Lady Lorena’s Spinster’s Society

Barbara’s Rating: 3.5 of 5 Stars

Series:  Spinster’s Society

Publication Date:  08/07/17

A lovely, entertaining book by a new-to-me author.  I actually believe she is a fairly new author as well and you can see that in the polish and flow of the book and some of the societal norms she missed for the time period.  That said, I thoroughly enjoyed the story.

The main characters are like pyrotechnics – every time they are in the vicinity of one another some disaster or another happens and the sparks fly.  Yes, disasters from the mundane falling flat to burning an entire townhouse down.  There are no dull times when these two are around.

I believe this will be part of a series, and I’m not clear what the series will be about – I assume that it will include either the Spinster’s Society ladies or the group of ten gentlemen known as the Men of Nashwood.  Nashwood was a tavern, close to Oxford, that the young men had more or less taken over when they moved to Oxford to complete their education.  I believe this book may only be available on Amazon.

Emmett Starr is the Earl of Ashwick and a member of the Men of Nashwood.  His early life was a very sad one.  Both parents were cold and uncaring and his mother even actively disliked him.  No reason for it – it was just who they were.  So, when he became a member of the Men of Nashwood, it became his family.  He felt especially welcomed and at home when he visited the family of Francis Cullip, heir to the Duke of Valdeston.  They were a warm and loving family who welcomed Emmett with open arms.  The very first time Emmett saw the daughter of the house, he was totally besotted and from that point on, in his mind she belonged to him.

Lady Lorena Cullip was raised in a warm and loving home – though it was nearly penniless.  She was a sweet and caring young lady who always wanted to make others feel safe and comfortable and she was very gifted at doing that.  She was also very curious and mischievous.  Around Emmett, she seems to trip over her own feet – she burns him with coffee, sticks him with a toga pin and – oh yes – she burns his house down.

I won’t give you a twist-by-turn description of the book because you can get that from the book blurb.  I will tell you that I did enjoy the story itself, but if you are a historical fan, some of the details will make you cringe.  For instance – Lorena is living alone in her own townhouse (she’s maybe 19-20 years old) with no chaperone or even any servants.  That just isn’t done.

“I received this book at no cost to me and volunteered to read it; my review is my honest opinion and given without any influence by the author or publisher.”