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A Fallen Fortune
Fleeing the humiliation and pain of a cancelled society wedding, Elspeth resolves to leave everything behind while she restores an ancient but beautiful mill in the depths of rural France. The last thing she needs is an arrogant, but incredibly handsome neighbour upsetting her days.
Desperate to escape from the endless worry of an arranged marriage and hoping for nothing more than a friendly chat to someone who doesn't fawn over his title and money, Leo goes to welcome a new neighbour.
The perfect view of Elspeth’s deliciously shapely rear, as she taps tiles into place on the ancient mill roof, is the last thing he expects to see.
A short romance to idle the few weeks before his impending doom is one thing, but falling madly and hopelessly in love hadn't been on his agenda. Having it whack him right between the eyes is an unexpected bolt out of the blue. His life will never be the same again.
Can Leo save his sanity, his inheritance and his fabulous Château in France while keeping his identity secret from the lovely woman he wants? And after discovering his deceit, can Elspeth live without the love of the charming French gardener who has stolen far more than her heart and soul?
This book is suitable for New Adult upwards due to adult content.
Desperate to escape from the endless worry of an arranged marriage and hoping for nothing more than a friendly chat to someone who doesn't fawn over his title and money, Leo goes to welcome a new neighbour.
The perfect view of Elspeth’s deliciously shapely rear, as she taps tiles into place on the ancient mill roof, is the last thing he expects to see.
A short romance to idle the few weeks before his impending doom is one thing, but falling madly and hopelessly in love hadn't been on his agenda. Having it whack him right between the eyes is an unexpected bolt out of the blue. His life will never be the same again.
Can Leo save his sanity, his inheritance and his fabulous Château in France while keeping his identity secret from the lovely woman he wants? And after discovering his deceit, can Elspeth live without the love of the charming French gardener who has stolen far more than her heart and soul?
This book is suitable for New Adult upwards due to adult content.
280 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 10, 2013
4 people are currently reading
385 people want to read
About the author
Jackie Williams
79 books119 followersI was born in Essex England during the mid sixties but I missed all the fun. Being only young I assumed that all Beatles were six legged creatures and Flower Power was something to do with the vigorous way my mother kneaded the bread dough.
My wonderful parents brought me up with a huge love of books. We read anything and everything. Bedtime stories were a treasured time of adventure and mystery. My sister and I sat wide eyed in wonder and to this day I worry about Dinah and Dorinda being pricked with pins because they grew so fat, and I never pull faces at the a waning moon (or was it a waxing one?) just in case my chops stay that way . (The Wind On The Moon)
I began reading romance while still at school. The fuel for many a teenage fantasy leapt from between the covers of wildly romantic books and my passion still lingers now for all those dark haired heroes.
My own beautiful teenage daughter persuaded me to write my first romance. She was only fourteen at the time and between books for children and adults. She couldn’t find anything that ticked all her numerous and particular boxes and so she asked me to write a book, with all the exact ingredients just for her. Though not just a book for teens, she enjoyed the resulting tale so much that she shared it with her friends and I eventually published A Perfect Summer as an ebook on amazon.
But I have discovered that writing is not easily stopped once you start. It has turned into a grand passion that I just cannot hold back. The fingertips start tapping the keys and ideas suddenly come flooding, far too many for just one book and so I began another and then another. Nine books later I am still nowhere near done. Book ten is on its way and only just the other night I woke from a wild and wonderful dream with book eleven fully formed in my head.
Romance will always be my first love but recently I was so influenced by a tiny polished plaque on a sea wall that I gave paranormal romance a try. (Echo Beach) Mixing the two genres was a real challenge for me but I was delighted with the result. Historical romance is going to be my next genre. All those fabulously titled and passionate men are impossibly hard to resist.
All of my books are Easy Reading Romance, intended only to while away a few hours with some light entertainment.
They are not meant to teach you anything or to stay with you for years after reading. Please do not read or review them if you are expecting anything deeper or more meaningful.
I hope you enjoy all of my efforts and I look forward to your comments and reviews.
My wonderful parents brought me up with a huge love of books. We read anything and everything. Bedtime stories were a treasured time of adventure and mystery. My sister and I sat wide eyed in wonder and to this day I worry about Dinah and Dorinda being pricked with pins because they grew so fat, and I never pull faces at the a waning moon (or was it a waxing one?) just in case my chops stay that way . (The Wind On The Moon)
I began reading romance while still at school. The fuel for many a teenage fantasy leapt from between the covers of wildly romantic books and my passion still lingers now for all those dark haired heroes.
My own beautiful teenage daughter persuaded me to write my first romance. She was only fourteen at the time and between books for children and adults. She couldn’t find anything that ticked all her numerous and particular boxes and so she asked me to write a book, with all the exact ingredients just for her. Though not just a book for teens, she enjoyed the resulting tale so much that she shared it with her friends and I eventually published A Perfect Summer as an ebook on amazon.
