In Love with a Portrait

... “No one, absolutely no one will dare disturb us, unless the house catches fire”...

Cassandra never envisaged a week in the countryside with her cousin would lead to childish mischief. The prospect of the village stocks looms when they are caught trespassing within a grand country house. However, the law is the law, and the price of freedom in Cassandra’s case proves more costly than imagined, for she loses her heart to the very man whose portrait Sarah had fallen in love with, the man Sarah insists she will tempt and seduce at will. Cassandra’s release from custody by the man himself fuels jealousy and rivalry between her and Sarah. But when shocking revelations of a scandalous affair and illicit passions set precedence for a hasty elopement, stunned by it all, Cassandra discovers passionate asides can lead to true love and romance in the strangest of circumstance.

Pre-publish Review: RT Reviews:
This is the first Francine Howarth book to come into my hands and I must say there's a distinct touch of Georgette Heyer

to this author's writing style. The outright English cant appealed greatly and the overall plot is skillfully paced with

finely drawn characters.The narrative flows into the dialogue with natural grace and depicts the elegance of Georgian England with fashionable details in small splashes of color. Smatterings of archaic dialogue certainly added to the glorious atmosphere of old England which pulls the reader into the setting with a most engaging heroine. Nothing about the story feels contrived to fit in this complicated and at times heart wrenching plot. Cassandra is a delightful unspoilt level-headed young lady of modest belief in herself, while her fiery fibster cousin Sarah has a devilish mean streak. The hero is that, pure hero and there's a nice scene where a male character from another book steps into the frame, so another story to go read. A worthy novel from a lovely author who brings the past alive in cinematic glory. Well done Ms Howarth.