Welcome to the House of Catesby, a Sweet & Clean Regency Romance Series by bestselling author Sunny Brooks!Try though as she may, Lady Sophia Catesby cannot ignore the attraction she feels toward the young, gentlemanly gardener that her brother has just hired to tend their estate. But tending the garden is the only place where Sophia feels at home in the world, leading to quite the dilemma. … leading to quite the dilemma. She can’t hide from the gardener forever!
What’s more, he doesn’t seem to know his place, looking her in the eye and speaking to her like an equal. Perhaps there are some secrets that the handsome David Hutton, is not telling her…or anyone.
While Sophia tries to distract herself by helping plan her sister’s wedding, fate has other plans.
Something is amiss, there’s no doubt. But will unraveling the mysterious gardener’s his past be a threat to Lady Sophia’s future, or the key to her happiness?
AUTHOR’S NOTE: This is a stand-alone story with a HEA ending! It is a clean historical regency romance novel with no offensive language.
This is the 4th book in the House of Catesby Historical Regency Series, which follows the lives of each member of the Catesby family. Each book is completely standalone and they can be read in any order, though some may find it more fun and rewarding to follow along in the original order.
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Historical British Romance
This era is not my cup of tea. The story is good and is in keeping with the norms of that era. After much angst, the story ends well. I read this story as part of an ARC book called Anytime Escapes which I received for free from Booksprouts and this is my honest review.
Individual review is in this collection’s review.
Anytime Escapes – This is a collection of eight stories, which six have been previous published, by four authors. The books with the unknown authors are the unpublished, at least I could not find them on Amz:US or GoodReads. Mays is the only author I have read previously, the others are new to me. Some have an overview, which I appreciate knowing what a story is about before I read it. I contacted Ms. Mays to review her books and received this one through Booksprout.
Sophie Mays, The Vacation Cottages – I’ve read several of Ms. Mays’ book and this just became my favorite. If you enjoyed the movie The Holiday, you’ll like this sweet, simple, quick to read, feel good story. Told in a lackadaisical style from both her and his views, of their adventures and discoveries for the three weeks during their house swap. The story is bright and shiny, with some really nice characters that bring the home feeling in both locations. Of course, there’s a not so nice person that is necessary, but she’s not evil on wheels, just selfish. I like there is never any stupid formulas being followed, just real people with real dialog set in a realistic world 4*
Unknown, Deceived By A Billionaire – This is my first read by this author and I could not get into it. I found the writing style amateurish and the storyline not to my taste. Newly wedded and he’s cheating on her and handles all the money, so she asks a report to investigate him because he, unlike a PI, doesn’t cost anything. 2*
Unknown, Riverside Ranch & Spa – I did not read this since I’m not sure if Unknown is the same author of Deceived By….
Rory Allison, Diamonds and Dirt – This is my first read by this author and I am surprised at how good the storylines and the characters are in this romantic suspense. Written in a casual conversational style, the story reads easily at a good pace. The characters are good and very likeable; Dorothy is my favorite – you’ll understand when you read this book. There’s a good mystery that changes many lives and of course, there’s a second chance at romance for him; she was clueless the first time. There’s a second book that continues the plans made by everyone, which may be just as interesting as this book. There is no cliffhanger ending. 4*
Stella Villeneuve, Killer Décor – This is my first read by this author and I did not finish the story. The simplistic writing style, the incorrect word usage and the dialog did not work for me. 2*
Sophie Mays, For Love . . . and Donuts #1 – I read the second book of this series first and I enjoyed this one more. The well thought out storylines just felt similar to slipping on a pair of comfy, cozy slippers and sharing a cup of tea. I liked the characters; they were so realistic and human, and worked so well together: Virginia , Tristan and Sam were perfect. Of course, the story needed Jason for to all end well. I found the cottage and the island to be important characters in their own right. This fast flowing, easy to read story was entertaining and enjoyable. I loved that the author gave enough details without doing the daily, boring grind some authors do; writing about every unimportant detail instead of letting time past and writing about the important parts. An enjoyable, clean, happy read. 4*
Sunny Brooks, A Simple Heart’s Journey Home – This is my first read by this author and I was not interested in continuing after a few pages. The character did not interest me nor the writing style and the lack of basic English rules; the lowercase usage of nouns that should be uppercase. 2*
Sunny Brooks, Lady Sophia and the Proper Gardener #4 – Although I could not get interested in A Simple Heart’s Journey Home, I found this book also uninteresting. Along with the writing style, I do not care for the lack of basic English rules; the lowercase usage of nouns that should be uppercase. 2*
