Seeking Persephone by Sarah M. Eden

Regency Romance may be my favorite genre. (For clarificaiton, Regency romance is distinguished by its time period - think Jane Austen and you're pretty much there.). This is the first novel I've read by Ms. Eden and I will be reading more. First, here's the enticement:

When Persephone Lancaster receives a marriage proposal from the ill-tempered Duke of Kielder, she refuses, and then reconsiders. The obscene sum of money he's offering Persephone would save her family from ruin. With her characteristic optimism, she travels to the far reaches of Northumberland to wed a greatly feared stranger. Lodged deep in a thick forest infested with wild dogs, the Duke's castle is as cold and forbidding as the Duke himself, a man with terrible scars on his body and his soul. But the Duke's steely determination to protect his heart at all costs is challenged by his growing attachment to his lovely and gentle bride. With caring persistence, Persephone attempts to pierce the Duke's armor and reach the man beneath. Yet he cannot tolerate such exposure, and his repeated rejections take their toll. But when grave danger arises, the Duke realizes he must face the risk of revealing his true feelings or lose the woman he cannot live without.

Ms. Eden is a romance writer on the master 1000 level. She keeps Persephone & Adam together and apart through every page of this novel. Lots of misunderstanding on both their parts as they try to make this arranged marriage work or keep each other at a distance in order to spare themselves heartache. Many secrets are revealed layer by layer of the inner workings of their hearts and minds so that by the time you get to the end you breath a contented sigh. It has a great cast of secondary characters too.

So typically me, it took me a while to catch onto the Hades/Persephone theme but once I caught the parallels it added another level of enjoyment. (I felt especially slow on the uptake with all the Greek mythology reading that's been going on at my house with my daughter's Percy Jackson craze.) Having met Ms. Eden a few times and seen some of her ridiculously funny films at LDStorymakers conferences I hoped some of her natural humor would be infused in the novel and I wasn't disappointed. I think she would make an incredible contemporary romance writer or YA romance writer. But I appreciate her love of this time period and ability to make a page turning romance of the beautiful kind.

If you enjoy regency romance, romance or just a well told story, pick up a copy of Seeking Persephone and when you are done, go pick up another one by Ms. Eden. You can find her at:
http://www.sarahmeden.com/

What's your favorite Regency Romance?