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Lightson Dynasty
Jo has always been what he is and never what he seems. Will his grandmother force him to live a life he doesn't want, or can he figure a way out?
Jo's life had never been simple. But since he moved in with his grandmother, things only became worse. First, she assumes that Jo stood for Josephine not Joseph. Then she believes all young women should be suitably married, especially her granddaughter, Jo.
So now Jo's expected to marry a man he's never met and whose own grandmother also wants the match. But how can he when he must protect his secret?
Marcus would rather spend time with his books and the gentlemen at his club than women, let alone marry one.
With both their grandmothers working against them, will they be able to find their way out of this potentially scandalous situation? After spending time together, will they want to?
Jo's life had never been simple. But since he moved in with his grandmother, things only became worse. First, she assumes that Jo stood for Josephine not Joseph. Then she believes all young women should be suitably married, especially her granddaughter, Jo.
So now Jo's expected to marry a man he's never met and whose own grandmother also wants the match. But how can he when he must protect his secret?
Marcus would rather spend time with his books and the gentlemen at his club than women, let alone marry one.
With both their grandmothers working against them, will they be able to find their way out of this potentially scandalous situation? After spending time together, will they want to?
45 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 22, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
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January 9, 2015For how much lighthearted this historical "romp" was it made me think twice. First of all, it was a long time I didn't use the term romp for an historical romance, a romp was a very popular genre when I was reading a lot of historical romance in my teens, and I actually liked them a lot: light, funny, not too much commitment but a pleasant feeling of relax.
Second, the theme, a man misguided as a woman who is so convincing he ends to be bethroted with another man. Unrealistic? Maybe 10 years ago I was to say yes, but now, after all my historical researches, I know that isn't actually impossible. True, what I found more common is a woman passing as a man (so convincing in a case that only when she died people found out she wasn't a man), but I remember I read a biography of a French spy to the Russian court, a man, who loved so much his woman role that, once retired, moved to England and continued his life as a woman, and again, only when he died, people found out he was a man.
So no, the theme of this novel isn't unrealistic, and I quite liked how the author didn't make of the "heroine" a stereotype: Joseph/Josephine, in modern term, would be referred as a cross-dressed, he doesn't want to be a woman, he likes to dress as one, but during the intimacy with Marcus, he is quite happy and comfortable with his man body.
Again, do not expect a serious novel, but if you want to read a light novella, this is the one.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00RCAUPN8/?...
Second, the theme, a man misguided as a woman who is so convincing he ends to be bethroted with another man. Unrealistic? Maybe 10 years ago I was to say yes, but now, after all my historical researches, I know that isn't actually impossible. True, what I found more common is a woman passing as a man (so convincing in a case that only when she died people found out she wasn't a man), but I remember I read a biography of a French spy to the Russian court, a man, who loved so much his woman role that, once retired, moved to England and continued his life as a woman, and again, only when he died, people found out he was a man.
So no, the theme of this novel isn't unrealistic, and I quite liked how the author didn't make of the "heroine" a stereotype: Joseph/Josephine, in modern term, would be referred as a cross-dressed, he doesn't want to be a woman, he likes to dress as one, but during the intimacy with Marcus, he is quite happy and comfortable with his man body.
Again, do not expect a serious novel, but if you want to read a light novella, this is the one.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00RCAUPN8/?...
January 18, 2015
Oh, this should have been an awesome book for me! When I finished this story, all I could think was: cotton candy. It was too sweet and dissolved too fast.
I was so excited about a transgender historical that I didn't notice it was a short story before buying. I can't imagine a romantic transgender story being told, believably, as a short story and I was right. This was too neat, too sweet, and too perfect to be a very engaging story. I wasn't sure where we were in time other than the British colonization of India was in full swing. There were no descriptions of clothing, hair, politics, world events, literature, or anything else to give clues. There didn't seem to be much care for etiquette and strict mores, so I was crossing off Victorian. Finally, at the end, Queen Ann was mentioned. But I would have loved to have gotten some more details into clothing and such. Especially since Jo was hiding his gender, I was dying to know how he was dressing himself. (He refers to himself as a male, so I do so here.)