I really liked Sophia and David’s story. Another great addition to the Gatesby family series. Sunny Brooks is a talented writer who brings her characters to life with interesting storytelling. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and ma voluntarily leaning a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Sunny Brooks writes a delightful tale of hidden identities and attractions. While the twists and turns aren’t hidden from the reader they are fun to traverse. Read and enjoy!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This book has an engaging plot the characters all take you along will keep reading till the finale.knocked out of the ball park that I truly enjoyed
I have read all the other books in this series, and it was great to return to the Catesby family. This story is a unique take on the old arranged marriage theme. David is hiding from his over-bearing mother and her plans for him when he takes the position of gardener for the Catesby family. Attraction grows between he and the Lady Sophia, but his secrets and lies may destroy any hope of happiness for them. Lovely, medium angst story with a great heroine and a man who learns to stand up for what is important to him.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
She is more happy in the gardens than anywhere else so she is shocked when he appears. She finds herself drawn to him but she should not do it. There is something about him. What is he hiding? Will she end up getting hurt? Will he be the one for her? See what will happen
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This book was sooo wonderful! I have loved reading about the Catesby siblings and this book has not disappointed. It was an absolute pleasure to read. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book in exchange for a free copy.
This is a story of secrets and lies.This is a clean well written story and I highly recommend reading this book. It has heartbreak and drama. Lady Sophia wants to marry the gardener. Will her family approve?
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Lady Sophia and the Proper Gardener by Sunny Brooks is a sweet forbidden romance about two young hearts drawn together despite the perceived complexities of status, responsibility, and respectability. It’s a perfect storyline for a nice, cozy read to relax with on the weekend. The only problem is how the author executed it.
The story begins with the main characters already haven met and, regrettably, instalove. For some readers and some stories, instalove is…okay. But it doesn’t work here. Not only does it take away the experience of watching the progression of the falling into love, but also the instalove might not be love at all. While I can’t say the exact reasons without spoiling the book for people (I’d feel awful to ruin it for someone), the Lady Sophia is self-professedly depressed, lonely, and, quite possibly, mentally unstable. It seems plausible that what she thinks is love could be her desperation for someone to fill her loneliness. A lot of the main characters’ interactions gave the impression of this and had me questioning it the whole time.
Then there was her brother, Francis. The studious brother who must run the estate after the tragic loss of their father seems like a character that would prove interesting to the story. Unfortunately, not at all. Francis seems to notice his sister and her emotions without being around her like an attentive brother and guardian, but when they are right in front of him he is completely clueless. After the many times he missed the signs something is going on with his sister, I had only one word to describe him. Dense. I could understand if he wasn’t as perceptive if he were too preoccupied, as was implied, and laughed at the, “what’s going on” moments. But, while it said he is busy, it never showed it. In their interactions, his full attention was on the person speaking. There is no reason he should’ve missed the signs, especially the letter incident (when you read it, you’ll get it).
While there are many flaws, there are many virtues. The setting was quite beautiful, vivid, and memorable. The Gardener’s mysteriously handsome aura adds substance and variety to the storyline. The ending to the sweetly flawed tale is the only saving grace. It is quite fitting to all the characters involved and put a warmth in my chest that made it worthwhile braving a story that, though with potential, could have been written better. This is why I rated Sophia and the Proper Gardener three stars. I would tentatively recommend this title.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
The fourth book in the House of Catesby series. Lady Sophia Catesby and Lord David Armstrong/David Hutton’s story kept me turning pages I had to know what was going to happen. A well-written story that kept my interest throughout. received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
The story of David and Sophia starts with an overbearing mother and a conniving woman who makes David make a difficult decision. Sophia is a lady of noble birth and David is the gardener at the estate. This story takes many twists but they are ones you will enjoy reading.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Another awesome read love the Catesby family. The way the characters continue from one book to the next is something I really like in a series.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Lady Sophia and the Proper Gardener is a great read. intriguing,sweet and interesting story. great storyline,with interesting characters,great addition to the series,well done!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I found this book to be a very enjoyable and entertaining read with the good storyline and well detailed characters which kept me totally enthralled until the turn of the very last page!