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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I’ve found a new author! Y’all, this book is soooo good and has all the romantic feelings in it. The voice of Amelia Moore immediately hooks you in as you watch her struggle to put her sister above her wants and desire.
And the hero—swoon alert!—is the best! I loved how he tries to draw Amelia out of her shell and show her what love could be.
This book was so good I reread it a few times and still cannot seem to find the words on how great I found it. All I can say is please get it and read it. It’s a great escape, especially in these times of the pandemic. I give it all the stars!
*I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley. My review was not required nor influenced.
Lakeshire Park by Megan Walker is an exquisite story. I was pulled in from word one and did not want to put this book down. The relationship between Amelia and Peter is simply breathtaking. The pacing of their relationship is perfect. From early squabbles to burgeoning feelings of mutual love and respect, it is clear there is ample chemistry between these two unique and relatable characters. And the tension between the two is sublime. The blend of passion + reserve throughout the story is perfect! Lakeshire Park, in my humble estimation, is one excellently written Regency Romance.
Amelia takes the world upon her shoulders. She is a problem solver constantly searching for the best path to take in order to properly care for her sister, Clara. Amelia’s goal is that Clara should not be burdened by sadness, bad news, or pain. In order for Amelia to achieve this, she has to become a self-sacrificer. While it is incredibly noble and honorable to be this self-sacrificing for a sibling’s sake, it is also completely impossible to take on the whole world. Eventually, things will start to become too much for one person to handle. I was often exhausted for Amelia! As I was reading this story, Proverbs 4:9-10 came to mind: “Two are better than one because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!” Amelia has been forced to be alone nearly all her life. When Peter comes along she is unsure of how to unburden herself. How does one trust someone when she’s been relegated to a corner so often in her life? I admit I yelled at my copy of this book a time or two, desperately imploring Amelia to divulge her truths to Peter — “Lay your soul bare, girl! You need help.” (I love it when a book is interactive. LOL!) In all seriousness though, Amelia’s inability to unburden herself made me consider myself. I totally get Amelia. There is something about being the lonely, independent, first-born, self-sacrificing sibling. We can only do this self-sacrificing job for so long before we burn out, and when we burn out we burn out badly. Peter comes into Amelia’s life exactly when she needs him. It just takes her a minute to figure this out — and, man, was the journey well worth it! I am leaving Lakeshire Park one truly satisfied reader.
If you are a fan of Regency Romances, Lakeshire Park is the book for you. If you are a fan of well-written, highly engaging, thought-provoking Romances, Lakeshire Park is definitely the book for you. Lakeshire Park is a glorious read that I highly, highly recommend!
I received a review copy of this novel in eBook form from the publisher, Shadow Mountain Publishing, via NetGalley. In no way has this influenced my review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.
Amelia Moore and her younger sister, Clara, are in a terrible predicament. Both of their biological parents have passed on and the young women are living in Brighton under the charge of their stepfather, Lord Gray, who constantly reminds them that they are a burden, and that he cares for them financially solely because of the promise he made to their mother, Arabella. Amelia is determined to secure a husband for her younger sister before sickly Lord Gray perishes from his illness, leaving them destitute. Amid hopelessness, an invitation is finally extended to the young women by Sir Ronald Demsford of Hampshire to attend a house party. His estate is impressive, and the mere thought that Clara could find happiness with Sir Ronald as his wife, fills Amelia with exhilaration. Surely a match can be made. That is if the sniffy, impertinent Mr. Peter Wood doesn’t curtail Amelia’s plan for Clara with similar intentions for his own younger sister.
I…LOVED….this book!! What splendid writing! Ms. Walker’s Regency era novel exudes a freshness; its language is pleasant and easy to decipher, yet not simplistic. The scenes flow effortlessly, and the speech, manners, architecture, landscape and costumes all mirror the time period for which it was intended. I enjoyed the casual development of the admiration between Peter and Amelia; it was natural and convincing. The adept balance of wit and seriousness further compliments this artfully contrived story. Mr. Wood’s charismatic, and at times, impertinent manners gave me the giggles, and the glorious ending left me thoroughly contented and bubbling over with warmth and happiness amidst these uncertain times we’re currently living in.
Lakeshire Park is a lovely tale that I thoroughly savored from start to finish. I will be looking out for more books written by Megan Walker. Very highly recommended.
