“I've finally finished reading her debut novel Before the Season Ends. Now for my review of my first Christian and Inspirational romance novel that I found out about through Jessica Coulter Smith's blog one day. I really loved the cover of her novel along with the title but when I read the blurb of her book it really hooked me so I went to her website. I found this little trailer she had of her novel and after I finished watching it I knew I had to get in touch with Linore so I can review her novel as well as have her here on my blog as a guest. Even though Linore's novel is considered a christian romance and I've never really read any christian based novels I still wanted to read it. I'm always telling everyone that I love reading new types of genres except non-fiction which I really don't like reading so I'm going to read this novel even though I've never read a Jane Austen book either. The novel starts in England in the year 1813 and the romantic woes at home send Ariana Forsythe to her wealthy Aunt Bentley’s townhouse in fashionable Mayfair, London. Ariana and her family are very religious so Ariana felt that it was her destiny to marry a man of God. Even though the man of God she wants to marry is almost 30 years older than her and isn't the man her mother wants her to marry at all.
She's been sent to London for her own good and under her aunt’s calculating eye, Ariana is thrust into the high society she doesn't understand fully and a worse intrigue than that which prompted her flight from home has happened. Then a scandalous rumor involving her with London’s current darling rogue, the handsome, Mr. Phillip Mornay, is launched on society in a malicious act of meanness by a Lady of society that changes Ariana’s life forever. Her faith, her future, and her heart are all at stake as she strives to clear her name and resist Phillip Mornay, the man who does not share her faith as deeply as her. Will Ariana’s beliefs survive? I think it will though she will definitely be suffering a bit because of what she is feeling for Phillip. And what about her heart? She has developed deep feelings for Phillip since she met him and that is conflicting with her religious belief that she can only love and marry a man as deeply religious as her.
For her belief is the part of her which most threatens to betray the truths she has always believed in and when she finds herself backed against a wall, betrothed to the supposedly wrong man, how will it ever turn out right? That is a question that had me wondering as I was reading this novel which at first I felt started out kind of slow but really picked up for me after chapter two. From the country village of Chesterton, where Ariana was born and raised, to the ballroom of the Prince Regent’s London palace, where she begins to fall in love with Phillip Mornay. Before the Season Ends will take you to Regency England where you’ll find a world so elegant and comfortable, you’ll want to stay for a long, long time. I'm not that religious so I really could relate more to Phillip's character than Ariana because his family is Christian but he's not the deep faith religious like Ariana.
Though I can't particularly relate to Ariana's character much I really loved her in this novel and I can understand a bit her dilemma with trying to do what felt right and would be the right thing for her to do. Phillip is a wonderful character that I think really is good for Ariana because they are complete opposites but find a way to make their romantic relationship work. There were some secondary characters in this novel that I also enjoyed very much reading about such as Ariana's aunt and her aunt's gentleman friend who really spiced things up. After finishing this novel I will say that though I'm not sure I will start reading more Christian romance but I will be reading more of Linore Rose Burkard's Christian romance. I'm very much looking forward to the sequel to Before the Season Ends that is called The House in Grosvenor Square, which comes out in April 2009. I can't wait for April to get here so I can read more about Ariana and Phillip's love lives after the wonderful ending of the first novel.”
