Member Reviews

William is a good man. He suddenly becomes heir and allows the actions of his older brother to influence his future. Rose is just 18, just has always loved William. She isn't good enough for him, according to William's father. The story revolves around two young people deciding their future. It's a lovely story.

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4★

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

An enjoyable Regency romance story with highly entertaining main characters.

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Miss Rose Davenport, she and her parents went to Feldstone for 5 weeks and spend time with Lord and Lady Chatsworth and their son William. Lady Chatsworth had taken to her bed when her oldest son came home and told them he had married a foreigner and they were moving to Spain. Then he left to join his family. William and Rose loved each other but hadn't realized it yet. There were a lot of misunderstandings because of this. They were both miserable. On top of this ,William had promised his mom he would be engaged within six months. putting even more pressure on the kids.
The characters for the most part were gracious and funny with a touch of sadness. I loved this story, William and rose were going to choose some toys from the nursery for the new baby at the Wrights, who were their farmers and had seven children. Rose had known them for a long time. This was well written, easily read and moved smoothly. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

I received this ARC from the author and voluntarily reviewed it.

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Rose Davenport used to enjoy going to Feldstone Manor, where she and William, the earl's youngest son, enjoyed a fond friendship. The past two years, however, have changed William, who is arrogant, disdainful, and nothing like the kind young man she used to know. Once his older brother was disinherited and William became the heir, he has done all that he can to show how much he dislikes Rose. Determined to aggravate him as much as he does her, Rose enjoys getting under his skin--but when she manages to catch a few glimpses of the old William, she can't help but wonder if things could be as they once were. When William, in an attempt to drag his mother out of her doldrums, promises to find a bride within six months, Rose knows it's time to put hopes of a renewed friendship behind her and decides it's time for her to make a match as well. Upon returning to London, though, she finds herself crossing paths with William once more, and he doesn't seem to like her choice of beau.

This a fun, light-hearted Regency, where it's obvious to the reader that William is being dreadful to Rose because he's trying to distance himself since he loves her but can't marry her and that Rose loves him just as much and is trying to shield her wounded heart. There were a few times it got a little tedious that Rose couldn't seem to figure that out, but since she's the vested party and not a bystander like the reader, I guess that's understandable. I really liked William, with his kindnesses that he just can't hold back even though he's trying to distance himself and the little ways Rose tortures him without even realizing it. Nice choice for those looking for a gentle but somewhat humorous Regency.

I read an ARC via #NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

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Thanks to NetGalley and Covenant Communications for this read in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions contained herein are my own.

Esther Hatch is an unfamiliar author and I thought the story was well-written and pleasant to read. Will I read another of her novels? I would say yes, although I was a bit disappointed with this one after reading such a catching description.

The characters, William and Rose have been friends since childhood, however because of the failings of his older brother, he is next to inherit the Earldom. Because of his brother’s shortcoming, his father demands that he make a match worthy of the family that includes marrying a peer of his station, and he must do it within 6 months to also please his mother. Rose is a woman who is self-assured, strong and knows that she has been love with William since she was 15-years of age. Her dilemma, she is not considered a peer of the ton, however her beauty affords her the choice of making a suitable match.

I had a hard time connecting with the characters and the underlying plot of the story. It appeared to drag a little too long and was a bit weak in some areas, especially William’s interactions with rose without explanation. There were too many times Rose felt heartbroken and I didn’t really read into why other than William not given an explanation as to why he was being so standoffish. The true explanation of William’s actions went on way too long. I believed there should have been some sort of twist added in the middle for the two to really fight to be together rather than me feeling that it was coming close to an end. I did enjoy the whit where I found myself smiling when I thought the story was about to change.

My summation: This was a clean regency historical romance that was pleasant to read that needs a bit touching up here and there in the story. Esther Hatch did a nice job of presenting a clean romance. The plot was a bit slow and could have concluded a lot earlier. There were times when I became a bit bored due to the miscommunications and the lengthy pretense of not caring.

2.5 Stars (rounded 3-Stars)

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Solid 3 stars.
Miss Rose Davenport is joining her family for their annual visit to Feldstone. (Her father and the Earl are good hunting buddies.) Three years ago Rose and William became best friends, but something changed in their easy friendship when William's older brother was disinherited, making William the intended heir and expected to make a worthy match of which his father and mother approve. Rose no longer finds joy in visiting Feldstone. When William, in an effort to please his mother, promises to wed within 6 months, Rose hastily decides she will make her own match.

Full of comical miscommunications, Rose and William are constantly on shifting footing as each navigates the process of making a match, for love or convenience.

