In The Shelter of Hollythorne House by Sarah E. Ladd

 

Title:  In the Shelter of Hollythorne House

Author:  Sarah E. Ladd

Narrated by:  Jude Mason

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Length: Approximately 8 hours and 49 minutes

Source: Purchased from Amazon.com on Audible, physical copy won from a Bookclub Giveaway from TLC Book Tours, e-book from NetGalley

Do you like second chance romance novels?  Do you have any favorite romantic tropes that you love or hate?

Second chance romance is one of my favorite romantic tropes.  I was happy it was part of this novel.  Charlotte Grey and Anthony Welbourne fell in love as teenagers, but Anthony left for war in the United States.  Their fathers were enemies, and they knew that their love could go no further.  While Anthony was gone, Charlotte married Roland Prior.  Their marriage was not a happy one, but she did have one son, Henry, whom she adores.  When Roland dies, Charlotte returned home to Hollythorne house with Henry for a chance to live life on her own terms.  Her brother-in-law sent guards to watch her and Henry due to unrest in the mills after Roland’s death.  One of the guards is none other than Anthony.  Will the two be able to live with their new roles in life, or will the spark of love return?

I found this story to be very engaging.  I liked both Charlotte and Anthony and their second chance at romance.  I also liked how there was a mystery and adventure in the story.  I also thought there were hints of The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte in this story with the mysterious widow living on the moors after an unhappy marriage.

My JASNA Northwoods Book club won editions of this novel from the TLC Bookclub Giveaway, which was very exciting.  I handed them out at our last meeting in October and we discussed it today.  Most members liked the book, and we had an interesting discussion of marriage during the Regency time period and how women were trapped in unhappy marriages.  We also discussed that Charlotte’s father left a good marriage settlement on her which really helped her out after her father’s death.  Not all women had this.

I listened to the audiobook of the novel while following along in my physical copy.  Jude Mason was a good narrator, and it was an engrossing story to listen to.