“For Hudson, the newly titled Viscount Stildon, moving to England from India where he was born and raised was already an arduous enough endeavor. When he learns the fate of the racing empire he inherited along with his title depends upon him getting in the good graces of another stable owner, he's even more at a loss.
The stable at the neighboring estate has been Miss Bianca Snowley's refuge for years, and when a strange man appears to be stealing the horses, she jumps to their protection without a second thought. Upon learning Hudson is actually the new owner, she can't help but be intrigued by the area's newest eligible bachelor.
Any thought of romance is quickly set aside, however, when Hudson proposes they work together to secure suitable spouses for each other. As their friendship grows, Hudson and Bianca begin to reconsider what they truly want in life. But will societal expectations and the weight of their responsibilities keep them from pursuing their true desires?”
Series: Book #1 in the “Hearts on the Heath” trilogy. (Does mention characters and events from the author’s other series, “Hawthorne House” and “Haven House”.)
Spiritual Content- Psalm 139:15-16 at the beginning; A handful of Scriptures are mentioned & read (including in thinking about a sermon); Prayers & Thanking God; Bible reading; Church going; Talks about God & praying; 'H's are capital when referring to God; Hudson thinks that his faith has grown thin, and that while God is in Heaven, He hasn’t answered any of Hudson’s pleas (he hopes that God will answer this one about going to England); Hudson doesn’t think God intervened in his life and has difficulty thinking that God loves him but yet has left him to deal with his problems on his own (Hudson thinks that a single solution appearing to fix his problems would be proof for him to believe that God was interested in him); As the book continues, he realizes he needs to be more patient with God’s plans; Bianca wonders why God allowed her to become so alone and lacking friends; Bianca prays, starting the prayer with “Lord, I know it isn’t a Sunday, but I hope you’re listening anyway…”; Bianca asks God for a sign & wonders if something is that sign (later determining that she wasn’t very good at determining signs); Mentions of God, God being in control, Jesus, & faiths; Mentions of prayers & praying; Mentions of a Bible; Mentions of those & events in the Bible (including Jesus’ earthly parents leaving Him behind at a synagogue); Mentions of churches, church going, services, pastor/priests, & sermons; A couple mentions of blessings; A mention of praising God; A mention of someone praying to God for a miracle and it never happening (regarding his family); A mention of doing things “the Christian way”; A mention of a vicar “extolling on the evils of dissembling”;
*Note: Mentions of horses that are named Hades, Apollo, Midas & Poseidon; A couple mentions of luck; A mention of society demonizing a man; A mention of someone having to be possessed by “some mind-altering spirit”because of the change in personality.
Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘dashed’, a ‘drat’, two ‘bah’s, three ‘stupid’s, and eight ‘idiot’s; A mention of a derogatory name being left off of a woman’s sentence being implied (Bianca’s stepmother to her); A mention of a string of curses (said, not written); Some sarcasm, eye rolling, & snide comments; Being abducted, Being kicked, Being threatened at gunpoint, Gunshots, Attacking (self-defense) & Pain; Hudson partakes in card games and betting (not portrayed negatively but as a normal thing to do in this time); Hudson drinks ale at a tavern & later thinks about having a glass of brandy to occupy his hands; Both Bianca & Hudson tell a lie (social reasons) and feel guilty over it; Many mentions of card games, betting, & gambling (on horses and cards); Mentions of deaths (including from a fever and a snake bite) & grief (including for parents, a grandfather, & a close mother-daughter relationship); Mentions of a family member threatening a nephew harm or death because of his inheritance (Hudson’s uncle towards him); Mentions of an abduction & being threatened at gunpoint; Mentions of criminals/crimes, thieves, & stealing; Mentions of alcohol, drinking, drunks, & taverns; Mentions of seasickness, throwing up, & pain; Mentions of lies, lying, & liars; Mentions of rumors & gossip; Mentions of mistreated horses (barely-above-not-detailed); A few mentions of jealousy; A few mentions of manure; A couple mentions of snuff boxes; A mention of a bully; A mention of hatred;
*Note: Bianca has a strained relationship with her stepmother & they give snide comments back and forth to the other (her stepmother prefers her own children, constantly compares Bianca to her sister, & can be manipulative to get Bianca to do as she wants (including locking Bianca out of her room)); Bianca’s stepmother says that men are “illogical creatures”; Hudson has the feeling of not feeling like he belongs in England or India; A couple mentions of eating pig and goat eyeballs (barely-above-not-detailed); A mention of some English men seeing India as a land to be conquered (“instead of embraced”).
Sexual Content- A semi-detailed kiss, and a detailed kiss; Remembering kisses & embraces/touches (up to semi-detailed); Touches, Embraces, Dancing, Warmth, & Hand holding, & Nearness (up to semi-detailed); Blushes; Noticing & Smelling (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of illegitimate children & births (including a comment about someone being born on the wrong side of the blanket); Mentions of young women luring unmarried men to a certain place & getting caught in a compromising situation; Mentions of reputations & chaperones; Mentions of some believing the waltz is scandalous (because of how close a couple has to be to dance it); Mentions of flirting; A few mentions of kisses & kissing; A mention of cheating accusations; Love, falling in love, & the emotions;
*Note: Mentions of horse breeding & studs and mares being available; A mention of a man having multiple wives at one time (Sir David Ochterlony); A mention of a couple not having “a great deal of luck” in having children.
-Bianca Snowley, age 24
-Hudson / Lord Stildon, age 28
P.O.V. switches between them
Set in 1817
346 pages
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Pre Teens-
New Teens-
Early High School Teens-
Older High School Teens-
My personal Rating-
I wasn’t sure what to expect with this novel because the couple prior books I read by this author had some content I wasn’t a fan of, but I ended up really enjoying this one. Some comments and a detailed kiss make it better for older teens or older, though, of course.
I really liked both Bianca and Hudson—especially him with his views on and troubles fitting into society. I was a little disappointed when he becomes interested in the wrong girl, but kept reading because I knew something had to change. And it did. Eventually. This was definitely a slow-burn romance and it about drove me batty because of that fact, hahaha. But because of that element, though, it wasn’t an overly physical or heavy noticing romance book, which I truly appreciate!
While I liked the writing and how things were described, I did also have a bit of trouble following along at times. I think it was because often times the characters were having conversations with double meanings and you had to pick up on what they were talking about—which most of the times our main couple were lost, so I ended up being a bit lost at times too.
There are mentions and features of other couples from the author’s previous books and series, which not having read those book, I felt a bit left out. (This seems to be a theme in my regency book reading for this year, actually, now that I think about it.)
I would have preferred a wee bit more faith content towards the end (in terms of growth for Hudson and Bianca from prior comments they made), but I do plan to read the next book in the series as I liked seeing their friend, Aaron, in this book. The friendships and banter were really what made this book enjoyable for me, so I hope that continues throughout the rest of the series.
See y’all on Friday with a new review!
*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.
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