My All Time Favorite Clean Romance Review and Giveaway: Edenbrooke by Julianne Donaldson

 Clean romance is one of my favorite genres, but it can take a lot of work to find romances that are not full of bad language and/or sexually-explicit material.  This book, which was published this year, very easily leaped to the top of my clean romance favorites list.  I like it so much that I want to share it with you, so I am giving away TWO copies. To enter see the form below.

EDENBROOKE
by Julianne Donaldson
Shadow Mountain, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-60908-946-7
Reviewed from personal copy.

Marianne Daventry will do anything to escape the boredom of Bath and the amorous attentions of an unwanted suitor. So when an invitation arrives from her twin sister, Cecily, to join her at a sprawling country estate, she jumps at the chance. Thinking she’ll be able to relax and enjoy her beloved English countryside while her sister snags the handsome heir of Edenbrooke, Marianne finds that even the best laid plans can go awry.

From a terrifying run-in with a highwayman to a seemingly harmless flirtation, Marianne finds herself embroiled in an unexpected adventure filled with enough romance and intrigue to keep her mind racing. Will she be able to rein in her traitorous heart, or will a mysterious stranger sweep her off her feet? Fate had something other than a relaxing summer in mind when it sent Marianne to Edenbrooke.

It's hard to know what to say about this book without giving anything away.  And I don't want to give anything away because I want you to be able to enjoy the book for yourself.  But I have to say that I love everything about this book, the setting, the plot, and especially the characters.

Marianne is a delightful narrator, a spirited young woman with a tendency to embarrass herself and a love of twirling (some of the best scenes in the book involve twirling). Philip, the love interest, is delightful, one of those characters that you wish was real (at least I wish he were real).  The secondary characters are also fun. They include Cecily, Marianne's beloved twin, Lady Caroline, Philip's mother, and Rachel and William, Philip's brother and sister-in-law.  Each of those characters adds something special to the story.  It's wonderful to find a book where you feel like all the characters play an important role.

In terms of setting, as soon as Marianne got to Edenbrooke, I wished I was there with her.  The place sounds gorgeous and the cover conveys that as well. While most of the story takes place there, there are other settings that play an important part as well.

I loved the plot/storyline.  It's delightful to travel with Marianne on her journey, both literally and figuratively.  I felt great empathy for Marianne and admired her compassion and selflessness as well as her silliness.  I truly felt like I got to know her as a person, she felt so real.

Overall, I have to recommend this book very highly, not only as a romance, but as a story full of hope and love as well.  So many romances are so dark these days, it's wonderful to find one that's such a pleasure to read.  I look forward to many more books from this author.  


If this sounds like your kind of book, be sure to enter the giveaway below. It is INTERNATIONAL, as long as Book Depository ships to you.


Giveaway Rules:

1. You must be 13 or older.
2. You must love clean romance. :)
3. Book depository or Amazon must ship to you.
4. Fill out the form. 
5. Winner has 48 hours to respond to email I send.

 a Rafflecopter giveaway