The premise is a classic- best friends becoming something more and all the awkwardness and comfort juxtaposed. Lots of moments made me think of some of my favorite Jane Austen moments. Delicious book candy that i read in a weekend. I look forward to seeing how Esther Hatch develops as an author in future books.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a review. My thoughts and opinions are my own and not influenced by the publisher.

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William and Rose were good friends until his elder brother, the heir, ran away to marry a lower-class foreigner. After that, William became completely closed off on Rose's family's yearly visits to Feldstone - distant, even rude. But one year their connection starts to grow again, by fits and starts. And that is the very time when William's mother is so ill that William promises to marry within six months. When the reason for William's behaviour finally comes to light, will it bring them together or separate them forever?

I had quite high hopes for this book, but unfortunately was rather disappointed. I found myself unable to connect with any of the characters, and became frustrated when they all seemed to frequently act illogically or unrealistically. Overall, though, the writing is quite reasonable, the content is clean, and the story not bad - but I won't be re-reading it or looking for more by the author.

Characters: Felt unrealistic, wooden. Not terrible, but I found it hard to connect with characters who were always being illogical.
Storyline: OK, but a bit too much will they, won't they.
Content and language: Clean, no issues noted.

Note that I received a complimentary copy of the book from NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review and this is my considered opinion of the book.

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The Roses of Feldstone was such a pleasant surprise. I sometimes feel like I'm taking a risk when I check out a new (to me) author. But in this case, the risk was rewarded with such a great experience. I did not want to put this book down.

Before I discuss the characters and plot, I did briefly want to mention that I appreciated that the title of this book goes beyond the main character's name being Rose.

The description above pretty much tells you all you need to know--perhaps even tells you too much. An author has to walk a fine line when the reader has more information than the characters do. It can be really frustrating to read what feels obvious yet the characters aren't picking up the signs. In the case of The Roses of Feldstone, I felt that Esther Hatch just toed the line. Too much more or taken just one step further would have frustrated me. I think maybe this worked well because both Rose and William were in the dark about multiple things so it helped that it wasn't just one or the other missing out.

I immediately connected to Rose. Who hasn't been in a situation where they were forced to socialize with someone they have a huge crush on that isn't reciprocated? I certainly know that I have. She handles herself well given all of the circumstances. William was even easy to relate to because his feelings were pretty obvious to me even if Rose was oblivious.

About the 60% mark I started to feel like things were wrapping up too quickly, and I wasn't sure how the conflict would last through the remainder of the book, but Esther Hatch did a great job of carrying things out just right.

I even appreciated the small historical bit about the chimney sweep. This was included just perfectly in that it gave the story relevance and context while not overwhelming the story line.

The Roses of Feldstone was such a pleasant reading experience for me despite being fearful of a new author. I'll be on the lookout for more Esther Hatch in the future. I absolutely adored Rose and William's story. The Roses of Feldstone gets 4 Stars. Have you read The Roses of Feldstone? What did you think? Let me know!

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Rose has fund memories of her first vacation in Feldstone., though it became something be weary of after. The family was struck by a tragedy and the youngest son, William, who she considered her best friend, began to treat her with disdain. Confused, she has made it a point to annoxiously pick on him so he’ll not dare forget to girl he used to treat as a sister.
Mixed with misunderstanding and unmet expectations, these two will have to decide who they’ll let own their destiny and heart before they arrive in the point of no return.
This was a cute and easy read. Rose and William’s interactions are quite entertaining. A pet peeve for me might have been just the inappropriate language for the time period.

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I love reading a fun, clean, romantic, feel good Regency romance. I don't read enough of them. This is one I am glad I did not miss. I loved Rose and William. They start out with such a strong best friend relationship. Then changes happen and it gets a little rocky. I appreciated that Ms. Hatch gave us the background history of this couple. It helps explain why Rose is grieving and why William feels he needs to be curt and mean to her. I though the author did a great job of giving us well established characters. The chemistry between them is charged, it can be felt in the room they are in.
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes Regency Romance. I thought it was delightful.
I received a copy of this book from Covenant Communications through NetGalleys. The opinions expressed in this book are my own.

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Stunning regency era read! As a brand new author on the scene, it leaves me extremely excited to see what she has coming next. Perfectly paced, and the anticipation will have you desperately turning the pages of this beautiful novel.

So descriptive, but not overly so. The characters each contribute in a way that embellished the scenes in which they appeared. I loved the fact that despite reading similar plot lines in historical fiction prior, it felt original. Both Rose & William we’re easy to emotionally connect with. You achieve that as an author, and you have yourself a winner!