I had the unique privilege of reading this book as it was being written. The wit and humor makes this book sparkle, but the emotions are evocative, and the prose beautiful in a way that makes the whole story shine. Megan Walker’s debut novel is so much fun to read, with characters you really want to succeed. You will LOVE this novel if you love Regency romance.
This is such a charming and enjoyable regency romance story! The meet-cute was absolutely unforgettable. These characters are dynamic and realistic. I felt like I was in the story with them, even to the point of talking to my book wishing the characters could hear me. I especially appreciated the pacing of the story and the fun banter between the characters! From start to finish all the scenes in the story played out like a movie in my head. I am completely smitten by this book!
If you are a fan of Regency Romance, then you won’t want to miss out on this delightful story! Megan Walker is defiantly an author you will want to add to your must read list! Be sure to snag a copy of this story for your own reading enjoyment.
(I receive complimentary books from publishers, publicists, and/or authors, including Netgalley. I am not required to write positive reviews. The opinions I have expressed are my own.)
Loved the audiobook version of Lakeshire Park! Justine Eyre is one of my favorite narrators and she did a fabulous job bringing all the amazing characters to life. Highly recommend the audiobook! This enemies to lovers story completely drew me in and it was hard to stop listening.
I completely enjoyed Amelia Moore who is doing her best to provide for her and her sister Clara when their stepfather will leave them penniless at his death. Invited to a house party, the two sisters go with the intention of securing a match. But, when Clara forgets her only pair of gloves, Amelia goes to a nearby village shop to find some only to discover a wealthy gentleman going to purchase the last pair for his sister. Amelia pleads with him to let her have the gloves, but he stubbornly refuses. When he shows up at the same house party and his sister threatens to upend all her plans, Amelia vows to do whatever it takes to give her sister every chance to win Sir Ronald, their host.
Peter Wood is Sir Ronald’s friend and the gentleman from the shop who purchased the gloves. He’s also trying to help his sister secure a match with Sir. Ronald. I really grew to like Peter and his quick wit. The sparks fly when he and Amelia square off. I loved the banter back and forth and that smoldering attraction both try to fight. They strike a bargain to give their sisters a fair chance and as they spend more and more time in each other’s company, they can’t help but grow closer.
The romance between Peter and Amelia was a delightful slow burn romance with plenty of swoonworthy moments. I loved the parlor games including blind man’s bluff that added to the romantic tension. There were those heartpounding misunderstandings that you hope get resolved, with plenty of drama to keep me listening to “just one more chapter.”
The premise of the story was interesting and unique. Amelia and Peter were both pretty selfless when it came to their sisters. Both the younger sisters came off as somewhat spoiled and clueless considering the sacrifices their siblings were willing to make. However, it does end happily ever after and I would love to find out what happens next in the story. I gave it 4 1/2 stars rounded up to 5.
If you want a quick read with a Regency feel, this is pretty good. The characters were pretty well developed and the heroine and hero were likeable. The romance was very modern and zingy, if you like that kind of thing in your historical romance. However, there were some big issues that had me wavering between 2 and 3 stars.
1. The heroine seemed pretty thick-skulled about love and even though there seemed to be some reason for it, it just wasn’t believable because of her actions.
2. The hero and heroine seemed all too ready to throw their own happiness out the window if only their siblings could find true love–until the end, when they said, forget it, I deserve this!
3. The romantic walls were very weak, and it felt like the author knew it, because she had the heroine spend a third of the book convincing herself that they were insurmountable, even though they were swept aside in a matter of a few paragraphs at the end.
These things had me groaning throughout the book, but I did get to the very end, so there is that.
Praise from the Clean Romance Team:
I’ve read quite a few clean romance books, and this one is my favorite!
I read it in one sitting—I loved the love story too much to stop!
This was a sweet Regency tale! Amelia and Clara were sisters who I couldn’t help but like. And Amelia was very brave to take all of the worry upon herself regarding their situation. She and Peter were quite the pair and I kept hoping she would be brave enough to tell him all of her troubles, instead of trying to work things out in her own way. The house party at Sir Ronald’s provided many interesting characters, activities, and even some jealousy. Very enjoyable book.
A delightful book for Regency romance lovers!
For those who enjoy the enemies to lovers trope, this one is for you. Amelia’s desperate need to secure a match for her younger sister clashes with those of another member of the house party, as Peter pursues the same goal for his own sibling. Ultimately, Amelia must determine between a guaranteed future or risk her heart.
