Customer Reviews

Winter Garden

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

The task of summarizing the plot of "Winter Garden" is not an easy one. Usually when this is the case, it's because the novel in question has no plot to speak of, or a very weak and jumbled one at best. Reverse that observation in the extreme for "Winter Garden." Adele Ashford has woven together a storyline so intricate and powerful, that it is difficult to give readers very many descriptions of it without giving away too much, thereby spoiling it for you. Indeed, even the smallest of reviewer comments could weaken from the intensity of its experience. Keeping that in mind, let me attempt to summarize the plot of "Winter Garden" for you.

Thomas Blackwood is an agent for the English government who has gone to the village of Winter Garden to bring to justice a nobly born gentleman dealing illegally in the opium trade. It is easy for Thomas to blend in with the Winter Park locals without bringing undue attention to himself because he's known to them as a recluse and a scholar...a role that comes readily to him since he truly is both of those things.

Thomas has lived alone for years. He has isolated himself both physically and emotionally from the rest of society and has no one in his life that he is close to, save a son that is studying abroad. He wishes, however, that his fate was different. And from the first moment he laid eyes on Madeleine DuMais, he knew with all certainty where his destiny lay...

Madeleine DuMais is a French-born woman of lowly birth who was fathered illegitimately by an Englishman. She carries many deep, unhealed emotional scars as testament to the horrid childhood she bore. Nevertheless, Madeleine has managed to carve out a place for herself in gentle society. To the French aristocracy, Madeleine is known merely as a celebrated beauty; to a select group of English government officials, she is known as one of Britain's most revered spies. Because of her gender, Madeleine is able to glean information in ways that are socially impossible for a gentleman in the mid 1800s to do. So when she is called from France to Winter Garden in England to aide in the capturing of an opium smuggler, she is prepared to give her all. What she isn't prepared for, however, is the giving away of her heart to a mysterious, reclusive man who makes her feel emotions she'd thought long dead...

"Winter Garden" is a sensuous, erotic, and emotional tale that will leave you fanning yourself one minute and reaching for a tissue the next. The sensuality level of this novel is very high and is expertly woven throughout, while its erotic atmosphere is achieved through both character dialogue and (explicit) love scenes. The emotional intensity between the hero and the heroine only heightens the effect.

This book (the sequel to "Stolen Charms") is, without a doubt, one of the best books I've ever read. This is one purchase you simply won't regret making.

-full review originally published in The Romance Reader

One of THE most enchanting, touching, and beautiful books I have read in recent memory. I only hope I can find adequate words to describe how I am feeling right now.

Winter Garden, by Adele Ashworth is THE read of the year as far as I am concerned. This is the first time I have read her work and I am totally and completely knocked over by the depth, complexity and emotion with which this woman writes. I don't know how authors feel about comparisons to other authors but I would give Ms. Ashworth my highest compliment by saying I have not been so touched or overwhelmed by anything since LaVyrle Spencer.

The characters in this book are so real and complex you can feel their every touch and emotion. The heroine, Madeleine DuMais, is different - not virginal nor dependent on anyone but herself. The hero, Thomas Blackwood, is scarred but strong in his determination and love for Madeleine.

This book has a great storyline with a mystery but NEVER waivers from the main point of any good and pure romance novel - the love and struggles of the main characters. The emotions are deep and complex and the reader feels each of them with both characters.

The sensuality in this book is beyond words. It is intense, it is beautiful, it is erotic and Ms. Ashworth goes beyond where most "angels" dare to tread and brings it off in an incredibly beautiful way.

I congratulate & thank this author for an incredibly beautiful story and for her courage to write the kind of sensuality that goes beyond the "norm" to a place where beauty abounds in no holds barred sex and her talent to give it the emotion, intensity and the feeling of "rightness" that is so realistic and touching yet is sometimes forgotten (or not dared) in romance writing today.

I have found a new to me author who will from now on be on my ever shrinking "auto buy" list.

If ANY of you haven't read this book I urge you to run to the bookstore and get it - and don't just throw it on your TBR stack - read it NOW.

Gosh I hope I've done this book justice. It is almost beyond words.

Thank you for those reviewers who gave me some insight into this book. The characters are different from the 'older' romance books as well as the staid formulas of so many historicals and one of the reason's I quit reading them a long time ago. But this book was worth going back into the genre'.

There are many differences from the basic plot lines that make this story just not feel or sound so familiar.

One of the differences is in the characters----

First, the hero is far less than physically perfect, a first for me after reading bizillion's of 'romance' novels. I don't mean just a mild problem either, but something heartwrenching even by today's standards. Sadly, in so many of the formulamatic HR's, the worst any hero had to deal with was maybe an eye patch and a facial scar that just, well, made him look sooo much better in the end.

But this hero will just about tear your heart out. I don't know, but the term tortured for the first time really seems to apply here. For me, I was actually aching from the descriptions.

Secondly, the heroine is well, not a spring chicken and not pure as snow. OK, so I'm old enough to be her mama, but still..
As a woman who is no longer young or a virgin, the 'first time virgin bedding' of some books was getting a bit tedious to say the least. And boring.

