Brighton, England 1820
Amelia Moore is worried about her and her sister’s future. With their stepfather’s looming death, she knows they’ll soon be on their own—without an inheritance, home, or penny to their names. When an invitation arrives to join a house party at Lakeshire Park, Amelia is eager to encourage a match between her sister, Clara, and Sir Ronald. At least then, she’ll know her … know her sister will be taken care of.
Little does she know that another guest, Mr. Peter Wood, is after the same goal for his sister. Starting with a quarrel over a glove, Amelia and Peter begin a rivalry—one that Amelia has no choice but to win. But competing against Peter—and eventually playing by his rules—makes Amelia vulnerable to losing the only thing she has left to claim—her heart.
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Lakeshire Park is such a beautiful story of two people falling in love, and there are a number of really beautiful moments throughout the book.
Amelia Moore is a self sacrificing person whose heart is drawn to naturally put others first, especially her sister Clara. I think it is more about being naive but Clara comes off as selfish. There is no way she doesn’t know about Amelia and Peter spending time together yet she never asks Amelia about it and only cares about her own comfort.
As the story is told in first person we don’t know Peter Wood’s inner dialogue but I still feel like the reader is given a true connection to him. He thinks of himself as selfish but he puts his sister first as long as things are done in a fair way.
The first meeting between Peter and Amelia was a little strange to me. Peter clearly had the gloves first and Amelia was so put out for so long because he wouldn’t give them to her. Why did she deserve what he had first? And why was he crawling out from under the table?
I found the story very interesting and it moved along at the perfect pace. I also liked the characters and found them very realistic.
I would love a sequel with Georgiana and Pendleton and we could see a little of what Peter and Amelia are up to. I’m not ready to leave these characters.
Favorite quotes:
“You never know who you are hurting by denying kindness.”
“Before he died, he told me to remember that some things aren’t worth being angry over, but plenty of things are worth fighting for. It is a motto I try to live by.”
“I don’t mind the trouble. As long as I’m with you.”
Amelia Moore and her sister Clara are invited to a house party, and, desperate to be settled before their stepfather’s impending death, which will leave them with nothing and no one to care for them, Amelia will do whatever she can to help Clara get a proposal from Sir Ronald. Unfortunately, the exceedingly annoying Peter Wood’s sister Georgiana also wants to secure Sir Ronald’s affections and will do anything he can to thwart Clara’s and Amelia’s efforts. In order to give Clara the chance to spend time with Sir Ronald, Amelia has to spend time with Peter–and as much as he initially irritates her, she soon finds there’s more to him than she initially thought. But with their situation dire, Amelia can’t be swayed by her heart and must stick to the practical plans that will give her and Clara the security they need, especially when an opportunity for Amelia to make a match arises, too.
I’m super excited for another great Proper Romance!
I loved seeing the interactions between Amelia and Peter–it was just great seeing how annoyed with him she was and that she had no idea he was totally falling for her. The romance was sweet and charming–oh, that Peter has some really good lines! I also liked (most of) the secondary characters; it was refreshing to read a Regency where most of the women were quite kind and not petty and belittling. The plot was great; it moved along well and was interesting. Fans of the Proper Romance series and Regency romances in general will not be disappointed!
4.5 stars.
I read an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Brighton England – 1820
Amelia and her younger sister, Clara, live with their stepfather, Lord Gray. Their mother died sometime ago leaving him to care for them. He is ill with a lung ailment which leaves him coughing a lot and being very grumpy. He has been told that he will not get better. When he passes away, Amelia and Clara will be on their own. They have just returned from a season in London where Clara met Sir Ronald whom she truly likes. Now, both girls have been invited by Sir Ronald to a house party at his family’s home.
Enroute, Amelia has an unpleasant confrontation with a man at a shop. Upon arrival at their destination, she is unhappy to find the same man there, Peter Wood. He is with his sister, Georgiana, who also has her eye on Sir Ronald. Peter does all he can to see to it that his sister has Sir Ronald’s eye.
As the party progresses, Peter continues to tease Amelia and goad her. They agree to a plan where they spend the afternoons together so he will not try to manipulate Sir Ronald and Georgiana. Their togetherness sparks an attraction, but Georgiana has alluded that Peter needs to marry an heiress as he needs money.
When another opportunity presents itself to Amelia, she feels that it will have to be the way for her to go. But will she have to turn her back to Peter and what if Clara does not win Sir Ronald’s heart? Life for both of them could be rather grim.
This is a delightful story of enemies to friends to maybe more and the oh, so wonderful marriages that have to result in money gain in some way. I really liked it and the characters. The author presented them in such a real way and I look forward to reading more of her books.
Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Stunning. Beautiful. Romantic. Instant favorite.
I finished moments ago, and I already want to re-read it. This is one of my favorite reads ever. I struggled to want to do anything else outside of living vicariously at Lakeshire Park.
