Simply Anna

by Jennifer Moore

Suffering from a cruel heartbreak, Lord Philip Hamilton has been driven to seek refuge from the painful memories haunting London, and his father’s Jamaican sugar cane plantation provides just the escape he needs. Philip finds solace in his hard work and takes comfort in the fact that his distance from society ensures that his heart will be protected from future entanglements. Protected, that is, until the unexpected appearance of a mysterious woman with no memory of her past. The only clue to her identity is a necklace inscribed with a Anna. In a matter of weeks, this gentle, intelligent, and impossibly beautiful stranger turns Philip’s world upside down. But as the bond between the pair grows, the threat of Philip losing his heart once more is only the beginning of the dangers that await. Island renegades and a ruthless band of pirates clash in a swashbuckling battle, and it soon becomes clear that these villains may be the key to unlocking Anna’s past . . .

Genres: Romance, Historical Fiction, Regency, Clean Romance, Regency Romance, Historical, Fiction

209 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2015

About the author

Jennifer Moore is a passionate reader and writer of all things romance due to the need to balance the rest of her world, which includes a perpetually traveling husband and four active sons, who create heaps of laundry that are anything but romantic. Jennifer has a BA in linguistics from the University of Utah and is a Guitar Hero champion. She lives in northern Utah with her family.

Reviews

[Katie (hiding in the pages) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a companion book to a few of the others that Ms. Moore has written, but it can definitely stand alone.

Anna is aboard a ship heading for Jamaica when she falls overboard in a storm. Washing ashore, she has no memory of who she is or where she came from. Lord Philip is newly in Jamaica, managing his father's land, when Anna is discovered.

Anna is such a sweet and caring woman. I love the way she is able to stand up for those around her and has the confidence to express her opinions. Despite her situation in life, she is very smart, especially with street smarts and I love the whole pirate interaction. The pirates and feisty Anna had me laughing and completely engaged.

Lord Philip has never given though to whether he's even hungry or not. Every thought and move on his part have always been anticipated and he's never had to think. When he arrives on the plantation, he doesn't quickly realizes that not everyone is treated equally. Although in England, things are similar (servants and upper class), no one is ever abused because of their situation and I love how Philip jumps in to do what's morally right. What a good man!

Although we have two very strong people, I love how they each realize just how much they need to rely on others. I love a story in a beautiful setting, with fantastic characters, sweet romance, and abundant lessons learned. Great job, Ms. Moore! I can't wait to see what's in store for us next!

Content: no language; very mild religious elements; mild romance; mild-moderate violence (talk of slavery and treatment of slaves done in a tasteful, educational way, without being graphic). Clean!

*I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a sequel to Becoming Lady Lockwood. It can be read on it's own. This is the story of Anna and Philip and a Jamaica plantation. This takes place in Jamaica at the time of Regency England. It was cool to read about that place in the time period. She tells a good story with so hard stuff in it but still keeps it a sweet romance. I didn't like Philip at first and put the book down for a bit. If I keep thinking about it I go and read the rest and I wanted to read more about Anna. It picked up and really got exciting near the end. I am glad I finished it. Both characters changed and found themselves along the journey of this book. This is a chaste romance with some violence. Slavery is impossible to write about with out the violence and horror that these people suffered. She does a good job telling their story without adding detail. She also mentions at the end of the book how many people are in slavery today...more now then back then. So many people go threw what these people lived right now today. She leaves the web sight ourrescue.org for any who want to learn more about the fight against this.

[T · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a bit hard to get into, but after a while it became really enjoyable. The development of the characters were great, and I loved the romance as well. Cute, sweet, and short.


4 stars

[Aimee · Rating 5 out of 5]

My happy dance comes out in full force whenever I get to read a new book by Jennifer Moore. There is always something more to her books that pull on your heartstrings. In this book, it's slavery. And boy, is it heart wrenching. I'll never understand how we as people can be so cruel to each other. Jennifer mentions in her afterwords how difficult it was to write about the slavery. I can only imagine how hard that was because it was hard to simply read about it.

I loved how this book progressed. Lord Philip goes from arrogant and full of himself to generous and kind. His hard work earns respect. I'm sure glad that happened because in the beginning I wasn't sure I was going to like Philip! By the end I loved him. I love how he loved Anna.

Anna is intelligent, gentle and kind. She is self motivated and capable. I fell in love with her from the very beginning. We get to know Anna in the first bit and when she loses her memory, thankfully, we don't lose ours. I liked knowing about Anna so that when she has flashes of memory, I know exactly what she is remembering. So often as a reader, we are clueless as to what is really happening because the story unfolds slowly. It is sometimes frustrating to be left in the dark. This book made me feel empowered. I knew things the character didn't. :) That seems so petty but it's true.

