Author: Annete K. Larsen
Publisher: Hidden Falls Publishing
Release Date: August 2013
Pages: 300
Series: none
5 STARS: I LOVED IT!!!
Ariella was only looking for a distraction, something to break up the monotony of palace life. What she found was a young man willing to overlook her title and show her a new and vibrant way of life. But when her growing feelings for Gavin spiral out of control and clash with the expectations of her station, she will discover that the consequences of her curiosity are far more severe than she’d imagined.
“I watched in helpless horror as two guards hauled Gavin to his feet and dragged him from the room. My voice was frozen, unable to protest as another guard took hold of my arm, leading me upstairs. From the confines of my room, I stared into the darkness beyond my window, hoping to catch one more glimpse of Gavin. He was gone, and I wondered if he would have been better off if he had never met me.”
My Thoughts:
I loved this book! It was so full of emotions making me laugh, cry, and yell. I love a book when I feel connected to the characters, especially the main character. By page one I was hooked. Something about Ariella’s voice made me feel like I was hearing a friend’s story. I wanted Ariella (Ella) to succeed and be happy because I felt a connection to her. She was strong and brave even though she didn’t see herself that way. She was a little sassy and spunky at times. I loved watching her grow. This book took place over a few years, something I’m not used to, but it really worked with this story. The relationships felt real with such a long span of time.
My heart ached for Ella and Gavin. Talk about a doomed relationship! Royalty and commoners never mix romantically without a lot of trials along the way. I haven’t read as many books where the man is the commoner and the woman the royal so that was unique. Gavin was so sweet and protective. I loved each moment they had together.
This wasn’t just a romance though. There was so much more growth that happened with Ella while finding her place with her family and royal life.
Just Ella was a beautiful story of romance and learning to be your true self. This is a book worth buying this year!
Content Ratings: highlight between ( ) to view details
Sexual Content: mild ( kissing )
Language: none
Violence: mild ( torture, kidnapping, injuries )
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I was born in Utah, but grew up in Flagstaff Arizona and St. Louis Missouri, the fifth of seven children. I attended college at Southern Virginia University and Brigham Young University where I studied English and Theater. I now live in Idaho with my husband and four children.
I have Charlotte Bronte to thank for the courage to write novels. After being bombarded with assigned reading about women who justified abandoning either their families or their principles in the name of love, I had the great fortune of reading Jane Eyre. And that was it: finally a heroine who understood that being moral and making the right choice was hard, and sometimes it hurt, but it was still worth it. After rereading it several years later, I realized that if I wanted more books to exist with the kinds of heroines I admired, then I might as well write a few myself. My books are about women who face hard choices, who face pain and rejection and often have to sacrifice what they want for what is right. The consequences are often difficult or unpleasant, but it the end, doing what’s right will always be worth it.
I believe there is no substitute for good writing or good chocolate. Fortunately, one often leads to the other.
I write clean romance. Why? Because that’s what I love to read, but over the years I’ve discovered it’s quite a challenge to find good clean romance. I believe it’s a genre that many people are looking for and too few authors are writing. My first novel, Just Ella, took me many years to write because I wanted it to be more than just a cutesy love story. I wanted it to have depth, to feel genuine. Hopefully I succeeded, but you’ll have to be the judge.
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