Maskeli Aşk

The Brides of Fortune

by Nicola Cornick

Sadece aşk, bir kadının maskesini düşürebilir... Muhteşem Kızlar

Azılı eşkıya çetesi Muhteşem Kızlar güçsüzleri savunmak için Kuzey Yorkshire'ın yabani tepeleri ve vadilerinde at koşturmaktadır. Cesurca, Robin Hoodvari maceralara atılan bu kadınlar, topluma adalet getirmeye çalışırken ülkenin adalet sisteminden kaçabilecekler midir?
-Gizem Avcısı-

Binbaşı Nick Falconer, Muhteşem Kızlar'ın maskesini düşürmek üzere Londra'dan gönderilmiştir. Ancak bir grup zalim kadın bulmayı beklerken karşısına dul bir hanımefendi olan Marina Osborne çıkar. Genç adam bu gizemli ve güzel kadının, Muhteşem Kızlar'dan biri olduğuna inanamaz. Çekici asker, genç kadının bedeni, ruhu ve sırlarını ele geçirmek için ikisini de yakan bir tutkuyla onu baştan çıkarmaya çalışırken kendi duygularına hâkim olabilecek midir?

"Maskeli Aşk, özgürlük ve esaret kavramlarını, bunların insan kalbine neler yapabileceğini sorgulayan, merak uyandırıcı ve kışkırtıcı bir hikâye. Sempatik bir kadın, cesur bir erkek, macera ve gizem, karşı konulamaz çekim ve şehvet. Kesinlikle okunmalı!"
-Romance Reader's Connection-

Genres: Historical Romance, Romance, Historical, Harlequin, Historical Fiction, Regency, Ebooks

336 pages, Unknown Binding

First published April 1, 2008

About the author

International bestselling author Nicola Cornick writes dual-time historical mysteries that draw on her love for genealogy and local history. She studied History at London and Oxford and worked in academia for a number of years before becoming a full time author. Nicola acts as a guide and researcher at the stunning 17th century hunting lodge, Ashdown House and is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Friends of Lydiard Park in Swindon. She gives talks and tours on a variety of historical topics.

Nicola lives near Oxford and loves reading, writing, history, music, wildlife, travel and walking her dog. She also loves hearing from her readers and chatting to them. She can also be found on Facebook, Twitter @NicolaCornick and Instagram.

Reviews

[HÜLYA · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okurken büyük bir keyif aldığımı söylemeliyim..Bu kitap serinin yan kahramanlarının macerası var idi. Laura ve Dexter'in ilişkilerinin olmadığı Laura'nın Dük kocasının aşağılık karakterinin açığa çıktığı bir roman idi.
Bu seri genelde çok güzel ancak yazarın başka kitapları başka serileri var..
Yayınevinden ricam lütfen yazarın başka serilerine yönlenmeleri...Maskeli Aşk The Brides of Fortune serisinin 5.kitabı olarak görünüyor goodreadste ancak bu serinin bir kitabı daha var oda serinin yan serisi sanıyorum...Yayınevi onu yayınlamadı...Biraz araştırma yaptığımda da Maskesiz Aşk'ın seriye başlangıç kitabı olduğunu görüyorum. Çünkü serinin 1. kitabındaki kahramanlarımız Laura ve Dexter 'in evli olmadığı Laura'nın hala Charles ile evli olduğu zamanda geçtiğini görüyorum ..Fakat bu kitap nedense serinin 4. kitabını okumasam da serinin diğer kitaplarından daha güzel ..En azından ben bu kitabı çok sevdim..Konu oldukça da çarpıcı serinin in diğer kitaplarından daha duygusal,akıcı idi.Havada kalan şeyler yoktu.
Yazarın diğer kitaplarını okumayı çok isterim..

[Sandy M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nicola Cornick is another new author for me. And after this book, I’m going to definitely be reading more of her books. I thoroughly enjoyed this one. Loved the characters, the story, the emotion, everything about it.

Nick Falconer is sent by his superiors to put a stop to the Glory Girls, a gang of highwaywomen, a la Robin Hood, near North Yorkshire, not only because the women are robbing members of the nobility, but it also seems they have a connection to the recent murder of the Earl of Rashleigh, who just happens to be Nick’s cousin and a man whose death no one is crying over. So, really, his assignment is two-fold. While unmasking the Glory Girls, he’s to also solve his own kinsman’s murder. He’s quite gung-ho in his duty, he’s one who believes in upholding the law no matter what, and begins his investigation immediately upon arrival in the country.

What he finds is a very demure Mari Osborne, whom he suspects of being involved with the gang and to whom he is quite attracted. The more he investigates her, the more he finds her story about herself to be false. She is not truly a widow of a former military man; she didn’t even exist more than five years ago. Mari knows the game she’s played these past five years may be up, the more she gets to know Major Falconer. He is a man who will stop at nothing to get at the truth. Her truth is something she’s hidden for so long, now she’s unsure whether to keep running or finally just tell all, especially because she is just as attracted to Nick as he is to her.

But Mari hails from Russia where she was a serf and eventually sold to the former Earl of Rashleigh who educated her, tried to make an English lady out of her. Her life turns tragic, however, when Robert, the earl’s son, inherits upon his father’s death. Robert treats the new English lady as the slave she is, abuses her trust and her body until she escapes him and starts fresh where no one knows her. She’s made friends in North Yorkshire and she’s the brains behind the Glory Girls, making sure the citizens in their part of the English countryside are given their due when treated poorly by the nobility. Wanting to lighten her load and confess all to Nick would be simple if he weren’t the earl’s heir. He now technically owns her as surely as Robert did.

