CAROL’S REVIEWS – SALT REDUX AND SALT ANGEL (PART OF THE SALT HENDON COLLECTION: A GEORGIAN HISTORICAL BOXED SET) BY LUCINDA BRANT

REVIEW OF SALT REDUX 

 (Salt Hendon, # 2)

Genre: Historical Romance (Georgian  – St. Petersburg, Russia , Salt Hall, Wiltshire, England and London, England, 1767)

Cover Blurb

Sequel to Salt Bride

Jane and Salt—four years of Happily Ever After
Sir Antony Templestowe—four years of Exile
Lady Caroline—four years of Heartache
Diana St. John—four years plotting Revenge
The time has come…

How does a brother cope with life knowing his sister is a murderess? How can a nobleman have the life he has always wanted when a lurking evil consumes his thoughts and haunts his dreams? What will it take for good to triumph over evil? For readers who enjoyed Salt Bride, the story continues…

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Salt Redux, the second book in Lucinda Brant’s Salt Hendon series, opens four years after the end of Salt Bride (My Review).

The hero Sir Antony Templestowe, Diana’s younger brother and Salt’s cousin and closest friend and the heroine, Lady Caroline Sinclair, Salt’s younger sister, were secondary characters in Salt Bride and obviously in love with each other. However, Antony did not cope well with the knowledge of his sister’s evil crimes and his life soon spiralled out of control; he drank to excess, neglected his niece and nephew, made a fool of himself and threw away a promising diplomatic career. Things finally came to a head when he caused a very public scandal, not only breaking Caroline’s heart, but also embarrassing Salt’s wife and losing the Earl’s respect and friendship.  Consequently, he was sent to take up a low level diplomatic position in St. Petersburg and, shortly afterwards, Caroline married someone else. Banishment probably saved his life because, if he hadn’t met Prince Mikhail and his sister, Antony would have drunk himself to death but, with their friendship and encouragement, he sobered up and made St. Petersburg his home.

While everyone thought that Diana was safely locked away in a remote castle in Wales, she was carefully plotting her escape. Her obsession with Salt had not abated and, having secured her freedom, she intends to wreak revenge on his hated wife, Jane. When Antony receives a letter advising him of his sister’s escape, he returns to England, determined to protect those he loves, only to find Diana ensconced in his house, hiding in plain sight. To avoid any scandal, only a handful of people know the truth about Diana and everyone else believes she has been abroad recovering from the heartbreak caused by Salt’s marriage to someone else, thus allowing her to ingratiate herself back into society.

For the past four years, Salt and Jane have been happily living in the country with their young family and Salt’s godchildren, Ron and Merry. However, they have recently returned to London so that Salt can resume his political career, only to discover that Diana has once more become a threat. Now they must all work together to thwart her insidious plans.

I like that both Antony and Caroline are flawed characters because it makes them seem more human and their journey more emotionally satisfying. At heart, Antony is an honourable man and I can understand his melt down and descent into alcoholism after discovering the evil his sister had perpetrated and his fear that he may suffer from the same madness. I like the realistic way in which Ms. Brant handles Antony’s alcoholism. Like all alcoholics, he must admit he has a problem and want to turn his life around and I love the scene where he admits to Caroline the reason for wanting to change.

“Misha opened my eyes and gave my compulsion a name. He made me come to terms with what I really am, to stare myself in the looking glass and say I am a habitual drunkard. But I still had to want to turn my life around, to have a reason to change, to change for the better.”

“Tell me,” she murmured. “What was your reason?”

 He answered without hesitation. “You, Caro. I wanted to be able to ask you to marry me with a clean heart and a clear mind.”

I find the idea of Antony’s ritual tea making being a way of overcoming his craving for a drink by concentrating his mind on something else fascinating. I also admire him for his determination to face up to his responsibilities and his self-possession in dealing with his sister. 

Caroline has her own secrets; a sordid past which makes her feel unworthy of someone as honourable as Antony, but I like how they are talk openly to each other and resolve the issues between them. Antony is not judgemental of Caroline and, in fact, blames himself for the headache she has suffered over the last four years.

