| Yorkshire is the
first in a series of Georgian romances, set in the mid 1700's. In addition to a tender romance, it also contains
a puzzling mystery. Twenty-five-year-old
Rose Golightly is almost, but not quite, prepared to accept a life of spinsterhood. Intimidated by her flirtatious younger sister's
beauty and popularity, Rose is shy and doesn't recognize her own attractiveness. Although she is being pursued by a handsome young
cleric, she doesn't feel wanted for herself. I
found Rose likeable and unpretentious and was immediately drawn to her.
Richard Kerre, Lord
Strang, son of the Earl of Southwood, is engaged to marry Julia Cartwright, who is
beautiful, but selfish and spiteful. He has a
reputation of philandering, but falls in love with Rose on sight.
Rose and Richard
meet when they arrive at the Hareton estate in Yorkshire. Rose and her family have come
from Devonshire to witness the betrothal of their cousin, Edward Golightly, brother of the
Earl of Hareton, to Richard's sister. The
Haretons have neglected to care for their ancestral home and have allowed the property to
deteriorate. They have also become involved
in a strange religious cult. Lord Southwood
refuses to allow his daughter to marry Edward. The
Earl of Hareton and his brother are killed in a carriage accident, making Rose's brother,
James, the heir and new Earl of Hareton. Lord Strang was seriously injured in the accident
also and Rose assists in his care. Their
attraction to each other is instant and strong, in spite of obstacles. Rose soon discovers that the accident was not an
accident at all, but deliberately caused. She
enlists Richard's help to try and solve the mystery.
As they search for clues and hidden secrets, their love deepens and they
must also search for a way to overcome the barriers to their romance.
Connolly's use of
first person point of view is unusual in a historical romance, but it works effectively. The background is well-researched and Connolly
employs good characterization techniques. I
especially liked Rose's sister-in-law, Martha—so capable, adaptable, resourceful, and
loving. The mystery combined within the romantic plot made this story exceptionally
interesting for me. It was a complete
surprise for me to discover who caused the accident and an even greater surprise to find
that I felt sympathy. I enjoyed this book,
but I had trouble at first determining the relationship of the characters. Many names and personalities are introduced in
the first chapter and I found it hard to keep them straight, but once I 'knew' them, I
lost myself in their story. Other than that,
the story moved along at a satisfying pace. I
look forward to reading the other books in this series.
Reviewed by Marie
DisBrow for The Road to Romance
October 2, 2003 |
