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andrea_author's review against another edition
4.0
Taylor hires Sonya to curate the art at the historic house he's renovating. But their business relationship quickly turns personal. The trouble is, Sonya is carrying around the wounds of an abusive marriage, and she's not willing to take that chance again. Taylor, though, seeks something permanent. He wants to create the kind of close-knit family he grew up in. Can these two overcome the past and move forward together?
This is the kind of book you take time to savor, with its well-developed characters, palpable settings, and strong romance arc. It's a smart book with grown-up characters who know what they want and aren't afraid to go after it.
Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.
This is the kind of book you take time to savor, with its well-developed characters, palpable settings, and strong romance arc. It's a smart book with grown-up characters who know what they want and aren't afraid to go after it.
Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.
scoutmomskf's review
4.0
Good start to the new series. I love the theme of restoring an old French chateau that was moved to New Jersey. Taylor is committed to honoring his late father's wish to renovate Bainbridge House, as are his three brothers and one sister. His sister, Viola, tells Taylor about her friend, Sonja, an architectural historian, as the perfect person to help him get it right. Sonja spent four years in an abusive marriage before escaping and working to regain her independence. Working on the Bainbridge House restoration will go a long way toward establishing her reputation in her field.
I loved the first meeting between Sonja and Taylor. The sparks were there from the beginning though both initially tried to ignore them. Taylor plans to concentrate on the renovations, while Sonja has no intention of getting involved with another man. Sonja's intelligence and passion for her work fascinated Taylor, and he knew she was exactly what he needed for the project. I liked watching them connect over their love of the house and the friendship that evolved because of it.
It wasn't long before Taylor realized he wanted more than friendship with Sonja. However, as attracted as he is to her, he doesn't just want to sleep with her. Taylor craves the kind of loving relationship his parents had and believes he can have it with Sonja. All he has to do is convince her. I enjoyed his efforts to do so and appreciated how he was always careful not to push. That care is what slowly worked its way past Sonja's walls.
I liked seeing Sonja let go of her fears and embrace her feelings for Taylor. Their connection over the house added an extra layer to those feelings. Their relationship looked very promising for the future until Taylor saw something that he misinterpreted and reacted poorly. His words and actions brought back bad memories of her marriage and drove Sonja away. I ached for Sonja as she tried to reconcile those memories with her feelings for Taylor. Conversations with her mother helped her enough to think about what had happened from another perspective. I liked that Taylor was smart enough to realize how badly he'd behaved and patient enough to give Sonja the time she needed. The ending was great, as both Taylor and Sonja shared their fears and feelings before moving on to their future.
One of the things I liked about this book were the little details that go into restoring a building like Bainbridge House, from the foundation to the landscaping. I'd love to see more about some of the treasures Sonja finds. I loved her suggestions about the farm-to-table for the planned restaurant. I look forward to the future books with Taylor's siblings, each of whom has a talent/career that blends well with their plans for the chateau.
#netgalley
I loved the first meeting between Sonja and Taylor. The sparks were there from the beginning though both initially tried to ignore them. Taylor plans to concentrate on the renovations, while Sonja has no intention of getting involved with another man. Sonja's intelligence and passion for her work fascinated Taylor, and he knew she was exactly what he needed for the project. I liked watching them connect over their love of the house and the friendship that evolved because of it.
It wasn't long before Taylor realized he wanted more than friendship with Sonja. However, as attracted as he is to her, he doesn't just want to sleep with her. Taylor craves the kind of loving relationship his parents had and believes he can have it with Sonja. All he has to do is convince her. I enjoyed his efforts to do so and appreciated how he was always careful not to push. That care is what slowly worked its way past Sonja's walls.
I liked seeing Sonja let go of her fears and embrace her feelings for Taylor. Their connection over the house added an extra layer to those feelings. Their relationship looked very promising for the future until Taylor saw something that he misinterpreted and reacted poorly. His words and actions brought back bad memories of her marriage and drove Sonja away. I ached for Sonja as she tried to reconcile those memories with her feelings for Taylor. Conversations with her mother helped her enough to think about what had happened from another perspective. I liked that Taylor was smart enough to realize how badly he'd behaved and patient enough to give Sonja the time she needed. The ending was great, as both Taylor and Sonja shared their fears and feelings before moving on to their future.
One of the things I liked about this book were the little details that go into restoring a building like Bainbridge House, from the foundation to the landscaping. I'd love to see more about some of the treasures Sonja finds. I loved her suggestions about the farm-to-table for the planned restaurant. I look forward to the future books with Taylor's siblings, each of whom has a talent/career that blends well with their plans for the chateau.
