“‘Turnips?'”
For Hudson, the newly titled Viscount Stildon, moving to England from India where he was born and raised was already an arduous enough endeavor. When he learns the fate of the racing empire he inherited along with his title depends upon him getting in the good graces of another stable owner, he’s even more at a loss.
The stable at the neighboring estate has been Miss Bianca Snowley’s refuge for years, and when a strange man appears to be stealing the horses, she jumps to their protection without a second thought. Upon learning Hudson is actually the new owner, she can’t help but be intrigued by the area’s newest eligible bachelor.
Any thought of romance is quickly set aside, however, when Hudson proposes they work together to secure suitable spouses for each other. As their friendship grows, Hudson and Bianca begin to reconsider what they truly want in life. But will societal expectations and the weight of their responsibilities keep them from pursuing their true desires?
“‘Everyone’s life has a committee. You need to decide whose on yours. And who isn’t.'”
My Thoughts
Okay, ya’ll – you know that scene in Sleepless in Seattle where Meg Ryan is driving down the road singing “Horses, horses, horses, horses?” That’s this book. So many horses, so little time!
Bianca is a firecracker; you can’t help but fall in love with her in the first five pages. (I don’t count the prologue.) More pages in, you sympathize with her struggles at home, then you admire her concern for Hudson’s misguided “love” interest. Kristi has a way of writing which pulls you into the category of “fictional characters that I wish were real and my friends.” Bianca falls into that category.
Hudson is…a man. He’s charmingly oblivious to the love of his life because he’s so set on his goals. Admittedly, it made me yell out loud at him a few times. The important part is he comes around in the end to give Bianca her happy beginning.
Kristi brings a surprising amount of depth to her secondary characters. In the end, you realize that everyone has good and bad sides and that even the characters that are aggravating you the whole book have good moments and their own pasts influencing who they are.
For Kristi’s Good Little Readers fandom: #mytrent and #teamaaron both make appearances. I love how Kristi has given us more insight into “I am illegitimate” Aaron as he becomes Hudson’s confident.
“”Lord Trent buys horse byproduct from a couple of the stables in the area…apparently that’s a required element for growing pineapples.’ ‘For Pineapples?…I’m never eating pineapple again.””
I encourage you to pick up a copy. Those of you who have read Kristi’s previous books, we also get to revisit characters (like Trent! and Aaron!) from her last two series: Hawthorne House and Haven Manor.
I was provided a copy by the publisher. I was not required to post a positive review. All opinions are honest and my own.
About the Author
Kristi is the RITA® award winning author of Regency romance novels from a Christian worldview. Her books include the award winning Hawthorne House series as well as the newly published first stories of the Haven Manor series. Beyond writing, she is also speaker, teaching classes in writing as well as Biblical and spiritual topics. She has spoken to writers’ groups, schools, and young women’s groups at churches. She lives with her husband and three children in Georgia. Find her online at www.kristiannhunter.com.
She also has a super fun FB group, so go join!
Hiding from the horrors of her past, Miss Martha Haskett is content living her days serving as a lady’s maid to her friend Eliza, the Marchioness of Lansdowne. But then her father, the new Earl of Waterford, shows up, with the shocking news that she is now a titled lady. Further turning her life upside down, he proposes a bargain. She will have a single Season in London, and if she does not marry by the end of the Season, she will be gifted with her dowry and a small estate. Despite her mistrust of her father, Martha accepts his offer, but can’t seem to let go of the anger that has been festering inside of her, or her discomfort with a position in Society where she feels she does not belong.
Laura Beers spent most of her childhood with a nose stuck in a book, dreaming of becoming an author. She attended Brigham Young University, eventually earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Construction Management. Many years later, and with loving encouragement from her family, Laura decided to start writing again. Besides being a full-time homemaker to her three kids, she loves waterskiing, hiking, and drinking Dr. Pepper. Currently, Laura Beers resides in South Carolina.
The women in this story make/have made mistakes and are trying to figure out how to move forward and do life in the culture of their time. Illegitimate children were a huge problem in the regency period with soaring numbers where women faced all the consequences, the the men mostly none. With the intensifying recent awareness of the #metoo movement, Kristi gives us a peak into the lives of women facing the same challenges in the early 1800’s. Add to it the Christian worldview without getting preachy or judgmental, framed in a genre that gets serious, but not overwhelming, I count it as a must read.
Kat's Corner Books 