A poor village orphan. An unexpected fortune. Can she overcome her humble beginnings to find true love?Regency London. Lavinia Talridge is heartbroken. After the premature death of her mother, young Lavinia is left destitute, with no money and no family. Until, in a twist of fate, she discovers that she is wealthy. Before she can believe her new life of privilege is true, Lavinia has an arranged … is true, Lavinia has an arranged marriage to a handsome gentleman and a chance at love.
But when the Viscount’s son acts coldly towards her, Lavinia assumes her lower-class background is to blame. Afraid to go through with the potentially joyless marriage, can the young woman find a lifetime worth of love?
A classical Regency Romance with a dash of suspense. If you like authentic women, romantic moments, and surprising fortunes, then you’ll love this delightful love story.
Clean Regency Romance Novel. No Cliffhanger. Pages: 210
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I enjoyed this book a lot, the reason for four stars is because it was a little slow in the beginning. Her mother dies when Lavina is 13, leaving the already impoverished young girl with no home. The wealthy grandmother she didn’t know about swoops in and raises her in a luxurious setting. When she’s 18 her grandmother arranges a marriage for her to the Viscount second son, neither of which want this marriage.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Lavinia Dean is orphaned when she is 13 years old. She is surprised to discover that she has a paternal grandmother who is extremely wealthy and well-connected with the ton. Her grandmother welcomes her to her life and sets about to prepare her for her entry into society and eventual marriage. Unfortunately, her grandmother’s choice of a husband does not meet with Lavinia’s approval nor with the approval of the potential groom, Mr. Keeling, younger son of Viscount Wharton. Mr. Keeling makes Mr. Darcy seem like a friendly, warm, sociable gentleman.
The first half of the book follows the relationship (or lack thereof) between Lavinia and Mr. Keeling, and, frankly, the story moves slowly. The second half of the book moves at a more realistic tempo and the resulting pace made for a more enjoyable read.
The author obviously did a great deal of research on Regency manners and styles which made the story ring true. It took me awhile to get into the story, but I did enjoy reading it. I would probably recommend it to my diehard Regency romance friends, but not to someone just beginning to read the genre. I will almost certainly pick up the author’s previously published book.
A very touching read
The book is quite an enyoable read. The plot is unique and somehow heatwarming as well as an intriguing read. Even though with a slow start, it will definitely get your attention strung in the plot. Great world building here and the character development is perfect. This is a romantic and clean read.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I liked this story. Worth your time
This is dramatic and entertaining, and it’s full of twists. Lavinia is loyal, kind and stubborn. Mr. Keeling is bold, determined and brave. Mr. Fletcher is gentle and unassuming. After her mother dies Lavinia meets her paternal grandmother who comes to bring her to her house. When she turns 18 her grandmother tries to get her married. Her grandmother decides on the neighbor’s son, much to the displeasure of both Lavinia and Mr. Keeling. And on their wedding day he runs to join the army. She meets Mr. Fletcher in her village and quicky falls for him. Eventually she must pick one, but both are hiding secrets.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Booksprout. This is my honest and voluntary opinion of it.
Three and a half stars.
Lavinia has spent her thirteen first years of her life living with her mum in a poor part of the city. After her mother passing, her life changes … for the better? Well, in a sense it is for the better: she has enough money not to worry about it anymore. However, she is no longer free to do with her life as she wishes.
George is the second son of a Viscount. He is a soldier in his heart and wants nothing more than to go to war and defend his country. However, his father wants him to marry Lavinia.
Well, I have to say that the first part of the book is boring. It took me ages to get to the middle of the book. I hate George. I can understand that he is desperate, but that doesn’t give him the right to treat Lavinia so badly.
The second part of the book is much better, more interesting.
In my humble opinion, the book would have been better if the paragraphs had been shorter. A long paragraph gives you the sensation it would never end which makes the reading of the book denser and duller. It also needs some editing, mostly punctuation. There are commas in the middle of sentences, making no sense at all.
All in all, I enjoyed it, at least the second half of the book.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and I am voluntarily leaving a review.