Within sentences, I was pulled in to Amelia’s story. Megan Walker is simply amazing. Am I gushing enough? If you like regency or romance, I highly recommend it. I have zero complaints.
Amelia and Clara are sisters and almost desperate. They leave Brighton for a small house party and Amelia pins all her hopes on her sister making a match with Sir Ronald and saving both from destitution. Amelia is confronted with more opposition than she would wish for when she encounters Peter and his sister, who is a rival for Sir Ronald’s affections. This enemies-to-lovers regency is entertaining and yields everything I love about a house party: picnics, horseback riding, parlor games, and a dreamy, dimpled man.
What a lovely story! This touching book kept me up reading into the wee hours of the morning and left me with a sigh and a smile. Perhaps there were some small plot holes and anachronisms…. Honestly, it was so beautifully written that I did not care one bit. I’m not always a fan of first-person narration, but it absolutely worked for this story. The heroine’s struggles were completely realistic. The romance was both believable and heartbreaking at times. The secondary characters were so well-drawn that I am hoping for both a prequel and a sequel to learn more about them. This feels like the beginning of what could be an epic saga.
Oh my goodness! I absolutely adored this book. From start to finish, I was invested in the characters and the plot. The scenes between Peter and Amelia range from hilarious to achingly sweet, handled with tender care by the author. And the relationship between Amelia and her younger sister, Clara, is realistic and beautiful. This is just a winning novel all the way around. Fans of Julianne Donaldson will adore this clean regency romance!
I received a complimentary copy of this novel via NetGalley and courtesy of the publisher. All expressed opinions belong to me.
I’m pretty sure this book will go down as one of my very favorite regency romance books of the year. I absolutely adored it. From the very beginning I was pulled into the life of Amelia. It’s a troubled life and the difficulties and cruelties weigh heavy on poor Amelia’s shoulders. I felt them too, along with her clear determination to give her sister Clara what she not only needs but what she wants as well.
This book gave me so, so many moments to sink my heart into. Honestly, if I could picture it out on a keyboard it would look something like this: ~~{ } ~~{ } ~~{ } ~~{ }~~{ }~~{ }~~{ } It was like going from one beautiful scene to the next. Amelia and Peter have a terrible first meet and it carries into their next encounters but the chemistry was there from the beginning- the battle of the wills, the angst (mostly on Amelia’s part). But every single moment there was a tangible shift, little by little and I could feel it. I could feel my heart turning, softening and falling with Amelia’s. It was so beautiful. So, so romantic. Ummmm. I loved it. Lovey- loved it. Read it again, loved it.
Clean regency romance.
– I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
I loved this book! For this being Megan Walker’s first book with the Proper Romance series I thought she did a fantastic job! I have loved all of the Proper Romance series books and I am glad that she is now one of their author! I loved the characters and I loved how it was an enemy to lovers story. The story draws you in and you don’t want to put it down. Wonderful job and I highly recommend it. Can’t wait to see what other books she comes out with!
I was deeply captivated from the moment I picked this book up until the final page was finished. In a time of life that is full of uncertainty and chaos, the time I spent within these covers was purely magical and I honestly couldn’t get enough of this delightful Regency story. I loved everything about it, from the winsome characters, to the subtle love triangles, to the witty banter and flirtations. I knew I was going to be totally hooked from that delicious first meeting between Amelia and Peter and that hook never released me. In fact, days later, I’m still daydreaming about this beautiful escape.
Amelia and Peter both have the best interests of their sisters at heart, but sometimes the whispers of the heart speak louder than intentions. This house party was so much fun and one of the best ones I’ve read about, especially the scenes that bordered on inappropriate for the times. Those moments brought giddy smiles to my face, yet my emotions were tugged upon in the nagging threads of desperation that threatened Amelia and her sister.
This story is one of my favorites to date and I’m eagerly anticipating more from this new author.
Content: mild romance
*I received a complimentary copy from the publisher. All opinions expressed are my own and were voluntarily given.*
Be still my beating heart! This regency romance was absolutely breathtaking. It is honestly hard to find the words to describe how much I loved it. I was engaged in Amelia’s story from the very first page. I loved her courage, her wit, and her ability to find joy in life despite her difficult circumstances. The relationship between Amelia and Peter seriously gave me heart flutters. What a fantastic pair! I loved all their dialogue and watching their relationship develop from one of animosity to something more. This book is perfect for a hopeless romantic like me. I eagerly await the next book by this author!
I received an advance copy of this book but my opinions are my own.
Another author to add to my “must read” list is Megan Walker, whose novel Lakeshire Park was pure reading pleasure! It had angst, trials, laugh-out-loud humor, and lots of page-turning romantic tension. There aren’t many books I reread simply because my to-be-read pile of books is ever-growing; this clean Regency romance is one I would definitely consider reading again, it was that good! Highly recommend! 5 stars!