Reviews - Edenbrooke | The StoryGraph

1.61k reviews for:

I am NOT the target audience for this book, but I liked it. When our library announced that Julianne Donaldson was coming to our book club I picked up Edenbrooke. I knew what I was getting into, but vowed to finish the book. I am not accustomed to romance books so I don't know how it compares, but as my first book in the genre it was enjoyable. Because of the other books that I normally read Edenbrooke felt slow, boring at times, and I did become frustrated with the main character. HOWEVER, by the end of the book I understood the character's feelings and found the conclusion satisfying. I may have even become misty eyed on a few occasions. I would recommend it to younger audiences (for a book about romance it was refreshingly clean) and hopeless romantics who enjoy reliving that confusing emotional roller-coaster we call falling in love.

annabarnes's review against another edition

3.5

adventurous emotional lighthearted fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

daydreamer1177's review against another edition

5.0

Great book. Regency. Clean. Funny. Cute.

champagnejayme's review against another edition

5.0

In Julianne Donaldson's charming debut novel, Marianne Daventry is living with her elderly grandmother after her mother's death and her father's subsequent removal to France. Her elegant, adventurous twin sister Cecily is in London enjoying the Season, while Marianne is slowly languishing in Bath. When Cecily extends an invitation for Marianne to visit her at Edenbrooke, a country estate, Marianne eagerly accepts.

On the way to Edenbrooke, Marianne and her maid are accosted by a highwayman and thus begins Marianne's tumultuous, life-changing visit. She meets a mysterious stranger who may or may not be a gentleman, is pursued by a fortune hunter, learns about love letters, and falls into a lake TWICE.

Humorous, romantic, and lighthearted, Donaldson's Regency novel is easy to devour. There are shades of Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer in it, though the characters' speech is less formal and the plot moves along much quicker. It's also very clean, for those readers who are squeamish about raunchy love scenes.

Verdict: If you like romances, this one will leave you laughing and smiling. Big doses of wittiness, romance, and lively intrigue make this book a fast and satisfying read.

rarudd1's review against another edition

5.0

I loved this book! There are so few romance novels that I like. It is very rare when I find a really good one. Most romance novels are either way too teenage drama or way too cheesy. This book was exactly perfect. Although the main character was a teenager, it was written without the drama. I loved the characters. The author did a great job making me fall in love with all of the heroic characters and dislike all of the disagreeable characters. Although the story line was fairly predictable I found myself stuck to the story trying to decide how they would overcome the obstacles. I couldn’t put it down! I recommend this book for 13 and up.