But I have discovered that writing is not easily stopped once you start. It has turned into a grand passion that I just cannot hold back. The fingertips start tapping the keys and ideas suddenly come flooding, far too many for just one book and so I began another and then another. Nine books later I am still nowhere near done. Book ten is on its way and only just the other night I woke from a wild and wonderful dream with book eleven fully formed in my head.
Romance will always be my first love but recently I was so influenced by a tiny polished plaque on a sea wall that I gave paranormal romance a try. (Echo Beach) Mixing the two genres was a real challenge for me but I was delighted with the result. Historical romance is going to be my next genre. All those fabulously titled and passionate men are impossibly hard to resist.
All of my books are Easy Reading Romance, intended only to while away a few hours with some light entertainment.
They are not meant to teach you anything or to stay with you for years after reading. Please do not read or review them if you are expecting anything deeper or more meaningful.
I hope you enjoy all of my efforts and I look forward to your comments and reviews.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
dnf
January 12, 2020I didn't like this book. There are no chapters in it. Which was the first thing that annoyed me. The KU format didn't even have pages. Now for the story. Insta-love in the worst most annoying way, plus the story didnt even hold me interest. I got like 13% into the book i'm already done with it. Can't read it.
July 7, 2018
A delightful feel-good romance set in England and France. The two main characters have great chemistry from the moment they meet, but will 'titles' and other envious parties get in the way of their happiness? You'll just have to read it to find out. Although I rarely read romance novels, I have to say this was "Most Enjoyable" and well written.
August 14, 2016
"A Fallen Fortune" by Jackie Williams is a lovely romantic story with great chemistry between the two main characters.
Set in rural France it describes the relationship between two neighbours who both have a past to deal with and who are also hiding other information from the other.
Charming, cheerful and well written this is a lovely little gem.
Set in rural France it describes the relationship between two neighbours who both have a past to deal with and who are also hiding other information from the other.
Charming, cheerful and well written this is a lovely little gem.
December 22, 2022
Insta-love done so, so wrong.
I'm romantic enough to the point where I can accept a well-done insta-love story. This was not it.
I had decent hopes for this in the beginning. When Elspeth first appeared on her roof hammering slates in, I was like, "YES! A woman not afraid of doing hard labor." Then Leo came in and ruined it all. I don't know what she saw in him at the start, aside from his good looks. I'm not one to harp about sexism or anything, but Leo was like the worst stereotypes of French men all rolled into one: arrogant, vain, putting the moves on girls instantly (all he could think about the entire book was having sex with her), and sexist. How many times did he say that roofing/construction wasn't a job for a woman? PUH-LEASE. Elspeth should have sent him packing after she fell off the roof onto him. (And don't even get me started on the stupidity of that scene. What kind of ladder was she using that she couldn't see where the top rung was to place her feet?)
So aside from the characters, the writing is just awful too. Typos are one thing and head-hopping another, but the author has a penchant for oversharing via dialogue--as in, what should be thoughts, narration or just notes the author keeps on file was all conveyed through dialogue. Nobody gushes about all their feelings like that - especially to strangers. And especially men. I could not believe how much Leo was professing his undying love for Elspeth to everyone he met, for paragraphs and paragraphs. All the dialogue in this story was so cringey and badly done.
And seriously, for two characters who overshare THAT MUCH information with other people, how did they have such horrible miscommunication problems? I mean, it was more like Elspeth just ran away before Leo could explain anything, but at the same time, he left her such a vague letter before that. He couldn't have explained everything from the start, since he was doing that to everyone else? I know you don't have a story without the miscommunication, but it was too badly done to be realistic.
My final issue was the timeline. I couldn't keep it straight in the beginning. Did Elspeth and Leo know each other for three days or three weeks? It wasn't clear. It always seemed like three days until Elspeth talked about how she had been in France for three weeks and gotten all this construction done. You don't get that much construction done in three days on your own. You just don't.
Anyway, the only reason I finished this story was because it was short and I wanted to see just how the miscommunication would be solved. Honestly, it was pretty lackluster.
I'm romantic enough to the point where I can accept a well-done insta-love story. This was not it.
I had decent hopes for this in the beginning. When Elspeth first appeared on her roof hammering slates in, I was like, "YES! A woman not afraid of doing hard labor." Then Leo came in and ruined it all. I don't know what she saw in him at the start, aside from his good looks. I'm not one to harp about sexism or anything, but Leo was like the worst stereotypes of French men all rolled into one: arrogant, vain, putting the moves on girls instantly (all he could think about the entire book was having sex with her), and sexist. How many times did he say that roofing/construction wasn't a job for a woman? PUH-LEASE. Elspeth should have sent him packing after she fell off the roof onto him. (And don't even get me started on the stupidity of that scene. What kind of ladder was she using that she couldn't see where the top rung was to place her feet?)
