First book I've read by Joanna Barker, and what a treat! I was immediately drawn in with the main character- of course as a passionate educator I'd identify with a heroine that wants to establish a school. The story is filled with poignant moments, and scenes that made me laugh out loud at the cringy awkwardness. Definitely a fun escapism read.

I enjoyed this sweet regency romance. Well written, good characters and entertaining storyline. Ms Barker is quickly becoming a favorite author to follow! Can't wait to see what she write next

Everything I love about Regency and romance came together beautifully in this debut novel. Juliana is strong but also vulnerable, and tries to protect herself from potential hurts by holding herself back. William is so fun and charming, I loved their banter and the friendship and romance that eventually develop. There are family dynamics that Juliana needs to learn to navigate, and she learns valuable lessons from them and her new circumstances. I loved the subtle humor that gave a lighter feel to the story and the relationships especially. Looking forward to reading more from this author!

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

This is a delightful book! I so enjoy reading a great regency novel that is clean, with engaging characters, but is not insipid! Loved it, and I also found the cover visually appealing!

Julianna Ashbourne is working to support herself as a governess when she receives word that she has inherited a large amount of money from her estranged grandfather who has just died. There is only one stipulation – she must go live with her grandmother at Havenfield for a month. After all those years of being absent from Julianna’s life, her grandmother wants to make amends with Julianna.
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Havenfield Estate has been entailed to the “absurdly handsome” William Rowley. When Julianna arrives at Havenfield, she mistakenly thinks William is a stable worker. Much to her surprise, she also realizes that she had previously met William when she collided with him on the streets of London. Haha, these encounters between William and Julianna were very amusing! Sparks begin to fly between Julianna and William, and Joanna Barker provides amusing and pleasurable banter between the two of them

With the unexpected inheritance, Julianna can move forward on her dream of establishing an academy for girls to study “unladylike” topics, such as science and philosophy. Will her budding relationship with William waylay her plans for her school? Will William become attached to his former love Miss Radcliffe who is eager to sink her claws into William -- now that he has regained his fortune? There are twists and turns and lies and secrets to be revealed that ramp up the fun, and that make The Truth about Miss Ashborne a charming read!

I received an ARC copy of this book for my honest review.
#NetGalley
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This is the first book I read by Joanna Barker and I very much enjoyed it. There was intrigue and mystery, which I thoughroughly enjoyed, with the romance playing an almost secondary role to the plot. I actually really appreciate when a book has another plot besides just the romance.

The characters were likeable. Some plot twists were expected and others were surprises.

I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more of Joanna Barker's works.

Joanna Barker's latest, The Truth about Miss Ashbourne, is an interesting tale to read. Julianna Ashbourne is living and working as a simple governess, when she suddenly gets a summons to a solicitor's office across town. Julianna soon learns that she is to inherit more money than she can imagine from her estranged grandfather. The only caveat is that Julianna must leave London and live for a month on the estate that her mom ran away from years ago!

Julianna is uncertain about moving to this unknown place; however, when she arrives, she is pleasantly surprised to meet the family that her mother left behind!

The only complicating factor for Julianna is the way she is drawn toward Mr. William Rowley, the new heir to the estate. Julianna cannot figure out how she can fit into this new world!

Hold on. This is a fun tale to wander through!

I so enjoyed this book. The author did an excellent job with the details and conversation of this time period. The storyline is compelling and intriguing. I loved the characters of William and Juliana. Their relationship and conversations were sparkling and added much to the story. This is a clean and sweet regency romance, and was a pleasure to read. I’ll be looking for more books from this author.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

The Truth about Miss Ashbourne was just an okay read for me. I am giving it three and a half stars.

Wow. I’m not even sure where to begin with this book review. I’m not sure what I thought when beginning this story, but I never imagined I would devour it so quickly or enjoy it so immensely. Needless to say I absolutely LOVED this book and read it in less than two days.

