by Jenna Brandt
To follow the heart or the head—torn between two men—which future will Lady Margaret choose? Profoundly romantic and superbly riveting, The English Proposal explores the conflict between fulfilling duties and satiating desires.
The English Proposal (Book 1). Sheltered on her family’s country estate, Lady Margaret, the daughter of an English Earl, is betrothed due to a family promise. Although Henry, the Viscount Rolantry, has been her best friend since childhood and she is expected to marry him, she never felt butterflies until she meets the Duke of Witherton. Against her father’s wishes, Margaret finds herself captivated by the forbidden duke. Caught between family loyalty and her own wishes, Margaret searches for a way to satisfy both her responsibilities and her longings. When tragedy strikes, Margaret finds herself seeking answers at church. But when she finally makes her choice, through her newfound faith, will she be able to live with the repercussions of her decision?
Window to the Heart Saga: a recountal of the epic journey of Lady Margaret, a young English noblewoman, who through many trials, obstacles, and tragedies, discovers her own inner strength, the sustaining force of faith in God, and the power of family and friends. In this three-part series, experience new places and cultures as the heroine travels from England to France and completes her adventures in America. The series has compelling themes of love, loss, faith and hope with a exceptionally gratifying conclusion.
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I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. Jenna Brandt has created such a beautiful story. From the very beginning of the book, I was drawn into the story. Margaret constantly finds herself in predicaments. She does not want to confine herself to the rules of society, and this consistently gets her into trouble. While some of her antics made me grin other parts of her story had me crying. Through it all Margaret learns to trust God and fully rely on Him. Just like Margaret, so many times we try to do things without God and we only mess up and feel empty. As Margaret learns to put her faith God, we too must realize that our lives would be a lot better with God in them. There are also many twists and turns in this book that kept me guessing as to what would happen next. I must say that I never would have predicated what happened at the end of the book. I could not put this book down, and I guarantee that you will not be able to either.
Parental Warning: There are some scenes between the married couple that may not be appropriate for young readers.
I received a complimentary e-book copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.
I have been an avid reader since I could hold a book and started writing stories almost as early. I have been published in several newspapers as well as edited for multiple papers. I graduated with my Bachelor of Arts in English from Bethany College and was the Editor-in-Chief of my college newspaper. I'm an on-going contributor for The Mighty Website and my first Blog was published on Yahoo Parenting and The Grief Toolbox as well as featured on the ABC News and Good Morning America websites.
Writing is my passion but I also enjoy cooking, watching movies, reading, engaging in social media and spending time with my three young daughters and husband where we live in the Central Valley of California. I am also active in my local church where I volunteer on their first impressions team as well as write features for the church’s creative team.
- When did you first realize that you wanted to be a writer? When I first started reading and once I could write, I began writing short stories. I was about eight when I wrote my first one. A lot of them were sequels to movies. I always wanted to know what would happen next, so I started writing about it. I still have a couple in boxes somewhere.
- What do you think is the hardest part about writing? Pushing past writer’s block. I had someone ask me recently what to do because they were stuck in the middle of the book they were writing. I told her, “You just write. It doesn’t matter if it’s great. That’s what revisions are for and you can revise as many times as you need or want. The key is to just put pen to paper and push through the writer’s block.”
- What is your usual writing routine? Do you have a specific time of day or place that you like to write? I write while the kids are at school and when they are asleep at night. Also, anywhere else I can squeeze it in throughout the day.
- Can you tell us about the Window to the Heart Saga? The first three installments of the series center around a English noblewoman and it follows her life from when she is coming of age to when she is a wife and mother. She faces many obstacles and trials and the story shows how through God’s love and strong faith in the Lord, a person can overcome anything.
- How did you come up with the idea for this series? It started out as short story. I loved it the character, Margaret, so much, I decided to write a whole book around her, which later turned into a three-art series about her. I also have plans for book 4 and 5 in the series based off characters from the first three books. One will be set in Oregon and one will be set around Oxford University, which if you read the first three should hint as to whom the two books will be centered around.
- What is the main thing that you hope readers will remember from this series? That God’s love never leaves you and you are never alone. God is always with us and will help us through any hardships life may bring.
- What is your favorite thing or part about this series? Book 2 was always the weakest part of the series but I ended up changing some aspects of one of the main male characters and he has now become one of my favorite characters in the book. I love how each character is unique and special and how various readers loves certain ones and hates others and its never the same with each reader.
- Which of your characters would you like to spend the day with and what would you like to do? I would love to hang out with Margaret and Jackie. Margaret meets Jackie through a family friend in book 2 and she is scandalous and funny in all the right ways. There is never a dull moment around them. I would love to go to one of the balls with them.
- What writing projects are you working on right now? I am finishing formatting book 3, prepping all the books for print versions, and researching for books 4 & 5.
- Is there any particular book or author that has influenced you in any way? I love “Redeeming Love” by Francine Rivers. When I read her book, I realized I could write in my favorite genre while being a Christian. She is such a huge success and I would love to be able to have the kind or reach that she and her books have now.
- If you could have been the original author of any book, what would it be and why? I would have loved to been the original author of the C.S. Lewis Chronicles of Narnia series because they have touched so many lives, including mine, and they have stood the test of time.
- With so many books being turned into movies, have you ever thought about any of your books possibly becoming a movie someday? If so, which one(s) would you like to see become a movie and who would you cast as the stars? I was just asked this the other day, and until then, it had never crossed my mind. Probably would love for it to be like the Twilight or Hunger Games movies and have all three. I would love for Margaret to be played by Emma Stone (my favorite actress), Henry to be played by Liam Hemsworth, Richard by Chris Pine and Catherine by Dakota Fanning.
- What do you like to do when you are not writing? I enjoy cooking, reading, spending time with my family and being involved with my church.
- What advice do you wish someone would have given you when you first started writing? Along with that what advice would you give to aspiring authors? Make sure you have a street team ready for your launch. I have been scrambling to put one together. I would tell any aspiring author two things: hire an editor and find a mentor author.
- Is there anything else that you would like to share with us? I hope you enjoy my series. I truly enjoy entertaining readers while sharing about God’s love.
Thank you so much for answering my questions and for allowing me to read and review your series. I cannot wait to find out what else you have in store for us readers. Have A Wonderful Day!!!