“Fairy tales are more than true; not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.” ― G.K. Chesterton

Friday, July 20, 2012

The Forgiven Duke Blog Tour--Review & Giveaway!



There is a GIVEAWAY for a signed paperback copy of the Guardian Duke and The Forgiven Duke (Forgotten Castles #1 & #2) to one winner!  Be sure to enter!  Scroll to the bottom to find out more!
The Book: (description from Goodreads)

Tethered by her impulsive promise to marry Lord John Lemon - the path of least resistance - Alexandria Featherstone sets off toward Iceland in search of her parents with a leaden heart. A glimpse of her guardian, the Duke of St. Easton - the path less traveled by - on Dublin’s shore still haunts her.

Will he come after her? Will he drag her back to London, quelling her mission to rescue her treasure-seeking parents, or might he decide to throw caution to the wind and choose Foy Pour Devoir: “Faith for Duty,” the St. Easton motto. The Featherstone motto Valens et Volens: “Willing and Able,” beats in her heart and thrums through her veins. She will find her parents and find their love, no matter the cost.

The powerful yet wing-clipped Duke of St. Easton has never known the challenge that has become his life since hearing his ward’s name. Alexandria Featherstone will be the life or the death of him. Only time and God’s plan will reveal just how much this man can endure for the prize of love.

Book Links:




The Author:

Jamie Carie writes novels about fierce, passionate women; their dreams; their fears; their triumphs. Her deepest desire is to see her readers find that same passion as they follow their destiny and discover deeper intimacy with Jesus.

 She lives in Indianapolis with her husband and three sons.
It's here!  The official Facebook page for The Forgotten Castles series: facebook.com/ForgottenCastles
The Guardian DukeFebruary 2012 See the making of the cover and trailer  here!

The Forgiven Duke – Book 2 in The Forgotten Castles series - July 2012

The Review:

Jamie Carie has done it again! She has produced quite a masterpiece in The Forgiven Duke, the second installment in her “Forgotten Castles” series. I was so impressed by the first book in the series, The Guardian Duke, that I was a little worried the sequel might disappoint. Although the two books are different in some ways, they are both just as good and equally deserving of the five stars I have given them.

In the first book, The Guardian Duke, Gabriel, the Duke of St. Easton, has been trying to catch his ward, Alexandria Featherstone, in a chase across England and Ireland, but to no avail. Alexandria (Alex) has been trying to locate her parents who are high-profile treasure hunters. At the end, Alex is sailing off on a ship to Iceland as the Duke is on shore watching her leave. They lock eyes for an intense moment over the distance that separates them—and speak to each other in the way only soul mates can. Gabriel has just decided that if he reaches Alex in time, he will abandon the Regent’s wishes to bring Alex back to England and help her in her quest to find her parents. He will choose faith over duty (his family motto is “Faith for Duty”). He knows he loves her and will do whatever it takes.

The Forgiven Duke begins where The Guardian Duke leaves off. The year is 1818. Alex is now aboard the ship with her fiance, John Lemon. Alex realizes she may have made a mistake in trying to escape her guardian, and prays that he will come. She needs him. Alex feels her life has gotten off track. John seems too eager to marry her. She wonders what his real motivations are. In the midst of all this, Alex must be on constant alert for the dangerous men who have been following her since the beginning of her search for her parents. She must also consider if she can trust those who are supposedly her allies.

The Duke follows Alex to Iceland, the last place where “the manuscript” was heard to be. This is what Alex’s parents are searching for. Gabriel travels to the Black Castles of Iceland, huge black pillars from volcanic lava that look like castles. This path is fraught with dangers. Gabriel is deterred again and again. Will he ever make it to Alex in time? Why is the manuscript so valuable? 
 

Alex and Gabriel do finally meet, and the meeting is so tender and worth the wait! Then a tragedy occurs. Will Alex and the Duke let the tragedy separate them just when they were finally brought together?

I adored this book. It was different from its predecessor in many ways, as I stated before, because it seemed to have a more intense feel to it. The Guardian Duke was a more light-hearted romp, with fun, lovable characters. The Forgiven Duke deals with much weightier subjects. The scenery here, instead of being the verdant Ireland, is the dark, dangerous paths of Iceland.

As I state in my previous review of The Guardian Duke, both are written to have an air of poetry about them. Jamie Carie writes in a way that is lyrical and mesmerizing. The Forgiven Duke uses amazing and wonderfully descriptive language. The land of Iceland feels almost otherworldly. She describes a beautiful land with fire, ice, snow, crevasses, boiling mud pits, volcanoes, and mists.

It was inspiring to watch the journey of faith that Gabriel and Alex’s characters take. Gabriel prays a lot more in this book. He used to love listening to music, but now he uses music to worship God. God fills the hole in him that music used to fill. While reading I began examining myself for different areas where I might be going to things other than God to satisfy my needs. It is a good reality check for all of us. The Duke must come to the end of himself and ask for God’s will in everything. That is a hard place to be, but a good one, because that is really when God can start to use us. 


Alex realizes she is trying to control things by attempting to find her parents her own way and not submitting to the Duke. She now comprehends how much havoc and suffering this has caused to others. I can relate to Alex as I constantly have to give up my own issues of control to God.

I love the storyline of this series because it is fresh, exiting and will whisk you off to new places!

I give this book five stars out of five. It is a clean read. It is Christian fiction.

Click here to go check out all the other sites on the tour!  Thank you so much to Bookshelf Confessions for sponsoring this tour!

I want to thank NetGalley, Jamie Carie and the B&H Publishing Group for the complimentary copy of this book for review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I express in this review are my own. This is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s CFR 16, Part 255. 

There is a GIVEAWAY for a signed paperback copy of the Guardian Duke and The Forgiven Duke (Forgotten Castles # 1, #2) to one winner! Be sure to enter. Scroll to the bottom to find out more. US/CAN only.  Follow the Rafflecopter on how to enter.    

           
a Rafflecopter giveaway

9 comments:

  1. Oh, my, what an intriguing premise. I love the adventure that is promised within the pages! Thank you for letting me know about this book and, of course, for the chance to win it! :)

    biblioprincess15 (at) yahoo (dot) com

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    1. Rachelle,
      Thank you so much for stopping by and for your nice comment : ) It is such a wonderful premise--I really got lost in this story! I hope you get a chance to read it and enjoy it as much as I did!

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  2. Would love to win. Sounds great. Thanks for doing this giveaway.

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    1. Pat,
      Thank you so much for stopping by and the kind words. Good luck in the giveaway : )

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  3. Can't wait to start reading your books! I love entering another world through words!

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    1. Melody,
      So glad you stopped by. Jamie's books are great! I love reading as well. Thanks for entering!

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  4. Haley,
    Thank you so much! That is really kind of you. I tried to follow the link you left and it brought me to a page that did not work. Thanks again anyway, that was really thoughtful of you : )

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  5. Hi Megan,

    thanks so much for the post..and for your wonderful review.>:D

    Best,
    Abby

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  6. Hi Abby,
    Thanks so much for stopping by and for your sweet comment! Thank you so much for allowing me to be a part of this tour--it was my pleasure : ) Megan

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