Book Description:
1811
A Regency romance on the high seas. Two hearts yearning to find a safe harbor, and possibly, a lasting love.
As a young girl, Georgana Woodall dreamed of beautiful dresses, fancy balls, and falling in love. However, when her mother dies, she cannot face a future under the guardianship of her abusive grandmother and instead chooses to join her father on his ship disguised as his cabin boy, "George."
Lieutenant Dominic Peyton has no time in his life for love, not with his dedication to His Majesty's Royal Navy claiming his full attention. While trying to adjust to a new crew, he strives to be an exemplary officer and leader. When he sees the captain's cabin boy being harassed by the crew, he immediately puts a stop to it and takes the "boy" under his wing. After discovering a number of clues, Dominic deduces that George is really a woman. Knowing that revealing the cabin boy's secret would put her in serious danger from the rowdy crew, Dominic keeps silent and hides his growing affection for her.
Georgana is quickly losing her heart to Dominic's compassion and care but is convinced nothing can come of her affection. She cannot continue to live her life on the sea, and having already missed too many seasons in London, her chances of being welcomed back into polite society and finding a suitable husband are quickly slipping away.
Georgana's Secret is about two hearts yearning to find a safe harbor, and possibly, a lasting love.
Rorie's Review:
For some reason, I have always been drawn to stories where the main character has to disguise herself as a boy for one reason or another, so the premise of this story drew me in right away. The author did a wonderful job of bringing all of the characters to life, and giving the reader a taste of what life might be like as a cabin boy who doesn't quite fit in with any group on board.
Every time I read a story that takes place on a ship, I'm always amazed at just how many people are in board. I guess I just can't grasp the size of the ship, because I'm always shocked when there are more than 50 people on board. Anyway, the reader obviously doesn't get to know everyone, but we do get to know a handful, and I enjoyed getting to know them all, whether it was to love them or hate them. Definitely a well-written, enjoyable story that I plan on rereading more than once.
Andrea's Review:
Georgana’s Secret is a great addition to the Proper Romance line from Shadow Mountain. I loved the premise of a loving father trying to protect his daughter in the only way he could come up with-having her disguised as a cabin boy on the ship he captained. Wondering if her secret would be discovered made for an entertaining story, and a fast read.
The main characters, Georgana and Dominic, were well developed and lovable. Both had such good hearts and made huge sacrifices for their surviving parents-it showed how selfless they are.
Life on a ship in the early 1800s sounded pretty miserable, but I appreciated how the author included the feeling of love for the sea that some of the characters had.
I hadn’t heard of the author before, but I’m excited to read her other books, and highly recommend this one.
Tarah's Review:
One of my favorite things about reading is the feeling different books can create. If I hate a book, I may not be able to tell you what it was about later, but I can definitely say that I didn't like it. The reverse is also true. A good well written story will just leave me with a good feeling that I remember later. Georgana's Secret gave me the later feeling. I came away feeling filled and was left with a general sense of, "ya, I liked that book." It's always a good day when that happens. Especially with a book that I wasn't sure about to begin with. I'm not gonna lie. I probably wouldn't have picked this one off the shelf. The cover really doesn't intrigue or entice me, and I would have passed this one over because of that. How lucky am I that I read it anyway and loved it?!
I love this addition to the Proper Romance line, and would recommend it to anyone looking for a sweet, clean, naval romance.
Arlem Hawks began making up stories before she could write. Living all over the Western United States and traveling around the world gave her a love of cultures and people and the stories they have to tell. With her travels came an interest in history, especially the history of her English heritage. When she isn't writing, Arlem is baking her characters' favorite foods, sewing Regency dresses, learning how to play the tin whistle, and water coloring. She lives in Arizona with her husband and two children. Having previously published four historical romance novellas, Georgana’s Secret is her debut novel.
Thank you, ladies, for the lovely reviews and for participating in the tour.
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