The romance is emotional, tender and romantic and provides a welcome contrast to the drama surrounding Diana’s devious plotting. There are nail-biting moments when I was convinced her evil plans would finally succeed but, in a dramatic climax, Diana meets a rather grisly end.

Tom Allenby, Jane’s stepbrother, has an important role in the story and a new character, Katherine (Kitty) Aldershot, is introduced.

This is a wonderful blend of romance, suspense and intrigue.

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REVIEW OF SALT ANGEL

(Salt Hendon Novella)

Genre: Historical Romance (Georgian,- Salt Hendon, Wiltshire, England, London, England, 1767)

Cover Blurb

This 20,000-word bonus novella, is a new extended version of Fairy Christmas (previously published in A Timeless Romance Anthology: Silver Bells Collection) featuring well-loved characters from the Salt books

Kitty Aldershot is orphaned and forced to live on others’ charity. Offered a home under the generous roof of her relatives, the Earl of Salt Hendon and his countess, Kitty wants for nothing, not even the affections of Mr. Tom Allenby. But when Kitty stumbles across a letter written by Lady Caroline that reveals how Mr. Allenby would be ruined should he marry the likes of Kitty, she realizes she has been fooling herself all along. Kitty’s world crumbles around her as she recognizes she will forever be alone with no prospects at all.

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This charming novella sees Kitty Aldershot and Tom Allenby get their happy ending.

Kitty and Tom are a delightful couple. Tom is kind and steadfast and I admired him for the way he always looked after Jane (Countess of Salt Hendon) and was her stalwart defender when she need him the most. I found the fact that he is rather flustered around Kitty rather endearing.

She took a step closer, the drawing folding in on itself, their fingers lightly touching, and her violet eyes widened in expectation, heart thudding in her chest. But he just stood there, smiling down at her, not saying a word.

I like how, despite her circumstances, Kitty has retained her youthful optimism, and also the way she does her best to repay the Salt Hendons for all their kindness. I felt her heartache when she reads Lady Caroline’s letter but admire her selflessness in not wanting to ruin Tom’s good name or his political prospects.

How could she tell him her feelings if she could not, in good conscience, accept an offer from him because a marriage with her would not only ostracize his family, but ruin his future prospects as a parliamentarian?

I was totally charmed by the elderly Russian Prince Timur-Alexei Nikolai Mordinov who turns out to be an unlikely ally for Tom and Kitty. The interactions between the prince and the eccentric Lady Reanay were entertaining and this couple prove that falling in love is not just the preserve of the young.

“Be warned! It can hit you at any time, at any place, and at any age! Falling in love is not confined to the young, Miss Aldershot.”– Prince Mordinov

I thoroughly enjoyed this novella and it was the perfect ending to this series of stories.

OVERALL VERDICT: If you have never read any of Lucinda Brant’s books, this boxed set would be an excellent introduction to her wonderful stories, richly drawn characters and heart-warming romances.

REVIEW RATING: STELLAR 5 STARS

SENSUALITY RATING: SUBTLE

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CAROL’S REVIEW: SALT BRIDE (PART OF THE SALT HENDON COLLECTION: A GEORGIAN HISTORICAL BOXED SET)

(Salt Hendon, #1)

Genre: Historical Romance (Georgian – Wiltshire, England, 1759 and London, England, 1763)

Cover Blurb

When the Earl of Salt Hendon marries squire’s daughter Jane Despard, Society is aghast. But Jane and Salt share a secret past of heartache and mistrust. They are forced into a marriage neither wants; the Earl to honor a dying man’s wish; Jane to save her stepbrother from financial ruin. Beautiful inside and out, the patient and ever optimistic Jane believes love conquers all; the Earl will take some convincing. Enter Diana St. John, who has been living in a fool’s paradise believing she would be the next Countess of Salt Hendon. She will go to extreme lengths, even murder, to hold Salt’s attention. Can the newlyweds overcome past prejudices and sinister opposition to fall in love all over again?

