When Charlotte's grandmother invites her to accompany her to Norfolk, Charlotte jumps at the chance to visit the sea and escape the fuss surrounding her sister's wedding preparations in London. Lord William Cheston, on the other hand, is most unhappy when his mother informs him that her old friend and a granddaughter are coming to stay. Not only is it lambing season, but he's also dealing with the mysterious loss of several sheep. The last thing he needs is a child underfoot. When Charlotte and William first meet, he does not realize that the lovely young lady is the granddaughter in question, and she assumes that the man dressed in work clothes in the barn is a servant. Soon afterward, however, Charlotte stumbles upon a clue to William's sheep's disappearance, and when her life is placed in jeopardy, William is forced to choose between saving his unwanted houseguest and catching the thief.
♡ LOVE OF MY HEART by Sarah M. Eden
Cordelia Wakefield has never lived anywhere but London and is not overly happy when her family is forced to retrench to a small estate near Teviotbrae, Scotland. An ill-fated game of battledore and shuttlecock brings her face-to-racquet with Sebastian, who runs the home farm at nearby Teviot Castle. What begins as a clash of personalities, expectations, and preferences, soon leads to a friendship neither had expected. As the magic of Teviotbrae weaves its spell, the possibility of something more than friendship begins to blossom. But what future is there for a lowly farmer and a London lady?
♡ MISS SMITH GOES TO WILTSHIRE by Rebecca Connolly
Martha Smith wants to marry for love, and will not be persuaded otherwise. She is highly sought after in Society for her beauty and status, but refuses to consider any suitor whose only claim is that his prospects meet with her mother's approval. Her widowed mother has had enough of Martha's romantic sensibilities, and is sending her to stay with unfortunate cousins in Wiltshire to show her that marrying for love is a risk that is too great. Benjamin Steele, Lord Hillier, is working on his new and dilapidated estate when he first catches sight of the striking Martha Smith. Becoming Lord Hillier has only brought him a house that needs significant repairs, tenant farms that had been abandoned, and only the money he'd already possessed. He wants meaning in his life, and he's more than willing to work for it. Though worlds apart in all else, on this point they can agree: a life of meaning would change everything.
Her Country Gentleman is the first book in the new Timeless Georgian Collection, and talk about starting a new series with a bang! Each story has a country gentleman as the hero, each has their own unique issues that they are contending with, and each is blindsided by a beautiful lady that steals their hearts, and turns their worlds upside-down.
Spring at Tribbley Hall by Sian Ann Bessey is a very cute story indeed, and a wonderful start to this collection. William and Charlotte are utterly charming together! Their chemistry is so sweet and refreshing! Their banter and good natures commingling with the mystery of who keeps stealing Lord Cheston’s sheep made this a speedy read, as I did not want to put it down, craving to see if I was correct in who the culprit was.
My favorite part of the novella was the scene in the kitchen in the wee hours where Charlotte and William share a poignant and tender moment. Talk about swoon!! That was at the moment I fell in love.
As far as the mystery surrounding the missing sheep, I actually guessed who the culprit was, but I had no idea just how malicious this seemingly innocent man could be! The suspense that was built in such a short amount of time was admirable, especially for a novella, and the writing was entrancing, absorbing me into a world I can only visit in my dreams.
The second book in the collection is Love of my Heart by Sarah M. Eden, which has a Scottish brogue at the helm, a gentleman that stole my heart right along with a certain British lady. The energy of these two was magnetic and their love was one you couldn’t help but champion for. Out of the three novellas this one had my blood boiling the most with indignation at sweet Cordelia’s parents, and their unbounding selfishness, and the overall prejudice against Sebastian because he was part English. Yes, I did growl at multiple scenes, but that’s just the product of great writing.
Overall this is a very cute story. I appreciated the artistic addition as I felt it added so much color to the narrative (and yes, the pun is intended). Sebastian searching for his place, and also trying to grasp his true identity, while also developing a strong bond and friendship with Cordelia was the perfect balance, as they are so perfectly paired, as she too is trying to accept her unique circumstances.
The final novella is Miss Smith Goes to Wiltshire by Rebecca Connolly, which took me a few chapters to get into, but once I was in I was hooked until the very end, barely putting it down for even a moment.
Martha has such a good nature about her, not caring about status, and longing for love and not money, something that is out of character due to her status, which was refreshing for this regency reader. My favorite part of this story was the wonderful friendship between Martha and Cassie. They are both such good natured souls and are well suited for each other, and seeing their interactions were some of my favorite scenes.
Benj is a little charmer, and once the romance heats up he utters one of my favorite lines of all of regency: “Candlelight makes you a goddess, darling. Nothing less.” Swoon!!
Her Country Gentleman is such a wonderful beginning to the Timeless Georgian Collection, and is the perfect spring weekend read.
Sian Ann Bessey
Sian Ann Bessey was born in Cambridge, England, but grew up on the island of Anglesey off the coast of North Wales. She left her homeland to attend university in the U.S., where she earned a bachelor's degree in communications with a minor in English.
She began her writing career as a student, publishing several magazine articles while still in college. Since then she has published historical romance and romantic suspense novels, along with a variety of children's books. She is a USA Today best selling author and a Whitney Award finalist.
Although Sian doesn't have the opportunity to speak Welsh very often anymore, she can still wrap her tongue around, "Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch." She loves to travel and experience other cultures, but when she's home, her favorite activities are spending time with her family, cooking, and reading.
Sarah M. Eden
Sarah M. Eden is a USA Today Bestselling author of witty and charming historical romances, including Foreword Review’s 2013 “IndieFab Book of the Year” gold medal winner for Best Romance, Longing for Home, as well as 2014 Whitney Award winner for "Best Novel of the Year," Longing for Home: Hope Springs. Combining her obsession with history and affinity for tender love stories, Sarah loves crafting witty characters and heartfelt romances set against rich historical backdrops. She holds a Bachelor's degree in research and happily spends hours perusing the reference shelves of her local library. Sarah lives with her husband, kids, and mischievous dog in the shadow of a snow-capped mountain she has never attempted to ski.
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Rebecca Connolly
Rebecca Connolly writes romances, both period and contemporary, because she absolutely loves a good love story. She has been creating stories since childhood, and there are home videos to prove it! She started writing them down in elementary school and has never looked back. She currently lives in the Midwest, spends every spare moment away from her day job absorbed in her writing, and is a hot cocoa addict.
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