Book Review: One Season of Sunshine by Julia London

Title: One Season of Sunshine
Author: Julia London
Publisher: Pocket
Publication Date: June 29, 2010
Paperback: 416 pages
ISBN: 978-1416547099
Genre: Fiction

From the Publisher:

Should some questions be left unanswered?

Adopted as an infant, Jane Aaron longs to know the identity of her birth mother and why she gave her up. Her only clue is the name of the small Texas town where she was born, so she’s come to Cedar Springs for answers.

Handsome ad executive Asher Price lost his wife, the beautiful, mysterious Susanna, in a terrible car crash eighteen months ago. When he hires Jane as the nanny for his two children, sparks fly. Jane finds herself falling in love with both Asher and his children, but begins to suspect that Susanna was not the perfect mother and wife the family portrays her to have been.

As Jane gets closer and closer to finding out the truth about both her own and Susanna’s past, devastating secrets begin to emerge that may be more than anyone can bear. Will the truth bring Jane and Asher closer together or tear them apart forever?

My Review:

Belonging and identity are central themes in Julia London’s novel One Season of Sunshine. Jane Aaron was raised in a warm and loving home and now as an adult she yearns to find answers to who her birth mother was and why she chose to give her up for adoption. Jane’s quest brings her to Cedar Springs, Texas and into the lives of widower Asher Price and his two children Levi and Riley. While One Season of Sunshine is a fairly predictable novel, it is a rather enjoyable one with well-developed characters with a bit of romance mixed with mystery in which Jane must sort out. I am not adopted and I could not understand the extreme lengths Jane went through and what she put her family through in her quest to find the birth mother who chose to give her up for adoption when she was a baby. I did feel for the Price family and for Susanna, whose death the reader learns about in the beginning of the book, quite possibly because I understand what it is like to be close to someone with bi-polar disorder and how dreadful it can be for all involved. All in all, London writes an intriguing novel, raising many questions that would make for excellent discussions in a book discussion group. I would recommend One Season of Sunshine to anyone looking for a good book to read over the summer or as a choice for a book discussion group.

About the Author:

Julia London is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of numerous historical romance and women’s fiction novels. She is a four-time finalist for the prestigious Romance Writers of America’s RITA Award for excellence in romantic fiction. A native Texan, Julia lives in Austin.

I received a complimentary copy of One Season of Sunshine by Julia London from Simon & Schuster to review. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of aforementioned novel.

A Courtesan’s Scandal by Julia London Book Tour/Review

Title: A Courtesan’s Scandal
Author: Julia London
Publisher: Pocket Books
Publication Date: October 20, 2009
Paperback: 371 pages
ISBN: 978-1416547129
Genre: Historical Romance/Fiction

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Description from the Publisher:

Kate Bergeron is the beautiful and mysterious former mistress of a cloth merchant…and the latest beauty to capture the interest of the Prince of Wales. Mired in a disastrous divorce, the Prince attempts to distract attention from his next amorous pursuit by ordering Grayson Christopher, the eligible Duke of Darlington, to pretend to London society that he is having an affair with Kate. When Grayson reluctantly agrees to his Prince’s demand, he finds the lady no more willing than he is. Kate will grudgingly act the part in public, but her favors are not for sale to any man. As Grayson and Kate mimic ardor for the world to see, they find what started as a deception becoming all too real. And when passion flames into love, their predicament becomes extreme. For while marriage between a duke and a courtesan could never happen, Kate knows in her heart that she is willing to accept nothing less….

My review:

A Courtesan’s Scandal by Julia London begs the question of the importance of one’s station in life. London’s novel is cleverly written, with flowing prose and very realistic characters coupled with healthy parts of cunning wit, disloyalty, devotion, and questioning the hierarchy of 19th century London with an underlying theme of love and family above all else. Katie was born in a very low station and has risen, quite by accident, to becoming a courtesan who is being kept by the Prince until a time he can socially be seen with her. The deception begins with the Prince, who desperately wants to own Katie and blackmails the Duke of Darlington to escort Katie around so the Prince can liaison with her privately while the public believes the Duke has taken a mistress. It all may very well sound pat, until one factors in the other key players and the ties that bind each of them, bringing together a beautifully written and cleverly witty novel. With a hint of Austen’s flair, London has written a solid story that kept this reader turning the pages until the very end. I look forward to reading London’s other works and I highly recommend this novel to anyone looking for a delightfully fun read.

About the Author:

Julia London is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Hazards of Hunting a Duke (the first novel in her Desperate Debutantes trilogy), Highlander Unbound (a finalist for the Romance Writers of America’s RITA Award for Best Historical Romance), Highlander in Disguise, and Highlander in Love (also a finalist for the RITA Award) — all published by Pocket Star Books. She also contributed a short story, “The Merchant’s Gift,” to the anthology The School for Heiresses. Her other romantic novels include the Rogues of Regent Street trilogy. She lives in Austin, Texas. To Learn more, please visit her website.

I received a free copy of A Courtesan’s Scandal by Julia London from Simon & Schuster as part of the tour. Receiving a free copy in no way reflected my review of aforementioned novel.

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A Scandal- Teaser Tuesdays


Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

  • Grab your current read
  • Open to a random page
  • Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
  • BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
  • Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Here is mine:
“”What may I call you?” Your Grace,” he snapped, and strode out of the room.”

~Page 9, The Courtesan’s Scandal by Julia London
Check back on Thursday for my review.

What are you reading?

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