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Whenever I open one of Lucinda Brant’s books, I know that I will find an engrossing and well-plotted story, richly drawn characters and a heart-warming romance.

When squire’s daughter Jane Despard and Magnus Sinclair, Earl of Salt Hendon(Salt) met at the Salt Hunt Ball four years ago, during Jane’s debut season, they fell deeply in love. After a month-long secret courtship Salt proposed, and Jane accepted.  Succumbing to the moment, they made love in the summerhouse, but Salt was urgently called back to London promising that, on his return, their engagement would be made official and they would marry without delay. However, he failed to return and, finding herself pregnant, she wrote to him but there was still no response and a month later she received his letter breaking off their engagement. When Jane’s father, Sir Felix Despard, discovers her condition and she refuses to name the father, he disowns her, cutting her off without a penny and branding her a whore. Jane is only saved from a Bristol poorhouse, or worse, when she is taken in by Jacob Allenby, a wealthy Bristol merchant and brother of Lady Despard, Sir Felix’s second wife, but loses her unborn baby under the most traumatic circumstances.

Jane and Salt have not met during the past four years, apart from one brief incident two years earlier, a humiliating experience for Jane. However, events are about to change that. Under the terms of Jacob Allenby’s will, Jane must marry by a certain date or her beloved step-brother, Tom, will not receive his full inheritance and to fulfil a promise given to Jane’s father on his deathbed, Salt must marry her. Not a propitious start to a marriage.

Jane cannot understand why Salt hates her so much and why he believes that he is the injured party. After all, she had never disclosed the name of her lover, and it was her life that was destroyed when he cruelly abandoned her to her fate. Gradually, as they spend time together, it is clear they have never stopped loving each other but they are unaware that Diana St. John is willing to go to any lengths to drive them apart.

Salt and Jane are such wonderful characters. Salt exudes power, wealth and authority but Jane is his Achilles heel. He struggles with hating Jane and wanting her at the same time and I enjoyed seeing him gradually soften towards her. He also shows a more relaxed side when he is with his godchildren, Ron and Merry. I loved the scene in the dining room where Jane, Ron and Merry are hiding under the table while Salt and best his friend, Sir Antony Templestowe, are pretending to look for the ‘rats’. Much giggling and laughter ensues which conjured up such a delightful picture in my mind.

Normally Salt is in full control, both mentally and physically but, when Jane’s stepbrother, Tom, tells him exactly what happened to Jane four years ago, he is totally devastated and collapses. Ms. Brant brings so much emotional intensity to this scene that it was as if Salt’s anguish was my own. This is also a defining moment in their relationship because, for the first time, they openly admit their love for each other.

“I love you, Jane.” It was a simple sentence, said simply.
She wasn’t at all sure he was in his right mind, or that he was restful of body, but it was all she had ever wanted to hear him say in the cold light of day since her eighteenth birthday. She smiled into his tired brown eyes and unconsciously sighed her contentment. Tears ran down her flushed face and she kissed his hand and pressed it to her cheek.
“I love you so very much I hate you for frightening me in this way!”

That he is willing to give up his high-profile political career to rusticate in the country in the role of doting husband and father shows the depth of his love for Jane

Jane is such a lovely heroine whose extraordinary beauty is further complimented by her kindness, generosity and sweet nature. I admire her for not letting the tragic events of the past crush her spirit of optimism and I love how she isn’t afraid to stand her ground where Salt is concerned. I cheered her on in the scene where Salt has his secretary, Ellis, read out the rules governing how Jane will live as the Countess of Salt Hendon, but Jane refuses to submit to his ‘insufferable arrogance…

“This document, my lord,” asked Jane with studious enquiry, but unable to hide a sardonic dimple in her left cheek, “does it state terms by which you will conduct yourself as my husband?”

I also love the scene where she shocks him with her frank talk of sexual matters and her playfulness in the bedroom.