So aside from the characters, the writing is just awful too. Typos are one thing and head-hopping another, but the author has a penchant for oversharing via dialogue--as in, what should be thoughts, narration or just notes the author keeps on file was all conveyed through dialogue. Nobody gushes about all their feelings like that - especially to strangers. And especially men. I could not believe how much Leo was professing his undying love for Elspeth to everyone he met, for paragraphs and paragraphs. All the dialogue in this story was so cringey and badly done.
And seriously, for two characters who overshare THAT MUCH information with other people, how did they have such horrible miscommunication problems? I mean, it was more like Elspeth just ran away before Leo could explain anything, but at the same time, he left her such a vague letter before that. He couldn't have explained everything from the start, since he was doing that to everyone else? I know you don't have a story without the miscommunication, but it was too badly done to be realistic.
My final issue was the timeline. I couldn't keep it straight in the beginning. Did Elspeth and Leo know each other for three days or three weeks? It wasn't clear. It always seemed like three days until Elspeth talked about how she had been in France for three weeks and gotten all this construction done. You don't get that much construction done in three days on your own. You just don't.
Anyway, the only reason I finished this story was because it was short and I wanted to see just how the miscommunication would be solved. Honestly, it was pretty lackluster.
April 11, 2018
Elspeth was running away to France after cancelling her luxurious English wedding two days before the event.
Swearing off all men, she purchases and old mill and begins renovating it herself.
But just a few days into it, she meets her handsome French neighbor, Leo, and by the end of the week they are in love.
Normally, I cringe at the insta-love aspect of any book, but did I mention this book includes a Count, and a Baroness and even a castle! It’s truly a fairy tale so love at first sight is expected. The Princess kisses her Prince and they live happily ever after, right?
Ms. William’s created a perfect adult themed Disney story and I truly loved it. I would have given this book five stars easily, however there were a few grammatical errors as well as a whole page that repeated itself which was clearly an error. I believe this was in chapter 4. I had marked the exact duplication, however my phone accidently deleted my review notes and I lost it.
Swearing off all men, she purchases and old mill and begins renovating it herself.
But just a few days into it, she meets her handsome French neighbor, Leo, and by the end of the week they are in love.
Normally, I cringe at the insta-love aspect of any book, but did I mention this book includes a Count, and a Baroness and even a castle! It’s truly a fairy tale so love at first sight is expected. The Princess kisses her Prince and they live happily ever after, right?
Ms. William’s created a perfect adult themed Disney story and I truly loved it. I would have given this book five stars easily, however there were a few grammatical errors as well as a whole page that repeated itself which was clearly an error. I believe this was in chapter 4. I had marked the exact duplication, however my phone accidently deleted my review notes and I lost it.
March 18, 2018
I feel like the author worked really hard to make you feel the chemistry between the MCs but failed in that endeavour. It doesn’t matter how many lines, paragraphs or pages you write about one character’s super fast burgeoning feelings toward the other; if you can’t write characters that readers can connect with, it’s all in vain. I couldn’t connect with either.
If it weren’t for the mention of the internet, I would have been unable to pinpoint this story on a timeline: there are too many conflicting facts, attitudes, ideas and beliefs.
The story is also a very predictable one. Not the happy ending itself, which you kind of expect from every romance novel, but the actual plot. I knew how it would unravel when I was about 20% in.
I finished it because it was a shortish book. Otherwise I would have thrown it away.
If it weren’t for the mention of the internet, I would have been unable to pinpoint this story on a timeline: there are too many conflicting facts, attitudes, ideas and beliefs.
The story is also a very predictable one. Not the happy ending itself, which you kind of expect from every romance novel, but the actual plot. I knew how it would unravel when I was about 20% in.
I finished it because it was a shortish book. Otherwise I would have thrown it away.
February 9, 2019
Great love story
The story line is based pretty much in France. Of course, I love a book with the French language so, when I noticed this book, I had to read it. I wasn’t disappointed in the slightest. Jackie had done a great job writing this one.
Who doesn’t love a tale where a handsome neighbor keeps butting in while you’re remolding a place you’ve just bought!
Can Elsa ignore the handsome Leo? Perhaps.
The story line is based pretty much in France. Of course, I love a book with the French language so, when I noticed this book, I had to read it. I wasn’t disappointed in the slightest. Jackie had done a great job writing this one.
Who doesn’t love a tale where a handsome neighbor keeps butting in while you’re remolding a place you’ve just bought!
Can Elsa ignore the handsome Leo? Perhaps.
September 20, 2016
h kept her secret unnecessarily for dumb reasons.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
say-something-i-m-giving-up-on-you
September 1, 2017Hello cringe, how are you today?
I've come to talk to you again.
DNF at 41 pages. I tried to put in an effort, but this is too cheesy for my taste. There is something so stupid about it that it's hard for me to identify. I'll have to pass on this one.
I've come to talk to you again.
DNF at 41 pages. I tried to put in an effort, but this is too cheesy for my taste. There is something so stupid about it that it's hard for me to identify. I'll have to pass on this one.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews