Book Review: Hearts of Briarwall by Krista Jensen

Book: Hearts of Briarwall by Krista Jensen

Genre: Edwardian romance (A Proper Romance from ShadowMountain.com)

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★

It's been awhile but here I am again to promote another Proper Romance book! Thank you to Shadow Mountain for this opportunity!

First how about a summary (provided by the publisher):

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.

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I went into this truly not knowing anything. I choose to read this out of a line up books and it just sounded so fun! I don't think I've read anything set in the Edwardian era, not that I can remember at the moment anyway. And it's a pretty cool era! Lots of changes happening in the world! It's a fun time. (I had to look it up, we are talking early 1900's here.

There's four friends featured in this book, and this particular story is about one of them, Lydia, and her brother, and her brother's friend who comes to visit. (After finishing this I wondered if the other friends will have their story? I don't know.. I'm just guessing, but it sure seems like that would be a cool idea!) And this Lydia is fantastic awesome female character! So full of feistiness! And she truly doesn't care what people think. Wearing trousers. Wanting to learn how to drive. Fighting for the vote. Wanting to invest her money. Etc. I love it. She is so funny and witty too. 

And our cute boy Spencer kinda loves it too. He's not so sure he should, but he does. He has been hurt before, so he is trying SOOO hard to remain nonchalant. But that doesn't last long at all.

I really loved the banter and the romance in this one. All around so fun. It totally had me engaged and invested. I really do hope there's more with this world and these characters! 

So yeah, if you enjoy Victorian era stories, but want something a little different, a little more Downton Abby (as I saw it compared to somewhere) then you'll probably truly enjoy this one! This comes out next week on August 2!

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More 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.