From the author of the Kellington series of Regency romances, comes the fourth book in the Emerson saga.
Nicholas Chilcott is the Earl of Layton, though his biological father was actually the late Earl of Ridgeway. When Nick's cousin Simon challenges him for the title, Nick must travel to the coastal village of Weymouth to uncover secrets from the past. But, instead, he finds the woman he wants to build his future with.
Kate Winston serves as the church archivist, while trying to evade the unwanted advances of the new vicar. When a handsome earl comes to town on a mission, she cannot resist helping him, though she has no desire to join his world in the ton.
As Nick and Kate work to find answers to the past, they discover a passion that neither can deny.
ADVISORY: ALWAYS BELIEVE IN LOVE is, technically, historical romance. But it is very light on the history and rather heavy on the passion. It has adult situations and graphic sexual content. You will not like this book if you don't like those things. It does contain some information about fish. You might like that part of the story if you like fish.
Maureen Driscoll is an Emmy-nominated writer/producer in Hollywood, whose writing credits include "MADtv," "Jimmy Kimmel Live," and Nickelodeon's "BrainSurge."
Maureen's latest project is a serialized novel, Fracked, available on Amazon's Vella platform. The paranormal romance is about what happens when fracking opens up a portal to hell and the only people able to save the Earth are the residents of an over-55 community.
She has two Regency romance series about the Kellington and Emerson families, and a series set in the early Victoria era about the residents of Jasmine Cottage. She is also the author of the Remington Mansion time-travel/cozy mystery trilogy and a contemporary romance series about the wealthy Carmichael family in Los Angeles.
She loves hearing from her readers at Maureen Driscoll Author on Facebook, as well as on Twitter @MaureenDriscoll. Her blog, MaureenDriscollRomance.Wordpress.com, is top secret because she never ever updates it.
She is very grateful to Mayhem Cover Creations for the book covers.
I have read all the Emerson books up to now. This one wasn't my favorite. Uneven plot skips around with interesting storylines related to Nick and Kate sacrificed for the overarching Emerson intrigue. Kate was a great character but her sauciness becomes muted once the love theme gains ground. However, my appetite is whetted for Nate and Rose's book next. 2.5 rounded to 3 stars.
The Earl of Layton, Nick is on a mission to find out information regarding his family. His cousin is trying to take his title as Earl. In doing so, he finds himself in a fishing village. Where he meets a very pretty Miss. Kate Winston. The info on the book sounded more interesting than the actual book. It was predictable, lacked surprises and originality. Slow paced storyline and the romance and love scenes were and one out of five.
Swings from (clunky) light banter to (clunky) action scenes to (clunky) family meetings. With the exception of a moment here and there which exhibited a modicum of charm, this came across as forced and ridiculous, with a ludicrous plot populated with unintelligent people.
Most of the story took place in the English country- side in 1823. An advisory cautioned: "(the book) has adult situations & graphic sexual content." Perhaps whoever wrote the advisory did not actually read the book? I saw: no adult situations and only mild sexual encounters.
Nick and Kate, the main couple, experienced insta-love. To his credit, Nick wanted to marry & to have children. The best aspect of the book involved Nick's supportive half-brothers & half-sisters, who considered themselves one big family. They welcomed Kate, who had no sibs, with 'open arms' & admired her tenacity.
Early on, the minister's thought process and lack of compassion, reminded me of fingernails scratching a chalk board.
Ever since I met Earl of Layton, I itched to know his story and finally I got it. I loved his background story and wondered if he’d finally accept the mantle of all his inherited title brought with it. He really worried me for a bit there, but in the end I was so proud of the things he did and the way he went about solving the mystery portion of this sweet and sensual romance. I liked the way that the author made him strong, yet vulnerable and sensitive at times.
Kate was so sweet, yet witty and strong in her own right.
This is everything I love about a romance! Loved the dialogue! Loved the ending too!
I have loved all of Ms. Driscoll's books and this one was no exception, but I kind of felt like this book was just setting the stage for the next one. I loved Kate and have always enjoyed Nick, but it felt like they were just instruments used to set up the next phase of the story. That said, I cannot wait to see how it all plays out in the next book. I just wish there had been more focus on Nick and Kate.
Where the previous entry was more suspense oriented, this one has some adventure elements. This time we get to see the unacknowledged Emerson taking on his past and trying to keep his title intact against a very smarmy and annoying cousin. This book also sets up a lot of elements that are important to the next book. I liked the characters, and I liked that this one shows the Emerson bad luck starting to change for the better. I liked the characters and the plot. Highly recommended!