I absolutely loved this book! The story is well-written and engaging, and the enemies-to-love-interests storyline is gradual and believable. But what I enjoyed the most was that even though the story is told in first person, from the heroine’s point of view, the hero is still not portrayed as perfect – he’s real and human just as the heroine is. This book is one I highly recommend to those who love clean historical romance and clean Regency romance.
I really enjoyed this book! It had an Edenbrooke type feel to it. I’m excited to read more by this author also because I feel like she’ll get better the more she writes. I didn’t like that the tension in the book existed until about the last 15 or so pages. It would have been more satisfying for me to have seen their resolved relationship. But I really liked the characters and their relationships with each other! I thought they were realistic, caring, and fun. Definitely would recommend.
I really enjoyed this book! The characters were multifaceted and endearing, the plot was well written and engaging, there were humorous moments and tender moments, and a twist at the end that I did not see coming. I would definitely recommend this book!
I loved this book, it was so good!
Five enthusiastic stars! I absolutely adored this book! Definitely one of my favorite Regency romance novels this year. I loved the flirtatious relationship between the main characters, the witty banter, the surprising situations, the cute games, the tender moments… really, it was perfect! I’ll be re-reading this one again soon!
I enjoyed reading a book in first person. I love being inside the main character’s head and experiencing everything from her perspective. Megan Walker’s writing is dripping with beautiful details. She has an excellent sense of irony and playful humor. I couldn’t put it down!
What a great book! I hated putting it down at night and couldn’t wait to start reading each morning. The characters were all so fun to get to know (even the “bad guys”). I loved all the witty banter and the humor between the two main characters. The author did a great job making realistic conflicts for them both. I was very happy with the ending and can’t wait for the author to write more books. Hopefully she will give some of the other characters from this book their own story. This is definitely a book you won’t regret reading!
Megan Walker has written a stunning, irresistible, and utterly sweet romance story that stole a piece of my heart! It took me a while to get through this beautiful book, but I had so much fun reading Lakeshire Park from start to finish. It’s funny, cute, entertaining, and so darn swoony. I absolutely loved the storyline, the charming characters, the adorable romance, and all the wonderfully affecting moments.
I loved Amelia and Peter from the moment they met and I knew in my heart that I would enjoy seeing them fall for each other. I felt the delicious swoons, tension, and chemistry from their adorable meet cute and I couldn’t wait for more. Walker does not disappoint and delivers some of the best romantic and humorous scenes that made me smile, blush, and laugh. While I love so many great things about this book, the interactions between Amelia and Peter are definitely some of favorites. I loved their flirtatious and silly banter, and the way the challenged each other. I thought their little arrangement was fun and I enjoyed seeing them slowly trust and fall for each other. They had so many aww, fun, and endearing moments and I just couldn’t get enough of them.
Walker’s writing style is amazing and really makes reader feel like part of the story. The pacing is also really good and there’s an easy flow to the narrative. I think everything progressed in a beautiful and believable way and there was never a rushed or dull moment. The plot is fun, engaging and has one of the swooniest romance. There’s plenty of humor, drama, intrigue, and a few surprises. I also loved the gorgeous setting and exploring Lakeshire Park.
Amelia is a wonderful heroine and I loved her loyalty and dedication to her sister, Clara. I also admire her strength, passion, and kind heart. Peter is totally a swoonworthy book boyfriend and he absolutely charmed me from the start. He’s funny, caring, sweet, and also wants the best for sister, Georgiana. I think both Amelia and Peter are fascinating individuals and I really enjoyed getting to know them. I think they’re perfect together and their relationship is realistic and sweet, and satisfyingly romantic. The supporting characters are quite interesting too and I like them well enough.
Lakeshire Park is an absolute delight to read and will surely win the hearts of regency and romance fans. Megan Walker’s storytelling will instantly pull you in, play with your emotions, and fill your hearts with all the feels in the loveliest ways. This book is funny, dazzling, romantic and utterly breathtaking. Totally loved this gem and I honestly can’t recommend it enough.
I received an advance reader copy of this book from the publisher, Shadow Mountain Publishing, in exchange for a fair and honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I loved the depth this story went into! The characters were well developed and endearing. The conflicts were realistic and resolved satisfactorily. The live story was integral to the plot and I really wanted the heroes and heroines to end up together! The minor characters added depth to the story. The book presented images I haven’t seen before (nature….LOVE it!). Classic Regency romance, clean, intelligent and sweet.