Name: Lover of Romance 's review of Sommersgate House by Kristen Ashley
Item: Sommersgate House
Rating: 4
Author: Lover of Romance

Kristen Ashley

Douglas Ashton is the cold and unfeeling owner of the sprawling, gothic Victorian Mansion, Sommersgate House. Julia Fairfax is his stubborn American sister-in-law. After tragedy strikes, Douglas and Julia are forced to live together at Sommersgate and raise their newly-orphaned nieces and nephew. Douglas has no desire to raise his dead sister's children nor does he want the distraction of the tempting Julia living under his roof. Julia is struggling with grief and trying to make a go in a new country without much help from impossibly handsome but even more impossibly remote Douglas. Not to mention, she has to deal with the active hostility of Douglas's frosty, Attila-the-Hun-in-a-skirt mother, Monique. Douglas decides the best way to give the children what they need, get his mother to behave and give himself what he wants is to marry Julia. When he tells her (yes, tells her) she will be his wife, Julia thinks Douglas is (probably) insane. And anyway, she's decided if she ever has another husband (since the last one wasn't so great), he was going to be short, balding, have a paunch and worship the ground she walks on (none of these characteristics define Douglas in the slightest). One more thing, Sommersgate House is haunted by the ghosts of the man who built it and the woman who was the love of his life. They both died mysteriously at Sommersgate months after it was finished. When they did, a curse settled on the house making it seem strangely alive. And the only way for the beautiful but frightening house to rid itself of this curse is for its owner to find true love.

Sommersgate House

Lover of Romance 

Douglas Ashton is the cold and unfeeling owner of the gothic Victorian Mansion, Sommersgate House. Julia Fairfax is his stubborn American sister-in-law. After tragedy strikes, Douglas and Julia are forced to live together at Sommersgate and raise their newly orphaned nieces and nephew. Douglas has no desire to raise his dead sister’s children nor does he want the distraction of the tempting Julia living under his roof. Julia is struggling with grief and trying to make a go in a new country without much help from impossibly handsome but even more impossibly remote Douglas. Not to mention, she has to deal with the active hostility of Douglas’s frosty, Attila-the-Hun-in-a-skirt mother, Monique. Douglas decides the best way to give the children what they need, get his mother to behave and give himself what he wants is to marry Julia. When he tells her (yes, tells her) she will be his wife, Julia thinks Douglas is (probably) insane. And anyway, she’s decided if she ever has another husband (since the last one wasn’t so great), he was going to be short, balding, have a paunch and worship the ground she walks on (none of these characteristics define Douglas in the slightest). One more thing, Sommersgate House is haunted by the ghosts of the man who built the house and the woman who was the love of his life. They both died mysteriously at Sommersgate months after it was finished. When they did, a curse settled on the house making it seem strangely alive. And the only way for the beautiful but frightening house to rid itself of this curse is for its owner to find true love.

This review was originally posted on Addicted To Romance

This review may contain spoilers, so fair warning, upon reading the review.
 


Sommersagate House was such an interesting read, and far different from what I have read from this author yet. I think I put off this series for so long because I hadn’t heard much about these books, there really isn’t that much talk surrounding this series, especially in comparison to the other series that came out around this as well. But I was wanting something different and I have been trying to get through this author’s backlist and I was intrigued by the setup of the story and getting some unique ghosts and gothic-like elements and I have to say that this author truly impressed me in how she implemented many factors of this book. I wasn’t fully into this book which I spent all day read and I should have finished it but honestly my high blood pressure is really affecting my attention in reading so it took way longer than I would have liked. But I truly enjoyed this book as a whole.

The setup of this book is that there is a painful death in the family. The hero’s (Douglas) sister married the heroine’s (Julia) brother and they had some children but then the parents of the children were killed in an accident and in the last will and testament requested that Douglas and Julia raise the children together. Julia has come to England to reside in the manor house to raise these children that are in desperate need of stability and love. There is a rising tension between Douglas and Julia, they have various views on how the children should be raised but they are also completely different personalities from each other. Douglas is an aristocrat, grew up in a cold unfeeling home, and closed off and almost cold but there is an intensity to him. Then we have Julia, who is warm and compassionate, and bubbly. They are like fire and ice but there are secrets in the house, as well as haunted ghosts that torment the home and the people that live there. Douglas is determined to marry Julia, but Julia refuses to marry anyone due to the disaster that her first marriage became, and thus begins a fierce courtship and battle of the hearts and wills. So who will win in the end?

This was quite an interesting story that this author wrote and I was all for it. I was so fascinated by the setup of the story. I personally have no issues with a couple this connected to each other (as it’s through marriage bonds and not blood ties) to being together. It’s really heartbreaking at times because we see the grief and loss that they as a family are going through and the children that are written are done so well. I just admire what Kristen Ashley wrote in this one and how well she handled certain issues that are very relevant and connect to the reader. I adored the grumpy sunshine elements that permeate the story and I became so drawn into this story and what the author was able to accomplish with this one here. You definitely can go into this one blind though and even not read the blurb here just don’t skim the beginning parts or it might be confusing. I really respected the various tones of emotion that are written within this one here. The romance between these two is one of my favorites as it has a level of angst that just works for me. Although this isn’t the norm for Kirsten Ashley. In most of her books, her couples are “together” pretty early on, but there is this battle of wills almost till the very end. I loved the unrequited love as the hero has been in love with the heroine for a long time, but keeps himself so closed off you don’t even realize it until later. I absolutely adored this hero if I didn’t know this was a contemporary and there was a use of cars, I would think this was a regency or victorian era novel. There are many resemblances that just made this one work out so well for me. There is also an intense gothic vibe to the story that I definitely think will move many readers in such a beautiful way. I need more gothic-like feel stories in my life, and just reading this one was a good reminder of that.

Overall I found Sommersagate House to be an intense love affair of a romance that will sweep you off your feet with paranormal delights, a battle for love, and a family coming together to heal and unite in epic ways…..if you are a KA fan, you definitely need to grab this one up!

Samantha Emery

★Book Basics★ 


  Genre
: - Contemporary Paranormal Romance 

  Series
: - Second in the series - can be read as a stand alone.

  Writing
 - Third person dual POV

  Main Characters
:Douglas Ashton is the owner of Sommersgate House. He is seen as a cold and unfeeling man, but he adored his sister and has now been tasked with caring for her three children after her death.
Julia Fairfax loved her brother and his wife and upon being given shared custody with Douglas, immediately moves to the UK, to start a new life and to be able to look after the children. 

  Love triangle?
 - (view spoiler)[No (hide spoiler)]

  Cheating?
 - (view spoiler)[No (hide spoiler)]

  HEA? -
 (view spoiler)[Yes (hide spoiler)]

  Would I read more by this author? 
- Yes

  Rating 
- 5


★Review★

Once again, an excellent story by Kristen Ashley.

This time, the paranormal element comes from 2 ghosts, who with a tragic passing, found themselves eternally separated by the house that was built to celebrate their love. Only if true love can come to Sommersgate will they be reunited.

And again, the paranormal element was not over done. It was expertly woven into the story of Douglas, Julia and the children. 

Ofc, there is trials and tribulations to overcome, even despite the ghosts. How Julia, Douglas and the children manage to blend together and become a loving family is a lovely heart-warming tale. 

Douglas loved his nieces and nephew but in a very distant way, never having expected to have the care for them. 

Julia is determined to shower her brothers children with love and give them a warm family centred upbringing.

The tale of how they manage to come together and create a loving family is hugely enjoyable.

A great 5 stars.

Lacey

Originally posted at Booklovers For Life

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW

3.5 STARS

It’s so easy for me to dive in to a KA audiobook marathon, because I love long audiobooks and KA always gives me a story worth listening to. The Ghosts and Reincarnation series might not be my favorite of hers, but I’m starting to warm up to it more and more, especially since I’m getting used to the narrator. Sommersgate House is the second standalone in the series, and it’s another long romance mixed in with a subtle ghost story. If you enjoyed the first book, Penmort Castle, you’ll most likely enjoy this one too! It’s got a similar vibe, but there’s a bonus – adorable children are involved!

When Julia Fairfax’s brother and Douglas Ashton’s sister die in a terrible accident, their children are left to Julia and Douglas’ care. Douglas, who is cold and unfeeling, doesn’t want to deal with the emotional upheaval that taking in his niece and nephew will bring. Julia welcomes them with open arms, wanting to fulfill her brother and his wife’s dying wish, so she makes the trip across the pond to stay at Sommersgate House. Douglas and Julie couldn’t be more opposite, but Douglas comes up with the perfect idea to handle the house, the children, and even his mother – he’s going to marry Julia.

Even though she’s wildly attracted to Douglas, she rejects that ridiculous idea. She was burned once in her previous marriage and has no plans for that to happen again. But when Julia and Douglas grow closer together as they pick up the broken pieces of their family, creating a new family of their own, emotions begin to grow on both sides. Can Julie learn to believe in love and marriage again, and can Douglas let her and the children into his heart?

I have to say that the children were my favorite part about this audiobook. They are so adorable, and Abby Craden gave them such unique voices. They added so much warmth and heart to the story – I loved them! Douglas and Julia took me a while to warm up to, but in the end I enjoyed the way their romance played out. It’s another classic KA love story with an alpha male and tough but endearing heroine. I’d highly recommend this if you loved the first Ghosts and Reincarnation story!

Audible: http://amzn.to/2kONa7E
Amazon Ebook: http://amzn.to/2kVjZm7
Amazon Paperback: http://amzn.to/2luOtb0

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