I've finished "After Innocence" the 2nd book in her Delanza series by Brenda Joyce.
Product Description
Estranged from society, wealthy and beautiful artist Sofie O'Neil finds solace in her private world, She longs just once to taste a forbidden love -- to follow the dangerous diamond muggler Edward Delanza to paradise. But Edward wants far more from the innocent young heiress than a brief and passing encounter. For he is determined to heal her and possess her -- now ... and for all time.
About the Author
Brenda Joyce is the bestselling, award-winning author of Promise of the Rose,Scandalous Love and The Fires of Paradise. All nine of her historical romances have been highly acclaimed, and four of them, including the first three novels in the "Bragg" saga Innpocent Fire, Firestorm, and Violet Fire have won six awards from Romantic Times and Affaire de Coeur. She has also won three industry awards for her trendsetting promotional bookmarks from Affaire de Coeur. Brenda Joyce is currently working on her next novel.
Product Details
Mass Market Paperback: 432 pages
Publisher: Avon (October 1, 1994)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0380775727
ISBN-13: 978-0380775729
My Review:
This book is about the romance between Edward Delanza and Sophie O'Neil.
Edward is known for his diamonds. In New York City in the late 1800's Edward is a playboy who loves women and they love him back. He loves to show his wealth and is a bit selfish but it's okay because underneath his exterior he is an honorable and trustworthy man. While at a socialist party on the beach Edward first spies Sophie watching him with his current mistress and this gets him excited. He is curious about the pretty face he saw spying on him and his mistress through the forest leaves.
Sophie is a very talented young artist who is attending her socialite mother's Suzanne's weekend party which she has no interest in. Her mother wants her to be seen more in society and she truly believes Sophie to be a cripple and would not attract the attentions of an acceptable man for marriage. She believes this to be very true and makes sure that Sophie believes it too. Sophie is determined to live a life in solitude with her love of art and she has a successful career in selling her paintings. She won't be hurting for money since she has a sizeable trust fund from her dead father but she wants to be free from her mother. When Sophie takes a breather from the party by going to the beach to sketch she happens to see a very handsome and vile man with his current mistress (her neighbor) in the trees she becomes fascinated by him.
When Edward returns to the party he spies Sophie across the room and he meets her acquaintance. He doesn't realize she walks with a limp and she believes his interest will wane when he discovers this. But it doesn't and he realizes the hold Suzanne has on Sophie and he is determined to break that hold. He decides to become her friend and make her realize she is beautiful and talent young artist with a minor disability.
Edward and Sophie become friends and he helps her sell her first painting to a famous art dealer. Edward becomes her inspiration and he notices he is the subject of most of her paintings. Soon he discovers that Sophie has fallen in love with him and he sees her as a beautiful and talented young women. He denies his strong attraction to her because he's not a man to settle down with a wife and kids due to his parent's divorce. Sophie knows that Edward isn't the type of man to settle down but she wants to experience love. Their relationship turns into something more and a misunderstanding erupts between them. As a result, Sophie runs and it leaves Edward confused, lonely and angry.
He follows her to Paris when he finds out she is pregnant with his baby and makes her move in his hotel room. He has work cut out to prove that he loves her because she believes he just wants the baby.
There is also the romance between Sophie's parents Jake and Suzanne. I wish we could see more of how their marriage life was (I know it wasn't the best of times). Suzanne was a very spoiled and selfish girl when we first meet her and the back story when she first meets Jake. Now she is a very selfish awful mother who doesn't support her daughter's career and keeps telling her no man would be interested in her. She blamed Jake for their marriage failure but she's the one who ruined it by having affairs.
5/5
Books in the Delanza series:
1. Secrets
2. After Innocence
3. A Gift of Joy (Anthology)
4. Five Golden Rings (Anthology)
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