by Amanda Barratt, Angela Bell, Susanne Dietze, Michelle Griep, Nancy Moser, MaryLu Tyndall, and Erica Vetsch
- Paperback: 448 pages
- Publisher: Barbour Books (November 1, 2017)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1683223713
- ISBN-13: 978-1683223719
Romance is a delicate dance bound by rules and expectations in Regency England…
Seven couples must navigate society’s gauntlet to secure the hand of true love….
Charity and Luke are strangers who were forced to marry three years ago.
Adelaide and Walter share a love of music and disdain for elitism.
Caroline and Henry are thrown together by three orphans.
Helen and Isaac harbor his unlikely secret.
Esther is empowered to choose between two men.
Sophia is determined not to choose a man like Nash.
Jamie and William face a daunting London season together.
Will their faith grow and love prevail in a time when both were considered luxuries the elite could not afford?
Barbour Books brings us another great collection of Regency stories.
First Comes Marriage by Amanda Barratt
Young naïve Charity finds herself in a compromising situation and must marry Captain Luke Warren to save her reputation. As soon as the vows are read he returns to sea for 3 years without a word and he ignores her letters. When he finally returns, will they be able to have a real marriage or just a marriage of convenience?
Overall, I liked the main characters. However, Luke is supposed to have repented but he returns to his vices later in the story which is worrisome.
At the end of the story I was left with lots of questions, like what happens to the sister and the father.
Masquerade Melody by Angela Bell
After her father died and the estate is entailed, Lady Adelaide must become a companion to her spoiled cousin and hide her musical talents.
Colonial Walter comes back from Waterloo with a loss of faith in God after his brother’s death.
Can music help them overcome their past and provide a hopeful future?
Lydia was a mean selfish person but I didn’t like the captain deceiving her and pretending to like her.
I loved the main couple!
While this was a shorter story it felt very complete, though I would love a sequel with Quinby’s story.
Three Little Matchmakers by Susanne Dietze
Caroline, Henry and Esther all play together as children. As they grow, Caroline becomes governess to Esther’s 3 children. After Esther and her husband die, Caroline brings the children to their uncle Henry who wants to dismiss her and send the children to school. Will the children’s matchmaking attempts make them a family again?
I found it strange the Henry was so worried about becoming his father, yet he tried to copy him by being boring and stoic all the time.
I loved the stories of Caro and Henry’s past and how the children tried to recreate their adventures.
This was such a cute story!
The Gentleman Smuggler’s Lady by Michelle Griep
Isaac smuggles to regain what was stolen from him. On his last run, he meets Helen who was arriving to tend to her sick father.
Helen locks away the negatives of the world by pretending that everything is fine even though her father is dying.
After finding out his enemy is involved, will Isaac lose Helen’s trust by going against his promise to not smuggle again?
This story had a strong theme of trusting in God to provide us with what we need.
When I Saw His Face by Nancy Moser
Esther is thrilled when her step-daughter is married off and she can live a quiet life.
Chester has been waiting six years to marry Esther. She agreed that she would when her step-daughter married. Now that the time has come, will a stranger change their plans?
I had a really hard time finishing this story. Esther is everything that a Christian shouldn’t be. She is incredibly shallow and fickle. She complains about gossips, yet she trashes her step-daughter to anyone who would listen. Her step-daughter lost her father at a very young age and instead of helping her, Esther writes her off as a brat.
Instead of trying to get something out of the sermons and prayers she just tunes them out and later trashes the preacher to others.
Esther strings Chester along for six years and then only agrees to his proposal because she is afraid of losing him. Then she lies and cheats on him. Chester never had the opportunity to learn how to read. He justifies it by saying he doesn’t need to know how to read to do his work and Esther calls him an ignorant fool.
She meets a stranger and falls in “love” with him after a few days.
This story was my least favorite and I recommend skipping it.
The Highwayman’s Bargain by MaryLu Tyndall
While on her way to London to marry her fiancé, Sophie’s carriage is held up and she is kidnapped by her childhood friend who is trying to save her from marrying a moral less rake.
This was another story that had the theme of trusting in God and His time, even when life is hard.
Sophie thinks she has to choose between her parents’ health and a happy future.
I was surprised that Sophie couldn’t see her fiancé for what he was sooner and his reasons for wanting to marry her were awful.
I liked this story. I did predict the ending but still enjoyed it.
Jamie Ever After by Erica Vetsch
Jamie had been in love with her best friend’s brother William since she was a girl.
William was injured in the war and believes himself to be a shell of a man and no woman would love him.
During Jamie’s first season, William’s cousin threatens to compromise her and force her to marry him. Williams’s sister Polly begs her brother to marry Jamie and save her.
Will William be willing to believe in love and have a real marriage? Will Jamie get her happily ever after?
This story was about facing our biggest fears and overcoming them.
I loved William and Jamie and thought they were so good together. They needed each other.
I also loved the dogs in this book. Dogs seem to know people’s true selves even better than people.
This story had a great pace. I would love a continuation of it!
Timeless Novels 