This one was interesting. I love how Frederick takes on this gaggle of adopted children and their various issues. Naturally, this being an Anita Stansfield book, he easily tames them and all is sunshine and lollipops.

I liked that Lily is actually a few years older than Frederick. It’s a nice change from the usual 17- to 21-year-old heroines.

There is a little bit of a mystery here that is also a nice twist. This one I didn’t really guess ahead of time.

I do wonder how Lily was able to inherit all her first husband’s assets. Clearly he wasn’t nobility, just a wealthy man, or it would have gone to some male heir.

Possible objectionable material:
Child abuse, orphans, children with traumatic pasts.

This book is also reviewed at https://biblioquacious.blogspot.com/2023/08/author-focus-anita-stansfield.html
Thank you to Covenant Communications and NetGalley for providing advanced reader copies in exchange for my honest opinion.

I LoVe AnIta Standafeild books. So you can’t go wrong. But a story about a family with 11 adopted children and she is a widow. You know right there it is going to be interesting. What an amazing woman Lily is to take in so many children. I have 6 and I can only imagine. She is strong and loving. Frederick is a great fit for their family which is need to help teach all 11 children. It is not your normal regency but none the less wonderful! But you can’t go wrong with Anita Standsfeild!

This was so difficult for me to finish. I loved the premise and was really disappointed in the execution.

Poor quality writing and too much religious stuff.

A story about an unconventional women and the man she falls in love with., I had great expectations for this book and it didn't quite live up to what i was hoping,it wasn't bad but wasn't an outstanding, totally memorable read either.

Thank you for the chance to review this book, however, unfortunately, I was unable to read and review this title before it was archived.

If I had paid more attention to the publisher of this book, I would not have requested it.
Redeeming qualities:
clean plot
very compassionate
Non-redeeming qualities:
syrupy sweet characters who seem to have no angry moments or bad thoughts. Most of the worth of the characters came from things they did i.e. adopting children, helping out the neighbors--which in and of themselves are not bad things, but they cannot be the basis of worth for the characters.

Such promise! The premise is a good one and one I hadn't read before. Unfortunately, Lily of the Manor fell short for me. Though I love simple and sweet stories, this one felt much too simple and sweet. I felt like I was only being told what was happening. I was never being pulled into the story. I never felt myself living within the story. This simplistic storytelling, combined with characters that felt not fully formed and so sappily sweet--the entire thing didn't feel real.

Despite my lack of love, I know there is an audience for this book. I learned, after finishing this book and doing a little research on its author, Anita Stansfield is the LDS market's #1 best-selling romance novelist. She obviously has an audience that loves her simple and sweet storytelling. I'm just not a part of that audience.

Lily Broadbent was in search of a tutor for her eleven children, all of whom she had adopted. It had to be the right person to meet all of their needs. Frederick Woodstone was in search of a job as a teacher. He was desperate and prayed that this job would be the one, otherwise, he would be left with no place to stay and no money to survive on. When he first met Mrs. Lily Broadbent, the lady of the manor, he was struck by her unusual beauty and calm demeanor. He was hired on the spot and he came to know more about Lily, he began to see her as more than an employer. She, likewise, saw Frederick in a different light.

When circumstances happened to bring the two of them together, their marriage was a natural extension of their earlier relationship. As they learned more of one another, they came to understand God's hand in their lives in bringing them together. There was suspense, drama, romance and love that told a wonderful story. I enjoyed very much that the story showed emotion and intimacy without being vulgar or crass. It was a beautiful story.

I was given an arc copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Frederick Woodstone only wants a teaching job. He never imagines he will quickly find so much more than he ever thought he needed. Lily Broadbent employs Frederick to teach her eleven adopted children, and in the process they build a strong relationship. Then Lily makes a dangerous decision, and Frederick must decide if he will support her and continue their deepening relationship...
I thought this book was very sweet, if a little improbable and uneventful. Frederick and Lily's relationship is one many people can only dream of having. This book tackles difficult issues, from adoption and relationships to child abuse and forgiveness. I was glad to see a happy resolution to the main conflict. Though the author includes difficult issues, the book is very clean and wholesome reading. I don't agree with some of the author's views on God and Christian living (I found some extra-biblical assumptions and thought some descriptions of Christian faith to be quite vague), but overall it is a good read.
I received a review copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

A very clean delightful romance. It was told from the teacher's perspective, which I found to be unique. I would recommend reading!

