Fun Premise Makes for Enjoyable Regency Reading

What happens when a crowd of eligible young lords and ladies converges in the Yorkshire countryside for a two-week long house party?  Plenty of merriment, mischief, and matchmaking, that's what!  

The Regency House Party: Somerstone series is made up of five romance novels penned by popular and up-and-coming LDS writers.  Each revolves around a different set of Somerstone houseguests, all of whom are searching for love while at the estate.  Since the stories take place simultaneously, the books can be read in any order.  While the characters in the novels intermingle, their individual stories don't intertwine enough to contain spoilers.  It's a fun device for a series, don't you think?  You can read more about it at the Regency House Party website.  

(Image from Amazon)

Despite being a lowly stable master's daughter, 19-year-old Marjorie Fairchild has been invited to the hottest house party of the season thanks to her aunt's acquaintance with its hosts.  Although her days of scampering around barefoot, climbing trees, and spying on her betters are long gone, Marjorie's still not entirely comfortable mingling with London's elite.  Still, her silly childhood fantasies all revolved around another Somestone houseguest: dashing Reginald Beauchamp.  It doesn't matter how much she's developed, Marjorie knows there's no way she could hope to snag the son of an earl, but she can't help hoping that maybe, just maybe, she might be able to catch his eye.  Even a few moments of his attention would be enough to soothe her unrequited longings.

Lord Miles Beauchamp has little patience for frivolous social gatherings, even if his earldom is in need of a Lady to refine it.  His only goal at the house party is to keep an eagle eye on his flippant, irresponsible younger brother.  When Reginald sets his fickle sights on Marjorie Fairchild, the beautiful daughter of the family's stable master, Miles knows he must step in.  He can't allow his dandy of a brother to toy with the heart of his employee's daughter.  It's not right—for many reasons.  Setting himself in the role of her protector, Miles vows to save Marjorie from Reginald, only to find his own traitorous heart hopelessly lost to the enchanting redhead.  

Can Miles successfully woo Marjorie's affections away from his charming brother?  If he can, what then?  Can a romance between two people of such different social classes ever really work?  Despite the risks, Miles is determined to find out ...

The Stable Master's Daughter—a debut novel by Sara Cardon—tells a swoony story about a woman whose yearnings for the wrong man blind her to the charms of the right one.  It's a familiar setup which leads to an obvious, predictable ending.  The characters are nothing special either, although they're mostly a likable lot.  While I definitely wanted a twistier plot and more dynamic story people from it, The Stable Master's Daughter remains a fun, enjoyable novel that's short, sweet, and satisfying.  With it, Cardon proves herself a capable writer, making her an author on whom I will definitely keep my eye!  

(Readalikes:  Other novels in the Regency House Party: Somerstone series, as well as Regency romances by Josi S. Kilpack, Jennifer Moore, Julianne Donaldson, and Sarah M. Eden)

Grade: 

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for mild violence

To the FTC, with love:  I received a finished copy of The Stable Master's Daughter from the generous Sara Cardon in exchange for an honest review.  Thank you!