True Colours

by Vanessa Fox

Can you ever forget your first love? Successful interior designer Alex Ryan knows going back to Dublin will be difficult, but she has no idea of the hidden dangers that await her. With her father in hospital after a mysterious accident and a new design client demanding her attention, when Alex finds herself in the offices of Venture Capital Ireland the last person she expects to meet is Sebastian Wingfield, heir to the Wingfield fortune - the one man in Ireland she is desperate to avoid. And the last thing on Sebastian's mind is interior decoration. But Sebastian is to marry his best friend’s sister, Caroline Audiguet-O'Reilly, in eight weeks time. And as the wedding plans unfold, unknown to any of them, someone is set on ruining him - whatever it takes. There is no escaping the past, and the night Alex meets Sebastian at Kilfenora House, more than just their TRUE COLOURS are finally revealed. Praise for TRUE “A masterful tale of secrets and romance, wrapped in intrigue and tied with love” Amazon bestseller Sally Clements "This is how romance novel should be written - the characters are sexy, interesting, independent, and believable and don't even start me on the setting... !" M Scott "Loved it, couldn't put it down. This is a wonderful mystery romance and you don't find out the major "What?" until the very end of the book." Addicted to Books "True Colours is an intelligent romance with pace, plot and oh so much passion. Sexy and sassy, it is one of those books that once you get started you can't put down, and yearn for your bed all day so you can pick it up again when you turn in for the night...The last time I enjoyed a book this much was when I read one of Jilly Cooper's doorstops, and True Colours has all the raunchy (but none of the racehorses) page-turning qualities..." KTK "I absolutely loved everything about this book. In fact with so many five star reviews you are all going to think the author is paying us. It's just a really enjoyable story. I found myself rooting for both of the main characters. It's rare to find a book where their is conflict between two characters yet you can be rooting for both of them to have happiness. Their love story is very romantic. I was expecting a typical romance storyline, but this book weaves in a bit of suspense. Nothing too scary which is perfect for me. It is truly a beautiful story. I even enjoyed reading about the other not-so-nice characters in the book. This author knows how to paint pictures with words. I will be looking for more from her in the future." Sue Sells Stuff, Longwood, Florida

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Mystery, Fiction, Romantic Suspense, Suspense

234 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 28, 2012

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Vanessa Fox-O'Loughlin is originally from St. Albans in Hertfordshire but has lived at the foot of the Wicklow Mountains in Ireland for (almost) more years than she lived in the UK. Founder of Ireland's leading Publishing Consultancy The Inkwell Group www.inkwellwriters.ie, and the Irish national online writing resources magazine www.writing.ie. She makes time for writing by juggling her dedicated husband, two children, three cats and two fish. Sometimes it gets messy. Vanessa writes crime (as Sam Blake) and romance and is on the board of Irish PEN and the Irish adviser to the Alliance of Independent Authors.

Reviews

[Yodamom · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was written so beautifully the world so exquisitely I actually slowed down to better absorb each detail. The architecture, landscape and streets of Ireland, Dublin and small village so vivid I felt I was there seeing and even smelling the environment. It was just an amazing experience to read her beautiful writing.
The story was riveting. A romance about a love grown apart for some unknown reason. An upper class man form an Estate fell in love with one of the staff's daughter. They had a young beautiful love till one day she disappeared. Years later, she returns to find her old flame engaged, enraged, and confused about what made her leave. Forced to work together, they fight, kiss, fight and things get dangerous when another factor comes at them.
I loved 95% of this book, really loved it. It would have been a 5 star read if it weren't for the rushed ending that just didn't fit the book. There was this glorious long romantic tale with suspense, danger, lies and cheating then it all just was okay. Everything was just fine, she had the ring, nobody questioned anything and it was over. The last 5% wasn't romantic or believable, it was almost as if another writer stepped in and finished it i under 10 minutes. Even with that disappointment, I would jump at the chance to read her works again, Ms. Fox is a gifted wordsmith.

