This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
Hidden Affections
Bethany House (May 1, 2011)
by
Delia Parr
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Delia Parr, pen name for Mary Lechleidner, is the author of 10 historical novels and the winner of several awards, including the Laurel Wreath Award for Historical Romance and the Aspen Gold Award for Best Inspirational Book. She is a full-time high school teacher who spends her summer vacations writing and kayaking. The mother of three grown children, she lives in Collingswood, New Jersey.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Betrayed by her husband, Annabelle Tyler wears the burden of legally being a divorcee, a difficult position for an upstanding young woman to find herself in.
While attempting to start a new life for herself, an unexpected turn of events once again has Annabelle married–this time to Harrison Graymoor, the most eligible, yet elusive, bachelor in Philadelphia. Harrison assures her that he will secure an annulment immediately, unaware that the constable has sent word of the marriage to the press in Philadelphia. And here things continue to go awry.
Harrison’s past, a philanthropic cousin with his eye on Annabelle, and the appearance of Annabelle’s ex-husband threaten the tentative relationship growing between Harrison and his “wife.” For two individuals set against marriage, there are certainly a lot of second thoughts regarding the one forced upon them.
If you would like to read the first chapter of Hidden Affections, go HERE.
MY REVIEW:
Hidden Affections opens with handcuffed Annabelle and Harrison’s gunpoint forced marriage. Little did the men know that the reputation they claimed to protect was already tainted by divorce. When plans to obtain a speedy annulment get sidetracked and the news of their wedding was made public, the couple had no choice but to continue their pretense that the marriage was real. As can be expected in books of this sort, Harrison and Annabelle eventually fell in love, but not without multiple complications. And those complications are what makes this tale stand apart.
Hidden Affections is a fine example of why Delia Parr has a loyal readership and has won several awards. Her well researched setting contains accurate historical details, the characters are well rounded and realistic, the plot progresses at a steady pace, and the spiritual element is strong but unobtrusive. I read the novel cover to cover in record time and was sorry to see it end.
