Guest Review
Absolutely livid with Amazon and will not be beaten on promoting a novel I loved and was written by Francine Howarth. I have posted the following review on the Historical Romance Promotional FB group with an Amazon linked post. I hope it was all right to copy/paste the cover. I've just finished this book and so annoyed I cannot post a review at Amazon unless I have spent £50. The chances of my spending 50 on books in the next year is unlikely. Either way this novel captures the innocence of Georgiana so well. She really was a shy person as depicted by Jane Austen. Her naivety was made apparent in that disastrous near elopement with Wickham in Pride & Prejudice. That said, in this novel, and extremely well written it is, Georgiana reveals aspects of Wickham as she knew him throughout childhood. That concept won me to Georgiana's shy reclusive existence at Pemberley and how Wickham was a familiar and trusted part of her childhood. It shed light on not only Georgiana and Wickham as youngsters it opened my eyes to Darcy's aloof nature, not unalike Jane Austen's portrayal of his brusque manners and what may have contributed to that cool arrogant persona. This book is not about Darcy, it's Georgiana's from start to finish and the love story that ensues is lovely and realistic to the Regency era when the chips are down and and Georgiana trusts she has learnt from a past mistake and her chosen one is the right one this time. I loved it.
Jan Brook-Clark.
I've read it too and couldn't have reviewed it better than Jan's review. Def an excellent read. Charlotte.
Reviewed by Francine
When a Pride & Prejudice prequel is as good as the original, then indeed the author has excelled in the medium of writing, and Riana Everly does just that with this novel. Her rendition of young Mr. Gardiner in the prime of youth and on his trading travels to Derbyshire, is delightful.
His story begins with an opening more akin to Charles Dickens than Jane Austen. Given the instance of a boy in distress young Gardiner displays a heart of gold, and is well accustomed to paying witness to the harsher side of life in the less salubrious districts of London. Although Gardiner has an eye to quality of cloth there is a sense of naivety about him in other matters. He quite simply takes people and things at face value and believes almost every word thus uttered, until suddenly events become confusing and he puzzles the strange antics of his newly acquired waif-cum-assistant.
On the flipside, Mr. Gardiner’s employment of the waif has provided a place of safety, and more besides. But when one has lied and masqueraded as other, then a day of reckoning will inevitably dawn, and owning to dishonesty is not always as straightforward as might be imagined. Whilst words of affection expressed on paper warmed the cockles of Gardiner’s smitten heart, the outcome of truthful honesty turns to one of shame and guilt and disbelief for him. How could he have been so foolish, and what-if? And here I shall pause, for to tell more would spoil the plot, except to say the Dickens opening gradually melds into Austen as familiar faces from Pride & Prejudice step centre stage, and Georgian England comes alive. Here I shall end with the words, Pure Escapism at its best!
Another excellent read
Charlotte
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