Hearts of Briarwall Blog Tour

 

ABOUT THE BOOK

Lydia Wooding is fascinated by the latest inventions the new century brings, including motorcars. She longs for the independence they represent and believes that women should have a say in the future of the industry―just as they should have a say in suffrage, adventure, and, of course, love.

Spencer Hayes is a man of practicality and innovation, but he lacks the financial backing to make his dream a reality. When he contacts his childhood friend, Andrew Wooding, about a promising business venture, he is invited to Briarwall Manor to discuss the terms. Once there, he is surprised to find that Andrew's once shy, younger sister, Lydia, has grown into a young woman of beauty, wit, and a bit of fire. Even better, the two share a passion for motorcars.

Andrew, however, is wary of cars, having lost his parents in a tragic auto accident when he and Lydia were young. And he's not sure a relationship between his sister and Spencer is the best idea―not when Sir Lawrence is available and could match both Lydia's social status and her fortune.

Torn between risking their hearts and being loyal to their dreams in an era of whirlwind change, Spencer and Lydia anchor themselves with the determination they both share: to live life to its fullest.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Award-winning author KRISTA JENSEN works and plays in the Pacific Northwest with her spunky little dog and anyone else who wants to tag along. When she’s not exploring the outdoors, she can likely be found with her laptop, a pretty spiral notebook, and a Pilot Precise V7, writing about love, triumph, and really great kisses. Either that or she’s switching laundry wondering who keeps wearing all these clothes. (It’s her.) For book info and other good things, follow Krista on Instagram @kristajensenbooks. 

REVIEW

Hearts of Briarwall is a clean and wholesome romance set in 1906 during the Edwardian era in England. The story moves along at a good pace and the author does a good job at keeping the reader entertained. The characters are interesting and likeable. The romance builds slowly and gives the reader a chance to get to know the characters and see the romance develop. You also get the beginnings of the suffrage movement and the differing reactions to the relatively new idea of motorcars.  Readers experience the Edwardian time and learn more about concerns during that time as well as social norms.

 

There were a two moments when I groaned as a reader. The main character, Lydia, was part of a secret society of women that wanted to fly like Wendy in Peter Pan. There's a trend in wholesome romance right now of packing characters in secret societies and it's starting to become overdone. The only other time I groaned is when the author described a character waggling their eyebrows, which also seems to be used excessively in clean romance novels. 

Overall, I felt like it was an entertaining read, and the author shows a fresh take on the Edwardian era and the clean romance genre. It's a read that romance readers from teens to adult will enjoy especially with Lydia's vibrant character and ideas. To learn more about this book, click here.

Please note that I receive a free copy of this book, however, this is my honest opinion. This post also contains affiliate links that help support this blog.