#netgalley
robinlovesreading's review
4.0
Multicultural romances are becoming more and more readily available for reviewers. A New Foundation was a wonderful book to have come my way. In this first book in the Bainbridge House series, Taylor Williamson has a huge job on his hands. He will be restoring his family's historical estate. He definitely will not be working alone. One of the people he hires is an architectural and art historian, Sonya Rios-Martin. As a previous victim of emotional abuse at the hand of her ex-husband, Sonya is more than distrustful of men and gives Taylor a wide berth.
Sonya is not the only one with a sad past. In fact, Taylor has his own demons but after having been adopted, had time to heal. In fact, he became a model at one time and also a structural engineer. It is his engineering skills that make him perfect for the project. One thing becomes almost immediately clear with regard to Sonya and Taylor - they are both strongly attracted to one another. However, with their pasts in mind, it seems doubtful that either of them is prepared to act of their growing feelings.
This was an enjoyable and emotional story of two broken people who found happiness and joy with one another. However, there are hiccups along the way and it was quite pleasant to read how the two found their future together. This enjoyable frist book in this series was followed by Christmas at the Chateau.
Many thanks to Harlequin Special Edition for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.
Sonya is not the only one with a sad past. In fact, Taylor has his own demons but after having been adopted, had time to heal. In fact, he became a model at one time and also a structural engineer. It is his engineering skills that make him perfect for the project. One thing becomes almost immediately clear with regard to Sonya and Taylor - they are both strongly attracted to one another. However, with their pasts in mind, it seems doubtful that either of them is prepared to act of their growing feelings.
This was an enjoyable and emotional story of two broken people who found happiness and joy with one another. However, there are hiccups along the way and it was quite pleasant to read how the two found their future together. This enjoyable frist book in this series was followed by Christmas at the Chateau.
Many thanks to Harlequin Special Edition for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.
now_booking's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
I really enjoyed this new multicultural romance series opener by this author, who’s a definite favourite of mine. The series is clearly going to be set around a group of siblings who’ve inherited the historic Bainbridge Mansion Estate from their late father. The series opens with Taylor, a retired male supermodel and current structural engineer, managing the restoration of the historical estate his family inherited, and Sonya, an architectural and art historian, who he’s hired to support the restoration work and cataloguing of historical items. Sonya is distrustful of men after being exploited and emotionally abused by her ex-husband who she married young, and Taylor also has scars from his past before being adopted into a loving family. So, this is a story about the healing power of love™️.
I enjoy this author’s work because it’s always aspirational. These aren’t billionaire romances but everything is always super classy, super well-researched, the food, the interior decor, the architectural detail, everything makes you feel like you “summer” and “dine” and “holiday” as verbs, and yet it is very accessible and never feels stuck up. This author’s work is feminist but also kind of sometimes subscribed to some old-fashioned-ish gender roles of men taking care of their women that might not be for everyone, but they’re for me. Take note, if those kinds of narratives bother you. I liked that these were two eminently human characters working their way through their instant attraction for one another whilst dealing with their own baggage.
This specific book I believe, was black romance but I foresee that this series is going to be more a multicultural romance, featuring a diversity of cultures and backgrounds and I can’t wait for it. I look forward eagerly to the rest of this series. I’m already a fan! This is a home fun from Harlequin Special Edition.
I received a complimentary advance copy of this book from Harlequin Books.
I enjoy this author’s work because it’s always aspirational. These aren’t billionaire romances but everything is always super classy, super well-researched, the food, the interior decor, the architectural detail, everything makes you feel like you “summer” and “dine” and “holiday” as verbs, and yet it is very accessible and never feels stuck up. This author’s work is feminist but also kind of sometimes subscribed to some old-fashioned-ish gender roles of men taking care of their women that might not be for everyone, but they’re for me. Take note, if those kinds of narratives bother you. I liked that these were two eminently human characters working their way through their instant attraction for one another whilst dealing with their own baggage.
This specific book I believe, was black romance but I foresee that this series is going to be more a multicultural romance, featuring a diversity of cultures and backgrounds and I can’t wait for it. I look forward eagerly to the rest of this series. I’m already a fan! This is a home fun from Harlequin Special Edition.
I received a complimentary advance copy of this book from Harlequin Books.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Confinement, Infertility, Miscarriage, and Toxic relationship
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