Eloise has cared for Storm since she was born- and their mother died. Now, though it's 1854 and love is beginning to enter the sisters' lives and it's causing friction. Good characters but unusually for me I would have liked this to be longer so that we could have gotten to know them better,

3.25 Stars
31 December, 1838. A storm is raging outside Kenilworth Hall. Inside, Lord Kenilworth’s wife is in agony in the middle of a difficult labour. Margaret doesn’t survive the birth but, against all odds, her baby daughter does. Baby Storm grows into a headstrong and adventurous child, close to her sister, Eloise, and their neighbours at Chislestone Manor – her best friend Cissie and Cissie’s handsome older brother, Hunter, who has promised to marry Storm when she’s older.
Storm transforms into a beautiful young woman, ready to make her own way in the world and preparing for her debut into society, she and Eloise must confront heartbreak, tragedy, wickedness and great danger.
I have mixed feelings about the book as the pace varied from slow to very fast indeed so it was a bit uneven. The characters were well portrayed but whilst I liked them I didn’t love them. I found both Storm & Eloise to be very immature & at times Storm’s huffiness to Hunter annoyed me so much that I wanted to shake her. I also think there was so much heartache & tragedy in the first half of the book that it became a depressing read & the mood only lightened at odd times. So saying I found that I couldn’t put it down & read it in an afternoon.
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

December 31, 1838 - Kenilworth Hall

Lord Kenilworth is drunk from grief knowing that upstairs his beloved wife, Lady Margaret, has died giving birth to yet another baby. The baby is a girl and she is given the name Storm.

1854

Storm’s older sister, Eloise, took over raising the girl when her mother died. Storm is a happy girl with a stubborn nature who looks like her deceased mother. With their father spending all of his time in London, Eloise has also taken over the running of their home.

David Carter is a young man employed to teach art to Eloise and Storm. Now, it appears that Eloise and David are falling in love.

Storm has always enjoyed the fun times she has had with her friend, Cissy. daughter of their neighbors, the Chislestones. Their oldest son. Hunter, has always been fun to be with. Now age 26. Hunter has had to take over the duties of his family’s estate as his father has become a heavy gambler. He goes to London when he learns that the bank is not honoring his father’s gambling debts. There he learns there is very little money left and that his brother has been killed in the war.

This story follows the families as they face the loss of family members yet their loyalty and friendship is strong which helps both families to stay together. But when someone tries to come along and steal the foundation out from under the Kenilworth family, Hunter steps up and, even though faced with his own difficulties, refuses to allow the honor of his friends to be destroyed.

There is love, sadness, kindness, and finally happiness for friends that includes all manner of events. A good story that readers will certainly like.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I’m a little undecided about this book. Some parts I really enjoyed and others seemed to be quite slow. Storm wanted to be thought of as a woman but she still had childish reactions when things didn’t go her way. Eloise, given that she had been running the estate and bringing up Storm, seemed naive at times. Hunter also took a long time to realise how he felt about Storm. Most of the action took place towards the end of the book. I received a copy and have voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Oh my goodness, I am not sure that I have adequate words to describe my love for this book!! I requested this book in the hopes of maybe discovering a new author, perhaps being introduced to a new character or two. What I got was a need to read everything that Claire Lorrimer has ever written or ever will write, characters who have permanently etched themselves on my heart, and a storyline that will stay with me for months on end. What a gloriously beautiful book!