Thank you to Netgalley & Covenant Communications for a complimentary eARC. This is my honest review.

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Loved this regency era novel. The heroine was so relatable. Definitely fell in with other proper romances. Will have to keep my eyes open for more!

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I enjoyed this book and I thought it was a great debut novel. I kept reading it and wanted to see how everything would work out for Rose and William in the end. I thought the characters were likeable and the problems they faced to their relationship were realistic.

The reason I did not give this book 5 stars is because I kept wondering how different it could have worked out if the two had just been upfront and had a discussion about their estrangement instead of just beating around the bush. I realize that quite often people in real life don't address things head-on, so in all liklihood this was realistic; however, it was a something I thought should have been addressed.

If you suffer from depression you may not like Rose's treatment of one of the characters. I am not sure her approach was the best one, although at the time, before we addressed mental illness like we do today, I am sure her approach would have been seen as normal.

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Miss Rose Davenport and William, Lord Telford have known each other since they were children. Her family have been coming to Feldstone Manor every year as the two fathers hunt together. William's older brother ran away and married a foreigner so he was disinherited leaving William as the heir to his father's title. William promises to marry someone that his father will approve of. Rose is below William's station and will not be approved. Lady Chatsworth who is William's mother has taken to her her since her older son left. William promises he will marry within six months to make his mother happy. Now he has to find a wife. He speaks to his mother and finds out that she would be happy if they married. When William asks Rose to marry him, she thinks it only to make his sick mother happy. William's father is not as easy to convince. William just can't give Rose up as they love each other. Did Rose only agree to marry him because she loves his mother ? How will his father feel when he tells him, he wants to marry her? Esther Hatch is a great author. I loved the characters, they were believable. The rose aspect is beautiful and explained in the book. I don't want to give too much away. I received this book from Net Galley and Covenant Communications for a honest review and no compensation otherwise.

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This was a clean, sweet romance but didn't leave me wanting more or quickly turning around and reading it over again just to revisit my favorite parts.

Rose and William were somewhat one dimensional. There was some back story and some personality thrown in with the addition of their concern for the Wrights and Adam the chimney sweep climbing boy. Much of this story was about their miscommunication and hot and cold reactions to each other. The side characters didn't do a whole lot to round out the story or bring out the personalities of the main two. Rose's "suitors" were never seen as a real threat and in fact ended up making her look petty, shallow and rude as she always pointed out their flaws and tried to ignore or escape them.

Anyway, this was an alright read. It just felt more like a novella to me with underdeveloped characters and quick resolutions to the impediments that keep them apart.

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A debut by an unknown author, Esther Hatch. She writes a story that is quick to get into. Rose is bound and determined to stay away from an old family friend.. William is only trying to please his mother. Will he have to give up what he longs for, to make his mother happy?

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4/5 ⭐️
I really enjoyed this! I was really glad that the two love interests were friends from the start and had feelings towards each other instead of them being strangers. The plot had me intrigued through out the story.

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Thank you net galley for the advance read copy of this novel. This was a clean recency era story. The main characters faced miscommunication and a divide in title but eventually the happily ever after won out. I felt like the ending was rushed and manufactured to make it work. The heroine of the story, Rose, was a bit too unaware for my taste. Overall a great first novel and one that I would recommend.

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Wow!! I have a new favorite author joining my list!! This was an amazing book. I loved that she peppered romance throughout the whole book. That’s my kind of book. The tension between the two main characters was so agonizing, I was rooting for them the whole time. I loved the plot, it was super cute! Can’t wait to read it again.

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Such a great Regency story that reminded me a bit of my favorite (Edenbrooke by Julianne Donaldson) in that both main characters are head-over-heels in love with each other but don't know that the other feels the same way, because of familial and social constraints and misdirection. Rose is understandably frustrated with William, and I couldn't fault her for goading him at times. The author struck a good balance between showing William and Rose's friendship as it once was so the reader would know what Rose is grieving, and exposing the two sides of William- his gruff and often rude behavior to Rose and his true nature that is kind, thoughtful, and struggling to suppress his romantic feelings for her. The pace was steady which helped prevent the angst from bogging down the narrative, and I enjoyed both London and countryside settings. I appreciated the historical details of the plight of the young London chimney sweeps and Rose's compassion for them instead of disregarding the circumstances she can't ignore. A must-read for fans of sweet Regency romance!

(I received a complimentary copy of the book; all opinions in this review are my own)

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