Lucie's Review:
Lavinia Ellison is the Reverend's daughter, she knows everyone in town and is concerned for their well being. Lavini is determined to convince the Earl of Hawkesbury to improve the condition of the tenant housing.
Lord Nicholas of Hawkesbury assumes Lavinia to be a servant upon their first meeting from astride a high horse, figuratively and literally, but is enchanted by her gift for music. As he get's to know Lavinia better, it is hard not to find her passion for helping others infectious, but he has his own pain and guilt that he carries from the war. Will he let it get in the way of making things right?
I loved the witty dialog that Nicholas and Lavinia share whenever they are together. Lavinia is intelligent, determined, and compassionate, she doesn't care for the airs of high society and believes that every life is of value.
I like that Nicholas rushes to Lavinia's aid many a time, and he does what he can to right the damage that he unintentionally caused. He is torn between duty and honor, still fighting the ghosts that haunt him.
The title of this book is so fitting, as it is how Nicholas comes to think of Lavinia in his head. I loved the setting, characters, and clever dialog. Filled with touches of humor and well written characters that I wanted to cheer for the whole way through, along with some colorful side characters. I loved this read from beginning to end, it was thoroughly entertaining and enjoyable, and I never once thought that any of it dragged.
Nicholas' journey was my favorite, because he finds new life and freedom, along with a fresh perspective and attitude. And his faith goes from being for show and image to genuine and real.
Overall, a fantastic read. It's already on my favorites of 2017 list! Highly recommend this amazing book!
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About the Book:
Handsome appearance counts for naught unless matched by good character and actions.
That's the firm opinion of not-so-meek minister's daughter Lavinia Ellison. So even though all the other villagers of St. Hampton Heath are swooning over the newly returned seventh Earl of Hawkesbury, she is not impressed. If a man won't take his responsibilities seriously and help those who are supposed to be able to depend on him, he deserves no respect from her. In Lavinia's pretty, gray eyes, Nicholas Stamford is just as arrogant and reckless as his brother-who stole the most important person in Livvie's world.
Nicholas is weighed down by his own guilt and responsibility, by the pain his careless brother caused, and by the legacy of war he's just left. This quick visit home to St. Hampton Heath will be just long enough to ease a small part of that burden. Asking him to bother with the lives of the villagers when there's already a bailiff on the job is simply too much to expect.
That is, until the hoydenish, intelligent, and very opinionated Miss Ellisonchallenges him to see past his pain and pride. With her angelic voice in his head, he may even be beginning to care. But his isn't the only heart that needs to change.
These two lonely hearts may each have something the other needs. But with society's opposition, ancestral obligations, and a shocking family secret, there may be too many obstacles in their way.
Fans of Georgette Heyer, Lori Wick, and Julie Klassen will enjoy the spirited exchanges between the bluestocking minister's daughter and the bruised war hero as they move past pride and presumption to a humbled appreciation of God's grace and the true strength of love.
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About the author:
Carolyn Miller lives in New South Wales, Australia, with her husband and four children. A longtime lover of Regency romance, Carolyn's novels have won a number of RWA and ACFW contests. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Australasian Christian Writers.
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