Compelling suspense and a search for love and companionship drive "Always Believe in Love." However, the number of characters resulting from romantic alliances spread through several titled British families means readers need to pay attention to who did what and when with whom. As an adult, Nick Chilcott is now Earl of Layton due to the unfortunate deaths of his half-brothers George and Francis. However, in his youth, Nick discovered through his cousin Simon Chilcott that his natural father was not the Earl of Layton but the Earl of Ridgeway. Now years later, Simon wants to muddy the deceased Lord Layton's name as a spy during the Napoleonic wars. By doing this, Nick's title will pass to Simon. Nick sets out to unequivocally clear his non-biological father's name by traveling to the Weymouth area on the English Chanel coast. To gain the trust of the shore's inhabitants, Nick spends time and money standing the fishermen to ale and also learns to sort out fish in the day's catch. Kate Winston, Weymouth's winsome spinster and transposer of church records, becomes Nick's confidant and ultimately supporter of his quest. Caught out on a stormy night, Nick and Kate participate in a Handfasting Ceremony when a church marriage is denied due to strict morality and appearance rules. Nick and Kate return to the Wiltshire estate of Nick's half brothers and sisters and assorted spouses and children, where they enlist help in untangling the information they've gathered. But, unfortunately, Cousin Simon returns to harass and terrorize them and unknowingly adds more pieces to the puzzle. Ultimately, the spy from the gentry is puzzled out, causing the names of both Layton and Ridgeway to be cleared, and Simon is surprised. Nick and Kate travel to the Layton estate, where their slowly developing relationship comes to a caring and loving companionship and romance. Driscoll develops this novel with well-drawn characters and atmosphere. Some scenes of slight violence and gentle sex are used to round out the story's realism. The novel's pacing makes it a great page-turner.
I absolutely loved Nick and Kates story. When reading about each other’s loneliness and never finding love it brought tears to my eyes. Nick the Earl of Layton must find proof that the former Earl was not a traitor because if he was then all will be lost. He must go to the coast and find proof. Kate lost both her loving parents when she was 8 and was shipped back to England from Bombay where she had Ben living. No one wanted her until she ended up living with Oscar the pastor of the fishing village. When Kate was 25, Oscar passed away and another very selfish pastor took his place. Kate had been working redoing the archive books when a very handsome man walked in looking for information. Nick hopes he can find the information he needs but when someone tries shoot him he needs to do everything in his power to stay alive and then protect the woman he has fallen for. A beautifully written book.
I must say that Driscoll is certainly an excellent story teller even if it is annoying that she leaves large issues unresolved so you will pick up the next volume. I certainly do like cliffhangers between chapters, but I feel like issues that take up the entire book need to be solved in honor of the readers investment of hours. Leaving some side issues unsolved is different.
That said, the Emerson series has grown on me and the third and fourth stories have been my favorite. If it weren't for the explicit sex, I would suggest these were great books to show the best of family relationships and problem solving. Some people might not feel comfortable with the sex which, although not dominating, is always tantalizingly present as a culmination of the relationships. So, these are really not appropriate for young people or others who find the topic to literal.
Despite being illegitimate, Nick is an earl. However, his cousin is determined to brand Nick’s “father” a traitor and strip Nick of his title. While looking into the situation, Nick enlists the help of Kate, a young woman who keeps the church records.
I enjoyed this book. I particularly liked the way Nick and Kate teased each other, and their conversations were entertaining. There’s plenty going on here to keep the reader interested. There were a couple of places where the wrong name was used. Once, it said Nick, when I’m certain the author meant Nate. Another time Lord Grayson was talking to Nate, despite being the same person!
This was book four, and I don’t remember reading the previous books (although I’m not certain!), but it didn’t seem to matter much. Overall, this was a pleasant read.
This was the story of Nick Chilcott, the Earl of Layton. Nick was the son of the Earl of Ridgeway although his mother was married to thee Earl of Layton at the time. Nick looks like the Ridgeways and though he was the third son he inherited the earldom because his 2 older brothers died from illnesses. His cousin Simon Chilcott is determined to take the title from Nick by declaring Nick's father a traitor. But his half brothers urge him to visit the coast to find out the truth. So that is what he does. The tales of his days at the coast are rather funny as he tries to ingratiate himself to the villagers. But rather than spoil the story I will just say it was a good book but ended a bit abruptly. I really this series and the families in them.
