He’s failed before, but with her help, this time, he might just succeed. Henry Crawford has failed to secure the heart of a good woman before ─ and quite spectacularly so! There are few in town who have not heard of his scandalous affair. While his debacle might have proven great fodder for the gossips, it has left him with a shattered heart and a deep desire to change his ways. However, change … desire to change his ways.
However, change is never easy.
Old habits can die hard, and some friends may wish to see you say as you always were. Thankfully for Henry, there are others, such as Trefor Linton, who will wish to help and will offer his sister as a dance partner to help Henry ease his way into society.
While most girls her age dream of a rich and handsome husband, Constance Linton is looking for more. She wishes for an intelligent gentleman of good character who is not opposed to a bookish lady. But sifting through the dross in a ballroom in search of such a man is no easy task.
A gentleman with Henry’s reputation is not the sort of man for whom Constance seeks, yet she is not opposed to lending him her aid in achieving his desires.
What begins as a single dance will grow into a collaboration that will equip Henry with all he needs to win a woman of worth while entangling hearts and leaving not only his own heart and reputation but also that of his friend and tutor at risk of being irreparably damaged.
Henry: To Prove Himself Worthy is part of Leenie Brown’s Other Pens Collection of books that pick up the storytelling pen where Jane Austen put it down. If you like well-written stories of sweet redemption, then you will love this story of facing the challenges that reformation can bring and discovering the pleasure that only deep, abiding love can provide.
So, put the kettle on, grab your copy of Henry: To Prove Himself Worthy, and let this sweet romance inspire a hope that even the most reprobate heart can, with care and determination, be transformed into that of a worthy gentleman.
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Can a rake become a respectable gentleman with a proper lady’s help?
Mr. Henry Crawford had never been ashamed of being a rake, until he was. With a ruined reputation he will never find an acceptable bride, for no woman worth marrying would dare to speak to him. Then Miss Constance Linton, the very proper sister of his very proper friend, suggested a solution to his problem.
Constance and Henry’s delightful story is all about the characters. Indeed, there is a twist within this character-driven tale, but it is the witty dialogue and sensitive emotions that make this book so enjoyable. In addition to Leenie Brown’s writing skills, which shine within her relevant descriptions and period dialogue, Ms. Brown also did a fine job of moving each scene forward while still developing secondary characters.
All in all this is a thoroughly enjoyable book that is also very sweet and clean.
This book is suitable for any age reader.
It took me a long time to start this book as Mansfield Park, and Henry Crawford in particular are not my favorites. I finally started it because every Leenie Brown book I’ve read has been good. This was no exception. In fact the story was, even better than some of those i have previously read. I definitely recommend it.
This book was the first Mansfield Park sequel I have read and I really enjoyed how Leenie Brown explored Henry Crawford as a character and went about reforming him. This was such a fun story and I enjoyed all the characters in this story. I look forward to reading the next book in this series about Henry’s friend Charles Edwards as well as seeing who else Leenie Brown winds up writing about in this series.
“Rakes make good husbands. Especially when they fall in love.” –Jess Michaels, Something Reckless
It is suggested that the reader should have a working knowledge of Jane Austen’s classic Mansfield Park before reading this story. However, it is possible to read this as a standalone without having read the canon story. Leenie Brown gives enough information to lead the reader to a basic understanding of the character [or lack thereof] of Henry and Mary Crawford to get through this story.
I will admit… I didn’t want to read a story about Henry Crawford. I am Team Fanny one hundred percent and I didn’t appreciate Henry Crawford or Mary, that sister of his, one bit. However, our author posted an excerpt from this story on her website and, I am ashamed to admit, I was hooked. Although, I did wait before reading it. When Leenie Brown announced the launch of her next story in the ‘Other Pens Series,’ I knew I needed to read this story first. Brown had teased her followers and finally revealed who would be featured in the next book. Since he was introduced in this first story I knew I needed to pay particular attention to him so I could enjoy his story later. As it turns out… I was intrigued by him and really wanted to read about his adventure as Brown gave him his HEA. But, let’s deal with Henry first. ***Rating: clean*** [4.5-stars rounded to 5-stars]
“Emotional intelligence is your ability to recognize and understand emotions in yourself and others, and your ability to use this awareness to manage your behavior and relationships.” –Travis Bradberry
Henry’s reputation was set at naught. In the canon story… Henry and his sister Mary visited Dr. and Mrs. Grant, their sister and her husband, at the parsonage at Mansfield Park. They were then introduced to the neighbors at the manor… town meets country and the clash was devastating to both parties. Henry and Mary brought scandal to themselves as well as to the Bertram family. Henry paid on more than one level and his very name would cause matchmaking mamas and chaperones of the ton to pull their marriageable daughters and charges to the side when he attended an event.
“As many an architect will tell you, human behavior changes according to the environment.” –Peter Gabriel
If Henry Crawford was going to change, he needed to remove himself from the circle of friends and acquaintances that he had been running with. Unfortunately, that included his sister Mary. She was not willing to lose Henry’s company that easily. Thus, began the war between the siblings.
Mary Crawford: “Behavior is the mirror in which everyone shows their image.” –Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Mary was all about image… how she looked, acted, what she wore, where to be seen and with whom. As stated in canon… having someone like Henry around…. blah, blah, blah. It was all about appearances. It didn’t matter to her that Henry had responsibilities or something that he needed to attend to. She was attending a party at Mrs. Rushworth’s and she needed Henry to escort her. Besides, what could it hurt? Right? In this story… Mary had not changed one bit. In fact, we saw Henry’s POV of her behavior and actions. It was revealing as he saw his sister for the first time… as she truly was.
“Human behavior flows from three main sources: desire, emotion, and knowledge.” –Plato
Henry knew he needed to change and turned to his true friends for help. Who could direct him best on the proper way to behave that was acceptable in good society? How was he to change if he didn’t know what he was doing wrong? Enter his best friend and his best friend’s sister. Oh, this was fun watching Henry crash and burn as she put him through him through his paces toward redemption.
Gossip and the ton: “Truth is irrelevant. What is relevant is whether or not they believe it.” –Sarah MacLean, A Rogue by Any Other Name
What damage an article in the paper can wield… true or no. I felt for Henry when he realized a scandal sheet had reported a scandalous rendezvous in the garden of the party he had attended the night before. What made it so bad was it had listed his initials with those of a married woman known for her philandering behavior. Damage control.
Did I change my feelings about Henry Crawford? Well… I needed some reassurances that he had truly changed. There were acknowledgments that I needed him to make. I had several questions that I needed our author to satisfy. Did he really understand what he did wrong at Mansfield? In his regretting Fanny… did he finally understand that he never had a chance with her? I wanted to hate him for all eternity, but I think Leenie Brown more than answered my questions and gave me the assurances that I needed. I saw a changed man. I saw him acknowledge his faults and deconstruct his visit at Mansfield and own up to his culpability and his part in the Bertram/Rushworth maelstrom. He was now on the path to a new life and able to really fall in love. Yes, I changed my feelings about Henry Crawford.
I won this from a give-a-way on the author’s website [6-4-18].