Purity can be dull because it can also mean a character without facets. But she has many layers, lots of personality and you can see why the hero has fallen for her. She's also, GASTHP!!! pretty outgoing sexually. Not in a skanky manner either, but in a loving, generous, "I really do care for you and want to make you happy" way that just makes you like her all the more.

WG is also different in the intent and context---too often we have the woman jumping through hoops to win the man's love. Or we have the tortured Alpha-male that is fighting his feelings. Or we have a couple that hasn't figured out yet how they feel for each other. Predictable to the in'th degree and often frustrating.

Well, this just sets the whole pattern on its ear. Not only do we have a hero that adores the heroine, but Oh my, the degree is so intense.... It had me in tears in a few places.

Lastly, the book is very erotic, but it's so right with these two characters. It adds to and flows with the story line....

WARNING- For those who think this book is pornographic, erm...PLEASE don't go near anything by Kenyon, Moning, Knight, Feehan, Howard etc, and stay the HECK away from Ellora's Cave. You'll be toast.

So, on a rating of 1 to 10, with 10 being burn the house down Angela Knight and 1 being genteel Woodiwiss...this book is about a 6 or 7. OK, maybe more a 8. But a very sweet 8 ;)

Lastly, the ending will have you squalling. The next to the last chapter was dang near heartbreaking for me (geez, I'm just a marshmallow). But the last chapter is so sweet. I found myself afterwards going back to re-read it several times.

OK, recommended for not being predictable, not being a boring HR that is so overdone that my teeth hurt at the covers alone, having very different characters, absolutely fabulous eroticism and lastly, a sweetness that permeates the book and just makes it a joy to read.

"Winter Garden" comes up frequently on romance readers's lists of favorite books, and with good reason. It is a lushly romantic story set in Victorian England with unusual and memorable lead characters. For jaded historical romance readers who are bored with the boiler plate "plucky 18 year old virgin tames cynical 30-some year old rakehell" plotline, this story is a breath of fresh air.

Madeleine DuMais, a beautiful half-French/half-English spy working for Britian, arrives in the small town of Winter Garden with the assignment of investigating and exposing an opium smuggling ring in the area. Her associate in the the investigation is Thomas Blackwood, a British spy who is posing as a scholar writing his memoirs of the Opium Wars. Living alone with Thomas in a small cottage, Madeleine is reportedly translating these memoirs into French.

Madeleine is an excellent character. The illegitimate daughter of an opium-addicted French actress, she has made a decent life for herself by virtue of her wits and her beauty. She has had a series of lovers in her life--but has never allowed herself to fall in love. (Her sexual history makes her a very unusual historical romance heroine, but would barely even register on the radar for the usual historical romance *hero*. Ah! Double standards!)

Thomas is one awesome romantic hero--intelligent, passionate, intense, honorable and somewhat mysterious. Tall, dark and handsome, he walks with a pronounced limp due to an injury from the Opium Wars. He is obsessively in love with Madeleine and wants more from her than the brief affair she envisions. It is a nice twist to see the hero holding out for true love for a change.

The pace of the story is relatively slow and the opium smuggling plotline seems to drift away at the end, because the spotlight is really on Madeleine and Thomas's developing love affair. I found the character development in the story to be excellent. Thomas is a man with secrets--some of which I guessed and some of which surprised me. The sexual tension is intense and the sex scenes very passionate and sensual without being overdone.

In summary this is an excellent and unusual historical romance with complex, memorable characters and a wonderfully romantic story line. Readers who enjoy character-driven romance and are tired of the usual "historical romance formula" will appreciate "Winter Garden".

Highly recommended!

WINTER GARDEN is a beautiful, character-driven love story featuring wonderful, intense, frank dialogue between a well-matched hero and heroine. Madeleine DuMais is a half-French/half-English spy for the British government. After years of working from France, she is called to the small village of WINTER GARDEN in southern England, to work in concert with fellow spy, Thomas Blackwood. Together they pose as scholar and translator as they work to uncover an opium smuggling operation. The heart of this fine novel, however, is the relationship between Thomas and Madeleine. Both carry scars -- his physical, hers emotional -- from their pasts. In addition, Thomas bears a secret that he knows threatens his fragile relationship with the beautiful Maddie. For her part, Madeleine cannot imagine any other life but the one she's lead. Fearful of love, she wants only an affair with Thomas, physically satisfying, yet something she will be able to walk away from at the end of their assignment. In addition to the strong dialogue there are gorgeous, sizzling love scenes that are not in the least gratuitous; in fact, they are absolutely integral to advancing the relationship between Thomas and Madeleine. WINTER GARDEN packs a powerful, emotional wallop. You may find yourself in tears, but whatever you do, if you love a sensual romance, find WINTER GARDEN.

