Publication Date: February 1, 2020
Phase Publishing
Paperback & eBook; 405 Pages
Series: The Shadows of Rosthwaite, Book Two
Genre: Historical Fiction/Romance
Synopsis
Charlotte Pruitt, an auburn-haired beauty whose soul is as wild as the northern mountains she loves, lives day to day, hoping against hope that James Clarke still lives. The love of her life and father of their son had
attacked a nobleman whom he caught attempting to rape Charlotte. Pursued by soldiers and attempting to escape, James plunged into a raging river and was last seen being pulled under by the torrent.
James who had fought to protect her and little Jack, is gone. Courage, strength, intellect, and a keen wit would have to be her guardians now.
A weaker person would crumble under the pressure of running a business, raising a child alone, fending off unscrupulous men, while always aware that the horrific villain, Edward Hawkes is still alive and bent on her destruction. Instead, Charlotte focuses on those less fortunate than herself. She becomes dedicated to helping Jane Rourke, a weaver, who is falsely accused of crimes and sentenced to death. Charlotte is offered a way to save Jane Rourke, but at a terrible price to herself. And what of Hawkes? How will she save herself and little Jack?
From the dark and gritty streets of Spitalfields, hiding secrets both good and evil, to the haunted moors of Devon, and to the perilous heights of the northern English mountains where Charlotte’s greatest test will come, this epic saga of human kindness, passionate love, and horrifying evil never ceases to enchant…and terrify.
My Thoughts
Face of Fortune picks up three months after James Clarke is believed drowned. Mourning the loss of her lover and Jack's father, Charlotte Pruit focuses on her business and her son Jack, while knowing that Edward Hawkes, a particularly nasty villain is still at large and could strike at any time.
Charlotte Pruit is a strong woman. Her only weakness is James Clarke, a young man she fell in love with when she was sixteen. Circumstances, however, kept them apart. When they finally act on their feelings, their relationship is marred by James' bouts of insanity, his pursuit by the law for a crime he knows he didn't commit, and his obsession to capture Hawkes, a figure from his military past, in order to prove his innocence and remove the threat to Charlotte and Jack.
What feeds Hawkes' hatred of James is not revealed until later in the novel, but with all the scenes involving this character, it is gruesome and sickening. Both he and James are masters of disguise and play an odd cat-and-mouse game, with Charlotte and Jack caught in the middle. Hawkes is pure evil, a psychopath, but James is suffering from the trauma of his military service and when at his most vulnerable crosses paths with Hawkes. So cleverly is this written, that at times you're not sure if James is hallucinating or what he experienced is real. When Charlotte catches James out in a lie, she begins to have doubts, too, and makes a serious decision about their future.
As mentioned before, Charlotte is a strong woman, a survivor, and despite receiving graphic threats from Hawkes, is determined to not let them influence her life. She is a sensible person and takes precautions to ensure her own safety and that of Jack's, but sometimes her willingness to help others puts her in danger. When Jane Rourke's case seems hopeless, a way to save her from the gallows is suggested, and Charlotte is faced with a difficult choice.
Face of Fortune is a fast paced, tension packed read. Jame's frequent disappearances and Hawke's menacing presence in the shadows keeps that tension to the fore as you await their next moves. And that tension also surrounds Charlotte as she realises that Hawkes may not be working alone. Who is friend and who is foe? Sometimes it's hard to tell and there are some surprising revelations along the way.
While Face of Fortune works well as a standalone, I did read the first book Favoured by Fortune beforehand which gave me a greater insight into the backgrounds of Charlotte and James: Charlotte's bond with her grandfather and Rosthwaite, her childhood home, and James' relationship with his family and the secrets that influenced their lives.
The exciting ending of Face of Fortune wraps up Charlotte and James' story satisfactorily. I'm not sure if there is to be a third book as their story could stop here. I'm hoping, however, there is as I'm eager to learn what the future holds for them and whether their love endures.
About the Author
Colleen, was in the first class of women at Kenyon College in Ohio when the school went co-ed. She also studied drama and political science at the University of Manchester in England. She later received an MFA in acting from the University of Minnesota. She has been an actor, director, casting assistant, 3rd grade teacher, and audiometrist.
Favoured by Fortune and Face of Fortune have been occupying Colleen’s imagination for a quite a long time. After both daughters graduated college, she and husband Paul became empty nesters. The time seemed right for Colleen to bring young Ms. Pruitt, our heroine, to life and let Charlotte tell her story.
During her time in Manchester, Colleen fell in love with the country. When she returned to England to do research for her series, she was beyond elated. She interviewed a curator at the Victoria and Albert Museum, spent time researching indictment records from the 1760‘s at the Guild Hall in London, and walked the route that the carts of the condemned travelled from Newgate Prison to the Tyburn Tree. Visiting the tiny village of Rosthwaite, located in the beautiful Borrowdale Valley in the Lake District, where much of the action takes place, helped give context and inspiration to Colleen.
Colleen continues to act for stage and film. She studies sculpting and ceramics. And enjoys traveling to Comic Cons around the world, where her husband is a frequent guest.
Her series of historical novels is titled The Shadows of Rosthwaite. The second book in the series, Face of Fortune, was released on February 1, 2020. Published by Phase Publishing, LLC.
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Blog Tour Schedule
Monday, April 20
Review at Passages to the Past
Review at WTF Are You Reading?
Tuesday, April 21
Review at Gwendalyn's Books
Wednesday, April 22
Feature at Just One More Chapter
Friday, April 24
Review at Books and Zebras
Monday, April 27
Feature at I'm Into Books
Review at History + Fiction + Adirondack Spirit
Wednesday, April 29
Feature at CelticLady's Reviews
Thursday, April 30
Review at Jessica Belmont
Feature at Books In Their Natural Habitat
Saturday, May 2
Review at Historical Graffiti
Monday, May 4
Review at YA, It's Lit
Tuesday, May 5
Feature at The Book Junkie Reads
Thursday, May 7
Review at Books, Cooks, Looks (Book #1)
Friday, May 8
Review at A Darn Good Read
Review at Books, Cooks, Looks (Book #2)
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