I loved the setting in Jamaica. It's someplace I'd love to go someday.

All in all, I loved this book. It was fantastic. :)

[Mindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is simply amazing. I was immediately taken into the story and wonderfulness that is Anna herself. I love how she is with people, her knowledge, her kindness, and especially her love for others. That is what starts her journey, when she is deck on a stormy night trying to locate a lost toy. I also really liked Phillip. I was worried at first with how spoiled he was, but I was happy how he took to his new surroundings and accepted his new life in Jamaica. I really appreciate it when author's take care in their secondary characters. Jenny does a fabulous job with this skill. Ezekiel, Betty, and Malachi were unforgettable. Ezekiel especially was very special. The pirates were a fun surprise and I would have loved to have had them around more! I also liked how Phillip was already trying to be a better man before he met Anna, but she really helped bring out the best in him. I would have liked to see the reactions of Anna's friends when she returned but realized that this is Anna and Phillip's story and it wasn't necessary.

5 out of 5 stars. The last thing I appreciated in this story was the Author's Note. I have known for awhile that Jenny is a wonderful person, but this proves it even more.

Received a paperback copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

[Lisa (Bookworm Lisa) · Rating 4 out of 5]

**4.5 stars**

Jennifer Moore has done it again. She has created another book that captured my imagination and kept me wanting to read.

This book has some characters show up from past books that I loved. While they are present in the story, it is not necessary to read the other books before reading this one. It was just a pleasure for me to catch up with them a little bit.

Anna is a wonderful character. She is smart and kind. She is able to use her intelligence in all situations she finds herself in. It is always wonderful to have a strong female lead.

Phillip is put in a tough situation. He has inherited a plantation in Jamaica. The plantation uses slaves. I loved that Phillip didn't stand back and let the status quo remain. He showed respect and compassion to his workers. This was far from customary, but it was one of the qualities that I found admirable about him.

This book isn't very long. It is about 200 pages. It is a book to that can be read quickly and savored. It is a clean romance.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

A gentle, sweet romance with a few problematic items.
I was concerned at the opening of this book while the protagonists were traveling to and arriving at Jamaica that the problem of slavery would be papered over in the romance, both Philip and Anna were apparently oblivious to the issue and Philip even seemed to have a callous uncaring attitude toward servants that did not bode well. But, I was wrong. The author does explore this issue and even makes it a major element of the book.
Anna is overly perfect, beautiful, competent, intelligent, a supreme judge of character, and almost overly compassionate her only flaw was perhaps being overly fearful of benign things (because in a real crisis she was often dangerously courageous). Philip on the other hand needs work and it is nice to see his progression although it does happen perhaps a little too quickly.
The plot holes I mentioned are the disappearance of Anna's employers from the book (I really wanted to see at least a little of the story from the view of the Lockwood household) and the strange glossing over of the impropriety of Anna remaining in Philip's household as an unaccompanied female. It is really only addressed peripherally in one scene by one of the nastiest characters in the story and even that is quickly overshadowed by the events that follow.
I did liked the story though. It had some really fun elements mixed with the seriousness of the history. 3.5

[NaDell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book about Anna who falls out of a ship while sailing to Jamaica and loses her memory and as she recovers learns more about the sugar cane process from the fields of Philip who just moved to Jamaica to take over his property and finds that the supervisor there is terrible and has to make hard decisions about what to do and how to treat people, including the slaves who work on his plantation.
Anna isn't sure about whether she's married, engaged, or anything and is torn between whether her attraction to Philip is okay. Philip is deciding whether he will marry for love or money.
Such a great book that covers a lot of good questions about racial inequality then and now.

[E.T. Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so good! I loved the development that Philip had. He started out spoiled and knowing nothing and by the end he was risking his life for the slaves that had become his people. I hated Horace so much and Clarissa was just so stupid, but I loved Betty, Malachi, and Ezekiel. I liked Anna and how she acted. She was still the same person, even though she didn't know who she was. How she fooled the pirates was hilarious and I loved it. The book was very good.

[Jackie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book but I definitely didn't love it. This is a romance and adventure book and much of it was far-fetched. I found the historical background of Jamaica interesting but the romance itself had little suspense. It makes for light reading and doesn't leave a lasting impression.

[Melody · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can I just say how much I love the name Philip? I love the name Philip. So much. Philip and Anna were adorable and I loved the epilogue. I was not a huge fan of the fighting and conflict throughout the book, but it was that time and it did add quite a bit of character and tension to the story,

[Kathryn Cooper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another audio book with a story that I loved!!

[Kristina Brownell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprisingly good. My favorite one by this author. Maybe I was just in the mood for something light. Regardless, it was an enjoyable story from start to finish.

[Elise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amnesia stories can be really fun, and this one was. It was cute. Technically in a series with other books, but I’m pretty sure they can all be read as stand-alones, since I skipped the second book after reading bad reviews for it and had no problem keeping up with the overarching story.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this one! It was very different from all the other regency romances I have read. It had a lot more substance to it and it takes place in Jamaica so it was totally different setting which I enjoyed immensely...even though I did miss the ballrooms and the rides in Hyde park! I AM SUCH A NERD!!! 😂😁 I usually don’t review all the regency romances I read because I read too many and I want you all to still have a high opinion of me! 😬 I feel like if I don’t review them it’s like I never read them and you guys don’t realize how many them I read!! Hehehe! 😁

[Sheila (sheilasbookreviewer) · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is something wonderful about reading a sweet, clean romance; especially from this author, Jennifer Moore. I have loved the previous books written by her. In fact, one of my favorites from last year was her book, Becoming Lady Lockwood. Simply Anna is from the same "world" as the characters found in that book and the second book, Lady Emma's Campaign. Anna is a women of gentle birth, orphaned, who is now a lady's maid. She is accidentally thrown overboard a ship. Once found by the dashing Lord Philip Hamilton, Anna can't remember anything about herself or her accident. This is where the book took off for me.

There are so many great characters in this book. I love how Philip and Anna bring out the best in each other. Though they have never met before, they are destined to become best friends or more. The romance builds slowly, but it feels so right. Little things happen along the way where Philip sees the kindness and caring that makes Anna who she is. Then Anna sees what a noble man Philip is when he cares more about the lives of his slaves, than the crops he grows and the money it will bring to him. Some of the best secondary characters can be found in the young slave boy, Ezekiel whose smile and eagerness is described so well you can picture it perfectly in your mind. Then I loved Betty, one of the Black woman slaves at the plantation that fiercely protects Ezekiel, not her blood son, who also learns to love and trust master Philip and the ever kind Anna. Even the tough and fearsome slave, Malachi grows on you as he learns to trust Philip and Anna. I enjoyed the band of Pirates they meet up with and what happens because of their acquaintance. The bad guy,Horace Braithwaite, the cruel and evil former overseer of the plantation, is written well because you hate him from the minute you meet him. The final 25 pages in the book are exciting and keep you bouncing out of your seat wondering about the outcome.

This Regency Romance, is perfect for a quick read and a rainy afternoon. The closing scene between Philip and Anna actually made me cry, that's how sweet and romantic it was. This love story was thoughtfully written and will be one I will return to again in the future.

[Heidi Robbins (Heidi Reads...) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little slow to start but what an adventure! I was glad that the story began with a bit about Anna from before she lost her memory so I felt like I knew her even though she didn't know herself. The author did a wonderful job of revealing further attributes of her character through the situations and difficulties she faced on Jamaica. Phillip did not make a good first impression on me but he also had some refining experiences at the plantation which made the strength and goodness of his personality shine. The setting is one that is unique in my reading experience and I felt that I learned some history of the time, how plantations were run, the sad reality of slave labor and the perceptions held by society in Jamaica during the period. There are several friends that Anna and Phillip make which give great dimension to the story. Ezekiel, the young black boy who serves in the household is my favorite, he is just one to make you smile :) The danger and action that takes place in the latter part of the novel is well placed and makes the ending an exciting one. The romance between Phillip and Anna lacked tension but was sweet, especially as they came to rely on each other. I especially enjoyed when Phillip would surprise Anna by asking her opinion on a weighty matter and value the perspective she offered.

(Thank you to Covenant Communications for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review)

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jennifer Moore is one of those authors whose books I will buy without knowing anything about them. I know they will always be great. I don't do spoiler reviews so I will just say this book was definately worth the wait.

I have enjoyed reading Jennifer Moore's work since her first novel Becoming Lady Lockwood. Simply Anna is another success. A young woman is found washed up on the shore of a Jamaican plantaion by the wealthy plantation owner. She has lost her memory and is desperate need of medical attention. The resulting adventure includes, highwaymen, pirates, and the snobish aristocracy. As Anna fights to remember her life she also fights the budding feelings she has for Lord Philip.

The characters and plot lines in this story kept me reading late into the night. It's one of those novels that you just have to read just until the next chapter and then the next. I loved this novel from beginning to end.

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whenever I pick up a Jennifer Moore book I know I'm going to love it. And I have never been disappointed. Once again I thoroughly enjoyed Jennifer's characters, plot, and writing. Philip and Anna are both loveable characters who I cheered for from the first page. Admittedly the slave parts were hard to read but the author handles them well and the fact is it was a part of life in Jamaica at that time, so it wouldn't have been right to ignore it. I appreciated the way that Philip and Anna came to grips with the whole slave thing. Perhaps they were ahead of their time, but when I read historical books, I like to read about people who are ahead of their time. It was also fun to catch a glimpse of characters from previous books that I loved (Lord and Lady Lockwood, etc.) Jennifer Moore will continue to be one of my favorite writers.

[Book Geek Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

A rich and wonderful non-traditional regency.

Jennifer Moore writes compelling and realistic characters for her time period, setting them in lush landscapes that add to the story without slowing it down. Anna and Lord Philip are strong and well-developed; even the minor stereotyped characters are fascinating. Simply Anna rises above typical regency romances in Moore's handling of slavery. I loved Betty, Malachi, and Ezekial. Using their story as counterpoint, she deftly wove in the reality of the cruelty and violence against the slaves, while highlighting their strength and courage. Then she wraps it all up with a sweet and wonderful happily-ever-after.

4 1/2 stars; recommended to anyone who likes non-traditional regency or those who just like a good solid story. Read full review http://bit.ly/1QMqtNq

**I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.**

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved, loved, loved it!!! These characters and so much fun and so real to me! I am totally entwined in their life. I just want more. The setting is beautiful and I enjoyed learning a bit about what Jamaica was like during the regency period. The plantations sound incredible. I loved how the slaves in this story were strong characters that played a big role in the story. Once the pirates joined the story, I just couldn't put it down. They were so much fun. I am thrilled by a story that can make me feel like I am in a different time and place. Anna and Phillip are absolutely perfect for each other. I really enjoy getting a glimpse of characters from past books too. This book is just being released and I already can't wait for the next one from Jennifer Moore!

[Charity Andrews · Rating 5 out of 5]

New (to me) author, Jennifer Moore has written a delightful, Regency novel! When Anna Wheeler falls overboard and is washed up in Jamaica, she has completely lost her memory. Found by a prestigious landowner, she is brought back to health. While there, she falls in love with the staff, the land, and Phillip. Only problem is, she has no idea who she is! Is she married? Engaged? Does she have wealth?

Great read! It held my interest throughout. I felt like the characters had a lot of depth. God wasn't really an element in the book, but it was a completely clean read. Wonderful storytelling and beautiful imagery. I definitely recommend.

Thank you, Covenant Communications, for this great read. As always, this is my honest opinion. Here's to many more!!

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anna is stranded on shore in the hot sun when a dashing young man comes and saves her. The only problem is that she does not remember anything at all. The only clue about her identity is a brass necklace with her name imprinted on it. Over time the two get closer and closer and both are fearing that Anna's past may interfere with their relationship. I loved this book on sight (probably because it had my name on it) and loved it even more when I started reading it. To me it really showed that no matter your back round people will love you the way you are.

[Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow what an excellent read!!!! This book was so perfectly written, I absolutely loved it! The author does such a good job of research so that she can truly explain and describe accurate settings, experiences and events true to the setting of the story. I found myself drawn to the lead and also side characters and sighed with happiness when I finished. The only negative thing I can say about this book is that it's over- I enjoyed it so much!

[Angela]

Very well done. Fits very nicely with the other books this author has written. This particular book has the added issue of African slaves on Jamaican plantations. The author's note at the end explains the balance between keeping the story a romance and yet trying to be true to that issue and I thought it was well-done without neglecting the issue or being too heavy-handed for the genre of the story.

[Cheri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book! Another tale that takes place at sea. I love Jennifer Moore's writing style. I was hooked from page one. This novel talks about slavery, I will never understand the cruelty of treating another human being in such a way, all should be treated as equals. But keep reading to see how one man reacts and what he does. Keep writing, Jennifer Moore!

[Ranee Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

What more can I say other than lovely? Pirates. An excellent and fitting slave discussion for the tone of the novel. A perfect romance executed fantastically through the writing.

*Eligible for 2015 Whitney Awards

Content
Sex - 0
Language - 0
Violence - 1 (Several fights between MCs and pirates, highwaymen, etc. A man's neck is broken. Nothing too graphic.)
Overall Rating - PG (Themes)

[Kirsi Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love a good Jennifer Moore book, and this one was an extra special delight. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know Anna and Philip as they took on life in Jamaica (also, I kind of suddenly feel the need for a tropical vacation). If you enjoy romance, adventure, and a little bit of mystery, this one should definitely be on your reading list!

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this one! Almost as much as Becoming Lady Lockwood. I sure hope Jennifer Moore keeps writing and writing and writing. Her books are among my favorites for a feel-good, happy, romantic, clean read. Just what I needed!

[Chesney · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just simply adored this book from Anna to Philip to Betty, Ezekiel and Malachi. This is one I will read over and over again. He called her his Anna. Sigh.