Review: short, sweet, intriguing and great introduction to Rumor series!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 03 30, 2012
`Forever Mine' is a novella and its plot is the arc for the new Delilah Marvelle's Rumor series and a mustread.Lady Augustine is a very young, dutiful daughter and a loving sister. She's a girl that feels things deeply, especially the loss of Nathaniel, her sibling.My heart went out to Augustine as she tried desperately to get to the bottom of her brothers disappearance a year ago. She's haunted by the memories of that night back in America, and the knowledge that her own father might have been the cause of the kidnapping. The man would rather beat her in submission then let her speak up and try to help.What I admired the most about this sixteen year old young girl, was her unwavering loyalty and her belief that her brother is alive somewhere out there, waiting for her to come and rescue him. Her dogged determination and persistence were awe inspiring.  She would not let no one and nothing stand in her way, not even the man she begins to fall in love with, a much older Duke of Wentworth.She knows the longer she waits, the colder the trail gets, and that she could never allow. With only one small portrait of him, which she's never without, she's willing to risk not only her reputation, but her life as well.Finding her beloved eleven year old brother and making sure that the mystery of his disappearance is unearthed and guilty be punished, even if the trail might end up in her own backyard, is all she cares about. It is the only thing that gives her strength to go on.Where do I begin to tell you about our hero? Leonard, the Duke of Wentworth is a very, very private man. He's thirty two years old and a widower, who loved his wife so much that he's been in the mourning for her for seven years.He knows he must fulfill his duty to the dukedom, yet no one has been able to come even close to sparking an interest, until he meets this young woman who awes him and he knows that if he fails to spark her interest, he will be lost forever, and will never marry.Many of you might have a problem with the age difference, but let me remind you that times were very, very different back then and the age difference was no factor in matters of marriage. I thought the love scenes were sensual and sweet, superbly executed and tastefully done.The repartee and the dialogue between the heroine and the hero amusing and witty, which gave a steady pace to the story. Ms. Marvelle has created a heroine that is sweet, yet strong; poised yet tenacious; innocent yet mature. She was multifaceted and there was much to admire her for.Our hero was more a Beta than Alpha, and his `still waters' ran deep. Once he knew that his feelings for Augustine were lasting and true, he set out to not seduce her, but befriend her and offer her his love and devotion, his patience and wisdom as well as his protection.Delilah Marvelle gets my five quills for this short, sweet, intriguing and very satisfying novella which is a great introduction to her new historical Rumor series that will no doubt bring many hours of pleasurable reading to her old and new fans!I highly recommend you read this short novella before diving into the first installment, `Forever and a Day'.I reviewed this book for Romantic Crush Junkies Reviews eZine.Melanie