The love story of Nicholas and Kate. Nick has gone to a small waterfront village to find proof that his father was not a traitor to the crown. While he there he fall in love with Kate. One storm night Nick is attack and left on the side of the road and Kate goes look for him. They spend the night in a lookout shed and when they come back to the village the villagers call Kate a loss woman and say he will marry her. Will they have a happy marry, will Nick find the proof of his father innocent, will he lost the earlship? Great story.
Focusing on Nick, the Earl of Layton, this book advances the series considerably. We begin to see why Colin's family has lost their fortune, why Win was married to her rich brutal husband, why Simon thinks he can get Nick's title and estate, why there have been several murders and what's the truly rotten apple poisoning everyone's lives. It is very important to read this series in order as the developing mystery continues to be unearthed. Very excellent, and each love match is delightful.
The ending disappointed me because a substanial portion of the last quarter of this novel was setting up the last volume in the series, and the part devoted to a satisfactory resolution of this story was rushed.
That, however is the only criticism I have of this well-written tale. I loved that even minor characters were fleshed out, not flat placeholders as they are in many romance novels. The seaside setting was so clearly drawn I could almost smell the salt air. Kate and Nick make a delightful, well-suited couple. A very good read.
Maureen Driscoll is a 1-click for me. Always Believe in Love is book 4 in the Emerson series. While not super fast-paced it was a well-written, solid story of two lonely, but well-liked people finding one another and falling in love. The romance was pretty quick to develop, but wasn't an obvious "insta-love".
I love that the characters from previous books play a role in this story and there is more to come with Rose and Nate getting their HEA next.
One of the best things about this story is the heroine's intelligence and independence. She matches wits with the hero and wins. The hero is realistic in that her not a supreme warrior and can laugh at himself. He isn't always victorious. The whole thing about proving the former earl's innocence gets muddled. Even after threat is neutralized, shouldn't the whole thing become a non-issue?
Maureen Driscoll's stories are always warm, entertaining, and quickly read. The story is about Nick Chilcott, how and where he meets Kate, and the advancing series involving the Emerson and Kellington families. More progress is made in solving the mystery of a traitor, murders and blackmail. Nick's cousin, Simon, is trying to denounce Nick's right to the title of earl. Of course, Nick and Kate are deeply in love.
I enjoyed being able to relate to the warm,down to earth propositions book. I love the strong women and the men who loved them. As is often the case with a series a large part of the story was left for the next book in the series. Although I enjoyed and recommend this book I will not be purchasing the rest of the series.
A truly delightful story - a solid storyline following the three previous books in this series. This story had a certain gentleness and charm about the romance that I particularly enjoyed. As usual, a very well-written book, with faithful use of vocabulary of the period. Another of Maureen Driscoll’s novels that I would highly recommend.
Really enjoyed this story and had quite a few laughs along with a great read. Can be read as a stand alone story, and I did, but now I want to go back & read the first three books. Loved the people in the book and the dialogue was sharp and frequently funny. Nice love story, some sex but within marriage & the scenes were warm but not too lengthy or graphic.
This story had the potential to be unique. I enjoyed the fishing community immensely. The suspense elements of the story didn't feel resolved. Having said that, I did finish the book so something kept me reading. I think the best part of the story was the way the secondary characters breathed life into cliches disguised as genre expectations.
This is the story of two lonely people, good in heart, strong of mind, all they truly want is a family of their own .Nick sees Kate, for the first time wearing a man's old winter coat, then he meets her among the old book records of the Church where she Works, and this is where thier love begins. Thank you ! :)
Book 4 in a series about the Emerson family. Nick is the illegitimate child of the deceased earl, but it is his half- brothers and sisters whose stories presumably preceded this one. While it does end happily, there is unfinished business which I am guessing will conclude in book 5. Spies, Regency, plotting, and a large, happy family. What more could you want in your Regency reading.
Just will move on to the next. It is a bit confusing within the family as to who is who and why. Was it common to have half brothers and sisters ? It's a little formulaic by this time and I expect the next one will be also, but I shall read it non the less.
This story is just as good as the others I’ve read in The Emerson Family stories, I recommend this book as much as I recommend the other three, you are truly amazing in writing these beautiful love stories!
Modern language in even a lightly historical novel, and cliffhangers. Spoiler alert: I believe handfasting was only recognized in Scotland and common law marriages were abolished in England by the Marriage Act of 1753.