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Jill Hughey

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Vain (The Evolution Series Book 3) Kindle Edition

by Jill Hughey (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.3 64 ratings

Book 3 of 5: The Evolution Series

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Lily had her life planned, neat and tidy as thread on a spindle, until her mother died and her father snipped at the seams of her future by abandoning Lily in their shop. A nobleman unexpectedly gives her hope when he brings fabric for a special garment. Lily survives on his first payment, and immerses herself in sewing and embroidering an incomparable tunic for him, as her tidy plan continues to unravel.

Theophilus, Lord of Ribeauville, takes his responsibility to his townspeople seriously and, therefore, does not dally with local women. Desire wars with duty when Lily glances up at him while adjusting the hem on his Easter tunic. As her deteriorating circumstances push them together, Theo and Lily learn that the path to his heart just might be through his wardrobe, though the exquisite outfit she creates is the only part of her that fits in his precarious aristocratic world.

Books in the Evolution Series
1. Unbidden
1.5 Second Love: A Short Historical Romance Story
2. Redeemed
3. Vain
4. little Witch: Historical Romance Novella
5. Love Like a River: Historical Romance Novella

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

The most interesting fact about Jill Hughey is that she can sing really, really high. As in opera-singer high. But she only does that when she is not writing, working part time as a business administrator, running her two teenaged sons around, and enjoying the support of her wonderful husband. Her ideal afternoon is spent sitting on her front porch with an iced coffee as she moves the characters in her head into her laptop. Happy reading!

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00BNETIG4
Publisher ‏ : ‎ (February 28, 2013)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ February 28, 2013
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 3958 KB
Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 286 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #2,599,865 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #5,583 in Medieval Historical Romance (Kindle Store)
- #8,472 in Medieval Historical Romance (Books)

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4.3 64 ratings

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The most interesting fact about Jill Hughey is that she can sing really, really high. As in opera-singer high. But she only does that when she is not writing, working part time as a business administrator, running her two teenaged sons around, and enjoying the support of her wonderful husband. Her ideal afternoon is spent sitting on her front porch with an iced coffee as she moves the characters in her head into her laptop. Happy reading!

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4.3 out of 5

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Mimicry

Vain, indeed!

Reviewed in the United States on March 13, 2013

Verified Purchase

It seems to me that the first review usually gives a synopsis, but that is not my style.

After getting the first book in The Evolution Series, Unbidden, for free when it was offered, I immediately bought, and loved, the next two. The entire series is excellent, but this is the best (however, much more enjoyable if you read the first book that laid the foundation for Theo's character.)
The characters were so rich and believable in this book, one of the best aspects of Jill Hughey's books. They struggle, they learn lessons, and of course are perfect for each other and fall in love.
This book made me laugh out loud several times. It lacks the violent aspects of the first two books but is oh so fitting for Theo, who while being a warrior is more of a politician and aristocrat. This book will also shock you. Theo can be a genuine bastard at times. It can also touch your heart, engage your sympathies and be uplifted.
The historical references are superb, the pacing wonderful, with perfect attention paid to foreshadowing, plot turns and human growth.
I love it! I have no idea how this author has remained independent, the publishing world is missing out on one of it's greatest diamonds.

2 people found this helpful

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AnaKa

Great Read

Reviewed in the United States on September 20, 2013

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I bought this book after reading Ms. Hughey's "Unbidden" which is currently free on Kindle. I really enjoyed this book because the characters were realistic and well-rounded. I have been getting bored with the historical romance category in general because the plots and characters are very one-dimensional and are starting to blend in with each other. This book felt different and fresh. The characters are not perfect, especially the hero, Theo, who was very mean to the heroine several times. I liked that Theo was so flawed without the annoying angst that I see in so many other romance heroes. Theo was able to analyze his actions and could realize when he was being an a$$ or immature. And he realistically chose to continue being an a$$ or attempt to redeem himself. Lily is your typical good-hearted and well-intentioned heroine. I felt terrible for her several times throughout the book. She is mistreated by almost all the men in her life including by Theo. Despite all her struggles, she remained strong. This book really sets itself apart by showing the progression of Theo and Lily's relationship over the course of several months (almost a year). This is rare in romance novels because the hero and heroine usually meet cute, bang then get married and live happily ever after.

I do have a few things that I feel could have been improved on. For one, I felt that the last third of the book was rushed. Theo goes from loathing his marriage with Lily to being in love fairly quickly. To me, it felt like it was with a snap of a finger. I would have liked to have seen more internal dialogue from Theo as to why he loved Lily other than she was his wife and it was his duty to be a good husband by loving her. I also wanted to see more internal dialogue from Lily about her reasons for falling in love with Theo. Honestly, Theo was not a very good husband for a good while. His mistreatment of her on several occasions caused me to question why she would even fall in love with him. I feel like both their reasonings for falling in love was not well-developed. The ending felt very rushed and I felt that there was no proper goodbye to the characters. I didn't get that happily ever after feeling I get with other novels because it felt so rushed to me. Where was the epilogue? Did they have any children? I guess I have to keep reading the series . . .

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Citlali T. Contreras Moreno

quite enjoyable!

Reviewed in the United States on September 18, 2014

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Jill Hughey wrote a very loveable heroine and a very real (if somewhat hardheaded!) hero in Lilly and Theo.

To be honest, I got a free copy from Amazon by looking for it, me being short in money and hungry for written stories. I probably would have passed it by to my loss otherwise. The story arc is good, the narrative is fluid and although I bashfully jumped over the erotica (there's not an abundance of it, to my relief... You can't fight a Catholic education of over 30 years just like that!) I think the story is worth reading

Lilly is alone and bereft, with only her skill with a needle and her mother's loom for comfort . Lord Theophillus is a just if somewhat too full of his own importance lord of Ribeauville who takes interest in the welfare of an inhabitant of his village, but who has no idea of the consequences the little skilled seamstress will have in his life!

Now excuse me as I go look for the rest of the books in the Evolution Series!

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jesk

Story line was very good.

Reviewed in the United States on September 16, 2013

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BUT I don't like "racy" stories. I don't like the explicit writing for hot scenes. Had I not enjoyed the characters and story line I would not have finished the book nor the series.

2 people found this helpful

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Kindle Customer

Great series. 4.5 stars overall

Reviewed in the United States on March 7, 2014

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I was so pleasantly surprised by this entire series and have enjoyed them all. Jill Hughey did a great job in setting the tone of the time and making the characters and the places come to life. I'd not read books based on that time period and actually got interested and looked into the history of the period. Yes, these are love stories at their center, which were compelling, but they all have a uniqueness that many series often lack. There was not a particular formula to the story lines, and I was interested in each story individually. Well done. I hope Jill Hughey chooses more aspects of history and love to share with us. Thanks!

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Laurel

Well written and engrossing tale

Reviewed in the United States on June 28, 2015

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This novel is the third in the Evolution series. Having read the second, but not the first, I can say that Jill Hughey is a very talented writer and the stories she creates are rich in details and bring you into their world in a very engrossing way. Her characters are flawed and take time in finding their way. I loved being able to come along on that journey and falling in love with such realistic and complex characters. The plot is not predictable and many times I was not sure what direction things would go. I was totally captivated the whole way through this novel. I loved how this story took me completely to another time and place. I was sorry to have it end but felt very satisfied by the conclusion. I hope to read more full length historical novels from this author in the future.

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