For Her Love (Zebra Historical Romance) [Mass Market Paperback]

Paula Reed (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2004 | Series: Zebra Historical Romance

- Will appeal to fans of Lisa Kleypas and Jo Beverley

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...a thought provoking, intriguing read." -- Romantic Times

"FOUR STARS! ...truly moving and unforgettable..." -- Romance Reader at Heart

"Once again (Paula Reed) delivers a heartwarming romance with substance, causing the reader to come away thoroughly satisfied." -- Romance Reviews Today

No one can accuse Paula reed of being timid... -- All About Romance

About the Author

Paula Reed lives in the suburbs of Denver, Colorado with her husband, two school-age children, and dog. She earned her BA in English from the University of Colorado at Boulder and teaches high school English part-time.

She began writing her first novel (unpublished) in the late 1980's, just before she had her first child, but the project was put on hold in the busyness of teaching and parenting. After a tragic shooting incident at the school where she taught, she sought a few hours of escape each day by finally finishing that book. What began as a lark became a much-needed respite from grief. Fast on the heels of that first book came the idea for a second (Into His Arms, her first published work) and a third, and a new passion was born. Three years after the shootings, she took a leave of absence to focus on getting her writing career off the ground. Now, teaching half time leaves plenty of time to keep creating happy endings!

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Zebra Books; Regular Print/Single Titl edition (October 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0821777246
• ISBN-13: 978-0821777244
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,393,600 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

PAULA REED teaches The Scarlet Letter to her high school English students every year, and each year finds something more to love about Hawthorne's novel. She lives in the suburbs of Denver, Colorado with her husband and two children.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars My Favorite In This Series!!!, July 28, 2005

By 

Kristi Ahlers (Illinois) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: For Her Love (Zebra Historical Romance) (Mass Market Paperback)

I have read all three of these books...out of order of course, but that has no bearing here. Suffice it to say that each of the stories are strong stand-alone reads. This one though touched me deeply. The many "taboo" subjects such as child molestation, bi-racial relationships, and slavery are important to the storyline and character development.

Grace's life has not been easy. A victim of child molestation she has grown up on her father's sugar plantation with a very strong stance on the issue of slavery (she is a result of a bi-racial relationship) and wants to have nothing to do with marriage much to her father's dismay. When Giles Courtney shows up one day to transport sugar but not the slaves Grace's father would like transported, they find that they share a common belief. But, will this be enough to bring them together?

Giles is cautiously smitten with the pretty Grace. When he finally asks for her hand in marriage it's with the belief that they could find the happiness that his former Captain found with his wife. Giles wants a wife and children. He wants to settle down. But will Grace allow Giles to defeat the demons that haunt her and allow her to dream of a happy loving ending?

I dare the reader not to fall a little in love with Giles themselves. He is a true hero especially when it comes to the damaged heart and soul of Grace. Ms. Reed was true to character development and Grace's standoffish manner was understandable and added actually to the romance between Giles and Grace. Readers should be patient with the developing relationship between these two characters. Obviously they just don't jump right in with both feet and find true love. Instead this is a relationship that is slowly built over time and in my opinion much "richer" as a result. Ms. Reed is a stellar example of what the genre has to offer as far as writers go. She is not afraid to tackle touchy subject matter, and her descriptive writing will transport her reader to time and place with little effort. Kudos' Ms. Reed for thinking outside the box.

Official Reviewer for Romance Designs

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thought-provoking yet thoroughly enjoyable, January 2, 2005

By 

Amy (Lakewood, CO, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: For Her Love (Zebra Historical Romance) (Mass Market Paperback)

Although very different from the author's debut, "For Her Love" proved to be very enjoyable and an excellent story. I got into this faster than "Into His Arms", and it kept my full attention to the very end. It didn't take much for me to develop a crush on the hero, Giles. Our heroine, Grace, was also memorable. I loved the way she had compassion for her father's slaves (a good example is a poignant scene in which she cares for an injured slave child). The relationship between Grace and her nurse was touching. I fell in love with the way Giles was so patient with Grace throughout their whole relationship, and I found myself longing for him to be real.

Another high point in this book is when we see Diego, a side character whose story will be told in the upcoming "Nobody's Saint". Diego's kind nature is first revealed in "Into His Arms", and we see more of that come out in "For Her Love".

Although it's a sweet love story, this book also deals with slavery, molestation, and prostitution, among other sensitive subjects. Some might say including such issues is unnecessary and disgusting, but I don't think the author included any subject that wasn't important (for example, the fact that Grace was sexually violated as a child plays an important part in her relationship with Giles once the two are wed).

In general, this was a highly enjoyable read and I find myself eagerly awaiting the author's next release, "Nobody's Saint".

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Read, October 6, 2010

By 

k - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: For Her Love (Zebra Historical Romance) (Mass Market Paperback)

I think its a great book but you need to read the first two books to get it.