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The Pendleton Secret

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Step into the shocking, romantic world of Pendleton Manor!

The world behind the closed doors of the Pendleton Manor is not as it may seem. To the world, the sprawling manor house is a wealthy family with two beautiful daughters waiting for their true lives to begin. Catherine Pendleton, however, knows better. She carries inside of her the weight of a family secret that threatens to destroy not only her happiness but that of her entire family as well. A happy girl grown into a lovely young woman, desperation is now the most prominent thing she is able to feel. Desperation and the ever growing sense of running out of time.

Lloyd Toliver sees the Pendleton Manor as an outsider would, right up until the moment when his eyes are forced opened and he sees it for what it truly is. The clarity is a rude awakening indeed, and yet it ignites within him a passion and fire he has never known before. Finally, he knows what kind of man he wants to be. What he does not know, cannot know, is whether he is already too late.

104 pages, Unknown Binding

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38 people want to read

About the author

Agnes Forest

12 books39 followers
As a young girl, I recall my mother reading paperback romances - the ones with Fabio on the cover - and I wondered what the appeal was. Now years later, I not only collect these paperback gems (you'd be amazed at how many,) but I'm also a full-time authoress of them.

After attending Uni at Oxford, my tastes evolved from dime-a-dozen bodice-rippers to Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer. Truly, there was no time and place more romantic and heartbreaking than Regency England. The constructs of society were so rigid that women were bound to duty and the standards that society set. Luckily, I love to create heroines who are smart and resourceful enough to attain what their hearts truly desire, no matter what stands in their way.

I hope that you enjoy my novels as much as I enjoy writing them. Should you wish to pop in and share a cup of tea and a pud, I can be found in the seaside town of Whitby in North Yorkshire. Please only pay a call if you're not allergic to Beagles.

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5 stars
7 (21%)
4 stars
12 (37%)
3 stars
9 (28%)
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3 (9%)
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1 (3%)
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
Profile Image for Anna Maria.
202 reviews
November 21, 2018
The story is well written and full of intrigue, but I wasn't totally captured. Even if the story has a happy ending I expected more. The storyline was quite enjoyable.
Profile Image for Tam.
2,171 reviews51 followers
October 2, 2017
Two hearts with everything to lose. Two souls with everything to gain.

This book was the perfect balance of mystery, intrigue, suspense and romance. The characters were complex and compelling with a real vivacity to them. The plot moved at a steady pace, was peppered with some unexpected twists and turns, and easily had me riveted from beginning to end.

This was a quick but quite satisfying read.
Profile Image for 🦉Maggie Whitworth.
3,254 reviews113 followers
October 2, 2017
This is Agnes’s first book , written in the first person , it took me a couple of chapters to get into , but once I did ,I really enjoyed it.
Katherine and Lloyd meet when he has to negotiate with her father on behalf of his employer, the price is Katherine’s hand in marriage.
The young couple fall in love but feel all is lost , but is it ?
I’m sure you will enjoy this as much as I did , it’s well written and is a great short read novella.
2,047 reviews13 followers
October 2, 2017
A fast-paced clean Regency romance filled with intrigue, betrayal, hope & love. Lloyd and Catherine are star crossed lovers who must overcome a corrupt businessman before they can find true love. Wonderful ending.
Profile Image for Glenda Parker.
Author 14 books21 followers
January 5, 2018
My review today is on the Historical Romance, The Pendleton Secret. I've never read any of Agnes' work before. I did find it confusing at first because she writes in the first person but switches from Catherine to Lloyd all the time but I did like the story line. It is well written and full of intrigue. I'm sure you are going to like it.

Catherine Pendleton's older sister is to go be a governess, she doesn't seem to care that their parents are about to lose everything. Catherine carries the family secret that threatens to destroy not only her happiness but that of her entire family as well. A beautiful girl, she feels desperate that they are running out of time.

Lloyd Toliver is an outsider and sees Pendleton Manor as such. His eyes are opened and he sees it for what is really going on. It was an awakening indeed, and yet he feels a hunger he has never known before. He now knows what kind of man he wants to be; is he already too late.