So much happens in this book, the action never stops. The characters are charismatic and complex, as is the plot and mystery throughout the book. The writing is just wonderful, rich and lush, placing you right in the thick of things in the middle of England. The emotion when Mari finally tells her story is deep and heart-felt. And the romance between Nick and Mari is the kind you wish you could get in every romance novel you read.

If you love reading historicals, I highly recommend this book to you.

See my complete review at http://www.goodbadandunread.com

[SweetSue · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the idea of this story - the main premise of a slave (serf) in England before slavery was abolished was very interesting. I don't think the plot fully lived up to the idea though. There were too many sub-plots which took away from the main story. A problem of too much breadth and not enough depth.
While I like the premise, I felt the resolutions came too easily and unrealistically. The blackmailer in particular was resolved much too easily and did not feel at all true to character. The person of the murderer was more plausible, but the resolution was completely unrealistic. Did no one think the rescuers would not be searched for?
Then there are the friends. Hester's activities were completely unrealistic. And if John really loved her, he should have stopped her destructive behavior quite a bit before he did. That she escaped harm, disease, or pregnancy was not at all likely. And that a man would stand by for apparently years while that went on, when all he had to do was romp with her once, is also unrealistic.
Laura waiting by stoically was more realistic, but I'm curious to why she wouldn't live at their main residence and why she seemed to have no friends or contacts of her own, since she was from a wealthy, well-born family herself. And then that she would decide on social justice as a means to get her husband's attention?
I wish we'd had more focus on the slavery question and less on the neighbor's love affairs.

[moi, k.y.a. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Güzel, merak uyandıran bir kitaptı.

[Flora McGowan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The back clover blurb is a bit misleading

I could be just me, but I bought this book thinking it was going to be a romance between a daring highwaywoman and a man sent to catch her. However, it wasn't. The Glory Girls highwaywomen featured but merely as a subplot. That's all I'm going to say for fear of spoilers, but it didn't turn out to be the book I anticipated with more Dick Turpin like escapades.

[Seema · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked parts of the story especially the background of the heroine. The too much mental lusting of the hero was a bit off putting. The main premise of lady Robin Hoods was interesting. I thought one of subplots of the duchess and her husband had more promise and could have been a book. Overall, it was too much of a fairytale.

[Dori · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my usual read and I still can't quite put my finger on it. All that back and forth, whether Mari accepts Nick's proposal and in the end the wedding day was entirely skipped and reduced to one sentence. "It was a lovely wedding". Then a new turn of events crammed in the last 15-20 pages. Eh... All in all it was enjoyable but I'm not sure I would read another similar novel.

[M · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting Regency novel with a unique plot. I have read 3 of Cornick's books and this was actually the best one, being a historical romance novel compared to 2 very cheesy dual timeline/time travel novels. I think Cornick should have stuck to historical romamces as the flowery love scenes definitely are more of her strong suit.

[Jesica · Rating 4 out of 5]

BLOG: www.quiuboleecon.blogspot.com
INSTAGRAM: www.instagram.com/jesica_vas/

Esta es la segunda vez que leo el libro y me gusto.

[Rainelle · Rating 1 out of 5]

Book dragged

[Hamza · Rating 2 out of 5]

Yarım bıraktım ben bunu. :(

[Kirsten · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting premise but not the most convincingly executed

[Elle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cornick is quickly gaining a place among my favorite authors. This book has all the elements that, to me, make for an excellent read: A brave, independent heroine haunted by secrets; an alpha hero who is also an anti-hero, a guy with major flaws that could foul the whole thing up; good subplots with characters you want to see in later books, and a storyline that is steeped in good historical research; and finally, at least one genuinely hateful villains. Highly recommended.

[Kimberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although I did like the characters and the plot, I think that the story dragged a bit in places. I liked the story enough to wonder what happens to one of the characters that is unhappy, but I just read a few reviews to find out what happens in her book. I will not seek out other books by this author unless I have nothing else to read. The book isn't terrible, but there is so much more I am excited. to read. B- rating

[Tasneem · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed the book and adored the historical details. She is a very good writer and Nick is a marvellous hero. Mari, too, is so brave heroine and I adored the Glory Girls. Hester and John are perfectly lovely minor characters and I would never have thought that Laura's husband Charles, the Duke, could be so dreadful. A very good read.

[Songül · Rating 3 out of 5]

Seriyi okumadım sadece bu kitabı okudum ama bana seri tutarsız gibi göründü , mesela ilk kitap Laura ile Dexter ın olmasına rağmen bu kitapta onların hikayesi daha başlamamış görünüyordu...Anlamadım ama bu kitabı bağımsız olarak değerlendirecek olursam keyifli ve akıcı buldum diyebilirim.En azından aldığıma pişman olmadım :) kriter :))))

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good book. A fun story line, very nice to have a woman in a story that is intelligent. I liked this a lot, will write more after I have read it a second time.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favorite but it had a decent storyline.

[Maggi Andersen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read. Cornick has a lovely style and her subject matter in this story is well researched. Her characters are charismatic with just enough vulnerability to make them intriguing.

[ஐ฿υκєτஐ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Yine yıldızımız barışmadı yazarla.

[Heli Allika · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!

[SUE PERRY-KUN · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finished 1st Reading:
Finished 2nd Reading: 02/16/2016 12:57a Tuesday

Purchased New - Paperback - $4.97 Walmart

ISBN 978-0-373-77303-9

[Danielles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good, I like Cornick,...
Hope to read the next one soon!