In Diana St. John, Ms. Brant has certainly created one of the most memorable villains I have come across. Her obsession with Salt has driven her positively deranged, but what is so scary is the fact that, on the surface, she appears perfectly sane. So much so that, at times, I was convinced her evil plans would succeed. Both devious and cunning, her wickedness knows no bounds which is evident in the events depicted in the harrowing Prologue. Although securely locked away somewhere in wilds of Wales at the end of SALT BRIDE, I know she returns in the sequel, SALT REDUX, to reek further havoc with her evil machinations.

Ms. Brant’s books always contain a colourful cast of secondary characters including Sir Antony Templestowe, Salt’s cousin and best friend and Diana St. John’s younger brother; Tom Allenby, Jane’s step-brother, who always has her welfare at heart; Mr Ellis, Salt’s freckle-faced, hard-working secretary who has a soft spot for Jane; Hilary Wraxton, writer of ‘absurdly odd’ poetry.

Ms. Brant also brings delightful wit and humour to her stories and here are two of my favourite exchanges.

“How will you travel across the Continent if you cannot make a call of nature when we stop at an inn?” Lady Outram enquired.
The poet, who had perched uninvited on the padded arm of a wingchair, jabbed at his temple. “Up here for thinking, Lizzie. I am not just a man of letters, but of ideas.” He beamed at the Countess and said confidentially, “Had my man pack the family pot de chambre. Heirloom. Passed down from father to son since Scottish James sat upon the English throne. Painted with the family crest. On the inside.”
“How-how sensible of you, Mr. Wraxton,” Jane managed to reply, finding her breath and dabbing at her damp eyes. “A definite must for a trip to the Continent. Who knows what amenities are to be found, or not, at a foreign inn.”

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He gave a shout of laughter. “If it will make you happy, I shall abandon my ridiculous vanity and wear those wretched eyeglasses at the breakfast table. But be warned: A bespectacled Lord Salt perusing the newssheets is a sight almost as quelling as a flare of the noble nostrils.”
Jane smiled cheekily. “What an irresistible combination. My knees are trembling with anticipation already!”

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Ms. Brant effortlessly transported me back to Georgian England and her evocative descriptions of the settings, fashions, furnishings and social etiquette, all combine to bring the era vividly to life. Anyone who follows Ms. Brant’s Pinterest boards will know the extensive research she undertakes to ensure that every aspect is historically correct.

MY VERDICT: A compelling story, multi-layered characters, a heart-warming romance and a deranged but cunning villain, all combine to make SALT BRIDE a must read.

REVIEW RATING: STELLAR 5 STARS

SENSUALITY RATING: SUBTLE

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WENDY’S FAVOURITES: SALT HENDON COLLECTION: A GEORGIAN HISTORICAL BOXED SET – REVIEW OF EBOOK AND AUDIO EDITION (NARRATED ALEX WYNDHAM)

Genre: Historical Romance (Georgian)

Collection Includes:

SALT BRIDE (Salt Hendon, #1)

When the Earl of Salt Hendon marries squire’s daughter Jane Despard, Society is aghast. But Jane and Salt share a secret past of heartache and mistrust. They are forced into a marriage neither wants; the Earl to honor a dying man’s wish; Jane to save her stepbrother from financial ruin. Beautiful inside and out, the patient and ever optimistic Jane believes love conquers all; the Earl will take some convincing. Enter Diana St. John, who has been living in a fool’s paradise believing she would be the next Countess of Salt Hendon. She will go to extreme lengths, even murder, to hold Salt’s attention. Can the newlyweds overcome past prejudices and sinister opposition to fall in love all over again?

