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A review by meezcarrie
Underestimating Miss Cecilia by Carolyn Miller
4.0
I do so love a redeemed rogue, and Ned Amherst definitely fits the bill. His is a life brought up from the pit, and the glimpses that Miller gives us into his transformed heart (with shades of the Prodigal Son’s story from Scripture) are so tenderly painted. I also loved seeing into Cecilia’s relationship with Christ – despite the fact that her parents want nothing to do with ‘religion’; both protagonists have sweet encounters with grace in their backstories and, again as with book 1 in this series, this enhances my enjoyment of their romance as well.
In Underestimating Miss Cecilia, Miller highlights yet another not-often-mentioned aspect of life in England at the time. While A Hero for Miss Hatherleigh introduced me to the ‘fossil-hunting craze’ going on around England back then, this 2nd book of the trilogy spotlights a rather disturbing aspect of regency history – that of the extreme prejudice toward the working class, the Irish, and the gypsies. Yet amid the despicable attitudes of the day, Ned (and his parents) and Cecily reminded me that there is always a remnant of people following after God’s heart, whose own hearts are broken by the mistreatment around them & spurred on to enact change. So, too, I could see how the way Cecily has always been overlooked and the way Ned’s past caused him to be an outcast in certain circles had softened their hearts toward these situations – a gentle reminder that God never wastes what we’ve never been through.
It’s not all seriousness though. Mrs. Cherry has many lovely moments throughout, and the house party with its parlor games provides diversion for the readers as well as the characters. And with a story that begins, “It was, perhaps, the greatest torment to love someone who barely seemed to notice one’s existence,” you know the romance will be everything delicious and swoonworthy too (once poor Ned starts being less clueless, anyway lol).
Bottom Line: Carolyn Miller has penned another soul-touching novel, one that beckons the reader to be a little uncomfortable for the sake of true growth – much as the author does for characters. As I’ve come to expect from this author, the setting & characters & plot come brilliantly to life and immerse you in their world until you’ve turned the last page. A sweet romance with an even deeper message. (And lest you think I’ve forsaken my KissingBook-loving ways…. there’s a particular scene in the library of a particular house that still has me a bit twitterpated!)
(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book)
first seen at Reading Is My SuperPower
In Underestimating Miss Cecilia, Miller highlights yet another not-often-mentioned aspect of life in England at the time. While A Hero for Miss Hatherleigh introduced me to the ‘fossil-hunting craze’ going on around England back then, this 2nd book of the trilogy spotlights a rather disturbing aspect of regency history – that of the extreme prejudice toward the working class, the Irish, and the gypsies. Yet amid the despicable attitudes of the day, Ned (and his parents) and Cecily reminded me that there is always a remnant of people following after God’s heart, whose own hearts are broken by the mistreatment around them & spurred on to enact change. So, too, I could see how the way Cecily has always been overlooked and the way Ned’s past caused him to be an outcast in certain circles had softened their hearts toward these situations – a gentle reminder that God never wastes what we’ve never been through.
It’s not all seriousness though. Mrs. Cherry has many lovely moments throughout, and the house party with its parlor games provides diversion for the readers as well as the characters. And with a story that begins, “It was, perhaps, the greatest torment to love someone who barely seemed to notice one’s existence,” you know the romance will be everything delicious and swoonworthy too (once poor Ned starts being less clueless, anyway lol).
Bottom Line: Carolyn Miller has penned another soul-touching novel, one that beckons the reader to be a little uncomfortable for the sake of true growth – much as the author does for characters. As I’ve come to expect from this author, the setting & characters & plot come brilliantly to life and immerse you in their world until you’ve turned the last page. A sweet romance with an even deeper message. (And lest you think I’ve forsaken my KissingBook-loving ways…. there’s a particular scene in the library of a particular house that still has me a bit twitterpated!)
(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book)
first seen at Reading Is My SuperPower