[Mo · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a nice find. Free on Kindle but the story was very good. Set in Ireland so was a bit wary about reading it but very well written.

[Joy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sebastian and Alex finally meet again, sixteen years after she abandoned him without trace. Sebastian is preparing to marry Caroline, a socialite who fits the bill perfectly for his high flying lifestyle but in the meantime he's determined to show Alex the woman he'd once loved passionately just what she's been missing. Keeping his hands off her? No problem, he detests the woman.



SPOILERS AHEAD

Returning to Dublin Alex has been called in to redesign an equally shocked Sebastian's offices by his PA. Sebastian extends her brief to include his apartment while he's away on his honeymoon and Kilfenora castle. There's no end to the lengths Sebastian will go to hurt Alex more so when she realises on closer inspection that the massive nude painting above his bed is actually herself, then to be told he'd dragged that painting around with him for years. Like Alex I wasn't sure if having sex with other women while she watched from above was sick or cute. One thing it sure was, was different. Nice one. As usual if they'd just bothered to communicate, but then there would be no story to tell.

16 years? That's an awfully long time to be burning a torch for someone based on childhood memories but at least the author didn't conform to a disturbing norm and bring out a hidden 15 year old tween into the
mix. That would have killed it for me.

It dragged in places and I found myself skimming, particularly over Peter and Caroline's POVs, I think the story would have rolled better simply seeing them through the other characters.

But and isn't there always a but? I really did enjoy the tension between Alex and Sebastian.

Over all though, a nice little winter read.

[Maria Constantine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoy reading Contemporary Romance, but what I particularly love about 'True Colours' is the intricate mix of romance and intrigue. The intensity of love and passion between Alexandra Ryan and Sebastian Wingfield is evident from the first few chapters and it builds up as the story progresses. Their deep-rooted, undeniable love is almost tangible from the the painting hanging above Sebastian's bed to the little things, like the fact that he can still remember after sixteen years how 'the rain still made her hair go nuts'. Alex is a strong, intelligent, professional woman and a stark contrast to Caroline, Sebastian's fiancee, who is superficial, selfish and arrogant. Initially, I wondered why an earth Sebastian had proposed to such an unlikeable woman, but this adds to the authenticity and fallibility of the characters: it is reflective of life – people make mistakes and learn from their mistakes. And as for intrigue – there are so many threads woven into the story that kept me hooked: Why did Alex leave sixteen years ago? How did her father get injured and end up in hospital? Why does Peter hate Sebastian so much and want to bring him down? Who is Peter really and what will be the outcome of his plotting and planning? There were many twists and turns in the story that kept me guessing right until the end.

[Michelle [Helen Geek]]

Free on Amazon 05/02/2012.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

From my native Ireland comes this enjoyable piece of romantic intrigue by Vanessa Fox, which is also her debut novel.

Creative and hard working, Alexandra (Alex) Ryan, an Irish expat, is home from Spain on a dual purpose visit. Firstly to spend time with her beloved father, who's recovering from a serious accident. Alex has questions about the 'accident' which no-one seems able to answer. What her father is hiding? Who is he protecting? And why? The second purpose for the visit is to drum up business for her Spanish based interior design company. A prestigious first assignment with the Spanish Cultural Institute together with word of mouth recommendations land her yet another lucrative commission. Ushered into the presence of the boss of a prestigious finance company before she's had time to Google his name, she finds herself face to face with Sebastian Wingfield, the scion of the aristocratic family who own the Anglo-Irish Kilfenora estate where her father had served as gamekeeper until his accident. Alex remembers how she and Sebastian were passionately involved thirteen years before, until she fled, suddenly and irrevocably, to Spain.

Surprisingly, Sebastian seems to be really mad at Alex for absconding on their love affair all those years ago. Alex had assumed that he'd be well over it by now. She cannot deny that she still responds to Sebastian on a very deep level. Sebastian is about to be married to high society beauty Caroline Audiguet O'Reilly. Are the engaged couple really as happy as they pretend to be? And who is stalking Sebastian, raking up dirt in the newspapers and generally lurking on the periphery of his life, ready to cause him harm?

