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A review by emmalb1984
Unexpectedly Wed to the Officer by Jenni Fletcher
5.0
The second instalment of Jenni Fletcher’s ‘Regency Belles of Bath’ series picks up where book one left off as Sebastian Fortini returns home to discover Henrietta Gardiner has taken up residence in the family biscuit shop and that an awful lot of things have changed whilst he has been away in the Navy. What follows is a beautifully told tale of friendship, romance and family all set against a gloriously vivid backdrop of Bath, Derbyshire, Yorkshire and Gretna Green.
Whilst the story does follow the conclusion of book one, this works well as a stand alone novel, and the reader is soon invested in what will become of Henrietta and Sebastian following their entertaining first meeting, and we follow the pair as they begin a tentative friendship which may lead to romance. One of the strongest traits of Jenni Fletcher’s writing style is her ability to create strong, believable and likeable characters who spring to life from the outset and make an impression on the reader, and in Henrietta and Sebastian she has again succeeded in immersing the reader in this little corner of Regency Bath from the first page. Indeed, by the time Sebastian decides that he really wants to see Henrietta again following their first meeting you are already rooting for him to convince her that they could be something wonderful if she could see beyond her mistrust of men. The romance elements which follow allow their relationship to move from mistrust to friendship to romance at a pace which suits the characters and you cannot help but fall in love with the two as an unexpected sequence of events propels Sebastian to start considering the future.
The secondary characters only add to the enjoyment of the plot, most notably Henrietta’s adorable nephews who steal the show in almost every scene and provide an amusing subplot as Sebastian’s equivalent of childcare is to offer training as Navy cadets, as well as bakery assistant Nancy and the mysterious Belinda who is not necessarily all she seems to be. Whilst there is no appearance from Anna and Samuel, or the scene stealing Lady Jarrett from book 1 (who Jenni kindly informs me may be back for book 3!), there are also appearances from Sebastian’s mother and her extended family which provide a nice follow on for readers of the previous book.
Without spoiling the plot, the second half of the story provides a delightful shift in Henrietta and Sebastian’s relationship and you really do care what becomes of them as the story progresses. Through clever plotting and enjoyable characters this is the perfect book to lose yourself in during these uncertain times, and I look forward to book 3 and returning to these characters.
Whilst the story does follow the conclusion of book one, this works well as a stand alone novel, and the reader is soon invested in what will become of Henrietta and Sebastian following their entertaining first meeting, and we follow the pair as they begin a tentative friendship which may lead to romance. One of the strongest traits of Jenni Fletcher’s writing style is her ability to create strong, believable and likeable characters who spring to life from the outset and make an impression on the reader, and in Henrietta and Sebastian she has again succeeded in immersing the reader in this little corner of Regency Bath from the first page. Indeed, by the time Sebastian decides that he really wants to see Henrietta again following their first meeting you are already rooting for him to convince her that they could be something wonderful if she could see beyond her mistrust of men. The romance elements which follow allow their relationship to move from mistrust to friendship to romance at a pace which suits the characters and you cannot help but fall in love with the two as an unexpected sequence of events propels Sebastian to start considering the future.
The secondary characters only add to the enjoyment of the plot, most notably Henrietta’s adorable nephews who steal the show in almost every scene and provide an amusing subplot as Sebastian’s equivalent of childcare is to offer training as Navy cadets, as well as bakery assistant Nancy and the mysterious Belinda who is not necessarily all she seems to be. Whilst there is no appearance from Anna and Samuel, or the scene stealing Lady Jarrett from book 1 (who Jenni kindly informs me may be back for book 3!), there are also appearances from Sebastian’s mother and her extended family which provide a nice follow on for readers of the previous book.
Without spoiling the plot, the second half of the story provides a delightful shift in Henrietta and Sebastian’s relationship and you really do care what becomes of them as the story progresses. Through clever plotting and enjoyable characters this is the perfect book to lose yourself in during these uncertain times, and I look forward to book 3 and returning to these characters.