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Garnet
It is France 1889. Tucked away in a stately château overlooking the Loire River, Garnet’s life had been for the most part unremarkable. One day melted into the next until she awakens to find herself a beautiful young woman with desires and needs that those walls cannot provide.
With the unexpected death of her aunt, her seamless world comes to an abrupt end.
As it has been from the beginning of time, beauty, wealth and innocence are sought by the unscrupulous. Garnet must ask herself, which is reality, the world in which she lives or the unexplainable.
Garnet is a romantic mystery, filled with uncertainties and lastly the discovery of truth.
Editorial reviews:
Brewer again proves herself as a master storyteller; blending suspense and historical details around the taboo passions of the Victorian European era. Readers are certain to find Garnet exciting and deliciously entertaining with an unpredictable finish.
Other Novels by this author: Carolina Rain, Beyond Sandy Ridge and Lizzie After the War.
www.nancybbrewer.com --Amazon/Kindle-- Nook
With the unexpected death of her aunt, her seamless world comes to an abrupt end.
As it has been from the beginning of time, beauty, wealth and innocence are sought by the unscrupulous. Garnet must ask herself, which is reality, the world in which she lives or the unexplainable.
Garnet is a romantic mystery, filled with uncertainties and lastly the discovery of truth.
Editorial reviews:
Brewer again proves herself as a master storyteller; blending suspense and historical details around the taboo passions of the Victorian European era. Readers are certain to find Garnet exciting and deliciously entertaining with an unpredictable finish.
Other Novels by this author: Carolina Rain, Beyond Sandy Ridge and Lizzie After the War.
www.nancybbrewer.com --Amazon/Kindle-- Nook
- GenresHistorical Fiction
200 pages, Paperback
First published February 2, 2013
1 person is currently reading
423 people want to read
About the author
Nancy B. Brewer
44 books127 followerswebsite: www.nancybbrewer.com
https://www.facebook.com/nancybbrewer...
books on Amazon-Kindle
New release! Sept. 2021 reserve your copy now!
A Peasant Queen.
https://www.nancybbrewer.com/product/...
Beach Read Series: Murder at Myrtle Beach and A Coastal Ghost.
Here’s How to Write a Book
by Nancy B. Brewer
A Beautiful Prison
3 Beloved Children’s Book Written and Narrated by the Author- on CD
"30 Days at the Shore" (Letters to Father)
A journey- a must read for cancer and survivors of life. Release date: Jan. 15/2016- reserve: www.nancybbrewer.com
"The Two Faces of Nina Grey"
(exciting historical fiction-Maryland 1861)
The House with the Red Light
Carolina Rain
Beyond Sandy Ridge
Lizzie After the War
Garnet
Letters from Lizzie
More books by this author:
30 Days at the Shore (Letters to Father)
A Doll Named Fannie
Rufus the Rat
Quotes and Poems in Black and White
South Carolina author, Nancy B. Brewer combines her love for history with her passion for creating stories and characters.
Readers are captivated from page one by Brewer’s soft southern style and poetic quotes and lines. The author is a master of weaving historically accurate stories filled with intriguing characters and thrilling plots.
She is available for book signings and presentations.
Awards:
2014 Henry Timrod Southern Culture Award
2014 National SCV Ladies Appreciation Award
2012 Jefferson Davis Historical Gold Medal
https://www.facebook.com/nancybbrewer...
books on Amazon-Kindle
New release! Sept. 2021 reserve your copy now!
A Peasant Queen.
https://www.nancybbrewer.com/product/...
Beach Read Series: Murder at Myrtle Beach and A Coastal Ghost.
Here’s How to Write a Book
by Nancy B. Brewer
A Beautiful Prison
3 Beloved Children’s Book Written and Narrated by the Author- on CD
"30 Days at the Shore" (Letters to Father)
A journey- a must read for cancer and survivors of life. Release date: Jan. 15/2016- reserve: www.nancybbrewer.com
"The Two Faces of Nina Grey"
(exciting historical fiction-Maryland 1861)
The House with the Red Light
Carolina Rain
Beyond Sandy Ridge
Lizzie After the War
Garnet
Letters from Lizzie
More books by this author:
30 Days at the Shore (Letters to Father)
A Doll Named Fannie
Rufus the Rat
Quotes and Poems in Black and White
South Carolina author, Nancy B. Brewer combines her love for history with her passion for creating stories and characters.
Readers are captivated from page one by Brewer’s soft southern style and poetic quotes and lines. The author is a master of weaving historically accurate stories filled with intriguing characters and thrilling plots.
She is available for book signings and presentations.
