BOOK REVIEW & GIVEAWAY - Loves Debt by Rachel Brimble (VBT sponsored by CBLS Promotions

Title: Love's Debt

Author: Rachel Brimble

Publisher: The Wild Rose Press

Length: 91 pages

Genres: Historical Romance

BUY LINK(S):

The Wild Rose Press : Amazon (Kindle) :                     Amazon UK (Kindle)

BLURB:

To keep herself from the depths of poverty, Milly Shepherd needs to be appointed manager of the Red Lion Tavern. The elderly owner is in failing health and has promised her the job permanently if no one more suitable applies. Milly will fight with her entire being to make the job her own.

Joseph Jacobs needs to supplement his income to pay off his father’s creditors and save him from debtor’s prison. Though the job as manager of the local tavern looks promising, Milly is favored by both the owner and customers.  Instead, Joseph swallows his pride and agrees to tend bar.

As they work together, their attraction grows, their goals cross, and both Millie and Joseph find they must face their fears …the question is whether they face them alone or together?

EXCERPT:

“No, I take it from here.” His jaw tightened. “I mean it, Milly. I don’t want you in there.”

“Why are we arguing about this? I thought we’d built a trust between us.”

His gaze darted over her face, lingered at her lips. “This has nothing to do with trust.”

“Then what?”

“Pride. If I haven’t got that…if I’ve stooped so low as to put a woman at risk, then there’s no point in going on at all. I won’t do it, Milly. I won’t expose you to whatever is behind that door. If you can’t stay here, then go back to the tavern. I’ll see you there shortly.”

His face was set, his shoulders stiff and Milly’s irritation grew. She poked a finger into his chest. It was like iron. She swallowed. “Have you heard the saying, pride before a fall?” He nodded. “Good, because if people don’t reach out to other people, Joseph Jacobs, they fall further than ever with nobody there to catch them.”

“Milly--”

She raised her hand. “Go. Do what you want. I’ve got more important things to worry about that a man full of so much pride, he looks fit to burst.”

Turning, Milly gripped her bag tightly in her hand and strode away. She did not look back, and she didn’t stop walking. Her stupid heart had let her down. Made her get involved in a man’s life and begin to care about him. Well, the buck stopped there. No more. If Joseph Jacobs ever needed her help again, he could take a long walk off the dock.

Blinking against the rare sting of tears, she tilted her chin and retraced her steps across town. Her shift at the tavern started in an hour’s time, but that didn’t matter; there was always plenty to be done and at least there, she was appreciated. Joseph certainly didn’t see what was right in front of his damn face.

Yet each step that took her across town weighed heavier and heavier. She’d seen where he and his father lived. It was little better than a hovel. She’d seen the newspapers stuffed around the window frames in an attempt to keep out the cold, the bare floorboards, and thick layers of soot from the fireplace spilling into the room. The landlady should be seeing to that, all of it. Bitter resentment furled in Milly’s stomach as her past flashed through her mind. She’d pulled her family from the gutter, and the future looked brighter than ever before.

Which didn’t help the nagging feeling that she could do more—wanted to do more to help Joseph. But she couldn’t. It would mean putting a hold on her own plans. All for a man she had hardly known more than two weeks.

She curled her hands into fists. This feeling inside her was new. This sense of wanting to fight for someone outside of her family. How had it gotten like this? To kiss him was bad enough, but to have this…this fear for him? That scared her more than anything.

MY BOOK REVIEW:
5.0 out of 5 stars.

This was an enjoyable short story of some 91 pages, with some likeable and warm, well written characters. I took an instant like to Milly, who was a strong hardworking young woman.

Being a short story I wondered if it might be a little predictable as some short stories are when trying to cram a detailed storyline into a few pages. I couldn't have been more wrong as the story took me to an ending I was not expecting.

This book had several scenes to it, including the pub, the docks, Milly's home and the sponging house and was very descriptive and full of content. The way it had been written was so good that you felt you knew all the characters really well, and could picture the locations clearly.

I gave it a 5 star rating due to it being full of content, likeable characters and a well written storyline. Thoroughly recommend it. I would be quite happy to read a book full of short stories from this author.

**This book was given to me by the promotion company, free of charge, for the purposes of reviewing it. This has in no way influenced my review and the thoughts and words are all my own **

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Please visit the other blogs involved in the book tour, listed at the bottom of the post, in order to gain more entries to the giveaway.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: 

Rachel lives with her husband and two young daughters in a small town near Bath in the UK.  She started writing short stories about eight years ago but once her children were at school, she embarked on her first novel. It was published in 2007. Since then, she’s had several books published with small presses as well as securing her first contract with Harlequin Superromance in May 2012.

Represented by US agent Dawn Dowdle, of Blue Ridge Literary Agency, Rachel is a member of the Romantic Novelists Association and Romance Writers of America, When she isn’t writing, you’ll find Rachel with her head in a book or walking the beautiful English countryside with her family.  Her dream place to live is Bourton-on-the-Water in South West England. And in the evening? Well, a well-deserved glass of wine is never, ever refused…

Contact Rachel at:

Website - http://www.rachelbrimble.com

Blog - http://rachelbrimble.blogspot.com

Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/rachelbrimble or @rachelbrimble

Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/pages/Rachel-Brimble/181873201887441

VBT Schedule:Sept 24: Brianna’s Bookshelf

Sept 25: Sandra's Blog (Author Interview)
Sept 26: Queen of the Night Reviews (Review)
Sept 26: Love Saves the World (Author Interview)
Sept 28: Reading with Holly (Author Interview)
Sept 29: Arianne Cruz (Review)
Sept 29: My Reading Obsession (Review)
Sept 29: Words of Wisdom from The Scarf Princess (Review)
Sept 30: Bookalicious Traveladdict (Review)
Oct 1: My Devotional Thoughts (Review)
Oct 2: Aspired Writer (Author Interview/Review)
Oct 3: Reviews By Molly (Review)
Oct 3: Hywela Lyn - Romance That's 'Out Of This World' (Author Interview)
Oct 3: Harlie's Books (Review)