After years of looking after one another, Susan Baxter and her mother view their neighbors in Totnes as family. When a new landlord inherits the leases on their homes and businesses alike, Susan dreads knowing her world could change at the whim of a stranger. But when she meets Collin Stonecroft and his inquisitive daughter, her feelings shift quickly from cautionary to hopeful. Collin has lived in the confines of London boarding houses all his life, and he’s determined to give his daughter more. They check into the Seventh Star Inn with plans to return to London as soon as possible, but both find Miss Baxter and her local history lessons far too enchanting to leave behind. When Susan learns of Collin’s proposed changes to her beloved neighborhood, will she be able to help him see that some things are perfect the way they are?
♡ THE TRUTH ABOUT MR. BLACKMORE by Annette Lyon
Leigh’s life at the Old Grey Inn is drudgery broken by flights of fancy thanks in part to novels by Simon Blackmore. When Mattias McGrady comes to the inn for a fortnight, Leigh captures his attention. A relationship develops, and she dreads the end of his stay, which will mean a return to an unhappy life. An urgent letter to Mattias leads to him inviting Leigh to an event that stands to change both of their lives forever. If all goes well, Leigh will have a life of her choosing after all. But half-truths and lies have a way of complicating matters. When their plans go awry, Leigh loses her reputation and Mattias almost surely loses his career. Can either of them find happiness?
♡ THE COACHMAN'S CHOICE by Deborah M. Hathaway
Ever-reliable Mary Thorne has helped her widowed mother run The Golden Mermaid Inn for years. She spends her days greeting guests, ensuring the inn runs smoothly—and dodging flirtatious remarks from passing coachmen. But she’s far too busy to pay any attention to such men, even the enticingly attractive Mr. Northcott. Known far and wide for his horsemanship, punctuality, and dallying reputation, Robert Northcott relishes his life as a coachman, especially his freedom to flirt with numerous women from inn to inn, all without the messy details of commitment. There’s just one woman who's immune to his charms: the lovely, single landlady of The Golden Mermaid. Robert is determined to win Mary over, just as heartily as she is determined to keep her distance from him. But his carefree life is threatened when his pursual of Mary becomes more than just a game...
The Inns of Devonshire is composed of three novellas that are set in three separate inns that exist throughout Devonshire, and that is where the commonalities cease.
The Seventh Star Inn by Sally Britton is a very cute story indeed, and a wonderful start to this collection. Susan is a woman with a heart of gold. Still grieving the death of her father, the vicar, a decade later, her and her mother stay resilient, and Sally has finally come to terms with the fact that she will most likely be a spinster for the rest of her life.
In comes Collin, the landlord, and his adorable daughter Beth to come and change Susan’s perspective, and give her hope. The moments with Susan, Collin, and Beth were some of my favorite scenes, the chemistry between the trio electric.
The Seventh Star Inn is a calming read, with very little drama, and a sweet and satisfying ending. Very enjoyable indeed!
The second book in the collection is The Truth About Mr. Blackmore by Annette Lyon, which was my favorite of the three.
As I read, I definitely felt some Cinderella and Ever After vibes, which is probably why I felt such a connection with this story.
The “zing” between Matthias and Leigh is immediately apparent, as each are struggling with identity and figuring out their paths. Both of their lives are run by others and, though each does not know how deep this struggle goes, they each feel an ally in the other.
I adored the author aspect, and the fact that Leigh is a fellow bookworm, and felt a kindred spirit in both main characters.
I appreciated the plot twist at the ball, and the angst and drama that ensued afterwards, but I am a sucker for a good happy ending, and this novel gave the perfect heartwarming ending that spoke to my bookworm soul.
I would’ve loved to have read Mathhias and Leigh’s story in a full novel, not ready to let these characters go when the story ended.
The final novella is The Coachman’s Choice by Deborah M. Hathaway, one of my favorite authors.
One thing I love about Deborah’s stories is the fact that the sea is always a silent character, ever present, speaking loudly without a word being spoken. In The Coachmen’s Choice this is no exception, since the setting is the Golden Mermaid Inn, which overlooks the sea. Mary cherishes her family inn, dreaming of one day running it herself, and her passion is apparent.
Robert is a vivacious coachman who shamelessly flirts and teases Mary, but it is something she secretly enjoys, and their banter is quite enjoyable to experience. Their volatile relationship opens each of their eyes to personal flaws, and that’s when things begin to change.
I adored the banter, the weekly meetings, and the fact that the characters were developed, despite the shortness of the story. Both Mary and Robert have hearts of gold, even if Robert’s takes some time to see, but I loved the two of them together. They most definitely complemented each other, and I loved their most satisfying ending.
The Inns of Devonshire is hands-down one of my favorites of the Timeless Regency Romance Collection, and is the perfect quick weekend, snuggle up under a blanket read, and one that I highly recommend.
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Sally Britton
Sally Britton is sixth generation Texan, received her BA in English from Brigham Young University, and reads voraciously. She started her writing journey at the tender age of fourteen on an electric typewriter, and she’s never looked back.
Sally lives in Oklahoma with her husband, four children, and their overly energetic Australian Shepherd. She loves researching, hiking, and eating too much chocolate.
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Annette Lyon
Annette Lyon is a USA Today Bestselling author. She's won a Whitney Award (2010) and is a 5-time recipient of Utah's Best of State medal for fiction. She's the author of more than a dozen novels, even more novellas, a cookbook, a grammar guide, and some 120+ articles. She's worked as a professional editor for publishers and bestselling authors and graduated cum laude from BYU with a degree in English. Annette is represented by Heather Karpas at ICM Partners.
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Deborah M. Hathaway
Deborah M. Hathaway graduated from Utah State University with a bachelor's degree in English and an emphasis in Creative Writing. As a young girl, she devoured Jane Austen's novels while watching and re-watching every adaptation of Pride & Prejudice she could, entirely captured by all things Regency and romance.
Throughout her life, she wrote many short stories, poems, and essays, but it was not until after her marriage that she was finally able to complete her first romance novel, attributing the completion to her courtship with, and love of, her charming, English husband.
Deborah finds her inspiration for her novels in her everyday experiences with her husband and children and during her travels to the United Kingdom, where she draws on the beauty of the country in such places as Ireland, Yorkshire, and her beloved Cornwall.
Be sure to sign up for Deborah's Newsletter to stay updated on new releases, free and discounted Clean Romance novels, and more!
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