As the saga unfolds, within the affluent environs of Dublin and it's wealthy suburbs and within the grandeur of Kilfenora estate, all questions will be duly attended to and answered. This is the high end of Dublin life, the financial realm, the Embassy belt, the world of the glamorous and the wealthy. With the imposing, crumbling castle of Kilfenora in the background, much like the nonagenarian Lord Kilfenora himself, old money and new money co-exist harmoniously. But everything can change in a night. The old order, where a gamekeeper's daughter wasn't considered good enough for the son of the Wingfield family can give way to the new. The foreign returned businesswoman which Alex has now become is more than a match for her old lover.

I found this read kept me hooked to the very end. No doubt, my enjoyment was enhanced by the fact that I'm Irish, a Dubliner by birth, recognizing and enjoying the details of my native place as I read. Yet the emotions and questions evoked by the novel are universal. Love, wealth and deception are common throughout the world. I think that anyone with a taste for romantic fiction, particularly romantic intrigue, or even just a good old mystery story, would find this an absorbing read.

I look forward to more novels from Vanessa Fox in the future.

Maria - romancebookhaven.blogspot.com

[Jenn Green · Rating 3 out of 5]

I dont really like to give negative reviews, I have to much respect for Authors & what they do, so I wont say much. This book just didn't hold my attention. I am far too stubborn to just quit a book, usually if Im not getting into it I'll just take a break & come back later. With this one I just wanted to get done & found myself skipping ahead quite a bit. There was just soooo much inner monologue & it was very VERY descriptive with its locations. The story itself wasn't bad, all the stuff in between just kept losing me. And the ending was quite abrupt. I don't want to tell anyone not to read this, it just didn't do anything for me personally.

[John Ivory · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being a novel from the 'romance' genre, I would not normally have chosen this book to read. But I had downloaded it to my Kindle reader and eventually decided to give it a try. Have to say I was pleasantly surprised! It is a well-conceived story delivered with a nice degree of pace. This did not seem like a first novel as the author delivered her tale in a very accomplished way, to my mind. Definite 4 stars from me!

[Erin LaPlante · Rating 4 out of 5]

Childhood Love Rekindled

4.5 stars. 'She' is an interior designer trying to build her business in her homeland of Ireland. 'He' is a successful business man who hired her company to redesign the office. They didn't realize who owned the other company. A childhood love lost. Now returned...but he's engaged to his best friend's sister. She needs to take care of her injured father. Everything seems to be stacked against them. Will love find a way?

[Annie ~ Queer Books Unbound · Rating 1 out of 5]

Hab es bei 35 % abgebrochen, da nichts passiert ist.
Definitiv nichts für mich. Konnte mit der Protagonistin nichts anfangen. Sie hat zwar viel erklärt und beschrieben, aber letztendlich hat man doch nichts wichtiges erfahren.

[Kate Kerrigan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really pacy, holiday read by a first time author - self published but I really enjoyed it. Didn't like the cover but then you know what they say - never judge a book etc!

[Linda P]

4(12)

[Annica · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another trashy read for the beach with a little bit of a story to it!

[Nikki Pockett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not what I normally read but really enjoyed this. The plot twisted in unexpected ways. Slightly predictable ending though but overall really good read.

[Nikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this love story

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somewhat predictable... but I like that :)
A few little twists and turns I wasn't expecting.
Nice, light read. Perfect for the holidays!!

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Even though it had a predictable plot, this was a nice fast-paced read.

[Yvonne Gom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Didnt like the ending coz it seemed like some strings werent completely finished.

[Lindsay]

Amazon Freebie 12/21/2012

[Patsy Fox · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would recommend this book. It was a good love story and a little mystery mixed in it as well.