A journey of two desperate people trying to find a way to survive in a world of lies and intrigues. God has a plan for these two, a plan for good and not for evil. God has a plan for you too. Give Him your heart and watch Him move in your life.
Profile Image for Kelly Tyree.
515 reviews11 followers
January 1, 2018
In The Pendleton Secret things are not as they appear. The Pendleton family is in financial danger. Danger of losing their home. They have two daughters, one is going to become a governess but the younger sister, Catherine, is of marriageable age. Mr. Pendleton decides Catherine is the ticket to get his family out of financial stress to he decides to marry her off to a wealthy Baron. But this Baron is a despicable man. LLoyd Toliver works for the Baron and carries his messages. Once he meets the beautiful Catherine, both are immediately smitten with each other. But how can Lloyd have a future with the woman his wealthy employer plans to marry? Once Lloyd uncovers the real plan that the Baron has for Pendleton Manor he finally has proof but is it enough to stop the marriage and can he have a future with Catherine?

The characters are delightful. I really liked them and enjoyed how Forest really made you cringe with thoughts of the Baron marrying the lovely Catherine. Great usage of imagery. I really enjoyed the novel and recommend it.
Profile Image for Danielle Carpenter.
1,809 reviews11 followers
October 18, 2017
This was a strange love story, but it captured my attention. A secretary in this day an age would not be worth Catherine Pendleton's time. But it seems that Catherine has led a very sheltered life. Her father arranges a marriage to pay off a debt, but the secretary of the man brings his fears to Catherine because he is in love with her. It captured my attention, because I wasn't sure how the author was going come out of this one. The story is slow going at first, but pick up as we get to the climax. Lloyd flouted the rules of etiquette, but he was desperate to help Catherine from marrying Baron Bouchard. 
Profile Image for Nancy Dillow.
197 reviews
October 29, 2017
This story started out the same as many others. Father promises daughter to someone who is at the least a little shady. In the meantime, said daughter meets and falls in love with someone else - and the father doesn't like him. Right? Well, the "hero" is not like the average man, he has a lot of smarts and knows how to get the correct answers. Turns out that the father wasn't as smart as he though he was! Nope, no spoilers, but you should put this book on your To-Be-Read List.
Profile Image for iread.
825 reviews11 followers
September 27, 2017
This was an Instafreebie book and I really enjoyed it. A thoroughly entertaining story and a nice sweet regency romance. I look forward to reading more of Ms. Forest's books in the future. I highly recommend this book.
Profile Image for Joann Herley.
Author 19 books61 followers
March 9, 2018
The Pendleton Secret is a short Historical Romance with a happy ending. Catherine is to be wed by arrangement to save her father's manor. A devious scheme has been created and Lloyd tries his best to intercede. The characters were interesting, even the villain. The storyline was enjoyable.
Profile Image for Amy Anguish.
Author 17 books109 followers
March 31, 2018
I was rather disappointed. The story needed quite a bit of editing. (There were tons of run on sentences and grammar errors.) The characters were rather two-dimensional and silly. And I am not sure how realistic any of it would be.
Profile Image for Melissa.
181 reviews
October 1, 2017
This freebie was better than normal for a free book. It was delightful in its depth of description and character development. The story was sweet and interesting.
Profile Image for Lisa Whitehead.
553 reviews5 followers
October 28, 2017
A nice story, quick and easy to read.
Not much depth to characters or story, but I suppose that is because it is a short story.
Quite a lot of spelling and grammar errors.
182 reviews
November 3, 2017
This was a clean historical romance with lots of comedy where the evil person reaps what he sows. I thoroughly enjoyed it. A great read.
Profile Image for Carol Guthrie.
517 reviews5 followers
December 7, 2017
Cute. I’m glad it was a novella. It was quite unrealistic; I wondered how Lloyd was able to do what he did for the family.
Profile Image for Lia.
238 reviews21 followers
May 3, 2018
A very enjoyable short clean romance
24 reviews
October 12, 2017
My first love is Regency themed books. This book has not disappointed me. I truly enjoyed the storyline and the character development. Its was short and sweet and I read it in one sitting. I liked it well enough that I read it again the following day. It was definitely a good read.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews

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