The emotions were shallow, and yet, between Marcus and Jo I could see that a rushed affair could work and hoped the rest of the story would center around them coming to grips with their secret and their public lives together. No such luck.
The travesty is that there was so much potential for a deeper story!! I'll keep checking in on Wellman, because I see the ability of the writing. Or perhaps the hope that she'll write what I want to read. Heh.
In short, if you like your stories sweet, no angst, and fast, this story delivers. Perfect story for a plane or train ride.
I was so excited about a transgender historical that I didn't notice it was a short story before buying. I can't imagine a romantic transgender story being told, believably, as a short story and I was right. This was too neat, too sweet, and too perfect to be a very engaging story. I wasn't sure where we were in time other than the British colonization of India was in full swing. There were no descriptions of clothing, hair, politics, world events, literature, or anything else to give clues. There didn't seem to be much care for etiquette and strict mores, so I was crossing off Victorian. Finally, at the end, Queen Ann was mentioned. But I would have loved to have gotten some more details into clothing and such. Especially since Jo was hiding his gender, I was dying to know how he was dressing himself. (He refers to himself as a male, so I do so here.)
The emotions were shallow, and yet, between Marcus and Jo I could see that a rushed affair could work and hoped the rest of the story would center around them coming to grips with their secret and their public lives together. No such luck.
The travesty is that there was so much potential for a deeper story!! I'll keep checking in on Wellman, because I see the ability of the writing. Or perhaps the hope that she'll write what I want to read. Heh.
In short, if you like your stories sweet, no angst, and fast, this story delivers. Perfect story for a plane or train ride.
February 4, 2016
4 Stars!!!
I was given this book to read in turn for an honest review!!!
Jo and Marcus are destined to be wed at their grandmother’s request. Can they escape their grandmother’s plan or will they find what each has secretly longed for, for so long?
Rhiannon Wellman takes you on a journey that’s unique and intriguing. Throwing you back into England in a time of horse and cart, this sweet short m/m romance has a truly unique twist. I really enjoyed the storyline and the characters, Jo was friendly and Marcus more reserved, when together their true personalities shine. The unique twists in this story, keep you intrigued from the very beginning. Rhiannon had me thinking with this story, about the secrecy gay men went through centuries ago and the stigma gay men still face today. This story gave a great sense of acceptance, how much nicer this world would be if we all accepted each others unique differences.
If you love historical and m/m genres then give this book a try, you won’t be disappointed.
I was given this book to read in turn for an honest review!!!
Jo and Marcus are destined to be wed at their grandmother’s request. Can they escape their grandmother’s plan or will they find what each has secretly longed for, for so long?
Rhiannon Wellman takes you on a journey that’s unique and intriguing. Throwing you back into England in a time of horse and cart, this sweet short m/m romance has a truly unique twist. I really enjoyed the storyline and the characters, Jo was friendly and Marcus more reserved, when together their true personalities shine. The unique twists in this story, keep you intrigued from the very beginning. Rhiannon had me thinking with this story, about the secrecy gay men went through centuries ago and the stigma gay men still face today. This story gave a great sense of acceptance, how much nicer this world would be if we all accepted each others unique differences.
If you love historical and m/m genres then give this book a try, you won’t be disappointed.
March 14, 2015
I received a copy of this book free in exchange for an honest review from the author.
Lightson Dynasty is a light-hearted historical set in England. You’ll have to suspend a little disbelief for this one. Joseph also known as Jo likes to wear women’s clothing. He grew up with his parents in India, but after their death, had to move back to England with his grandmother.
His grandmother sets him up with the son of one of her friends. Marcus Hutchson isn’t aware at first that Jo is really a man, and he can’t understand his attraction to a female, as he’s been attracted to men in the past.
