Review: The Flowers of Penruddock by Ronnda Eileen Henry
The Details:
The Flowers of Penruddock by Ronnda Eileen Henry (also known as The Daughters of Penrudduck)
Published: 2018
A collection of novellas
Publisher: Independent
Genre: Historical Fantasy/Romance
Pages: 408 (note the paperback is 8x11)
Available: ebook, paperback
❤ clean romance
😱 violence: minimal
The Book Blurb: (taken from Amazon)
Selected as a Silver Medalist in the 2018 FAPA (Florida Authors and Publishers Association) President's Book Awards in the Romance Fiction category.
The Flowers of Penruddock is a collection of romance stories set in a medieval-like historical fantasy world.
Sweet. Emotionally unique with heroines ranging from young to older.
“Can’t put it down … emotional ride … smooth and poetic … dramatically romantic … surprising twists … can’t get enough of this author”
Seven novellas feature flower-named protagonists in various social positions, but each finds romance on a journey of obstacles.
If you enjoy sweet romance, the kind of love that brings families together, and stories with subtle inspirational elements, this book is for you. Meet the heroines and their stories
ROSE
When Rose, a common-born late-twenties widow meets Conor, who helped raise her as an orphan, she finds him unhappy, focused on revenge against those who killed their parents. She helps him remember the simple values and joys they used to share in their meager adoptive childhood home. But is it too late? Has life been so hard on Conor that he’ll never soften?
POPPY
Eighteen-year-old, pure-hearted Poppy, gives up worldly advantages, title and wealth when she flees from a forced marriage to a cruel man. Alone with nowhere to go, Poppy faces an unknown future. How will she survive?
VIOLET
A noblewoman and three-times widow, Violet, is accused of murdering her last husband. In the process of defending her innocence, she meets someone who inspires her to focus on what’s the most important thing in her life. But will fighting for that save her from a guilty verdict and execution?
HYACINTH
After Hyacinth’s aging husband, the king, develops a fatal illness and dies, Hyacinth reflects on their long past and the loving devotion they had for each other, a love that endured bitter tragedies and hateful conspiracies.
MARIGOLD
When Marigold travels with her cousin, the princess, who’s on her way to get married, Marigold is kidnapped. Courageous, dutiful and trained in weaponry, Marigold deceives her kidnappers and pretends that she’s the princess. Will her deception right an old wrong or cause her execution?
PENNY
Single forty-year-old Penny has devoted her life to serving in her community and caring for her retired parents. But after their deaths, an abandoned infant is placed in her care and causes her to do something she never thought she would. She proposes marriage to a single man who has become a friend. Will she regret her bold act, or will he accept and change their lives for the better?
KRYSANTHA
Eighteen-year-old Krysantha finds love in an arranged marriage with William, an older man. When he dies, Krysantha is strapped with a young son to raise and starts a business to provide for his future. But William’s estranged and jealous family attempt to sabotage her success. Will their vindictiveness destroy her or push her into the arms of another man?
Receive a BONUS: a Jane Austen fan fiction fantasy"mashup" novella titled “Cousins, One and All.”
Spectacular value! Brighten a friend’s life, and buy her a copy, too.
Be sure to look for other romance novellas penned by this author.
The Flowers of Penruddock is a collection of romance stories set in a medieval-like historical fantasy world.
Sweet. Emotionally unique with heroines ranging from young to older.
“Can’t put it down … emotional ride … smooth and poetic … dramatically romantic … surprising twists … can’t get enough of this author”
Seven novellas feature flower-named protagonists in various social positions, but each finds romance on a journey of obstacles.
If you enjoy sweet romance, the kind of love that brings families together, and stories with subtle inspirational elements, this book is for you. Meet the heroines and their stories
ROSE
When Rose, a common-born late-twenties widow meets Conor, who helped raise her as an orphan, she finds him unhappy, focused on revenge against those who killed their parents. She helps him remember the simple values and joys they used to share in their meager adoptive childhood home. But is it too late? Has life been so hard on Conor that he’ll never soften?
POPPY
Eighteen-year-old, pure-hearted Poppy, gives up worldly advantages, title and wealth when she flees from a forced marriage to a cruel man. Alone with nowhere to go, Poppy faces an unknown future. How will she survive?
VIOLET
A noblewoman and three-times widow, Violet, is accused of murdering her last husband. In the process of defending her innocence, she meets someone who inspires her to focus on what’s the most important thing in her life. But will fighting for that save her from a guilty verdict and execution?
HYACINTH
After Hyacinth’s aging husband, the king, develops a fatal illness and dies, Hyacinth reflects on their long past and the loving devotion they had for each other, a love that endured bitter tragedies and hateful conspiracies.
MARIGOLD
When Marigold travels with her cousin, the princess, who’s on her way to get married, Marigold is kidnapped. Courageous, dutiful and trained in weaponry, Marigold deceives her kidnappers and pretends that she’s the princess. Will her deception right an old wrong or cause her execution?
PENNY
Single forty-year-old Penny has devoted her life to serving in her community and caring for her retired parents. But after their deaths, an abandoned infant is placed in her care and causes her to do something she never thought she would. She proposes marriage to a single man who has become a friend. Will she regret her bold act, or will he accept and change their lives for the better?
KRYSANTHA
Eighteen-year-old Krysantha finds love in an arranged marriage with William, an older man. When he dies, Krysantha is strapped with a young son to raise and starts a business to provide for his future. But William’s estranged and jealous family attempt to sabotage her success. Will their vindictiveness destroy her or push her into the arms of another man?
Receive a BONUS: a Jane Austen fan fiction fantasy"mashup" novella titled “Cousins, One and All.”
Spectacular value! Brighten a friend’s life, and buy her a copy, too.
Be sure to look for other romance novellas penned by this author.
My Review:
Thank you to the author for providing a review copy.
The Flowers of Penruddock is a compilation of seven novellas set in the historical fantasy world of Penruddock. Note: there are none of the usual fantasy elements such as dragons and wizards, rather it is more like an imaginary medieval world. Each novella centers about a woman with floral name. Their stories are heartfelt and engaging, the women face adversity with strenght and determination. One unique aspect of the stories, which I appreciated, is the women take control of their love lives, often proposing marriage to the men they love. Although Penrudduck is filled with Lords and Ladies, Dukes and Duchess', the heroines of Henry's stories run the gamut of her imaginary society and many are educated beyond what is considered the norm.
Well written in a simple straightfoward manner, readers will love these clean romance, family-centered stories. I took my time reading them, and found them the perfect tonic to savor at the end of a hectic day. And as a Jane Austen lover, I was happily surprised to find a fanfic story tucked in at the end. Bonus!
I rate this book 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐stars
You can find The Flowers of Penrudduck on Amazon
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