Title: Enchanting Nicholette
Series: The Everstone Chronicles #5
Author: Dawn Crandall
Publisher: Whitaker House
Release Date: October 9, 2018
Genre: Historical Romance

In this captivating novella by Dawn Crandall, Nicholette Everstone is already a widow at the age of twenty-two: her husband was murdered on their wedding day. She has just returned to Boston after two years of mourning in Europe. Although her husband was loving, the marriage was an arranged one, and Nicholette would like to wed again–this time for love…and to someone safe.

As she acclimates to life in Back Bay again, Nicholette meets someone she can’t help but fall for. But when she learns of the danger and sacrifices Cal Hawthorne takes on for the safety of others, will her heart be strong enough to keep her fears of “what if” at bay?

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Why This Book:

I purchased this novella as part of the Timeless Love novella collection because it contained other stories written by authors I knew and enjoyed. This is the first work I have read by this author. (Only after reading the entire collection did I learn of the book tour for Enchanting Nicholette.)

Opening Line (from Chapter 1):

Boston, Massachusetts
Saturday, June 3, 1893

“I suppose you have a new wardrobe ordered from Paris?”

First Impressions:

I had only a fleeting moment of confusion in the first page or two of this novella. I felt a bit like I was playing catch up from a previous book and I had a tiny bit of trouble wrapping my brain around who the heroine was. However, by about the 4th page I had fully settled in. By the second scene I was hooked.

Main Characters:

Nicholette Everstone –  The widowed heroine whose marriage was arranged at such an early age she never even considered another man and consequently is quite at a loss when she finds herself widowed and, for the first time, having to navigate the 1893 singles’ social scene. How in the world is one meant to flirt?

Silvie Boutilier – William Everstone’s stepsister and a young woman quite adept at flirtation and more than eager to help Nicholette along to her next marriage.

William Everstone – Nicholette’s kind and loving deceased husband.

Cal Hawthorne–  Nicholette’s distant cousin via her marriage to William. He’s a man who knows what he wants and isn’t afraid to go after it, but still puts the needs of others first.

Mabel Hawthorne – Cal’s younger sister and an impulsive, curious young woman with a good heart.

Emotional Engagement & Pacing of the Story:

The hero won my heart with the line, “I would have requested an introduction, but I didn’t think it prudent, considering you were spoken for … and my whole goal in being introduced would have been to court you.” Yes! It is so refreshing to have a man plainly state his interest in such a confident manner. From this point on I was rooting for Cal and Nicholette to figure things out and make it work. I never got bored or tempted to skim. There were certainly enough twists and turns in there to keep things fun and interesting.

Elements I especially liked/disliked:

On the upside, Nicholette and Cal were characters I cared about and rooted for. The story was fun without being fluff, and deep without being depressing. My second favorite scene involves a hidden entrance, but I will say no more. 😉

On the downside, there were a high number of named characters to keep track of for such a short story. I suspect this is because the novella fits into a larger series and I would most likely have already been introduced to many, if not all, of these characters had I previously read any of the books in The Everstone Chronicles.

Theme:

Trusting our future, and those whom we love, in God’s hands.

The consequences of gossip.

Ending:

I have to say that the final scene in this novella must be my favorite. There is such a wonderful and endearing dialogue within it that my romantic heart turned all to mush and I laughed and grinned and sighed with joy.

Overall Rating:

4 out of 5 stars

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Let’s chat!

Have you read anything written by Dawn Crandall? What do you think of heroes who don’t hold back their emotions?

TWEETABLES:

Yes! It is so refreshing to have a man plainly state his interest in such a confident manner. #BookReview #ChristFic 

Psst! Feel free to borrow any of the photos above for sharing on social media and remember to tag me @KathleenDenly !

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Welcome to the Blog Tour & Giveaway for Enchanting Nicholette by Dawn Crandall, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours.

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About the Author

Dawn Crandall‘s debut Gilded Age Victorian romance, “The Hesitant Heiress,” was a 2015 ACFW Carol award finalist in the debut category and received the 2015 Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence, the 2015 Write Touch Reader’s Choice Award and the 2015 Romancing the Novel Reader’s Choice Award. Her follow-up novel, “The Bound Heart,” received the 2016 Laurel Award from Clash of the Titles. Dawn earned a BA in Christian Education from Taylor University. She’s been balancing books and babies lately as her two sons were both born as the four books of her Everstone Chronicles series were being released from Whitaker House from 2014 to 2016. Dawn lives with her husband and two young sons on a hobby farm in her hometown in northeast Indiana.

CONNECT WITH DAWN CRANDALL: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

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LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository | BAM! | Christian Book