SALT REDUX: SEQUEL TO SALT BRIDE (Salt Hendon, #2)

Jane and Salt—four years of Happily Ever After
Sir Antony Templestowe—four years of Exile
Lady Caroline—four years of Heartache
Diana St. John—four years plotting Revenge
The time has come…

How does a brother cope with life knowing his sister is a murderess? How can a nobleman have the life he has always wanted when a lurking evil consumes his thoughts and haunts his dreams? What will it take for good to triumph over evil? For readers who enjoyed Salt Bride, the story continues…

SALT ANGEL (Salt Hendon Novella)

This 20,000-word bonus novella, is a new extended version of Fairy Christmas (previously published in A Timeless Romance Anthology: Silver Bells Collection) featuring well-loved characters from the Salt books

Kitty Aldershot is orphaned and forced to live on others’ charity. Offered a home under the generous roof of her relatives, the Earl of Salt Hendon and his countess, Kitty wants for nothing, not even the affections of Mr. Tom Allenby. But when Kitty stumbles across a letter written by Lady Caroline that reveals how Mr. Allenby would be ruined should he marry the likes of Kitty, she realizes she has been fooling herself all along. Kitty’s world crumbles around her as she recognizes she will forever be alone with no prospects at all.

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This is the second read for me of Lucinda Brant’s Salt Bride and its sequel Salt Redux. This time it’s with the added bonus of the original prologue to Salt Bride having been reinstated and the inclusion of a novella which was originally published as Fairy Christmas in an anthology and which has been newly extended for its addition to the set. The novella, light and sweet – neatly ties off the complete boxed set.

The Salt Duo was my first foray into Lucinda Brant’s gorgeously sumptuous Georgian world and I am now an addict of this author’s work and devour everything she has written, waiting with eager anticipation for her future work. I thoroughly enjoyed these stories – probably even more than I did initially – especially as I now fully appreciate the extensive research and work Ms. Brant has undertaken for each and every book in her fabulous backlist.

The added prologue, which had already been removed when I read Salt Bride (due to some controversy over its content) was not as shocking as I had expected. It tells the story of Miss Jane Despard’s miscarriage and, in my opinion, is very sensitively handled, with just the right amount of information revealed. However, having read the book with and without said prologue, I do not believe the story lacked anything by its absence. Ms. Brant very successfully drip feeds the circumstances of Jane’s miscarriage throughout Salt Bride and, on reflection, I preferred the edition without the prologue, as the gradual revelation of past events adds an extra element of mystery to the story.

Both Salt Bride and Salt Redux feature one of the most memorable female villains I have ever encountered. Lady Diana St. John, Salt’s cousin, is truly an exceptional bad-girl. Highly intelligent, but criminally insane, she operates in such a rational, self-possessed manner that her madness is hidden beneath her cloak of self-assured entitlement. She features highly in both novels and the prologue, completely stealing the show with her machinations and downright badness. The lengths to which she goes to achieve her objectives are truly mind boggling, but so expertly does Ms. Brant develop Diana’s character that she manifests as alarmingly believable. I wondered how the author would give Diana the comeuppance she justly deserves and when it came, I was not disappointed.

I loved the character of Magnus Sinclair, Earl of Salt Hendon. He’s an utterly gorgeous man who has been raised to feel completely comfortable in his own skin and fully accepts his powerful position. But he is finally knocked off his pedestal and brought down to the level of a mere mortal by the love and devotion of the serenely beautiful Jane Despard.

The first book is very much about the traumatic events leading up to their forced marriage (a premise I love in HR) and the development of their romance. It is already in its infancy when they marry, but they have some way to go and we see Salt finally becoming a more human, down-to-earth man, loving husband and future father.

The second book features Salt and Jane with a growing family but highlights Salt’s best friend and diplomat, Sir Anthony Templestowe who has recently returned from St. Petersburg where he was the darling of the Russian court. Salt’s little sister Caroline (Caro), and Anthony (Tony) have loved each other for a while, but a high-profile incident at the end of Salt Bride sent Tony into virtual exile in Russia. He now returns to help find a solution which will immobilise his diabolical sister, Diana, once and for all but also hopefully mend some fences with Caro. Anthony is a self-confessed alcoholic and I loved that Lucinda Brant tackles this very real problem in a pragmatic and practical manner, making it perfectly clear, along the way, that it can’t ever be resolved. Anthony has faced that – as alcoholics must – but, more importantly, has accepted that the fight with his addiction is an ongoing one. He is a darling man and his vulnerability just serves to make his character more real and compelling. Caroline, too, has confessions to make before they can reach their HEA and the two make an interesting and charismatic couple.

