Customer Reviews

Abandon (Sonnet Books)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Once again Jillian Hunter has woven her own special blend of magic with her latest book, Abandon. Ms. Hunter is one of the few writers today that can weave a tale around romance, mystery, intrigue while lacing it with her own style of humor. When you read her books, you can't help but enjoy them!

As is her usual style, Hunter pits the lead male and female characters against each other. Sparks, both romantic and other, fly. Morweena Halliwell has lived on the Island of Abandon for most of her life while her father researched the ties the island had to King Arthur. Anthony Hartstone recently inherited the island from his brother and uses it as a bargaining tool in getting a child labor bill passed through parliament.

Since the new owner, the Marquess of Camelbourne, requires several major renovations before he takes possession of the island, Anthony is stuck on Abandon until all work is completed. In the meantime, Morweena is determined to change his mind about selling her homeland and uses all of the powers at her disposal.

With the right combination of humor and romance the story flows along carrying the reader on a peaceful and relaxing journey. You can always count on Hunter's support characters to be interesting and colorful. I haven't read a book by Jillian Hunter in which I didn't laugh out loud at some point during the story. Abandon also holds true to this, with humor entwined throughout. The sight of Morweena being chased down a hill by the local warlock, who casts spells on villagers for a price, is so hilarious that the reader can't help but chuckle. Maybe I should tell you that the evil sorcerer is chasing Morweena because she threw rocks at him. She threw them trying to save he released a puppy that he was planning to use in a spell. A large rock hit him, allowing the puppy to escape his grasp. Having the puppy running around growling and nipping at the heels of the warlock only added comedic fodder to the entire scene. It was pure Jillian Hunter and a mental image that will remain with readers for a long time.

Although I enjoyed Abandon and found it to be a quick read, I was more fond of Indiscretion the book published prior to this one. If you're in the mood for a few giggles, a heart-warming romance, and a mystery aspect that most people can figure out, then this is definitely the book for you to read, as are any of her previous novels.

Rumor has it that Jillian Hunter's next book is due out in August. I can't wait!

Anthony Hartstone, Earl or Pentargon, has inherited the island of Abandon from his brother Ethan. He decides to sell Abandon to the Marquess of Camelbourne in exchange for Camelbourne's support for legislation to change child labor laws. Morwenna Halliwell, thought by some to be an enchantress, pleads with Anthony not to sell Abandon, believing that the new owner would destroy the livelihood of the islanders.

Anthony becomes enamored with Morwanna and the two are forced to marry. Morwenna continues her search for King Arthur's cave in her effort to finish her late father's book, as mysteries and legends abound.

Mysticism, romance, and mystery are all packed into this wonderful novel. The relationship between the hero and heroine is exciting, starting as an attraction and evolving into a stronger love when both realize that they are not enemies after all. The supporting players are wonderful and add much to the fantasy and suspense elements of the book. A MUST READ

Anthony Hartstone, third Earl of Pentargon, went to Abandon only to clear out the belongings of his deceased brother. Anthony was in the middle of selling the island to the Marquess of Camelbourne, who would move in at the end of the month. Once done, the Marquess would become a powerful political ally for Anthony and would ensure Anthony's child labor reform measures would be passed.

Morwenna Halliwell was a descendant of Morgan le Fay, the Enchantress. Abandon was enshrouded in legends that all who lived there believed. The people looked to Morwenna to change Anthony's mind about selling Abandon. The plans of the Marquess would scare off all the fish and the villagers would starve.

At first, all believed Anthony to be cold. None knew he could not stop the sell without killing hundreds or thousands of children. Not even when he fell under Morwenna's innocent spell; or was it a spell from another source? There was a raven that warned of danger and considered to be King Arthur. Lilies were pulled up by their roots only to grow back within minutes. Fairies and Wee People seemed to be everywhere. A strange book with messages and an even stranger white cat kept appearing and disappearing with odd timing. There was a self proclaimed dark sorcerer to cause trouble, strange sounds and sightings, and dark mists that were so thick you could not see your hand in front of your face! Between all the odd things going on and his attraction to Morwenna, Anthony never stood a chance!

***** I do believe that Jillian Hunter could be an Enchantress herself! Here she has taken the legends surrounding King Arthur and created a magical masterpiece that could convert any non-believer! Awesome tale!

Anthony Hartstone, the Earl of Pentargon is closing out the estate of his recently deceased brother Arthur by selling his beloved island ABANDON to the Marquess of Camelbourne. In exchange for ridding himself of a worthless piece of granite, Anthony expects to gain the Marquess' support on a child labor reform bill.

The islanders turn to Morwenna Halliwell as the only hope to change Anthony's mind because they fear the changes that Camelbourne will do to their beloved home. When she fails to persuade the noble to change his mind even while casting a spell on him, everyone feels forlorn that Anthony will desert them. However, he knows that without the Marquess' support, his bill to make things safe for children will fail. There is also a dark sorcerer causing trouble and animals and mythical people doing strange things that make no sense to the practical minded Anthony. Only love for Morwenna seems right in this upside down ABANDON.

ABANDON is a wonderful tale that satirizes the Arthurian legend with a powerful historical romance that never slows down on the action or the magic. The story line is filled with weird characters that make for an enchanting tale that proves Jillian Hunter is clearly a descendent of Merlin by magically transporting readers to a world of enchantment.

Harriet Klausner

I've read several books by Jillian Hunter; most of which were either mediocre or only moderately memorable. This, however, startled me. Although the story itself is very simple (except for a surprise at the end), the way it's written is phenomenal. It reads like a fairytale or a legend from Arthurian lore. It flows beautifully, and the characters are very vivid. In terms of character-development, this is not a book that focuses heavily in that department. And usually, I would not recommend a book like that. But, again, I was taken away. The characters, arguably, (especially Morweena) were so enchanting already that further development would be superfluous. I HIGHLY recommend this novel. It's definitely become a personal favorite.

ABANDON is a wonderful romance tale filled with enchanting fairies, potions and folklore on a captivating island! The hero is everything gallant, handsome and valiant while the heroine is everything beautiful, gentle and compassionate. The two combine make for a magically enthralling tale!

This is the 2nd novel by Jillian Hunter I have read. I also read "The Seduction of an English Scoundrel" (excellent!) and have already bought a few others as I know she will continue to be interesting to me. I like this author and how descriptive she can be and her characters always seem to come alive off the page which is refreshing. They are not flat characters with little dimension. Her plot lines are always complete without becoming over whelming.

This book had the charm of being set on an island called "Abandon" and it seemed to have touches of the supernatural - both in what people did and what happened to the land itself. Fortunately, any hokey pokey was for the good of man and not evil (except for the creepy little man called Pasco). The lead heroine Morwenna was beloved by the island people for all the good that she did for everyone and they were also a little mystified of the "magic" she could perform. Morwenna's magic was more what occurred around her versus what she could conjure up herself - that was the charming part of her mischief.

Our hero Anthony Pentargon took over the island when his brother died. Anthony came to clean up his brother's estate and planned to sell the island and land to a high ranking English lord in parliament for the exchange of help in passing laws to help out the poor and indigent children of London. Morwenna and her fellow countryman would loose out if the land was sold off so, she attempted to intervene and stop the transaction. Needless to say, the hero and heroine become charmed with one another during their interactions of the sale and their relationship developed.

The love scenes were few but detailed. I was a little disappointed that they fell so quickly for one another and their early intimate scenes were a bit "advanced" for the average virgin girl but, that's love story writing for you. The story was a bit short compared to most romance novels I have read so, it seemed things might have taken a quicker pace due to this. Regardless, the scenes were tasteful and pleasing to read.

There are twists and turns in the book for the reader to find out who is sabotaging things, who is trying to hurt Morwenna and if the sale does occur. Although this book is not super heavy in terms of deep romance, lusty sex or advanced plot lines it is still interesting and fun to read. I liked all the illusions to Anthony getting to hear musical harp music, seeing white cats, talking to spirit ghosts that no one else seems to hear or see and flowers growing from stones in only hours! This look into the other world is only for him as he develops into a better man and falls for the magical siren called Morwenna. It's fun to watch a man so set I his modern ways fall prey to the magical side of life.

This was a charming book and likeable in every way. It was smart, witty and fun to read. I got the book read in only a few hours - easy to follow. I say buy this and others from this author as I'm sure you'll be pleased. Judging by other feedback, I'm not alone in this praise! Enjoy!!

Anthony is seen as a villain by the people of Abandon Island. His brother, who lived on the island, recently died, and Anthony is selling Abandon to a powerful politician in return for certain child labor laws to be pushed in Parliament. Morwenna is a resident of the island. She fears the advent of new ownership. The new owner's hunting lodge will be built over old standing stones, and the traffic of his friends will destroy the fishing industry and leave some two hundred people without work. Morwenna's father was an Arthurian scholar, and she is trying to complete the manuscript he was working on before his death. She is also looking for Merlin's cave, rumored to be on the island. And all the while, she is trying to talk Anthony out of selling the island while trying to ignore her attraction too him... not too successfully.... Morwenna is a fabulous character with her many cats and her belief in magic. You'll believe, too.