Daughters of Aynslley,A Hero for Miss Hatherleigh is my favourite Carolyn Miller book so far.
As usual, the writing is excellent, the sense of period is perfect, and the characters. I liked the way Miss Caroline Hatherleigh went through a complete yet convincing change in her character. I also liked the way what could have been a lighthearted romance showed unexpected depths.
Caroline Hatherleigh has been raised to believe that feelings of love in marriage are for the lower orders, and to consider attending church as a social obligation, not something one does for any deeper meaning. But she wants more from a marriage than mere affection. And her beliefs on faith are challenged when she is shunted off to south Devonshire to visit her grandmother, where she meets Gideon Kirby and his sister.
As she spends time with the pair, they challenge her to consider the reality of God and faith. She is attracted to Gideon, but knows that as the daughter of a Viscount, she’s expected to marry someone of equal rank in society. Anyway, Gideon would have to show an interest in her first.
Gideon is a strong Christian, and a scientist (in a time when the two weren’t considered to be mutually exclusive). He is hunting for fossils on England’s south coast. He describes himself as an undergroundologist, which I guess is the predecessor to our modern palentologist. He is in Devon for two reasons: to hunt for fossils in the same area as the famous Mary Anning, and to protect his sister from the monster she married.
It is these two subplots that raise A Hero for Miss Hatherleigh head and shoulders above most Christian romance.
Emma is hiding from an abusive husband, something which is rarely discussed in historical fiction, and which adds a layer of suspense to the plot. Science and faith rarely mix in our modern world, and Gideon faces some of those challenges in 1818. It’s a fascinating combination of backdrops.
Those who have read and enjoyed Miller’s earlier Regency romances will enjoy glimpses of characters from previous stories, but it doesn’t matter if you haven’t read any. A Hero for Miss Hatherleigh is the first of the Daughters of Aynsley trilogy—which means we have another two Carolyn Miller novels to look forward to. Excellent!
Recommended for all fans of Christian Regency romance, or for those looking for Christian romance that’s beyond the ordinary.
Thanks to Carolyn Miller for providing a free book for review.
About Carolyn Miller
Carolyn Miller lives in the beautiful Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia. She is married, with four gorgeous children, who all love to read (and write!).
A longtime lover of Regency romance, Carolyn’s novels have won a number of Romance Writers of American (RWA) and American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) contests. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Australasian Christian Writers. Her favourite authors are classics like Jane Austen (of course!), Georgette Heyer, and Agatha Christie, but she also enjoys contemporary authors like Susan May Warren and Becky Wade.
Her stories are fun and witty, yet also deal with real issues, such as dealing with forgiveness, the nature of really loving versus ‘true love’, and other challenges we all face at different times.
Find Carolyn Miller online at:
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About A Hero for Miss Hatherleigh
Can a very proper noble lady find a future with a fossil-hunting man of faith?
As the daughter of Viscount Aynsley, Caroline Hatherleigh knows every rule of society—and she’s always followed them precisely. It’s simply the way things are done in her world. When she visits south Devonshire and encounters a fossil-hunting scientist and his sister, her assumptions about what is right are shaken. She is suddenly confronted by questions she has never considered about the importance of friendship and faith—and her comfortable understanding about how the world works is thrown off balance.
Gideon Kirby loves science, and hunting down proof of past lives is a joy he won’t willingly give up. But his scientific leanings are being challenged by both his personal beliefs and by local smugglers in the Devonshire countryside. And every day his sister’s illness is becoming more desperate and her care grows more demanding. Adding a proper Viscount’s daughter to the mix is a complication Gideon never expected—especially since he has a secret that demands he stays far away from this young woman he’s falling for in order to protect his beloved sister.
When a mysterious stranger visits the village, that secret is set to be exposed, no matter how Gideon fights. Then tragedy strikes in a smugglers cave. And the threat of scandal may lead to broken hearts and passionless propriety. Will the shaky bond these two have managed to build be strong enough to overcome their differences—or will the trust they’ve withheld from each other end up tearing three lives apart?
You can find A Hero for Miss Hatherleigh online at:
Amazon US | Amazon AU | ChristianBook | Goodreads | Koorong
