He’s the first man she’s ever met. She’s the exact opposite of the woman he’s supposed to marry.Lisette Hunt has been hidden away her entire life, with nothing but a large window up in the cottage turret to give her a glimpse of the outside world. Until Gerry Worthington stumbles into her garden in search of his runaway dog. As a second son, Gerry has never seen the need to take life too … never seen the need to take life too seriously. Less than pleased with his frivolity, his mother orders him to marry a woman of means and banishes him to his family’s small, rundown estate. Unfortunately, innocent and penniless Lisette is the very opposite of what he needs.
But Gerry cannot resist the mystery surrounding Lisette, and soon he can no longer resist Lisette and her endearing peculiarity. As Gerry slowly opens Lisette’s eyes to a larger world, she begins to open her heart to him. However, when Gerry uncovers the truth about who Lisette really is, it may cost them a chance at happiness together.
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A regency retelling of Rapunzel.
Lisette lives in a turret and the first man she meets is Gerry, the poor second son whose mama wants him to marry well.
Touching re-visualization of Rapunzel, that seems a true fairy-tale initially, but as the story unfolds, becomes a more ‘modern’ Regency romance. I was utterly delighted with the book and read it in one afternoon. It teaches the lesson that the true value of a person is not bound up with his/her apparent bank account, but with their heart, and the warning that selfish people can make life miserable for even innocent people A book I will recommend for my granddaughter. 5 stars all the way.
I loved this book by Heidi Kimball! I enjoyed the characters so much as well as Heidi Kimball’s descriptions. It was such a sweet story and a great take on Rapunzel.
Based on the story of Rapunzel, the author did a great job of recreating the theme of the young woman locked away from society. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the sweetly developed relationship between Lisette and Gerry. And, even though I guessed who the villain was, I still enjoyed the ending and reading about how everything wrapped up. I don’t have a single complaint about the story.
Romance – PG / kisses
Language – PG / clean
My rating – 5 stars
In this retelling Lisette was kept locked away, not because of her magical hair but through an evil woman’s threats. It isn’t until Gerry’s dog Sampson invades her garden that after twenty years she sees anyone other of her nurse Dorothea. As the second son of an earl with little inheritance, Gerry knows he’s supposed to marry a woman with a dowry, but his heart can’t get past someone this sweet, selfless, and caring girl. But Lisette can’t be contained within her garden walls forever. Will the evil woman win or with truth and love prevail? This was a sweet fairy tale. I loved Gerry’s senior dog and that he loved her so much and that he choose Lisette before he found out who she really was.
Gerry Worthington has been sent to the countryside and cut off from his allowance by his mother until he overcomes his reluctance to marry a debutante who will bring status and money to the family. The story starts out with Gerry trying to find his adventure loving dog who has run off yet again. He quickly realizes Samson (the dog) has dug under the gate and entered the garden of the home next door. While there he meets Lisette, who is a breath of fresh air compared to all the women he does know. Lisette has never left the grounds of the walled in cottage and knows little of the outside world. Of course Lisette’s innocence is appealing, and Gerry keeps coming back. There’s the bit of mystery as to who Lisette is and what will happen once that comes out.
I did enjoy the book. The writing is clear and good. I was surprised at the short length. I read this very quickly, and I think it was probably just a tad bit too short. The mystery being solved happened a bit too fast for me. I was fine with the resolution, and I thought the story very entertaining, so the objection I have is a minor one. This is a cute and short novella for when you don’t have a ton of time but want something well written, clean and entertaining.
I received a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Lisette and Gerry’s love and future are owed to Samson, Gerry’s dog. This is a fun retelling of Rapunzel and Heidi Kimball does it well. It has interesting characters, humor, mystery and romance. It was a fun story to read.
Gerry Worthington had disappointed his mother. According to her, he was constantly reminded that he was the second son of an earl and needed to settle down and find a wife with a dowry. To teach him a lesson, she sent him to the crumbling pile of stones that was the estate he was to inherit so he could rethink his priorities. While out looking for his dog, Samson, who had run away, he came up on a small cottage and a beautiful young woman with long, blond hair.
Lisette Hunt had lived her entire life in a small cottage and surrounding land. She had never been allowed to venture beyond its borders. Her room was in an upper turret so he had a spectacular view but now way to experience it up close. She loved spending time with Gerry when he would visit her during her caretaker’s nap, but she would never disobey and leave the confines of their property. The more time they spent together, the sweeter the time became.
Near the end of the story, there are secrets that are revealed, such as who Lisette is, why she is required to stay in such a small place and never allowed to venture out.
This is a sweet, clean regency romance. I loved Lisette’s innocence and Gerry’s kindness. This story is a quick read and leaves you feeling good. I was given an arc copy and I offer my honest review willingly.