Julianna Ashbourne was such an interesting protagonist. I really enjoyed reading from her first person perspective and figuring out what made her tick. She is kind and brave, smart and bold, yet she has secrets and a vulnerability she doesn’t show anyone. She is used to being independent, and has no great love for her mother’s estranged family. She is shocked and frustrated to find that not only has her late grandfather left her quite a large inheritance, but that she has to spend a month with her other estranged relatives at Havenfield in order to obtain it.

I loved seeing her change and grow throughout the story! She learns she is not alone in the world, and while she navigates the far different world of high society and living life in the country, she learns a lot about herself. I liked how she stayed true to herself, and held tight to her dreams.

I loved watching the relationships she developed, and oh man- don’t get me started on the swoon-worthy hero!!! The romantic tension was incredible, and intertwined throughout the story with a close friendship between the two. The teasing, bantering, and many situations between Julianna and William were my absolute favorite. The build-up of their relationship had me sighing in delight and reading long into the night.

I really can’t say enough about how dearly I enjoyed this clean regency romance. There were so many wonderful characters and moments to savor- I have already gone back to re-read favorite parts. I can’t wait to read more by this author- she has such a gift for writing a fantastic story!

**I received a copy of this book from Covenant Communications through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A delightful read! The Truth about Miss Ashbourne is an entertaining yet interesting Regency romance that fans of historical fiction will truly enjoy. Highly recommend!

I only got through about 30% of the way through this painful Regency romance before I just had to put it down. Our heroine, Juliana Ashbourne, is working as a governess when she is summoned to a solicitor's office and told that her estranged grandfather has left her 10,000 pounds—if she will spend a month visiting his estate. Juliana, in TSTL fashion, initially refuses—she doesn't want to leave her young charges, because she's far better for them than their awful mother, and she's saving up to open her own school (aren't these two goals at odds? Not to mention the latter one being pretty unlikely, given a typical governess's salary). But after the father of the family sexually harasses her, and the mother catches him at it, Juliana is blamed and is summarily kicked out.

Off she goes to her grandfather's estate, where she's stiff and standoffish for no real reason to her chatty grandmother, unfriendly to a shy cousin, and rude to her equally rude aunt. And is subject to teasing by the inheritor of the estate, a distant male cousin, teasing that's meant to be witty and flirtatious, I'm surmising, but which falls completely flat, perhaps because Juliana acts immature, self-righteous, and rather stupid (despite her reading of VINDICATION OF THE RIGHTS OF WOMAN!). Not the kind of heroine I'm looking for, especially in a historical.

This is a sweet Regency romance written, unusually, in first person. The protagonist is one Juliana Ashbourne, at the beginning of the novel a governess in a London household to a young boy and girl. She’s on shaky ground with her employers though, since the husband has nefarious intentions towards her and the wife dislikes Juliana’s influence over her daughter in particular. Hence, the news that the maternal grandfather she’s never met has died and left her a substantial fortune in somewhat fortuitous, only marred slightly by a proviso which states she must spend a month at Havenford, the family estate, before claiming her inheritance.

Now held by a distant cousin, Havenford is grander than anything Juliana has ever imagined, and she finds family she never knew she had there, from a loving grandmother to a female cousin her own age who becomes a fast friend. It’s the estate’s new master, William Rowley, who Juliana can’t help but be attracted to, though, and who could blame her? William is delightful, even if he does have a rather wicked sense of humour and delights in teasing. He’s never cruel, though, expending a great deal of effort to make Juliana feel welcome at his home and with her family.

This is a really lovely novel; though to be honest the plot of entirely predictable, the author puts a fresh and charming take on it as we experience Juliana’s slow thawing towards the family who disowned her mother. Her relationship with her grandmother was particularly delightful as Juliana’s attitude changed from a thin tolerance for an old lady who talked too much to, by the end of the book, a deep and loving regard, such that she was willing to give up everything she held dear to protect Lady Rowley and her cousin Eliza from social consequences.

