Sophy and Harry were meant to be … until fate stepped in.Harry Baillieu is the heir to Pendleton Manor and his father has plans for him to wed a wealthy and titled woman. That’s not Sophy Harcourt, but Harry doesn’t care. He has known and loved her most of his life and intends to marry her. When things go wrong, and Sophy and her family are forced to leave Pendleton, Harry believes she has … believes she has betrayed him. Determined to move on, he chooses a new wife. He tells himself that Lady Evelyn Rowe is perfect in every way, and they announce their engagement at a grand ball in Mayfair.
But on that very night, Sophy returns.
Sophy has been in love with Harry all her life. She knows they are going to marry and live happily ever after, because Harry tells her so. When scandal forces her to leave Pendleton, Sophy goes to live with her disreputable grandmother in London. She waits for Harry, thinking he will come after her, but he doesn’t. Three years later she learns that Harry is to be a guest at a ball in Mayfair, and she tells herself he only has to see her to fall in love with her all over again.
But Harry is getting engaged to another woman.
more
Well done! The heir to Pendleton Manor and the estate manager’s daughter have grown up together. Forming a close bond through the years, they’ve always known that they would be together…forever. The bond between them will be tested when Harry’s father, Sir Arbuthnot will lie and cheat to keep them apart A villian you’ll love to hate and a young couple who have loved each other forever and will finally fight for what they want. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book.
Meant to Be is the first in the Pendleton Manor series and is a great start to a new series. This is a story of first love being tested and tampered with through lies, deceit, manipulation and tragedy only to win out in the end. Harry and Sophy have been friends since childhood but when their friendship turns to love, Harry’s father does everything in his power to destroy their bond. They are separated due to his manipulations but misunderstandings keep them apart for several years. Sophy’s conviction and love has always been true and steadfast but is tested when she reconnects with Harry who is now engaged to another woman. The story that follows will have lies revealed, misunderstandings corrected, emotions drawn in every direction and true love winning. This was a well-written story with an engaging plot and beautiful character development.
One of my favorite tropes of childhood friendship and love that gets lost in the years but comes back around although with a few twists and turns. Sara Bennett has a gift with her words to pull you into the story and keep you there until the end.
The son of a Baron and the daughter of the estate manager who vow to marry and love each other are torn apart. The problem is that he does not know what happened to make her leave and felt she had abandoned him.
Years later she hears he will be at a ball and manages to attend, but he is about to become engaged to another. Is there a way to mend the gulf between them?
A true story of the heart, that once has found love, never forgets….
Book one in the Pendleton Manor series a well written story that held my interest throughout. This is Harry Baillieu and Sophy Harcourt’s happiness was destroyed because of another.Seeing how they find out what has happened, kept me turning pages. I enjoyed reading this book and want to read the next book in the series. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
A beautiful book with wonderful characters.
The hero and heroine of this story were splendid. Knowing each other for years they had been friends. Then events occurred forcing a separation. Sophy the daughter of estate manager and Harry the heir to Pendleton Manor meet again after years apart. Neither had forgotten each other and this book is about the rekindling of the feelings they had for each other. It is a beautiful and well-written book it will touch your heart and it was a pleasure to read. I highly recommend!! I did receive a free copy of this book and voluntarily chose to review it.
Harry Baillieu, heir to Pendleton Manor, has always known he and Sophy Harcourt, friends since childhood, would be married one day. However, his father has plans for him to wed a wealthy and titled woman.
Harry and Sophy had grown up together. While he is the heir in his titled family, Sophy is the daughter of the estate manager. Nevertheless, both Harry and Sophy have made plans to marry, despite what anyone else thinks. But when Sophy and her family are forced to suddenly leave the Manor, Sophy figures that Harry will come for her. She waits for three years, but Harry has assumed that she left him voluntarily and he has made other plans for his life.
