Wednesday, May 12, 2010

The Country House Courtship by Linore Rose Burkard ~ 5 stars

The Country House Courtship
Linore Rose Burkard
Regency Inspirational Romance series #3
Harvest House Publishing
About the book:
Middlesex, England, 1818

It has been five years since Ariana Forsythe married The Paragon, Mr. Phillip Mornay. Now, Ariana's sister, Miss Beatrice Forsythe, is seventeen and determined to marry advantageously as well. (Surely Ariana's society connexions all but guarantee Beatrice's success-especially if Mr. Mornay is created a baronet by the Prince Regent! Ariana would be Viscountess Mornay.)

But the Mornay's have disappeared from high society as they raise a family at their country estate. Can Beatrice persuade them to chaperone her in London? And what about her business with the curate, Mr. O'Brien, whom Beatrice rashly promised to marry years earlier? She is too sophisticated now to settle for a mere clergyman-despite his agreeable countenance and gentle, understanding ways.

When Mr. Tristan Barton becomes tenant of the Manor House, Beatrice's hopes seem to have found their object. But when Ariana falls gravely ill, secrets come to light, motives are revealed, and pretenses that are easy to keep up in the darkness begin to crumble. As hearts are bared and truths uncovered, a country house courtship like no other cannot be far behind!

My review:
A good word that can be used to describe Beatrice for most of this book is foolish. She is quite sure that she knows what she wants, how she is going to get it, and she doesn’t really want other people’s opinions on the subject. But as the book progresses Beatrice grows in wisdom and she begins to see what is really important. Mr. O’Brian is a lot older now and a lot wiser. I really liked him as the male lead. (Although, Mr. Mornay is still my favorite guy!)

Linore’s writing does not disappoint. She has in this book the same historical detail and accuracy that made her first books great in my opinion. She has a style all her own, but very like that of Jane Austen. I think this is a great last book in this series and I look forward to more from Linore!

15 comments:

Katy said...

I really enjoyed this one too. :)fa

Maggie Brendan said...

Hi Carmen. I've lost your address. Can you email it to me? Thanks.

Jackie S. said...

Carmen, just read about your surgery....praying you are much better now!

Carole said...

Carman, you need to update us on your recovery! It's good to see that you're evidently better, but getting your strength back will take a long time after major surgery. I've been praying for you.

I'm a big regency fan and hope Linore writes another series. I'm on the second book at the moment and loving it, maybe even more than the first one.

Carman said...

Jackie~ Thank you! Yes, I am. :)

Carole~ Thanks for praying! I'll post an update today. I am definitely looking forward to whatever Linore writes next. :)

Unknown said...

Sounds like a great read!

Carman said...

Virginia~ It definitely is. :D

Amber Holcomb said...

Nice review! I read the second book in this series and enjoyed it, so maybe someday I'll get a chance to read this one. It must be interesting to revisit these particular two characters! ;) They were certainly intriguing in the second book!

~Amber

Esther Miriam Lopez said...

Sounds like a great read. I am new to CF and I'll probably start reading this series :)

Stay blessed.

Esther

Unknown said...

This looks like a great book. It's definitely on my Must Read list.

quiltyreader(at)gmail(dot)com

Giveaway Lady said...

I just bought the second one in this series but I haven't started it yet. I am going to read it soon. Thanks for the review!

esterried[at]yahoo[dot]com

rbooth43 said...

Looks like a great read. It's definitely on listof books to read.

rbooth43(at)yahoo(dot)com

misskallie2000 said...

I love mystery and suspense with romance included so this book is for me. I enjoyed your great review. Linore is a new author for me so have added her to my list.


misskallie2000 at yahoo dot com

Tammy S. said...

Sadly, I haven't read any of the books in this series, but they are on my to be read list!

Carman said...

Thanks for all the comments everyone! This is a great series that I would recommend in a heart beat. :D