Lavinia Dean and George Keeling’s story started out slow and then it got to be a book I was not putting down until I finished reading. This is the first book by this Author that I have read but I will be looking for more by her. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Lavinia Dean’s mother died leaving her an orphan. The day after her funeral a grand coach stopped in front of her house and tall man in a tall hat got out and asked if she was Lavinia Dean and then told her little lady wish to speak with her. He assisted the lady out of the coach she followed Lavinia into the cottage and informed Lavinia that she was her grandmother. Her grandmother Mrs. Henrietta Talridge informed her that her father was her son and he had died he could marry her mother. Lavinia left with her grandmother, she was 14 and her grandmother got her governess and educated her when she was 18 her grandmother set it up for her to meet Mr. George Keeling the son of the Viscount of Wharton Lavinia did not care for him or his son because they did not take care of the village Cotes Cross he talked down to her and she considered him sneering at her. The question left is does she marry him or not? Want to know who she marries you have to read the book. It’s a very good book…
A Regency romance that highlights the mores of the day, the plot finds Lavinia orphaned and destitute. Just when she thinks she has no future, her grandmother swoops in and rescues her. Whilst this is a romance, I felt a certain amount of frustration as there was very little wooing and almost no romance. The story rather revolves around the lifestyle of the gentry in a country setting. Lavinia has very little say over her future and when presented with Mr Keeling as her future husband, she is humiliated by his actions. George Keeling has also been pushed into a marriage he doesn’t want when he would rather go to war and fight against the French. Behaving abominably, he disappears only to return some time later as a decorated soldier. Having come from humble beginnings, Lavinia initially is willing to be guided, but when disappointments leave their mark on her, she at times becomes waspish in her responses. However, who could blame her when her life is being organised for her? Major Keeling’s reappearance in her life raises the ire of the Talridge household, and he has his work cut out for him to win their trust. The story is sweet and clean with romance finally emerging in the last chapter. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This was a wonderful, sweet, clean story. It had me guessing exactly who Lavinia would end up married to until near the end. I loved the mysteryinvolved as well. I would love to see a story about Charlotte and Captain Sutherland. I look forward to reading more by this wonderful author.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Stick with it, it gets good. It takes awhile in the beginning for the book to really “get going”, but once it does it is really enjoyable. I do with the author had made the male lead more likable in the beginning. He seems to have absolutely no redeeming qualities, and we don’t see the motivation for behavior that is ungentlemanly, until much later. Eventually, after some growing up and self-realization, the characters come together again in a much better way.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I am conflicted about the lead female character Lavinia Dean Talridge. In the beginning of the book, she is not taken seriously by her grandmother and companion. Her feelings and observations are disregarded by them. I truly feel bad for Lavinia. Her grandmother arranges Lavinia’s marriage to the second son of a Viscount, Mr. George Keeling. George behaves abominable to Lavinia and stands her up on their wedding day. Years later Lavinia fortune is changed again and it leads them to a season in London. While there, she runs into George who is now Major Keeling. George is not the only one who has changed, Lavinia now has the attitude of superiority she disdained by others. She looks down upon Major Keeling when he wants to make amends. It seems that Lavinia’s personality goes from one extreme to another. It seems she only wants to take her own counsel and will consider no other. I honestly don’t know what to think about her. At first, I empathize with her. Later in the story, I consider maybe I was mistaken in my assessment of her and perhaps she has become spoiled and jaded. Thank goodness, eventually I see her thinking clearly for once and she finally redeems herself in my eyes. I thought the ending was a little too abrupt and it deserved an epilogue. The overall story of a girl picked from poverty and obscurity, brought under the protection of a wealthy gentlewoman who turns out to be the mother of a father she never knew, is a wonderful story. As Lavinia grows and now considered to be of marriageable age she longs for true love. It certainly is an interest story.
I loved our heroine. Our hero had a lot to learn before he was worthy of marrying Lavinia. I couldn’t believe how rude and disrespectful he was towards her. They could have stopped the Viscount from forcing the marriage, if they just talked out things before the wedding fiasco. I know war changes a man and this was a good thing for George, because it made him a better person. I thoroughly enjoyed this story
Lavinia is 13 when her mother dies leaving her with no family she knows of and burdened with the question of how she will survive. After the village arranged for the funeral she returns home to try and sort things over, a knock startles her upon answering the door a well- dressed man inquires if she is Lavinia Dean, my mistress wishes to speak with you, looking beyond him she sees a fancy carriage with four matching horses and she tells him she is Lavinia and welcomes the lady into her hovel of a home. The woman quickly tells her that she is Lavinia’s grandmother come to take her home, explaining that her only
son, was Lavinia’s father who died before marrying her mother. Having nowhere else to go she quickly gathers her few things and goes with her grandmother.
