way as we saw Emilia learning to trust Sparrow once more, and unwittingly laying siege to his heart. Good suspenseful plot and lovely romance.
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Good
Full of twists and turns. Mystery, kidnapping, stolen art, wild parties. A little “scandalous” for the times. An abrupt ending. -
Publisher's Description:
With wedding bells ringing and a killer stalking from the shadows, a former British spy makes up for lost time with the one that got away in this thrilling Regency romance from the author of Spy Fall and License to Wed.
Emilia St. George is moments away from marrying the admired grandson of a duke when the man who once jilted her decides to kidnap her at the altar. It’s the second time in five years Hamilton Sparrow has ruined her wedding day, and Emilia isn’t about to forgive him. The mere sight of her ex-fiancé revives painful memories—and, most regrettably, aching desires that refuse to be ignored.
Scanning the guests at Emilia’s wedding, Sparrow spots a familiar face: an assassin he recognizes from his days as a spy in France. Whisking Emilia away, he’s pleasantly surprised by her newly formed curves. Could this be the same flame-haired slip of a girl once promised to Sparrow? And does the fop she still insists on marrying realize what a prize she is? True, Sparrow left Emilia at the altar. But he’s afraid that the only way to right that particular wrong is to risk the one thing he’s always guarded: his heart.
My Thoughts: Someone means harm to our heroine, but who?
Emilia is a very talented artistic young lady, but with her fiery tresses is considered dowdy by ton standards.
Sparrow is a former British spy who broke off their engagement and left her at the altar for reasons he was not at liberty to divulge.
I have read other books by Diana Quincy but in my opinion this one may be the best I have read.
I found this suspenseful tale of love lost and found again to be very engrossing. The characters are well developed and the storyline one of love and intrigue. The underlying suspense adds a different dimension to this intriguing tale.
I gave this book 4.75 of 5 stars for storyline and characterization and 3.5 of 5 flames for heat.
There are some extremely heated love scenes between our hero and heroine but they only add to the story rather than detract from it.
I received a complimentary digital ARC of this title via NetGalley from the publisher to read and review.
This in no way affected my opinion of this title. -
I received a review copy via the publisher in exchange for an honest review. It has been a while since I last read a historical romance and the first sentence of the summary captured my attention immediately. It made me want to just find out more.
From London With Love does not disappoint. I'm utterly captured by the characters and the story. The book started with Emilia being kidnapped by Sparrow, the man who broke their engagement five years ago. The thing that I like about reading this book is that I get to guess who the culprit was as the story progresses. I must say that even though it is quite obvious, the process is still enjoyable. It's also fun to read about both Emilia and Sparrow, how they deny their attraction only to come together again in the end.
Although this is book 3 of the series, I have absolutely no issues with reading this as a standalone. I actually finished this book in two sittings but procrastination got the better of me and I only managed to write the review now. Would I recommend this book? Definitely with those who wants to have an enjoyable and light reading. -
This novel was given to me by NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review.
This is the 3rd book in the series. I actually didn't read them and was ok with the story line as if it was a standalone. The story is about a girl that has been rejected on her wedding day, and finally after some time at 24 years old she found a new suitor with a new proposal of marriage, but sometimes things aren't what they seem to be. Emila`s life is put in danger, someone is out to kill her, but who? and why? This is a great historical romance, with mystery, danger, hot romance, humor and definitely tender emotional moments. I really liked it, could not put it down. The only reason I didn't give it a 5 star is because the ending to me was too quick, it felt to abrupt. I believe it should have included something more, maybe even an epilogue. -
Diana Quincy really is a great story teller. Although I figured out who the villain was early in the story, it didn't distract from the enjoyment of the book. From London with Love can be read as a stand-alone novel and is worth every penny. I do wish Emelia had discovered her back bone earlier, her way of thinking about being a fiance didn't flow with how her character was portrayed. Same with Sparrow. I'm just not feeling him as much as I would have liked to. It almost seems that he had a stronger connection to Marie and that isn't right for the HEA and what we're looking forward to as romance readers. Great book, interesting characters and good story. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for a honest review.
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FROM LONDON WITH LOVE by Diana Quincy. If you want an historical romance that has danger, intrigue, mystery, and, of course, love and romance, you want to check this one out. Emilia and Hamilton are perfect! Yes, Emilia is a bit annoyed, shall we say, with him as he has once again interrupted her wedding (for the second time). However, watching these two traverse through the ups and downs of a relationship was an enjoyable read indeed. Seeing Emilia gain confidence in herself and watching Hamilton discover the beauty before him warmed my heart. (received ARC from NetGalley for honest review)
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"And ridiculous as it was, regret panged through Sparrow at the thought of having to share Boadicea’s company with the arrogant coxcomb."
Sparrow is very good at projecting, and the only "arrogant coxcomb" in this story is him. In the first chapter, he kidnaps Emilia, assaulting her in the process, and murders at least one person. Why is he a protagonist, again? He only gets worse as the story goes on. The only reason this story has a second star is because Diana Quincy is a relatively decent writer, even if her characters are atrocious stereotypes. -
This is a very good story of Sparrow, a new viscount, and Emilia, a wealthy Heiress. She is about to be married when Sparrow kidnaps her because he feels she is in danger of being killed. Five years before, Sparrow had called off their wedding,breaking Emilia's heart. Now he becomes involved in saving her life. Though Emilia still loves him, Sparrow feels he cannot love a wife because of the treatment of a woman in his pass. As the two are together, things change. Sparrow finds the would be killer, but can he find his heart?
