The Heir of Brownlie Manor
Anita Stansfield
288 pages
ARC through NetGalley
From the publisher:
After a medical discharge from his duties in the Napoleonic War, Thomas Quincy Fitzbatten has returned home. Disoriented, burdened by guilt for his wealth, and disillusioned with life’s injustices, Thomas longs for a chance to make a difference in the world. But he keeps himself a mystery to those around him, and another motive for his charity gnaws at the back of his mind: to seek redemption from the traumatic demons of war.
Then everything changes at the arrival of Ruth—Dawson the niece of Thomas’s butler—a stunning woman with a secret of her own. Thomas graciously offers to assist Ruth in her predicament, but a surprise instinct prompts Thomas to handle the case a little more personally.
As their love blossoms, it appears that all will be well until Thomas receives a mysterious letter from an old friend in trouble, compelling him to the rescue. But what will Thomas do when nothing is as it seems? And why can’t Ruth shake the feeling that her destiny is intertwined with Thomas’s in a way they could never have imagined?
Review:
Anita Stansfield is a go-to author for me. When I’m in a reading rut I know I can turn to her books and breeze through one (or two or three) and it will get me reading again. I was happy to see this one available on NetGalley.
This book was just that for me. A sweet little romance that kept me reading and my interest. I did feel there was a bit of rush at the beginning in the relationship between Ruth and Thomas, but a book can only be so long, and some things have to move a little fast when your book is only 288 pages 🙂
Maybe it’s because I’ve been watching Poldark, but the relationship between Thomas and Ruth reminded me a little bit of the show – aristocratic family who treats everyone fairly and well. I thought it was refreshing to read – and not something that might have been common during that time period, but I’m sure something that did occur.
The book is clean, and there is a bit of a mystery and a twist at the end. Even if it was a little predictable it was still enjoyable.
Some read alike authors are: Sarah M. Eden, Josi Kilpack, Julie Daines, Heather Moore, Julianne Donaldson
Final score:
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