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4.15 AVERAGE
4.15 AVERAGE
Nothing like a sweet romance to warm you up on some of the coldest days of winter!
it’s almost 5 am and i have absolutely no regrets rn like this was just so sweet and perfect and fluffy and cute and ughhh
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I discovered this book last year, and it quickly became one of my all-time favorites. It’s utterly charming—I still remember how I felt reading it for the first time. There were moments when it felt like it had been written straight from my own heart, and I often found myself wishing I’d been the one to write it. I absolutely loved the experience of reading it.
This spring, I decided to revisit it, and it felt like returning to old friends and a love story that never gets old. That said, this time around, I found Marianne a bit more frustrating—she’s very much in her own head—and Phillip’s love felt a little more instant than I remembered. Still, perhaps that’s exactly what made me root for these two even more. From Marianne’s point of view, things never felt overly rushed, so it all still worked. And honestly, we all experience life in emotional extremes at times, and that’s perfectly normal, so I won’t hold that against the book in any way.
The setting of Edenbrooke feels like a fairytale—a true sanctuary. It offers everything I love about Regency-era stories: a beautiful and loyal romance, the charm of social dynamics and matchmaking, and all without being overly suggestive. I devoured the prequel from Phillip’s point of view—it was such a treat to see how he ended up at the start of the novel, how he fell for Marianne, and to get a deeper understanding of his character. It added so much depth and made everything click in such a natural, genuine way.
This book feels like a world I always want to return to. It captures the spirit of Jane Austen’s promise: “after a little trouble, my characters shall have all that they desire.” There’s peace, love, and resolution—everything you could want in a story.
If you’re willing to be patient with Marianne, this book has it all. The character development and interconnected plotlines are outstanding. I highly recommend it to anyone in the mood for an honest, heartfelt love story—ideally read while surrounded by flowers, in an orchard, or beside a window on a rainy day. I will forever hold it close to my heart!
Content Warnings
Minor: Alcoholism, Bullying, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Gun violence, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
This was the most lovely, soft, pleasant, delightful, sweet, endearing, and wonderful story I have read for a long time. I can’t stop smiling every time I think about it. This book melted my heart completely, and the romance was just utter perfection. 5 stars.
A quick and fun read. Predictable but enjoyable nonetheless.
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I couldn't stop myself from reading this one particularly rainy morning on the commute to work. I was reading something else, but I needed something light and this fitted the bill exactly.
Having read her latest book Blackmoore last month I had picked this up for my Kindle and while it usually takes me ages to get around to reading a book I buy this one went straight to the top of the pile.
Having loved Blackmoore I was a bit worried that I wouldn't take to this book as well and in many ways I didn't. Marianne was another great female lead, but she seemed less mature and it was more luck than anything else that got her through.
I could tell this was her debut too, it read a little more clunky and definitely didn't feel as polished as Blackmoore. The timescale of the book, a few weeks at most, also seemed less likely, although it did make the plot work well, but for real romance? I think it takes longer.
These were just minor points though as the hallmarks (if you can call them that after two novels) of Julianne Donaldson's work are there, great romantic interest, female protagonists, country estate and a mystery. I found the story enjoyable and it was good escapism. The romantic lead wasn't a typical alpha male which I liked and is probably one of the things that warms me so much to these books. Marianne is intelligent, artistic and loves books so that endears her to me too. The story trots along nicely and as you do pretty much no what will happen at the end you don't know how it will happen so I read it quickly as I wanted to see it all come together. I zipped through the book in no time at all and am disappointed there isn't another one I can get right now!
Having read her latest book Blackmoore last month I had picked this up for my Kindle and while it usually takes me ages to get around to reading a book I buy this one went straight to the top of the pile.
Having loved Blackmoore I was a bit worried that I wouldn't take to this book as well and in many ways I didn't. Marianne was another great female lead, but she seemed less mature and it was more luck than anything else that got her through.
I could tell this was her debut too, it read a little more clunky and definitely didn't feel as polished as Blackmoore. The timescale of the book, a few weeks at most, also seemed less likely, although it did make the plot work well, but for real romance? I think it takes longer.
These were just minor points though as the hallmarks (if you can call them that after two novels) of Julianne Donaldson's work are there, great romantic interest, female protagonists, country estate and a mystery. I found the story enjoyable and it was good escapism. The romantic lead wasn't a typical alpha male which I liked and is probably one of the things that warms me so much to these books. Marianne is intelligent, artistic and loves books so that endears her to me too. The story trots along nicely and as you do pretty much no what will happen at the end you don't know how it will happen so I read it quickly as I wanted to see it all come together. I zipped through the book in no time at all and am disappointed there isn't another one I can get right now!
no rating because DNF
DNF details: semi-dropped read 35% then skipped to last 25%
what i liked -
-breezy writing style that was engaging and fluid
what wasn’t for me -
-realized that the story was going to focus on a lot of tropes that aren’t my favorite and that i wasn’t in love with the characters - it reminded me of bridgerton season two so if you liked that you’d love this!
DNF details: semi-dropped read 35% then skipped to last 25%
what i liked -
-breezy writing style that was engaging and fluid
what wasn’t for me -
-realized that the story was going to focus on a lot of tropes that aren’t my favorite and that i wasn’t in love with the characters - it reminded me of bridgerton season two so if you liked that you’d love this!