Very disappointed in this book. Having enjoyed several others of the author, I expected better. The characters were to"perfect". The sappiness of the Lily and Frederick was honestly too much to read. I believe people can be good but that doesn't require never losing your temper or not ever disagreeing. I liked the premise but would never chose to read it again.

this was a great book/story. I was involved from the very beginning. A few good lessons to learn here besides the romance. A lot of good feelings to go around.

Lily of the Manor is just an okay read for me. A little slow.

I have mixed feelings about this book; there are parts that were really interesting--like Lily's background and her adopting all those children and the altercations with Mr. Sawyer. I saw the "twist" coming, which didn't bother me. What did bother me is that Lily and Frederick were both a little too good to be true; they didn't feel real to me. Also, the style of the writing--long descriptive paragraphs telling what happened rather than dialogue and action--didn't appeal to me. I'm sure there are plenty of readers who would really enjoy it; it just wasn't the best choice for me.

The author writes her characters with tenderness and compassion. Lily adopts children from orphanages that have gone through terrible circumstances before they came to her. Lily treats her household staff like family and they all care tremendously for her and the adopted children. Fredrick a new worker is unsure of his position and how he will be treated by Lily. When they develop feelings for each other it is a sweet tender relationship with the utmost respect for each other that develops into a sweet marriage. An old grumpy man who says his wife and child died lied, turns out only his wife did. He had his child hidden away in a basement. He is rescued and interesting things happen after this. Things snowball after this with cause and effect. Interesting!
Thank you to NetGalley and Covenant Communications for a review copy in exchange for my honest opinion.
Pub Date 25 Jul 2017

The story in the book is great! I love the characters and the goals they set to help orphans. I love the side characters, too. BUT, there are pages and pages of angst and drama that are unnecessary. I was ok with the first time discussing forgiveness--but when I can skim pages at a time and not miss any story, there is too much psychobabble and not enough plot. I get that both Lily and Frederick (and the kids) have emotional trauma that needs to be healed.....but it got in the way instead of helping to build the story. I will not be able to recommend this to a friend without a disclaimer about the depth of drama involved.

You can't help but like this story. The story is about good people doing good things and overcoming any difficulties that may come their way. I felt like the characters were almost too good though. Lily and Fredrick seemed to know exactly what to do and say to have the perfect relationship, handle everything with the children, the servants, and even the tenant farmers on their land. While bad things did happen they handled everything perfectly and everything works out. Everyone loves them and they love everyone. I know this makes no sense to find fault with a story because the good are too good but it just lacked plausablity because it seemed too far from reality. Impecable, trustworthy servants that are able to run a household with 11 orphaned, traumatized children with little if any trouble just didn't strike me as possible.

Another wonderful piece from Ms Stansfield!! I just love her writing style and character development. She adds just enough mystery and intrigue to the love story. So much so that I am always reluctant to put the book down! Five stars!

This is my first Anita Stansfield book. I thoroughly enjoyed your writing about Christian faith, feelings, unconditional love and forgiveness. My concern is that you limit your audience by going to far. As a Christian myself, I found your words to be powerful and full of meaning. As a reader of about 2 – 4 books per week, I found too much length and explanation in this beautiful story. At about 35% I was thinking – let’s get to the real part of the story. There seemed to be too much in this one book or that the book should have been ‘quicker.’ I read through all of it, not skipping any because I loved it, but again, it was too wordy.

You were amazing with sharing the inner turmoil of the characters and how they dealt with that turmoil. Not many writers have the depth of understanding you showed when it comes to writing about feelings and understanding them as being real to each person. I do hold exception with your estimation that Danny has no issues with how he was treated by his father. Those issues may not be seen for a while, but it is hard to believe there will not be some residual effects from the trauma.

Frederick and Lily’s love story is beautiful. So is Abigal and Luca’s. Fredrick and Lily’s love for their children is beautiful. Their care for their neighbors is far beyond caring.

I hesitate to write anything publicly because I believe this is truly an amazing book and I am glad I stuck with it. I worry that should I put any of the above in a public review, such as Amazon, it may keep someone from picking up your book or purchasing it for their kindle. Coming from a reader and not a writer, my hope would be for someone to read your book and not be put off by feeling like they are ‘being preached at.’ If you limited your ‘preaching,’ you might reach a larger audience.

Thank you, Ms. Stansfield and Net Galley for allowing me to write an honest review in exchange for this ARC.