Awards:
2014 Henry Timrod Southern Culture Award
2014 National SCV Ladies Appreciation Award
2012 Jefferson Davis Historical Gold Medal
Ratings & Reviews
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
February 23, 2013
I received this book for free from Goodreads First reads. I received it in the mail this afternoon, and began reading right away. I was instantly sucked into Garnet's world. The book takes place in 1889 France. Garnet Dragos, abandoned by her father after her mother's death in childbirth, is raised by her beloved Aunt. When her Auntie dies suddenly one night, her entire world is turned upside down. A man appears at her Auntie's funeral claiming to be her long lost father, he whisks her away to a dank and dirty house with a monstrous woman claiming that Garnet's life is in danger due to a family curse. When a handsome man comes along whose family history matches the forewarned curse, Garnet doesnt know who to trust. Who is trying to protect her and who is trying to hurt her?
It is a nice short story. The main characters, such as Garnet, are well developed, though some of the smaller roles could have had more detail. The tail itself was gripping and you weren’t sure who to trust, just as Garnet herself didnt know. In addition, I found it all very realistic. The emotions Garnet was experiencing, the confusion, etc, were all very real and engrossing. My only complaint is some minor spelling/grammar errors and that it is too short, the story definitely could have been longer. There is a strong religious undercurrent as Garnet learns to find strength in God. Not being religious myself, I felt it was done just enough to not overpower and turn me off.
It is a nice short story. The main characters, such as Garnet, are well developed, though some of the smaller roles could have had more detail. The tail itself was gripping and you weren’t sure who to trust, just as Garnet herself didnt know. In addition, I found it all very realistic. The emotions Garnet was experiencing, the confusion, etc, were all very real and engrossing. My only complaint is some minor spelling/grammar errors and that it is too short, the story definitely could have been longer. There is a strong religious undercurrent as Garnet learns to find strength in God. Not being religious myself, I felt it was done just enough to not overpower and turn me off.
April 5, 2013
Nancy Brewer's "Garnet" was an enjoyable read which allowed me to drift back in another time and place. The story - a mystery, was very easy to visualize and a fast read.
I would have liked more on each of the characters but maybe a continuation book of Garnet would confine the saga of Garnet throughout her life.
Historical Fiction takes my away to places that only dreams can take you to.
I would have liked more on each of the characters but maybe a continuation book of Garnet would confine the saga of Garnet throughout her life.
Historical Fiction takes my away to places that only dreams can take you to.
April 27, 2013
Garnet was a wonderful book. Mysterious and exciting. Well worth the read. Can't wait for a sequel. Nancy Brewer is an awesome author. She tells a story as though she is the main character and pulls you into the story, leaving you wanting more.
May 5, 2013
I like it a lot. It needs to become a movie. If you like historical romance this book for you.
July 27, 2019
This was primarily a mystery with a bit of romance thrown in. It was very readable and had a satisfying ending....although it was abrupt.
October 7, 2013
This was an interesting book, the story itself very clever.
In the book, a very naive girl's aunt dies, leaving behind a fortune and a letter leading the girl to her family's secret history. The girl's family is under a curse, and as the girl's long-lost father arrives to spirit her away from danger, the bodies begin piling up. Soon enough, the girl is on her own, surrounded by enemies, and hunted by a curse she can't explain and can't fight.
Again, I liked the plot. It was clever, and the murders were suitably terrifying. The girl herself, Garnet, is naive to the point of stupidity at times, but she does improve as the novel unfolds, turning out to be just excessively sheltered. The murder mystery itself truly was brilliant, and the villains suitably creepy. I enjoyed the pacing, for the most part, and of course there were plenty of villains to keep the story going.
My only real complaint is that while the girl did improve, she never really learned to stand on her own two feet. Every time something happened, she was being manipulated or just rescued by someone else. I get that this was probably the way it just was back then--women being handed from families to husbands, often helpless and unprepared--but it didn't make the main character endearing. For a book that focused so much on her budding sexuality, she could have been a bit less like a child.
I also wasn't a fan of the ending, I'll admit. Not that it was bad, but that it could have been so much better. The villains were built up at such a perfect pace, as was the mystery, but the mystery was solved too easily and too quickly, and without the girl even really being involved. So much of the story was missing, even if there weren't any pesky loose ends. Overall, however, good book.
In the book, a very naive girl's aunt dies, leaving behind a fortune and a letter leading the girl to her family's secret history. The girl's family is under a curse, and as the girl's long-lost father arrives to spirit her away from danger, the bodies begin piling up. Soon enough, the girl is on her own, surrounded by enemies, and hunted by a curse she can't explain and can't fight.