The disbelief factor comes into play we find out that Jo’s grandmother, Marcus’s father and grandmother, and most of the servants in Jo’s grandmother’s house actually know that Jo is male and
If you are interested in a light hearted historical, this one is a nice read. Don’t expect serious themes or big discussions of the Illegality of their actions.
Lightson Dynasty is a light-hearted historical set in England. You’ll have to suspend a little disbelief for this one. Joseph also known as Jo likes to wear women’s clothing. He grew up with his parents in India, but after their death, had to move back to England with his grandmother.
His grandmother sets him up with the son of one of her friends. Marcus Hutchson isn’t aware at first that Jo is really a man, and he can’t understand his attraction to a female, as he’s been attracted to men in the past.
The disbelief factor comes into play we find out that Jo’s grandmother, Marcus’s father and grandmother, and most of the servants in Jo’s grandmother’s house actually know that Jo is male and
If you are interested in a light hearted historical, this one is a nice read. Don’t expect serious themes or big discussions of the Illegality of their actions.
April 3, 2015
Okay, firstly, I got this book from the author to review. However, this in no way impacted on my opinion of this short story. Honestly, I have not read a lot of LGBT books before. I'll have to remedy that soon because this was awesome! It was so short and sweet, I got through it in one sitting and thoroughly enjoyed it. It's a short story that wasn't heartbreaking but light and fluffy. It was exactly what I needed to kickstart me into reading again. I'd definitely recommend it if you're new to LGBT but you're into contemporary. It was cute and definitely worth the read.
January 1, 2015
3.5 stars
I found this short story very different. More so as I don't normally read historic books.
I really liked the writing style. The author did a great job with timeline, I was a little puzzled with Jo been called Miss at the beginning, it was explained so after.
A nice read for anyone that likes Historical novels
I found this short story very different. More so as I don't normally read historic books.
I really liked the writing style. The author did a great job with timeline, I was a little puzzled with Jo been called Miss at the beginning, it was explained so after.
A nice read for anyone that likes Historical novels
June 14, 2016
Title: Lightson Dynasty
Author: Rhiannon Wellman
Series: standalone
Genre: historical romance
Rating: ***
This is a novella which actually works - it is entirely candy floss, intensely sweet and with a lovely happy ending and providing a nice case of the warm fuzzies. This was entirely about two people coming together and their relationship, with no other plot necessary and thus no extension in length needed.
It was entirely unrealistic based on the amount of acceptance for homosexuality within this historical background, but also something a little different; I very much liked Jo being a transvestite, which is not something I have encountered so far in my romance reading journey. It is not a novella intended to be taken seriously, but is some pretty nice fluff if you want a quick, half hour read.
See more of our reviews at Summer's Eve Reads.
Author: Rhiannon Wellman
Series: standalone
Genre: historical romance
Rating: ***
This is a novella which actually works - it is entirely candy floss, intensely sweet and with a lovely happy ending and providing a nice case of the warm fuzzies. This was entirely about two people coming together and their relationship, with no other plot necessary and thus no extension in length needed.
It was entirely unrealistic based on the amount of acceptance for homosexuality within this historical background, but also something a little different; I very much liked Jo being a transvestite, which is not something I have encountered so far in my romance reading journey. It is not a novella intended to be taken seriously, but is some pretty nice fluff if you want a quick, half hour read.
See more of our reviews at Summer's Eve Reads.
April 29, 2016
Very, very, simplistic writing. At first I thought a pre-teen was giving writing a go but by the end and seeing the author's bio -I was wrong.
While the 'i,s' were dotted and 'ts' crossed grammatically etc., the story could have been set in 1960 or 2006 instead of 1708 England for all the attention the writer paid to the attitude and language of the period (1708 England?)she wanted to portray. She missed that mark totally.
The 2 stars are for a good storyline and good editing.
While the 'i,s' were dotted and 'ts' crossed grammatically etc., the story could have been set in 1960 or 2006 instead of 1708 England for all the attention the writer paid to the attitude and language of the period (1708 England?)she wanted to portray. She missed that mark totally.
The 2 stars are for a good storyline and good editing.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews