Customer Reviews

Because of You (Avon Romantic Treasure)

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"Because of You" is a heartwarming romance set in Regency England mostly in London and a backwater Northumbrian village called Sproule. Samantha Northrup is an attractive young woman, the daughter of the late vicar living alone in the vicarage. She hasn't got much income and she knows she will have to move out soon. On a stormy night a handsome arrogant stranger knocks on her door with a very strange demand.Soon after this incident the stranger falls ill and the superstitious villagers leave him in Samantha's care. When the stranger conquers his illness the villagers find them in a compromising situation and they are forced to get married. The stranger wants to do the right thing by Samantha and he marries her. After the passionate wedding night Samantha is a different woman and in her innocence she thinks she has fallen in love. The problems arise when circumstances and fate interfere. Samantha finds out that her husband is Lord Yale Carderock the disinherited second son of the Duke of Ayleborough who everybody thought dead.Yale is the prodigal son who returned from his adventures in the world to prove his father his worth., He is a different reformed man but still hiding his past with lots of guilt and regrets. He is strongly attracted to Samantha but he has no need for love and a wife.Fate and family take them to London and a whole new world opens up in front of Samantha. After the village people's hypocrisy and betrayal together with Yale's deception she finds it hard to believe in love and togetherness again. Yale is a matured man and he is forced to change his attitude towards his family, his origins and especially Samantha.The author has a wonderful warm touch on the reader by her handling of family relationships and the meaning of belonging and togetherness.I like the way she described the inhabitants of the village. Her descriptions of the people are very accurate, human and realistic.
BECAUSE OF YOU is a warm historical romance pulling on the heartstrings of the reader. It demonstrates how important family and love are for us. I recommend it to readers in need of a bit of emotional uplifting.

I really loved this book. It was so moving to see these two people fall in love after such a miserable start!

Samantha Northrup was the vicar's daughter and somethng of a healer. She really was put upon by the villagers but it wasn't until they forced her to marry the man she had taken in and healed thru a serious bout of infulenza did she really see them for the hypocrites they really were.

Yale Carderock, the prodigal son, returns to his home to show his father that he wasn't worthless, only too late for his father had died a couple of years earlier.

The most amazing thing was see the growth of Yale in this book. He was honorable - otherwise, no one could have possibly forced him to marry Samantha - nothing had hapened between them, but he recognized the fate that awaited Sam and he was there to save her, even if meant continuing a lie - such as marrying her under a false name. But he was determined to make sure he took care of her for she had saved his life. What follows was his passage from an angry and proudful young man to a caring and loving person. It was a joy to behold, to watch him fall in love.

Cathy Maxwell is surely a genius in touching the human heart and soul. She has touched mine with these so romantic love stories she so effortlessly tells. This was a can't put down kind of book... Definitely one to savour.

In 1806, a stranger arrives in Sproule, England, seeking the vicar, who he learns recently died. He turns to the daughter of the deceased vicar and demands she provides him with the keys to the aristocratic Carderock family vault. When Samantha Northrop refuses, he just takes them. She follows as he looks at the gravestones of his parents and to his shock, his own. He learns that he (Yale) died at sea after a long-term estrangement with his father.

When Yale becomes ill, Samantha nurses him back to health. However, the townsfolk become upset and force the duo to marry after spending time together unchaperoned. Yale does what is expected of an aristocrat even one considered to be a dissolute bum. As the pair begins to fall in love, Yale frets over Samantha's reaction when she learns who he truly is.

Readers will fall in love with the Regency romance sub-genre after reading Cathy Maxwell's BECAUSE OF YOU. The story line cleverly combines jocularity with poignancy, making for a pleasurable tale. The lead characters are many layered, adding to the overall fun. Fans of the sub-genre will believe their dreams of a fabulous book will have come true due thanks to the marvelous Ms. Maxwell.

Harriet Klausner

I'm undecided. I can't make up my mind whether to put this in my keeper shelf or send it to the ubs or lend it to my reading circle. I guess I'll just state what I like and what I don't here.

What I like - the nice, easygoing style of writing, which I enjoy. It's a nice way to pass a hot sunny afternoon, sipping an iced lemonade and reading Cathy Maxwell because she always make one laugh.

What I don't like is the way Cathy Maxwell populates her books with shallow hypocrites that never get their due lessons. I found the "villians" in her books more bitter to swallow than the really really evil cardboard villians in more violent historicals because the mental abuse on the heroine can be tremendous (the otherwise fun "You and No Other" is an example). Here, the villagers are so mean to the heroine, which only made me more uncomfortable because I recognise myself and others sometimes in their self-serving attitude. I knew the forced wedding scene was to be funny, but I couldn't even chuckle because it made me so uncomfortable. And when the hero plans to abandon her after the wedding night, I wanted to throw the book at the wall.

Dark comedy or an accurate view on human nature? I don't know. Try this book. Maybe you'll like it. Me, I'm off to read a lighter book.

Pretty Samantha Northrup knew her duty was to marry, but the orphaned vicar's daughter wanted to be swept off her feet. When Yale Carderock comes to town and Samantha nurses him back to health she feels a strong draw to the young man. But who is he really?

A disinherited son of a duke, Yale Carderock only wants to set wrongs right. By marrying Samantha after sullying her name, he has no intention of revealing who he really is. His plans are to set her up in a house and leave her. But things don't always turn out as planned.

Samantha and Yale fall in love but stubborn pride gets in the way. Can the two lovers live happily ever after, or will pride get in the way? Highly recommended.

This story was easy to read. It had a quick and smooth flow. Author didn't get bungled down in un-necessary descriptions. The ending made you feel like you were missing out on something. There should have been another chapter.

I had a great time with this book because the writing was so wry. Maxwell never sentimentalizes her characters and never smoothes out the edges that make them real and exciting. I loved the villagers--dumb as rocks but still in there pitching--but mostly I loved these two lovers and their story. Great book.

I am a new reader to the author Cathy Maxwell. I selected her book " Because of You" as it appears to be in the middle of her writing years. She seems to get strong reviewer feedback as well. I was looking for a new author and was glad to have found her. If If you are a heavy reader of romances you should really enjoy this story line.

The way Samantha and Yale meet in the beginning was great - him pounding on the church rectory doors in the middle of a cold night and her having to race across the church grounds to the burial vaults after him in her night clothes. Yikes! You know this one is going to get good. This is a wonderful story of a young poor girl (in terms of money and assets) but, rich in spirit who meets a son who did wrong in the past and hoped to come back the victor to his family. Unfortunately, time was not on Yales side and he returned too late.

It is a story of great regrets, acknowledging past mistakes and having the courage to build a future even if we don't feel we deserve our just rewards in life. Fortunately, Yale recognizes in Samantha that she is all that is wonderful and he is mystified and, drawn to bask in her warmth, generosity and goodness. Samantha in turn nurtures his injured heart, pride and soul and they find a way to make a life together.

There are plenty of ups and downs in this book but, it truly focuses on these two characters and what it takes to make a man and woman become true husbands, wives, mothers and fathers and lovers. The passion was about a 7 out of a scale of 10. It was warm and appealing without going over-board.

My favorite part of the book was when Yale looks into the eyes of his son the first time and the things he thinks about...it is heart warming. This book is very complete - plot, characters and focus on love.

I say buy this, add it to your library and don't lend it out. This one is a keeper. I can't wait to read more books by this author and find some more memorable characters she has created. Enjoy!

This is a really great book, it catches you right away and you find it hard to put dow, Sam and Yale are two really good charactors who really go good together. Sam is the daughter of a priest and Yale the soon of a Earl who has been disowned. How they go about find love and each other is really amazing.

Cathy Maxwell did a wonderful job of writing this easy to read historical. The characters are well developed and the plot moves along quickly. I really enjoyed reading the story and laughed out loud several times. Samantha and Yale are both wonderful. Yale seems to be a little to arrogant at times, but what self-respecting hero is not. The villagers in the story are hopelessly obtuse. However, they add a wonderful element to the story and keep the reader entertained. Yale's family is also a well written group of characters. Some of the scenes with his brother, Wayland, are hilarious. I can not wait to read my next Cathy Maxwell book.