Another excellent read from Jenny Hambly, one of the most reliable of modern Regency authors. This series is based on a clever idea – that a kindly and benevolent lady sets up a secret hiding place for women of the gentry or aristocracy who’ve fallen into difficulties of one sort or another, and need a quiet place to recover. This automatically lays the foundations for the heroine’s rise from trouble to reach her happy ever after.
Here’s the premise: Susannah Croft has struggled for years to raise her illegitimate daughter, but a spell at Ashwick Hall and a fortunate legacy give her the chance to rebuild her life. Thomas Townsend, a neighbour in her new neighbourhood, is a serious man who’s devoted his life to looking after his younger brother. Both have failed romantic entanglements in their past which (naturally) come back to haunt them.
The plot of this one runs on rails. It’s a lovely, gentle story where nothing terribly dramatic or unexpected happens, but the blossoming romance is beautifully drawn. Both hero and heroine have to learn to trust again.
I’ll confess I found this one a touch bland. Susannah (Sukey) is offered nothing but kindness from her new neighbours, which, considering her history, I found a bit of a stretch. She would at the least have been a controversial figure, living as she was alone with an illegitimate daughter and no husband in sight. Even though that wasn’t her fault, she was still ruined in society’s eyes, and although some would have been sympathetic, I would have expected a lot more pushback from some people. That would have given the book a bit more ‘bite’, I think.
As it was, all the conflict came from the past romances of the two protagonists, which worked pretty well, although there seemed to be a surprising amount of coincidence going on. But maybe that was just me.
Overall, a lovely, gentle read, not too surprising but none the worse for that. Four stars.
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