Book Summary: That's the firm opinion of not-so-meek minister's daughter Lavinia Ellison. So even though all the other villagers of St. Hampton Heath are swooning over the newly returned seventh Earl of Hawkesbury, she is not impressed. If a man won't take his responsibilities seriously and help those who are supposed to be able to depend on him, he deserves no respect from her. In Lavinia's pretty, gray eyes, Nicholas Stamford is just as arrogant and reckless as his brother--who stole the most important person in Livvie's world.
Nicholas is weighed down by his own guilt and responsibility, by the pain his careless brother caused, and by the legacy of war he's just left. This quick visit home to St. Hampton Heath will be just long enough to ease a small part of that burden. Asking him to bother with the lives of the villagers when there's already a bailiff on the job is simply too much to expect.
That is, until the hoydenish, intelligent, and very opinionated Miss Ellison challenges him to see past his pain and pride. With her angelic voice in his head, he may even be beginning to care. But his isn't the only heart that needs to change.
These two lonely hearts may each have something the other needs. But with society's opposition, ancestral obligations, and a shocking family secret, there may be too many obstacles in their way.
My thoughts...My first impression was of the cover, which I thought was beautiful. The combination of the title and the cover art made this book very appealing. This is the first book I've read by Carolyn Miller, so I wasn't sure what to expect from her writing. This book follows a similar storyline with a lot of Christian fiction I've read lately, which is similar to a Pride and Prejudice-type plot. Every author approaches this familiar storyline in a different way, and these are my impressions of Carolyn Miller's:
Lavinia (Livvie) Ellison is the outspoken female heroine, not one to follow or care about all the typical rules of society, and yet she's very compassionate towards the people of the area. She tends the sick and takes food to the unfortunate. She also holds the Earl of Hawkesbury responsible for taking care of the people that have been neglected. The Earl initially comes across as a little haughty, but deep down he has a heart that seeks to do what is right. There was definite growth in the story for both characters, as they see areas of pride and a need to surrender every aspect of their lives to God. There is a strong spiritual element as the way to become a Christian is presented as well as spiritual growth among the characters. The pace is moderate, with some mild plot twists and conflict resolution. There is a very clean romantic element that builds throughout the story. All of these parts come together to create a well thought out story.
For my personal taste, the pace of the novel was a little slow. I struggled to get the "tingles" while Livvie and Nicholas interacted. While I know that they displayed the proper etiquette for ladies and gentlemen of that era, I wanted to get into the heads of the characters a little more about how they felt about each other...understand their chemistry. Several times in the story, Livvie is complemented on her wit...but I had trouble connecting with that, too.
While I had my issues, if you like a proper English novel with the elements I mentioned above, you'll like this novel.
**I received a free copy of this novel and appreciate the opportunity to give an honest review, which I did.**
Lavinia (Livvie) Ellison is the outspoken female heroine, not one to follow or care about all the typical rules of society, and yet she's very compassionate towards the people of the area. She tends the sick and takes food to the unfortunate. She also holds the Earl of Hawkesbury responsible for taking care of the people that have been neglected. The Earl initially comes across as a little haughty, but deep down he has a heart that seeks to do what is right. There was definite growth in the story for both characters, as they see areas of pride and a need to surrender every aspect of their lives to God. There is a strong spiritual element as the way to become a Christian is presented as well as spiritual growth among the characters. The pace is moderate, with some mild plot twists and conflict resolution. There is a very clean romantic element that builds throughout the story. All of these parts come together to create a well thought out story.
For my personal taste, the pace of the novel was a little slow. I struggled to get the "tingles" while Livvie and Nicholas interacted. While I know that they displayed the proper etiquette for ladies and gentlemen of that era, I wanted to get into the heads of the characters a little more about how they felt about each other...understand their chemistry. Several times in the story, Livvie is complemented on her wit...but I had trouble connecting with that, too.
While I had my issues, if you like a proper English novel with the elements I mentioned above, you'll like this novel.
**I received a free copy of this novel and appreciate the opportunity to give an honest review, which I did.**
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