Next, we see Lavinia grown and meeting a Mr. Keeling her grandmother wants them to marry as does his father the two young people are not so sure but the elders must be followed, on the day of the wedding Lavinia finds her soon to be groom has run away. Shame and confusion follow this but after two years pass she finds happiness with the new vicar hoping he will ask her to marry before this can occur she finds herself off to London for a season owing to the fact she is to inherit all her grandmothers wealth and property, she now has a chance to marry much higher in the ton, while in London she meets Mr. Keeling begging her forgiveness and pledging to prove he is a changed man, he will let her know if any of her suitors are worthy of her or just wanted her money.. The end of the season finds her home again still single she looks forward to seeing the vicar again hoping he will see her as more than a friend. The rest you need to read for yourself, starts slow but gets moving and is a good read.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Lavinia’s mother had a raging fever as she moaned on a pallet by the fire in the cold room. Others had already died from whatever this illness was, and young Lavinia had no idea how to help her mother. Eventually, her mother just stopped breathing. Lavinia mourned her death, even as the fire went cold and she shivered. A kind neighbor found her the next day and the vicar and his wife took her in while he tried to find her family. Then she went back to her cold cottage and tried to figure out what kind of work she could do to support herself.
No one is more surprised than Lavinia when a wealthy woman, telling her she is her grandmother on her father’s side, shows up to take her home and raise her as a Lady. When she has grown up, her grandmother arranges a marriage for her to the second son of a Viscount. This would make sure she was taken care of properly and not be left alone again. However, her betrothed runs away before the marriage with no thought of the shame it would cause her or the damage to her reputation with the strict Society rules.
Lavinia meets someone else eventually, Mr. Fletcher, who replaced the vicar who had always been kind to her. She has hopes of perhaps marrying him someday. But first she has a Season in London where she may marry to a higher station now that she is in line to inherit from her grandmother. To her surprise, she finds her former runaway groom, George Keeling, now granted a knighthood, who wants her forgiveness and another chance with her. He had used a small allowance from his father to invest in a tea export business and felt his fortune was secure. Will she accept him and give him what he requests? Is he only after her wealth? Will she instead choose the vicar? Or can George and Lavinia reclaim the trust, love, and happiness that they had once lost?
I enjoyed this book and felt that the story line was good. I liked the characters and seeing the choices they made for themselves and their willingness to work hard to achieve what they needed for their survival. I definitely look forward to more books from this author!
Audrey Ashwood has started this series off with a bang. I’m sure Lavinia felt a little like the mouse in a cat and mouse game. Her grandmother has the best of intentions, just not the facts and feelings. I really wondered how this one would end and admit there was a bit of a surprise. George Keeling felt he had a more urgent calling than being a husband, but his words fell on deaf ears. Thankfully for the most part arranged marriages are out of fashion. This is an excellent story.
This is a beautiful clean and wholesome regency romance. This is a wonderful enemies/friends to lovers. I absolutely love Lavinia and George’s story. Their story is beautifully written. Marian Hussey did an amazing job with the narration. I enjoyed listening to this audiobook.
Lavinia is now 12 yrs old and has always been poor. It’s always been just her and her mother, a seamstress. Then her mother dies and out of nowhere a carriage appears carrying her wealthy Grandmother Mrs. Talridge. She takes young Lavinia and teachers her how to fit into society. She has a friend in Charlotte who is a a friend and employee of her grandmother. Then at 19 yrs old she is set to marry the second son of a Viscount Mr. Keeling. He leaves her on the day of the wedding. So now Lavinia has to make a comeback into society after that embarrassment. Will society accept her? And what of Mr. Keeling? This story is well worth the read and it’s a clean romance. I really enjoyed this happy ending story
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I really enjoyed this. It kept you guessing. A story of loss, personal growth and redemption. I received a complimentary audio and this review is voluntary.
Easy Read/Listen!
This is a clean Regency Romance. It reads easily and quickly, has an usual and sad beginning but then changes its course and lightens up.
I feel for the heroine because she seems to be a pawn in the marriage market and has some really unhappy moments to deal with, but she comes out on top in the end and there is a really lovely happily ever after.
I enjoyed this story and Marion Hussey does an interesting narration – all together, I am happy to recommend the ebook/audiobook.
I requested and listened to the audio version and my review above is given voluntarily and is unbiased.