After reading the reader reviews at Amazon, Winter Garden did not live up to my expectations but, in fact, surpassed my expectations by so much that it almost can't be rated or compared to any other books I've read with the possible exception of Flowers from the Storm. What makes it so spectacular? To begin with, the hero, Thomas, is to-die-for and his heroine, Madeleine, is simply perfect for him. In an unusual twist for a romance novel; she's the one with the sexual experience and desirous of a brief affair. He's the one whose complicated feelings demand so much more of her. Secondly, the dialog is stunning and not one false word is spoken. Each verbal exchange between Thomas and Madeleine is teeming with innuendo and intent and gives me goosebumps just thinking about it. Thirdly, this book is character study at it's best. The secondary plot never interferes but rather provides a backdrop for the story of Thomas and Madeleine. While Thomas is a tortured hero, neither Madeleine nor the reader feels abused by his past. He's true and faithful to what he knows and wants, and what he knows and wants is Maddy, now and forver. Finally, Winter Garden has some of the most intense and realistic scenes of passion I have ever encountered. No one's flying to the sun or bursting into white hot flashes of light and the waves don't swell and crash to the shore. Not one word of purple prose is used to convey the intensity of the love scenes. Simply put: this is one of the best romance novels ever written!

I have to tell you I have read every one of of Ms. Ashworth's books and she just gets better and better.

Her story lines are always unique in their way. The stories are heartwarming, emotional and endear you to the hero and heroine, even as they work through their feelings and doubts.

I am not a reader who is fond of reading through a lot of emotional baggage and what-not, and I have got to say Ms. Ashworth delivers a well-written, fast-paced story that will tug at your heart strings, but also one that has substance in the relationship of the main characters.

The story of Thomas and Madeleine-who was introduced in "Stolen Charms", is one of two people coming to terms with not only their past, but also discovering what they really need in life.

The story sets Thomas and Madeleine as undercover British spies attempting to break up an opium drug ring. But unbeknown to Madeleine, Thomas arranges for her to be with him and tries to cultivate a relationship between them and to culminate his feelings he has had for her since a fateful meeting with her years ago shortly after he was crippled in an accident.

If you have never read Adele Ashworth you need to start now. You will not be disappointed.

I borrowed this book from a female friend because she liked it very much. My motive just to see what the ladies are reading and why this book had made a great impression on her. Curiosity. Before opening this book I had the notion that it's probably just about perfect couples getting on with their business.

After the intro of characters, I got intrigued by the notion of a 'cripple' been the main character in a romance novel?! How odd! Shouldn't they be perfect? But slowly, the characters grew on me. I am beginning to like the main characters, not because they are perfect, but because the book revealed more of their flaws/imperfections. They felt more human to me as the book moved on. I can identify with them better because all of us are a bundle of imperfections, though we try hard to conceal them, to compensate like Meddie by using her work to make up for her lack of love. There's no good or bad, right or wrong, just human. I'm pleasantly surprised to see this in a romance novel. Even in many crime novels I do most of my readings on, at times, the characters are quite contrited. Needless to say I was shocked by Thomas' final revelations of his past, but more so, I was gravely touched by his past. I don't care for happy endings much but in this case, I was really wishing the book would end well for both of the main characters.

I'm not sure what to say about the book except it resonated in me, it made me care about the people in it.

This is by far and away the most sensual romance that I have every read. I love the fact that her hero and heroine are not your typical "rake needs virgin to give him an heir". These are two people who seem very real and are flawed just like the rest of us. I like the fact that they are both older, I am so tired of seventeen year old virgins, and that Maddie is the more worldly of the two.

Thomas is the most compelling hero I have known in a long time. He is infinitely patient and gentle in his pursuit of Madeline. He wants her to really know him before they begin the physical side of their relationship. Maddie is one of the most compassionate female characters I have had the pleasure to read about. Looking beyond physical to see the person underneath. I would love to be in Maddies shoes, with Thomas as my hero.

I don't want to give away too much or ruin the book for you. Lets just say this book will leave you tingling.

As an avid reader of romance novels, about three per week, it's only natural that some of them are forgettable. I can't say that about "Winter Garden." Adele Ashworth allows us to enter the lives of Thomas and Madeline on their journey and we are all the better for it. Thomas and Madeline are not children, they are actually mature and act as though they are.

Thomas and Madeline work for the government and meet in the town of Winter Garden to investigate a case of opium smuggling, but the case is the side story. There is no mystery as to who the criminal is.

The story really centers around Madeline and Thomas' growing relationship and affection for one another. Madeline is not shy when it comes to sex and it's refreshing to see a strong woman take charge once in a while. I absolutely fell in love with Thomas. He so tortured. He walks with a limp, having been injured years before in the opium wars, but that does not distract from his attractiveness and allure. He is handsome and sensitive and I was jealous of Madeline. The dialogue between them is so intimate and related so beautifully - even the sex scenes were written refreshingly. There are no frustrating misunderstandings in the book - Thomas and Madeline are mature enough to communicate totally. Why read it then, you say - there's so much more to it and can't even begin to describe.

Please do yourself a favor and read "Winter Garden." It's the first Adele Ashworth book I've read and I have now ordered "Stolen Charmes" and "My Darling Caroline."