Customer Reviews

Portrait of a Lover

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

It was hard to top "To Marry The Duke", but Julianne MacLean has done it. This book had it all: sensuality, strong emotions, sexual tension, and neverending love.

While on a train trip to Scotland, Magnus finds himself seated across from the lovely 21-year-old, Annabelle. The chemistry sizzled immediately between them and they are instantly enchanted with each other. The catch is, Magnus realizes that this young beauty is the adopted sister of his estranged cousin, Lord Whitby. Magnus knows if he reveals his identity to her, she would flee the train and snuff out these budding feelings he has, so he deceives her by giving her a false name.

Over the course of the summer, they arrange clandestine meetings so that Annabelle may paint his portrait and to spend time together. Ultimately falling madly in love with each other.

The lies he must tell to keep his identity secret become overwhelming. Magnus knows the affair must come to an end as well as his charade and cruely breaks off his relationship with the only woman he will ever love.

Fast forward thirteen years, the star-crossed lovers reunite and Magnus will stop at nothing until she is bound to him forever.

This tale of unrequited love touched my heart and I hated for the story to end. The only gripe I had was waiting so long for "POAL" to come out and reading it in a matter of hours. I'm sure you'll enjoy it as much as I did.

Annabelle Lawson let her heart rule her actions once before and she learned a very valuable lesson...at the hands of her brother's cousin and enemy Magnus Wallis. A chance meeting on a train these two people connect and spend a summer together, talking, sharing a passion neither of them can ignore...but Annabelle has no idea the man who has captured her heart is Magnus. He has lied about his name and when their summer of idyll is over...her heart is broken.

Years later Magnus is back claiming he is a different man. He was wrongly accused of so many things because of his father's past...he now just wants to put that troubled past where it belongs and claim the love of his life. He may have been living in America but he has not forgotten Annabelle or the way he feels when he is with her. Will he be able to fix the hurt he dealt her so long ago?

This was an amazing read. We met Magnus in "Love According to Lily" and he was not a nice guy...at all. Ms. MacLean's talent shines with her ability of turning Magnus from baddie to the ultimate hero. The lucky reader will be able to experience this romance from the very beginning. First meeting to the happy ending with everything in-between. Ms. MacLean evokes all sorts of emotions with this read. I highly recommend this author.

I'm a bit biased ... I've read almost all of Julianne MacLean's books so I always know I'm getting a good read when I plunk my money down. But Portrait of a Lover surpassed my expectations - it's my favourite book of this author's so far and I couldn't put it down!
Annabelle Lawson is a talented painter with a tortured past. Thirteen years ago she met a man on a train and fell quickly in love with him, even though she knew his lack of fortune would be an issue for her family. It turns out, the man she fell in love with deceived her and she's left broken hearted.

Thirteen years later, Magnus reenters Annabelle's life and she vows never to let him touch her heart again. But will she be able to keep her distance from him?

I remember reading Love According To Lily (the book before Portrait of a Lover) when we were briefly introduced to Annabelle and Marcus and thinking it would make a great story. I was happy to see those characters revisited and the story of their journey was exciting and real.

I loved, loved, loved this story and if you like bad boys at all (who doesn't?) you should buy this book. You won't be disappointed!

I have read a good amount of Julianne Maclean's books and have liked them all. I had been looking forward to reading Annabelle's and Magnus's story and I was a bit disappointed with it when I finally got to read it. I felt that Anabelle was way too wishywashy and towards the end Magnus was the same way. The story never seemed to flesh itself out and the appearances of Whitby and Lily, from Love Accorrding to Lily which I enjoyed, just felt like they were a bit thrown in sometimes.The book seemed to be mainly about how Annabelle was confused and could't really deal with what was happening. She does redeem herself later in the book for her indecisiveness. Mostly I didn't enjoy the book because I like a stronger willed heroine. If you want to read a book about lots of inner turmoil this would be a good read for that.

There's something compelling about tale of forbidden love.

Annabelle meets a handsome stranger on the train. Instant attraction. She doesn't realize she's smitten with a sworn enemy of her family's - and he doesn't tell. Magnus hides his identity from her as they conduct a summer romance. Annabelle thinks he's reluctant to meet her family because they won't approve of his social status, not realizing it's the man himself they would despise.

When at last she discovers his true name, she finds he is every bit the blackguard he's been painted. Her trust, her heart, and her self-confidence are shattered when Magnus states that he'd only been dallying with her to get back at her family.

When Magnus comes back into her life, years later, Annabelle doesn't need her family to remind her of his reputation. She knows better than to fall for his charm. So why is she so attracted?

Annabelle is a delightful heroine. A social misfit, she would rather have a pet cow than a lapdog, wear heavy boots instead of dancing slippers. Her social status may have risen when she was adopted by the Earl of Whitby, but in her heart, she still longs for a plainer life.

Magnus is the perfect tortured hero. In spite of his blackguard ways, I found myself attracted to him. His magnetism leaps off the page. The chemistry between them is so hot, it's not hard to understand why Annabelle would ignore the warning bells.

Portrait of a Lover is a compelling read. The book is hard to put down. You know Annabelle should stay far, far away from Magnus... but you can't help but hope she won't.

A recent author in the romance genre has caught my interest in the last few years, and I have truly enjoyed her stories of thwarted love and passion in Victorian England. Richly detailed, Julianne MacLean?s novels have heroes to swoon over that are dangerous and wonderful to know, and heroines that fit in with the times in attitude and manner, and sex that doesn?t have to be crude to be enjoyable reading.

In Portrait of a Lover, MacLean takes two characters in a previous novel, Love According to Lily, and gives them a chance to resolve their relationship. Annabelle loves her adopted brother, the Earl of Whitby, very much, as well as his family, who have given her a stable, loving home. A talented painter, and a young woman with flamboyant red hair and a bright attitude, Annabelle meets a charming young man when she and her Aunt Millicent are forced to travel in a second class train carriage. Both of them are smitten with each other, and while Annabelle knows Mr John Edwards, a hard working bank clerk, would never be suitable for her, she does agree to meet with him at an art gallery.

This budding romance, with secret meetings and whispered endearments, along with a painting that shows Annabelle?s true talents as an artist was probably the best part of the book. I found them both engaging, and the romance intense without the usual modern trick of having them instantly fall in lust with each other, and then consummating it in the next breath.

Unfortunately for them both, the relationship is built upon a lie, and a big one. When Annabelle is in London, she decides to pay a surprise visit on Mr Edwards, and goes to the bank where he said he works. But there is no Mr Edwards, and Annabelle discovers that the man who she has fallen in love with is none other than the wicked family cousin, Magnus. To make matters worse, Annabelle?s brother Whitby and Magnus have been deadly enemies and finally, Annabelle?s heart is broken when Magnus admits that he has only been using her. Magnus agrees to leave England, becoming a ?remittance man? in America, with Whitby paying him a healthy sum of money to stay away.

But thirteen long, lonely years pass for Annabelle, who has never recovered from the betrayal and love lost, and has resigned herself to being a spinster aunt. But then word comes that Magnus has returned to England, and is looking for her. Will Annabelle risk another broken heart to be with the man that she?s never forgotten?

Sadly, this was a novel that could have been so much more. Instead of having our two leads growing up and turning into mature adults, they?re constantly playing games of trust between each other, along with subterfuge, lies and dredging up the past. Along the way, they engage in bitter arguments that end up with make-up-sex, but not much else. While the couple do manage to get together by the end, I found it to be a flat, rather trite novel that didn?t interest me very much, nor did I care that Annabelle and Magnus were together after years of separation.

Unlike her other novels, it seems that the author has taken the cheap way out with this one. There isn?t that much historical detail, nor background on the world of artists in the Victorian culture. Nor is there very much given to either of the character?s inner worlds or emotional development ? I could never quite understand why Annabelle decides on Magnus when he returns after such a long separation. While it was interesting to see a heroine that wasn?t a twenty-something and in her mid-thirties, I found her behavior to be rather childish throughout the novel, and quickly found myself loosing interest. It?s a real pity, as MacLean can write well when she sets her mind to it, and there was plenty of interesting twists and turns this story could have taken.

Summing up, despite all of the potential in a pair of unusual characters, some intense family baggage, the author decided to turn the story into a standard, rather dull, historical romance that cheapens the genre and makes for a lackluster read. While I will continue to look out for this author?s work in the future, I don?t think I will be quite so eager to buy it right when it comes out.

