"the heiress of winterwood" by sarah ladd

About the book: At her dying friend's request, Amelia Barrett promises to raise her baby. Nine months pass, and Amelia views herself as baby Lucy's mother, but her fiancé decrees that once they are married, Lucy will no longer be welcome at Winterwood.

So Amelia devises a plan—in order to come into her inheritance, she must be married by her 24th birthday. Why not marry Captain Graham Sterling, Lucy's father? She would inherit Winterwood, he could return to the sea, and she could continue raising Lucy as her own.

But those around her—including the aunt and uncle who raised her, her fiancé, and Captain Sterling himself—are not thrilled with her plan. When tragedy strikes, will Amelia and Graham be able to protect what matters most?

My take: I really, really liked The Heiress of Winterwood. It has the feel of a Julie Klassen novel—and if you've read Julie Klassen, you know that's high praise! What I anticipated to be a simple "marriage of convenience" story turned out to be much, much more. The story is also full of twists and turns that kept me guessing (though I did have the "bad guy" pegged from the beginning. Some of the twists made me doubt my assumptions, but they did, ultimately, turn out to be correct.)

The one drawback to this novel (and it won't affect my star rating) is the back cover copy. If you intend to read this book, please do not read the back cover! I've written my own synopsis above to keep from spoiling anything for you, but the back cover will clue you in to events that happen 2/3 of the way through the book! Because I read the back cover, I kept waiting (and waiting, and waiting) for these events to happen, and this distracted me from some of the wonderful romance that was developing between Graham and Amelia.

So do yourself a favor. Read The Heiress of Winterwood...just don't flip the book over until you've already read it! 4 stars.

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About the author:  Sarah E. Ladd has more than ten years of marketing experience. She is a graduate of Ball State University and holds degrees in public relations and marketing. Heiress of Winterwood was the recipient of the 2011 Genesis Award for historical romance. Sarah lives in Indiana with her amazing husband, sweet daughter, and spunky Golden Retriever.

Find out more about Sarah at http://www.sarahladd.com.

About the giveaway: Sarah Ladd is celebrating the release of The Heiress of Winterwood with a Downton Abbey Kindle Prize Pack Giveaway!

 One winner will receive:

• A brand new Kindle Fire
• Downton Abbey, seasons 1-3

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on April 30th. Winner will be announced on 5/2/13 {HERE}.

Tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Litfuse Publicity Group. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Also, some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."