Sophy heard that Harry was attending a ball in Mayfair, so she made arrangements to attend as well, where she can reconnect with her love. As she stood in the ballroom of Albury House looking for him, she finally saw him. His brother said something to him, and he looked around the room, his eyes finally meeting hers! But instead of the smile she had expected, his expression remained blank! She waited for him to come to her, take her hands, and tell her everything would be all right. But he didn’t. Then he deliberately looked away, pretending not to know her, as a young woman, Lady Evelyn Rowe, slipped her hand through the bend of his elbow and he smiled at HER! Sophy had never imagined that the man she had always loved was intending instead to announce his engagement to another woman! Where will Sophy go from here? Will she tell him what really happened? Will he ask her why she left? Or is it too late? Has she lost him forever?
This was a well-written book that was so sad. Through no fault of their own, Harry and Sophy were torn apart for three years. With no communication, misunderstanding damaged their relationship and no attempt was made to reconcile until the night of the ball. Grab your copy and experience strong emotions as this story line plays out. How will it end? Is there any hope for any kind of acceptance or happiness?
It has been a while since I have read one of Sara Bennett’s historical stories and it was lovely to be reading one again, she has such a beautiful voice for story- telling, she engages her readers and takes them back to the regency, to the glamour and strict rules and the sensual pull that will bring a hero and heroine together no matter what.
Harry Baillieu is heir to Pendleton Manor and as such is pushed by his father since he could walk and talk, the heirs are to wed a wealthy woman to help with the coffers of the manor, but Harry has other ideas you see Sophy Harcourt lives on the estate, and Harry is determined to make Sophy his wife, but unfortunately love does not always run smoothly especially when a father is pushing things his way.
Sophy has lived on the estate since she was two, the daughter of the estate manager, she loves Pendleton as much as Harry does and over the years their friendship becomes love and a determination no matter what that they are meant to be together. But when all goes wrong and Sophy is forced to move away and to move in with her grandmother she never gives up on Harry finding her, three years later they meet at a ball but Harry is engaged to someone else.
There has been a lot of misunderstandings in these three years they spent apart, but neither of them can forget each other, it is the season in London and they are constantly running into each other Sophy shows how strong she is. Harry always the hero finds a way to save the day and bring them back together to a beautiful rekindling of their love and this reader shed some happy tears, there were a lot of ups and downs in this one but so worth it for the beautiful HEA, this is one that I highly recommend and I am looking forward to the next book.
This was a wonderful story. Traveling to a time ago with childhood dreams and carefree fun. Families divided and loyalties muddied. Love lost and loving unrequited. A journey through pain and betrayal. Putting everything on the line and preparing to lose it all. I was enraptured by this book and amazed at it’s development with its organization and it’s twists and turns up hills and down through valleys. This is a very well written and thought out book and Ms. Bennett should be very proud of it. It was truly a joy to read it.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Roller coaster of emotions. Sophie and Harry known each other since Sophie was brought to Harry’s ancestral lands, her mom passed but her father the estate manager for Harry’s tyrant of a father. Sophie and Harry became good friends but his dad would disprove their connection and as they grow older his daddy did everything in his power to destroy Sophie and her dad.
The beginning chapters are from their childhood after the preview from a scene later on in the book but it’s starts when Sophie was 5 then when she was 7 and then as 15 then years later. Told in both POVs… but Harry is engaged to another woman after Sophie disappears….she’s on a journey to either get her love or find another with a broken soul
“Take shelter, my lady.”
If there’s one thing Sara Bennett knows how to do and does it well I dare to say is draw out a plot line just enough. Just enough to make a saint cuss I’m no saint by a long shot but cuss is exactly what I did as I feverishly ran through chapter after chapter. I skimmed through so much of the book to get to what I knew would be the good stuff when I finish this review I’m going back and read it again, all of it. I new the synopsis but had I not read the blasted prologue I wouldn’t have skimmed so. I just had to get to Sophy and Harry’s reunion and see how they would deal with all the misconceptions stemming from the deeds of another. I can’t wait to read Adam’s story although I may read the prologue last so I can read the complete book the first time around. I also hope James and Evelyn get there second chance. Sara Bennett has just become one of my favorite authors. I recommend Meant To Be to anyone who loves a good second chance romance.
I have to mention my favorite line from the book as I think it is one of the best I have read in a long time.
He was a tempest of passion and she stood there and let him devastate her.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.