.The Heiress Series
A Box Set
by Pamela Sherwood

A selection of historical stories with a few twists and turns . The characters were a bit mediocre but a reasonably easy read but a bit predictable

2.5 stars.
I enjoyed it somewhat, but felt like it was many unnessesary characters when i wanted to hold it`s focus on Aurelia. Because it was so many characters i did not care for. I got a little bored.

I adored Pamela Sherwood's Lyons books, so I was excited to read another boxset from her! She excels at creating a rich depiction of historical periods, but I didn't quite love the characters of this series quite as much as the messy Lyons family - the characters here were all a bit too nice! That being said, this is a collection of lovely romances with some mystery elements. My favourite of the collection was Waltz with a Stranger - I loved the 'engaged to the wrong twin' device. I wasn't such a fan of the novellas themselves, as I prefer a more classic romance plot, but I really love the way that these boxsets are bundled so you can get hold of all the stories together and see the characters from all different perspectives. Very engaging, smart historical romance.

Another favorite by a great author. The plot of the story was very well written. The author really draws the reader in as you read. I felt like I was an unnamed character in the story.

The characters are likeable, but I found myself not really caring about any of them. They were too bland, and nothing was interesting about them. The romance was lukewarm at best with no steam whatsoever that I could tell. I muddled through the entire series with each book getting worse as I read. There are some who would like this but it had too many of my pet peeves to enjoy.

There is a lot in this Heiress Series combination. Two full novels with epilogues and two novellas. I am new to Pamela Sherwood and will look for other books by this author. I was originally drawn to the book as the first heroines were American, Newport society sisters, looking for matches in England. Reading from the notes by the author she has recently able to regain rights to her first books and is re-releasing as a set. She says she made minimal changes to her first novel and more to the second.

4 stars to "Waltz With a Stranger". American Aurelia (Relia) Newbold is scarred and weakened in a riding accident. She sits in the shadows while her twin Amelia (Amy) is the toast of the ton. A handsome man, James Trelawney, seeks her out and waltzes quietly with her out of view. Almost a year later after time at a spa in France for her health she returns to England to celebrate the engagement of her sister to an an Earl. She is shaken to see it is James the man she has dreamed about seeing again. There is also a mystery to be solved regarding James cousin who dies resulting in James becoming an Earl. Extended epilogues are a bonus. A love triangle doesn't often work but the author succeeds in making me like and root for all of the main characters.

5 stars for "A Scandal in Newport" (a novella). This continues the story of Amelia who is engaged and planning her wedding in America. It includes a mystery of kidnappings and ransom of daughters of the very wealthy. I love Newport and the Gilded Age as the setting. I have seen and toured the mansions (cottages) there. I wish more romances were set in this unique American time period.

3 stars for "A song at Twilight". I love the heroine Sophia Tresilian. She fell in love with older Robin Pendarvis when she was 17 before her first season in London. Sadly Robin has a past that literally shows up on his doorstep that changes any plans she had for their future. Fast forward four years and she is a famous singer, touring the last several years. She re-meets Robin and their passion hasn't changed. I enjoyed the main story and felt for the star crossed lovers wanting them to have their HEA. But the story slowed for me with endless descriptions of rooms, decor, dresses, food. A little of that goes a long way. And there was some unevenness switching from romance to solving a murder. The book was educational on how hard it was to obtain a divorce in the time period.

3 stars for "A wedding In Cornwall" (a novella). I was happy to see the wedding of Robin and Sophia. But much of the novella is about Sophia's brother Sir Harry Tresilian. He is in his 30s and hasn't married. He manages to get his mistress of two years invited to the family festivities. I believe this is setting up another book and series not included in this collection.

Overall, a good romance combination. I like when newer releases include any novellas or additional epilogues the author has written since original publication. Thank you to NetGalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for an ARC ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Love anything written by Pamela Sherwood; she has done a great job at writing a good book; I can’t wait to read more of her books.

The story line caught my attention at the very beginning and kept me interested throughout the entire book.

I loved the characters.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and I’m voluntarily leaving a review.

A beautiful selection of stories with various twists and turns but all resulting in the perfect happy ending. I really enjoyed reading these and would recommend to others