Again, I liked the plot. It was clever, and the murders were suitably terrifying. The girl herself, Garnet, is naive to the point of stupidity at times, but she does improve as the novel unfolds, turning out to be just excessively sheltered. The murder mystery itself truly was brilliant, and the villains suitably creepy. I enjoyed the pacing, for the most part, and of course there were plenty of villains to keep the story going.
My only real complaint is that while the girl did improve, she never really learned to stand on her own two feet. Every time something happened, she was being manipulated or just rescued by someone else. I get that this was probably the way it just was back then--women being handed from families to husbands, often helpless and unprepared--but it didn't make the main character endearing. For a book that focused so much on her budding sexuality, she could have been a bit less like a child.
I also wasn't a fan of the ending, I'll admit. Not that it was bad, but that it could have been so much better. The villains were built up at such a perfect pace, as was the mystery, but the mystery was solved too easily and too quickly, and without the girl even really being involved. So much of the story was missing, even if there weren't any pesky loose ends. Overall, however, good book.
November 16, 2014
I enjoyed the book.
Garnet was a young adult when her guardian-aunt died, causing her very comfortable life to take a different turn, going from loved and pampered (in a good way) to chaos, suspicion, and upheaval. Garnet is suddenly faced with different people, bringing with them baffling stories, mysteries, and changes to her life. She handled them all with a lot of confusion, but also a lot of grace.
This was not a typical romance. In fact "romance" didn't even come into the picture until the last few chapters. There were sexually provocative background things happening, and one surprising foreground impropriety, but nothing that Garnet didn't deal with very well. Lots of "bad guys" who treated her in ways she didn't understand, but all the chance meetings with good strangers made up for it with the help they gave her.
Now for the ending... Ugh! A bit of a spoiler, so if you like surprise endings, stop here...
The conflict/mystery, which was the basis of the book, was solved in an evening conversation about what a dear friend learned in one day of undercover work at Garnet's house, where the bad guys have taken up residence... And that was the end. Two and two were put together, then they all went up to bed...end of story.
No going after the bad guys, no development between the two people who are smitten with each other, no further story...period. There are a number of recipes after they went up to their rooms, which you will want to leaf through to get to an actual ending..... But nothing. There's no hint of a sequel, nor can this reader see another story beyond this...some sort of follow through was needed to make it satisfying.
It's a good read, though, and now that you won't be shocked at the ending like I was, you can enjoy the rest.
Garnet was a young adult when her guardian-aunt died, causing her very comfortable life to take a different turn, going from loved and pampered (in a good way) to chaos, suspicion, and upheaval. Garnet is suddenly faced with different people, bringing with them baffling stories, mysteries, and changes to her life. She handled them all with a lot of confusion, but also a lot of grace.
This was not a typical romance. In fact "romance" didn't even come into the picture until the last few chapters. There were sexually provocative background things happening, and one surprising foreground impropriety, but nothing that Garnet didn't deal with very well. Lots of "bad guys" who treated her in ways she didn't understand, but all the chance meetings with good strangers made up for it with the help they gave her.
Now for the ending... Ugh! A bit of a spoiler, so if you like surprise endings, stop here...
The conflict/mystery, which was the basis of the book, was solved in an evening conversation about what a dear friend learned in one day of undercover work at Garnet's house, where the bad guys have taken up residence... And that was the end. Two and two were put together, then they all went up to bed...end of story.
No going after the bad guys, no development between the two people who are smitten with each other, no further story...period. There are a number of recipes after they went up to their rooms, which you will want to leaf through to get to an actual ending..... But nothing. There's no hint of a sequel, nor can this reader see another story beyond this...some sort of follow through was needed to make it satisfying.
It's a good read, though, and now that you won't be shocked at the ending like I was, you can enjoy the rest.
May 23, 2014
I love this book. And, I am blessed to actually know this author!
Garnet's whole world changes when the Aunt that raised her suddenly passes away. Then, she receives a note from her aunt leading her to the "family book," which explains the curse that has been put on her family. During all this, her father, who abandoned her at birth reappears to help save Garnet from the curse.
However, there is more to the curse than it seems...READ THE BOOK to find out.
Garnet's whole world changes when the Aunt that raised her suddenly passes away. Then, she receives a note from her aunt leading her to the "family book," which explains the curse that has been put on her family. During all this, her father, who abandoned her at birth reappears to help save Garnet from the curse.
However, there is more to the curse than it seems...READ THE BOOK to find out.
March 15, 2013
Wonderful story...a good mystery and romance combined!
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews