Color of Love

by Anita Stansfield

England, 1857 The British aristocracy is an inflexible judge. And for Amala, a lovely young Indian woman, that judgment is most keenly felt. Raised from a child by the wealthy Hepworth family following the murder of her parents, Amala grew up alongside the Hepworth's own daughter, Katarina, and was loved as both sister and daughter. The family is part of the charmed circle of the upper class, but Amala's place in society is tenuous. As an Indian woman, her life is marked by a sense of otherness and voices of prejudice. So when she embarks upon a sweet acquaintance with Henry Breckenridge, a white Englishman, Amala is both elated and terrified. She knows first-hand the opposition that an interracial couple would face, and courtship with Henry could destroy his standing in society. Determined to spare the reputations of both Henry and her sister Katarina, Amala flees England with the hope that an extended trip will allow her time to heal her broken heart. But she never imagined the repercussions of that decision, and the heartbreak awaiting her. For when she returns to England, she finds those she holds dear facing unparalleled devastation. And now it is her love that holds the key to healing a broken family . . .

Genres: Historical Fiction, Romance, Fiction, India, Christian Fiction

288 pages, Paperback

Published January 3, 2017

About the author

Anita Stansfield, the LDS market's #1 best-selling romance novelist, is an imaginative and prolific writer whose romantic stories have captivated her readers.

"With sales approaching a half million, Anita Stansfield has clearly found a niche in this market," said Nicole Martin, Publicist for Covenant Communications. "Her popularity stems from her ability to empathize with and write about the issues that LDS women deal with on a daily basis."

"I always write for women like me. It's through my interaction with other women that I've found there are some personal and emotional struggles that are typical," said Anita Stansfield. "I hope my writing makes women feel better about themselves and shows them these real problems can be solved through gospel principles."

Reviews

[Ender Kern · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like the inclusion of different races.

[Artimus · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of anita's best books....as far as the story line and moral go! I cannot say that about the many grammatical, spelling, time period, and repeat errors that are in the book though.

[Shauna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love the many twists in this story!
So creative and unexpected--making you read far into the night!
Amala, Henry, and Kat will become very close friends that you will want to spend time with-- wishing that their story will never end.
Such a GREAT BOOK! I highly recommend it!

[Charissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This features Amala, an Indian girl who has been raised by English parents in Regency time period after her parents were killed in India. The family returns to England, where she learns to act English, dress English, and think like an English woman…but Amala will still never be able to fit in because of the dark color of her skin. Most English look down upon her, despite her cultured upbringing, and think she is an abomination. When she meets Henry Breckenridge, they are mutually attracted to each other, but she cannot bear to burden him with all the repercussions that marrying her and bringing half-breed children into the world would bring to him. Running away brings another kind of heart-break to both of them, but they must move on for society will never allow a mixed marriage. This story took place over several heart-breaking years as these forbidden lovers tried to find happiness without each other. There were lots of twists and surprises, and it was a gratifying read. Amala’s family seemed a little too tolerant and casual for that time period and their ranking in English society to be truly believable, but I could overlook that because it’s how I wish more of them would have behaved back then. It was an enjoyable story that showed that although the infatuated, physical love two very different people feel for each other cannot conquer all obstacles…committed, devoted, and charitable love (a deeper form of the same love) can eventually triumph. ***I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my fair and honest review.

[Tessa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I so wanted to love this book. And when I started it, I did love it. However, each of the characters became increasingly annoying. And the amount of time these people talked about their feelings would be enough to drive anyone batty. Overall, a potentially fun story that unfortunately turned out to be a disappointment.

[Vicky · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my favorite of the seven books I read from this author. Stansfield tackles the issues of colorism and prejudice head-on. I particularly appreciated how Henry thought Amala’s protests about how they could never be together were overblown until he witnessed that prejudice first-hand.

Of the seven books, this is the one that had some real tension between the hero and heroine. Things do not go smoothly between them, and Amala turns him down completely when he wants to marry her, fleeing with her aunt to spend a few years touring Europe.

When Amala and the aunt have to return to England quickly, they spend days and days traveling across France in a carriage. Why on earth didn’t they take a train? Trains were available in France in this time period.
This book has no particular plot twists or surprises, and the overall ending is satisfying. I do question why and how Henry fell in love with Amala so quickly. They meet at a ball and he talks to her because he is recently returned from India and wants to talk about his experiences there. The next day, he wants to court her. Too fast, buddy, too fast.

Possible objectionable material:
Prejudice, interracial relationship.

This book is also reviewed at https://biblioquacious.blogspot.com/2...
Thank you to Covenant Communications and NetGalley for providing advanced reader copies in exchange for my honest opinion.

[Sydney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have always been fascinated with stories that take place in India or have characters that visit or are from India. I also am a huge fan of Anita Stansfield novels. So when given the chance to read and review Color of Love, I took the opportunity. Stansfield has written a delightfully engaging historical romance. Her characters come to life as she tells the story of an Indian young woman, Amala, raised by an English family after her own family is killed when she is a child. But although she is loved by her own family, at social gatherings she is always on the outskirts, not being completely accepted because of the color of her skin. And so Amala decides there is no hope for love and romance. But is there? And will Amala take a chance or run so there will be no devastating disaster? I would recommend this novel to readers that enjoy the work of Anita Stansfield, as well as historical romance.

Genre: historical, romance
Publisher: Covenant Communications
Publication date: January 3, 2017
Number of pages: 288

Content Rating: PG
Book Rating: 5 stars

A review copy of this novel was provided by Covenant Communications. A review was not required and all views and opinions expressed are my own.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

*SPOILERS*



I had a hard time deciding what to rate this book. I loved so many aspects of this book, and I see why she did things the way she did them...but the middle of the book was so frustrating to read sometimes. I was left wanting more of Amala's story when she wasn't traveling with her aunt. I wanted to read more about her romance with Henry, more tender moments between them. And it's just plain weird that Henry married Kat. Again, I get why Anita did what she did...it was just a little hard to read. I loved everything else about this book. I loved that she wrote about the Indian culture and the struggle between India and England. I always love the characters in her stories, I always have an easy time relating myself to them. Great book, but it will be a while before I feel recovered enough to read it again.

[NaDell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've had this book on my to-read bookshelf in my bedroom for WAY too long, so I took it on a trip (last month and this month) and read it this month. I don't know why I waited, but it was excellent! Amala was born in India and is adopted by an English family after her parents die to be a companion with their daughter. She is treated well by them and loves her family, but as she is getting older decides that there isn't a future for her with any of the men they see at social functions, despite one handsome man who just got back from a visit to India... What will happen in 1867 when a white man and an Indian woman fall in love?

[Chatharina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think that this book could have been much better if it was a little more like Jane Eyre, detailing the life and trials of a young Indian girl in England as she grew up rather than making it sound like a misconception. The love interest was moody like Harry Potter in the 5th book and cried a little too much. Congrats on writing a book that involves an issue such as race. The average person who reads this book will wish they could smack the main character repeatedly for being so prejudiced against any hope of a happy future.

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was soooo wordy. And very vanilla. It’s like the cheesiest Hallmarkish story. So much explaining in detail but not written in an engaging way if that makes sense.

I couldn’t stand how Amala left Henry then married her sister and they were “all good” and had no more feelings for each other. I can’t even quite describe all I didn’t like about this book, but I would not read it again or recommend it.

[Heather K · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was okay. Some of her writing feels like backhanded comments about people who aren’t “deep thinkers”, yet the thoughts and conversations between the main character and her thoughtful friends aren’t anything impressive. I think it’s a bold move to write a book from an Indian girl’s perspective as a non-Indian. The racial tension and related details definitely felt like someone imagining what it might feel like to be in that position instead of nuanced realities of relationships.

[Laura · Rating 1 out of 5]

It was hard to muddle through this romance novel.

Boring, predictable, and completely uninteresting.

All the action was inside the characters heads, where the author TOLD you the story, and never showed the reader anything interesting.

This book does everything a good writer should NOT do.

I have no desire to read any other books by this author.

[Carla Lake · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very much enjoyed this book. Quite different from other Anita books. The romantic twist is really dramatic! It really surprised me and there were many things I didn’t see coming! It was a very interesting story and really held my attention! I thought this was very enjoyable and kept me on the edge off my seat!
Very interesting characters!

[K · Rating 1 out of 5]

First I was irritated with declarations of love made after one brief meeting. But after pages and pages of the two main characters declaring their devotion and sincerity and depth of love, I was absolutely disgusted with Henry's "love" for Amala's sister, and Amala's acceptance of it. Nobody here knows what love is.

[Lydia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading about Amala, a woman from India living in English society and the struggles she faced. I was completely caught up in her romance with Henry and even understood the conflicts, however I found myself skimming the middle half of the book with a need to get back to their story.

[Traci Sessions · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. The author takes some tough subjects of prejudice and racism and how this may make a person feel inferior and wraps it all into a story of love with people who love without prejudice. This story has a lot of twists and turns and surprises and it keeps the reader very engaged.

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amala is from India but was unofficially adopted and raised in an English family in the mid 1800s. She doesn't feel like she fits in. Henry Breckenridge likes her but she turns him away because society wouldn't accept their relationship. The characters and their relationships didn't feel realistic.

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was outstanding! I had my heart in my throat so many times and tears streaming down my face with the emotions evoked from the courage that Henry and Amala showed in the end to follow their hearts in spite of the odds being against them.

There are the real issue of prejudice and mixed race marriages, with Amala being a native from India, but being adopted unofficially into an English family. Many thought the Indian people were inferior and after nine years in India and nine in England, Amala still doesn't fit in in either society. Can one dance and a walk in the garden help to change her mind?

[Cherri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amala, Indian and living in England with adopted family, has decided to never marry since society reminds her daily that she doesn't belong. Along comes Henry, who loves India and loves Amala.

[Cadence · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet, but a tad predictable.

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a beautiful story. It did seem to drag a several times but I cam still glad I read it.

[Valerie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful book on love and loss and racial prejudice in Regency England.

[Momof5boys · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stansfield does more telling than showing these days. I enjoyed the plot, however.

[Angieluila Bradley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually liked this one. It is rare of late for me to like an Anita book but this one did hit the mark. Good Job Anita.

[Julie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Slow, repetitive, preachy, with characters that are just a bit too perfect.

[Robin Gibbons · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. A simple romance that didn’t leave me feeling as though I needed to wash my brain out with soap. Interesting tale involving aristocratic family and their adopted daughter.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sad

[Barbara · Rating 2 out of 5]

The characters just didn't feel real to me. I love their ideals, but even the situations didn't feel real. Too much deus ex machina for me.

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some things were predictable but still enjoyed it.