Great book!! Really enjoyed the story line, great take on a fairy tale!!
Great retelling of Rapunzel! This fairytale series has been wonderful. Ms Kimball did a great job with this retelling. I enjoyed reading this adaptation and the way each character was presented.
Disclosure statement:
I receive complimentary books for review from publishers, publicists,
and/or authors, including Netgalley. I am not required to write positive
reviews. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this
in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
The romance was sweet and the H & h felt genuine. It’s a retelling of Rapunzel & I think the author did well in keeping with that spirit. It was a novella so my knee jerk reaction with any novella is often “I’d love more details!” Still this story did have a nice flow and wasn’t choppy. I’d read more novella’s and full length novels from the author. The whole fairytale retelling series was an enjoyable read. Good for when you want something light, well written, and a shorter novel.
Maiden in the Tower is a clever retelling of Rapunzel set in Regency times. If you’re not into fairy tales, you can just read the story and thoroughly enjoy it. If you do like fairy tales, you’ll enjoy finding the connecting threads. Gerry and Lisette are likable characters that are easy to empathize with. Lisette and her nurse have been hidden away since she was born. Gerry has been sent to the small estate that he will inherit from his mother with orders to find a bride with a dowry. The plot has some twists and moves at a good pace. I especially liked reading of the afternoons spent in Lisette’s garden. Heidi Kimball adds humor with a very old ladies’ fashion magazine and a tug on your heartstrings with Gerry’s dog. I recommend this to readers of clean/wholesome romance and to fairy tale lovers. I got a copy from KU.
Loved this story! I wasn’t sure how the author was going to tell a real life Rapunzel story, but I loved it. She did a great job. I loved Lisette. She was so sweet and innocent, but inquisitive, caring and just lovely. Gerry was a great character as well. He’s taken with Lisette from the beginning and through her influence comes to understand himself better. I loved their meet cute and the epilogue, so sweet. Great addition to this series.
Absolutely adored this retelling of Rapunzel, set in the Regency era. I didn’t know how Rapunzel could be made plausible for that time period, but Heidi Kimball did a fantastic job of keeping the innocence of the tale while still delivering a compelling romance.
This is a Regency retelling of Rapunzel which I felt the author did very well. Lisette has lived in the tower with Dorothea as long as she can remember. It’s all she knows, until a man comes through the gate searching for his lost dog.
Gerry, is the younger son who doesn’t know what he wants because he’s always done the opposite of his brother just be different than him. His mother sent him to their run down estate in Devon with orders to marry a woman of means before he can return home. When he stumbles upon Lisette and the odd cottage with the tower he’s taken in by her unusual beauty and innocence. Lissette and Gerry start spending time together unbeknownst to Dorothea, and Gerry wants to find out why she’s not supposed to spend time with him or allowed to go through the gate.
I don’t want to give anything away but there’s a funny scene involving pink hair powder (which I had to look up because I’d never heard of it before), and a touching scene involving Samson, the dog.
Heidi Kimball is a fairly new author to me but I enjoyed this story. I thought the characters were fairly well developed for a novella and the story didn’t feel rushed. I enjoyed this take on Rapunzel, and finding out why Lady Garrick had Lisette hidden away.
Maiden in the Tower by Heidi Kimball is a beautiful retelling of Rapunzel’s fairytale. What I loved the most about this novella was the fact that it was set in the Regency era. And the author certainly pulled it off! From Lisette’s upbringing to the way she dressed, the historical accuracy of this story is on point without compromising the flow of it with overly lengthy descriptions. I also loved the characters, how both Lisette and Gerry came to life, and the pace at which their relationship developed. Of course, one can’t help but fall for Samson (I certainly enjoyed every time it made an appearance). Finally, though halfway through the book I could tell how everything was going to play out, Ms. Kimball’s writing is compelling enough to keep you turning the pages while enjoying each of the remaining ones till you reach the satisfying ending.
5 stars and completely recommended!
From the moment the affable Gerry meets the unusual Lisette, the budding of their sweet relationship had me intrigued. They were both such likable characters that I wanted to cheer them on and be their friend.
This book is written in such a way that even those, who don’t like fairy tale retellings, will still enjoy this book.
I received an ARC for review, but can gladly say that I wholeheartedly recommend this book.
Great characters. A bit of a mystery.
Oh, I had to have tissues for that ending––beautiful!
A well written rendition of the fairytale Rapunzel. An adventurous dog and a chance meeting with the owner, Gerry in our maidens garden is the first time Lisette talks to an outsider. Their rocky friendship due to Gerrys misgivings will end up flourishing. If only Gerry can figure out why Lisette is being sheltered, he can gain her freedom. I received a complimentary copy and I am voluntarily reviewing