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3.74 AVERAGE
3.74 AVERAGE
It is a sweet friends-to-lovers romance that will tug at your heartstrings in more ways than one.
It was very clear right from the start that Phin and Leah used to be great friends and both were devastated in their own way when Leah left. Leah had always carried a torch for Phin and even though she had no expectations in that direction from him, there was a part of her that kept hoping they might end up together. Phin was a bit slower on the uptake and he spent a lot of time and effort to woo Genevieve. His adult feelings for Leah were very different from when they were childhood friends, and kept intruding on his courtship of Genevieve. When he realized that Genevieve wouldn’t suit him at all, he directed all his attention to Leah. The transition from friendship to love was so natural.
Mrs. Selkirk wasn’t an obvious villain. Her digs at Leah seemed more small-minded than particularly nefarious. It was easy to see her as a bitter woman, but also as a mother who wanted the best for her child, even if she went about it a bit ham-fisted. I liked Leah and Phin and they fit together perfectly.
Romancing the Heiress is part of a series collaboration between Darcy Burke and Erica Ridley. I can recommend this book and the rest of the series if you like historical romance.
Thank you to the author and Netgalley for providing me with a copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
Romancing the Heiress. I liked reading this book. It was put together very well by the writer. I thought that the writer did a great job with creating the guilty parties to the storyline plot. I enjoyed the background story.
I thought that it was a good motivational issue for Leah and Phin to work together towards the end of the book. The plot was logical and clear to the readers. The characters and the actions of the characters was age appropriate for the level of romance and problem solving. I believe it’s the romance that actually steals the show of this book. Two people who were very good friends in their younger years meet again years later.
Neither two are the same, but only it’s the feelings that they have for each other that hasn’t changed. My favorite character was Mrs. Parker. She made the sweets that everyone enjoyed. The hook to the story was very catching. The stepmother, I believe was the driving force of the plot finding a solution.
Her character was exceptionally written. I could picture myself in that hallway with Leah and Harriett. It truly felt real, while I read this scene. The emotions for the characters were a little high, but for what Leah experienced in her youth that is to be expected. As I said the romance was the highlight to the story.
Leah and Phin were wonderful in this story. I give this story two snaps and a twist. Until next time my fellow readers… read on!I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
I thought that it was a good motivational issue for Leah and Phin to work together towards the end of the book. The plot was logical and clear to the readers. The characters and the actions of the characters was age appropriate for the level of romance and problem solving. I believe it’s the romance that actually steals the show of this book. Two people who were very good friends in their younger years meet again years later.
Neither two are the same, but only it’s the feelings that they have for each other that hasn’t changed. My favorite character was Mrs. Parker. She made the sweets that everyone enjoyed. The hook to the story was very catching. The stepmother, I believe was the driving force of the plot finding a solution.
Her character was exceptionally written. I could picture myself in that hallway with Leah and Harriett. It truly felt real, while I read this scene. The emotions for the characters were a little high, but for what Leah experienced in her youth that is to be expected. As I said the romance was the highlight to the story.
Leah and Phin were wonderful in this story. I give this story two snaps and a twist. Until next time my fellow readers… read on!I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
I’m following this series with the utmost pleasure. The setting, the matchmaking festival of Marrywell, is really perfect for all kind of different stories and the two authors are really good!
Here we have a wonderful childhood friends to lovers with two endearing characters, a couple of hateful harpies (I love when villains are unmasked and have to suffer for their crimes!) and the main characters of the first novel as guest stars. Well written and entertaining, emotional and steamy, this book has everything I could have asked for in a romance book.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Here we have a wonderful childhood friends to lovers with two endearing characters, a couple of hateful harpies (I love when villains are unmasked and have to suffer for their crimes!) and the main characters of the first novel as guest stars. Well written and entertaining, emotional and steamy, this book has everything I could have asked for in a romance book.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3.5 stars. Leah, the female lead, left her home village to be a lady’s companion to escape the cruelty of her “mother” (her father’s legal wife who raised her after her biological mother’s death). She left behind Phin, the male lead and her best friend and crush. Returning seven years later as a companion to a young lady, she’s not sure whether she’s happy to be back.
Phin’s father wasted most of the family money before his death and now Phin is stuck with a huge public access garden that he doesn’t have funds to maintain. His last desperate plan is to marry an heiress but he’s enjoying having his friend back…
This story is dual POV, well written, and a sweet friends-to-lovers historical romance. I enjoyed Leah’s self-confidence and the way she’d made a place for herself in the world. I appreciated Phin’s independence and was amused by his determination to keep his financial woes private. I enjoyed the resolution to both their concerns.
I received a complimentary copy from the author and this is my voluntary honest review.
Phin’s father wasted most of the family money before his death and now Phin is stuck with a huge public access garden that he doesn’t have funds to maintain. His last desperate plan is to marry an heiress but he’s enjoying having his friend back…
This story is dual POV, well written, and a sweet friends-to-lovers historical romance. I enjoyed Leah’s self-confidence and the way she’d made a place for herself in the world. I appreciated Phin’s independence and was amused by his determination to keep his financial woes private. I enjoyed the resolution to both their concerns.
I received a complimentary copy from the author and this is my voluntary honest review.
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
TL;DR: I’ve enjoyed quite a few of Darcy Burke’s books, most recently her Phoenix Club series. so I was looking forward to trying one of her stories from a different series. Sadly, I didn’t end up enjoying this at all. My biggest issue is that I didn’t feel the chemistry between Phin and Leah, and I found that there was too much “telling” and not nearly enough “showing”, which left the characters and romance feeling shallow. That said, I know I’m very much in the minority with my feelings if the other reviews and ratings are anything to go by, so I have no doubt that others could end up loving this more than I did!
I was intrigued by both Leah and Phin’s characters as they’re both good people who want to do right by others. For Leah, that means putting up with a passive-aggressive employer until her charge becomes betrothed and for Phin, that means keeping the bleak reality of the state of the botanical gardens hidden from everyone in the village. Leah wasn’t a difficult FMC to root for. After suffering horrible abuses by her mother at home, she left to become a companion to an elderly woman who was more like a mother to her than the one she grew up with. She’s sharp and has an admirable ability to put up with ridiculous peoples’ nonsense and keep her sanity. She has always harboured feelings for Phin, her childhood best friend, and even all these years later she still feels the same and hopes maybe, since he’s unmarried, something can happen between them. I wanted her to have a bit more pride when it came to Phin!
Phin is a horticulturist who finds it easier to manage plants than to manage his family estate, particularly the botanical gardens, which has steadily fallen into disrepair since his father died and emptied the coffers with his debts several years ago. I admired Phin’s attempts to keep his grandfather’s dreams alive but sadly, I didn’t connect with him at all. Both characters came across as fairly young (even though they were in their mid-20s), and his indecisiveness and desire to “have his cake and eat it too” was irritating. I didn’t believe that he suddenly “rediscovered” feelings for Leah after remembering that they shared a kiss 20 years ago(!), and while I get his desperation to marry for money to save the garden, the suddenness with which he goes from preparing to propose to one woman to then professing love and asking for Leah’s hand in marriage the next was a bit too unrealistic for me to suspend my disbelief. There is one on-page sex scene later on in the book and to be honest, I found it awkward and thought it read like a short sex ed scene instead of something that was sexy.
Ultimately, there’s a lot that happens on these pages and I felt maybe it was a case of too much all at once that made everything feel a little too shallow. This goes beyond the romance and can be said for the “conflict” between Leah and her employer and her mother as well. I guessed what the issue would be from the beginning but the total lack of tension didn’t do anything to help either because when everything was revealed it just felt a little anticlimactic. Overall, I’m sad that this wasn’t the book for me but I do think that others who enjoy a light, historical romance with earnest characters and a bit of steam may enjoy it more!
I was intrigued by both Leah and Phin’s characters as they’re both good people who want to do right by others. For Leah, that means putting up with a passive-aggressive employer until her charge becomes betrothed and for Phin, that means keeping the bleak reality of the state of the botanical gardens hidden from everyone in the village. Leah wasn’t a difficult FMC to root for. After suffering horrible abuses by her mother at home, she left to become a companion to an elderly woman who was more like a mother to her than the one she grew up with. She’s sharp and has an admirable ability to put up with ridiculous peoples’ nonsense and keep her sanity. She has always harboured feelings for Phin, her childhood best friend, and even all these years later she still feels the same and hopes maybe, since he’s unmarried, something can happen between them. I wanted her to have a bit more pride when it came to Phin!
Phin is a horticulturist who finds it easier to manage plants than to manage his family estate, particularly the botanical gardens, which has steadily fallen into disrepair since his father died and emptied the coffers with his debts several years ago. I admired Phin’s attempts to keep his grandfather’s dreams alive but sadly, I didn’t connect with him at all. Both characters came across as fairly young (even though they were in their mid-20s), and his indecisiveness and desire to “have his cake and eat it too” was irritating. I didn’t believe that he suddenly “rediscovered” feelings for Leah after remembering that they shared a kiss 20 years ago(!), and while I get his desperation to marry for money to save the garden, the suddenness with which he goes from preparing to propose to one woman to then professing love and asking for Leah’s hand in marriage the next was a bit too unrealistic for me to suspend my disbelief. There is one on-page sex scene later on in the book and to be honest, I found it awkward and thought it read like a short sex ed scene instead of something that was sexy.
Ultimately, there’s a lot that happens on these pages and I felt maybe it was a case of too much all at once that made everything feel a little too shallow. This goes beyond the romance and can be said for the “conflict” between Leah and her employer and her mother as well. I guessed what the issue would be from the beginning but the total lack of tension didn’t do anything to help either because when everything was revealed it just felt a little anticlimactic. Overall, I’m sad that this wasn’t the book for me but I do think that others who enjoy a light, historical romance with earnest characters and a bit of steam may enjoy it more!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism
Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, Death of parent
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Romancing the Heiress is the third book in the Lords in Love Series. In this book, Leah and Phil are childhood friends who have been out of touch for many years. Phin owns the botanical gardens, an essential part of Marrywell’s Matchmaking Festival. He is under great strain to maintain the gardens thanks to his profligate deceased father. Leah left Marrywell and escaped a bad family situation by becoming companion to an elderly woman. Her charge passed away, so Leah became companion to her employer’s great niece. She has returned to Marrywell as her new charge is participating in the festival.
This is a very sweet story that deals with estrangement and loss of different kinds. The couple is endearing although Phin is a bit thick at times. The story was pretty predictable but was handled in a fun and sweet manner, which made it enjoyable. I am liking this series.
Thank you to NetGalley and Zealous Quill Press for the ARC. All opinions are solely my own.