Lucinda Brant expertly gathers all her primary characters together to bring Diana down – no mean feat – and I wondered, more than once, how she managed to keep her intricate plotting and placing of characters clear in her head. There is so much going on, especially during the dramatic culmination, I had to think twice about where everyone was at any given time. Lucinda Brant doesn’t just write spine tingling romance; she always throws in an element of clever plotting and mystery too. Her ability to keep us guessing is one of the aspects of her writing that I love.

The novella is a nice addition and brings the whole series to a neat conclusion with not one but two delightful romances. Three of the characters appeared in the Salt Duo as secondary characters and the third, Prince Timur-Alexei Nikolai, makes his first appearance in the novella. Lucinda Brant has a pleasing way of including every age group in her romance. We are never too old for love and the elderly Russian Prince is an absolute sweetheart. His addition to the Fairy Christmas a delightful touch and his love story makes for a perfect ending to a terrific series.

I loved the Salt Hendon collection and if you have never read a Lucinda Brant historical romance or mystery, this is a good place to start.

Audio addition: narrated by Alex Wyndham:

It’s hard to believe that Lucinda Brant’s Salt Hendon Collection could be improved on, but with the addition of the highly talented Alex Wyndham’s performance that is exactly what has happened. This already powerful collection has been taken to a new level and I floated along on a cloud of bliss whilst listening to, and basking in, Alex Wyndham’s velvety tones.

In paragraph two above, I said after reading the eBook version:

 “on reflection, I would conclude that I preferred the edition without the prologue…………”.

I now retract that statement – at least with respect to the audio version – because Alex Wyndham’s portrayal of the disturbing and highly emotive scene where Jane Despard loses her baby is so compassionately and empathetically delivered that I fail to see how anyone listening to it could not be deeply moved. His performance and delivery added another layer to an already emotionally charged scene.

Mr. Wyndham goes on to capture every one of Ms. Brant’s host of fascinating characters and switches effortlessly between male or female, young or old with subtle intonations and nuances so the listener is never in doubt as to who he is, even during a multi character conversation.

Two personalities are deserving of a mention because of Alex Wyndham’s stupendous portrayal of them. One is the villainous Diana, so Machiavellian like in her evil and conniving, but so eye wateringly plausible that she’s just down-right scary but, at the same time, strangely fascinating. Mr. Wyndham’s performance of her comeuppance is nothing less than thrilling and, as the drama builds, Alex Wyndham delivers Lucinda Brant’s words with a slowly building suspense leaving the reader feeling emotionally drained at the culmination.

At the other end of the drama scale, we have the utterly irresistible pussy-cat, Prince Timur-Alexei Nikolai. Alex Wyndham uses a heavily accented, slightly scratchy Russian dialect to depict this kind, sweet, perfectly mannered and gentlemanly prince – a class act. One of those cuddly characters – full of wisdom – you can’t help but love.

The uber talented Alex Wyndham has delivered the Salt Hendon Collection to perfection, bringing Ms. Brant’s words into three-dimensional brilliance and offering us an insight into her opulent and fascinating Georgian world. Finally, there was an exceptionally nice touch when, right at the beginning of the book, Alex Wyndham tells us:

“For all the fans who requested the Salt books as a Brant/Wyndham audio collaboration, it’s all here”

I was especially touched by this statement because I was one of those “fans” and felt as if he was speaking directly to me. Is it any wonder that Lucinda Brant (and now Alex Wyndham) has such a loyal following, albeit well deserved, when she hears what her readers/listeners have to say and actually cares what we think?

MY VERDICT: I defy anyone not to adore this feast of a collection. Highly recommended!

REVIEW RATING: STELLAR 5 STARS

SENSUALITY RATING: SUBTLE

 

**I received free copies of both the ebook and audiobook from the author in return  for an honest review. **

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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