Despite the predictability of the plot, I honestly can’t point to a single thing about this book I disliked. It’s a romance, after all; we know there’s going to be a happily ever after, or at least there had better be! A charming debut from an author I’m looking forward to reading more of in the future. Five stars.

So, I liked this book. It was a great Regency story with lots of great characters. I loved William, and Lady Rowley, and Eliza and later on Rebecca and her mom, as well. The only person that annoyed me a bit was Juliana. She starts off being a little too annoyed and mean in the beginning. I understand that it was part of her growth, but I just didn’t enjoy her attitude. She does, however, soften up a bit and the banter between her and William becomes more fun.

Near the end, the plot “mishap” annoyed me, too, though. If she had just told William or her grandmother the “issue,” it could have all been resolved way sooner. I know every story needs a plot and a part where you aren’t sure how things will work out, but misunderstandings or hiding the truth for the sake of someone, always annoys me.

All that said, though, it had a good ending and I was left feeling content. :-)

Review on my blog will be posted March 1st.

What a fun read. I loved the characters. The story was fun & had enough twists to keep the reader from knowing exactly where the story was going. The ending was satisfying and wrapped up all the loose ends, yet I would love to revisit the family to see Rebecca get her happy ending.

Its been a while since I read a regency but this was a good way to start again.It was sweet with a touch of sour but it all fit together nicely. There were a few story lines going at the same time and it all worked.

I really enjoyed The Truth About Miss Ashbourne by Joanna Barker. The story was weaved together beautifully. It was sweet and charming. Their obstacles were believable...their romance was perfectly paced and adorable. This novel is about family ties, falling in love, pride, forgiveness, second chances and Juliana's dreams becoming a reality. This book was a complete delight to read! Thank You to Covenant Communications and NetGalley for my free copy in exchange for my honest review.

This is the kind of book I save my 5 starts for. I enjoyed this story so much. It captured my interest right away and I did not want to put it down. There are stories that just don't need any added elements to make them interesting. They are just true to life and tell a story about real life in a way that holds you captive. Jane Austen had that ability and many other authors do to. I think Mrs. Barker is also one of those:} I just really loved the way the story unfolded, I loved the characters and all there flaws. This is a proper regency romance with no talk of religion, and no violence and a couple awesome kisses.

WhenMiss Julianna Ashbourne learns her estranged grandfather left her an inheritance with the stipulation she spends a month at the family home, the independent young lady's first inclination is to refuse. Circumstances compel her to accept, however, and she finds her life change for the better.

Julianna is an independent, stubborn character. When I first began to read her story, I was not inclined to like her. She didn't feel as though she fit into the era, and made no attempts to do so! She didn't have an ounce of respect for how her employer wished the children to be educated, making her one of the worst governesses I've ever read about with her forward-thinking ideas.

However, as the story progressed Julianna's personality is softened and I liked her better. She is surrounded by an enjoyable cast who bring out the best in her, from her sweet grandmother to the maid who helps her. The romance was sweet if a bit predictable.

The pace of the book is steady. The details of the period are excellent, save for Julianna's very modern way of thinking. I look forward to seeing what else this author has up her sleeve.

I would recommend this to readers of Regency Romance looking for a strong female lead.

Lovely story! The main character, Juliana, is working at a job she loves, but is soon dismissed, just as she finds that she is an heiress. She meets her extended family, the only family she has in the world. An interesting story that was fun to read!

"5 Stars"

I really enjoyed The Truth About Miss Ashbourne by Joanna Barker. The cover is fitting, it was an easy read and in my opinion, a pretty impressive debut novel. The story weaved together beautifully.

This novel is about family ties, falling in love, pride, forgiveness, second chances and Juliana's dreams becoming a reality.

I recommend this novel to readers who enjoy historical fiction and historical romance novels. This novel was also a clean read,

Thank You to Covenant Communications and NetGalley for my very first free copy in exchange for my honest review.