Three stars overall, despite all of the potential for a good story.

They were two strangers who met on a train -- a lovely young woman and a handsome young man who were instantly attracted to one another. Young and slightly unconventional, Annabelle was a budding artist. The young man felt a kindred spirit and though he knew she was above him in class he wanted to pursue a relationship. By the time they left the train he had found out her name. It was a crushing blow to discover she was the adopted sister of his most hated enemy and cousin the Earl of Whitby. With serious misgivings, and under a false name, he and Annabelle carried on a summer long idyll until he finally revealed the truth. Trying to spare her, he lied about his feelings and in the process broke her heart.

Thirteen years later Magnus Wallis, newly come from America, had reentered her life. He was a changed man, had proven his own worth, prosperous, and ready to do whatever he had to in order to beg for Annabelle's forgiveness and a second chance.

*** This is an author whose presence as an undeniable virtuoso of romantic literature cannot be denied. She has the amazing ability to engage my imagination as a reader with the pure poetry of her writing style, deep character studies, and her emotional storylines. In a roller-coaster ride you'll experience the joy of first love as well as the heartbreaking rejection Annabelle felt over being deceived by her brother's most insidious cousin and enemy. I loved Magnus and found him to be a divine, tortured individual whose life detoured onto a different path as a result of age-old lies. Yet, without knowing the truth, he found the strength to go forward and change into the honorable man he felt Annabelle deserved. This was an outstanding story and an author, I very highly recommend.

Marilyn Rondeau, Member of Reviewers International Organization - http://www.rio-reviewers.com/

Portrait of a Lover, by Julianne MacLean, is a sweeping tale of love lost and re-found between two unique yet well-matched characters. Neither Magnus Wallis nor Annabelle Lawson 'fit in'. Magnus is the shunned grandson of an Earl; Annabelle is the adopted sister of the present day Earl, and a talented, modernistic painter who finds herself at odds with her gilded cage. They meet on a train when they are young, and a halcyon summer of illicit meetings leaves Annabelle with a broken heart, and Magnus with a deep resentment of Annabelle's adoptive brother. Thirteen years later, Magnus has made his fortune in America, and wishes to claim the hand of Annabelle, the woman who had unknowingly held his heart for so long.
I loved the unfolding of the romance between the two lovers, where each has to come to terms with their shared pasts, and what they want from their futures. Julianne MacLean infuses a maturity into her characters which is hugely enjoyable, and builds the sexual tension to the max. Her fluid prose and humourous touches make her books a joy to read.

This is the second Julianne MacLean book I've read (the first was "Love According to Lily") and after this one I definitely plan to buy her earlier books! This book had such a unique story, and I always like that. Annabelle and Magnus had a lot of BAD past history to overcome to end up together and the path wasn't easy, but now we really believe that they can end up happily ever after. They've faced the real issues of their past and worked through them, and after dealing with that, they can work through anything in the future.

Ms. MacLean did an excellent job of conveying the heartache and pain that both characters felt, as well as the pull of attraction between them. In addition, the characters had depth that truly brought them to life in the pages.

I also liked that this story took place in the late 1800s and we could see the fantastic new innovation of electricity - a nice touch.

The challenge Julianne MacLean had with this story was taking Magnus, who was the villain in Love According to Lily, and turning him into a hero. No easy task, yet Ms. MacLean managed the hurdle with her usual brilliance. I won't give the details away, but suffice to say she did not take the easy route. Annabelle and Magnus have a past, and not a real pretty one.

It would have been easy to slap together an uncomplicated explanation and have the characters get over it with the adage of love conquers all, but I think the readers would have felt a bit cheated. Instead Julianne takes us on a journey, first back to the original relationship, and then forward to the present day of the story. It's a wonderful, rocky, emotional trip that tugs at your heartstrings and ultimately has you cheering for these two to put their pasts to rest. But life isn't that easy, a lot of damage had been done in the past and there was much to overcome. Ms. MacLean doesn't shy away from that fact, and in doing so gives the story a richness and realism that makes it all the more satisfying in the end.

With each book Julianne MacLean keeps getting better and better, delving into the truth of emotion and not stepping back from the dark side just because it isn't quite as pretty. She colors Portrait of a Lover with all the shades of light and dark and in the end paints a picture that stays with you long after you've finished the last page.