Yes, this book is sweet like most reviewers are saying. And it wasn't for me. I'm not the target audience for this publisher and I won't be seeking out any titles from the publisher. My biggest pet peeve is when romance novels are advertised as "clean" because there isn't explicit content.

I'm giving this a 3-star rating because it's required. However, I'd prefer to leave it unrated so it doesn't reflect poorly on the author.

The thing I enjoyed the most about this book was the likeable and sweet characters. It was quite a good book for the author's debut.

I liked this book. It reminded me a bit of North & South in that Anabelle longs for her home only to discover she has found someplace better.

I enjoyed this book. The characters are fun, the story is enjoyable and it's definitely worth reading.

This is a sweet debut novel for Katie Stewart Stone. Ms. Stone does a great job of capturing a situation that I don't read about often in regency novels, where a young woman is left an orphan. Annabelle works through many difficult emotions as she realizes her parents faults and weaknesses while simultaneously discovering who she really is. Her introduction to the Bellingham family is mostly delightful and feels as if she has found a family to be a part of with them and with her own aunt, uncle, and nephews. Overall, I found this a sweet and fun novel, a wonderful first for Ms. Stone!

Thank you NetGalley and Covenant Communications for the eARC!

I tried reading this a few times and just couldn’t get to the point that I cared about the main character.

I enjoyed reading Katie Stewart Stone's Coming Home to Bellingham and am giving it four and a half stars.

Katie Stewart Stone did a great job with her debut novel Coming Home to Bellingham. The story has memorable characters and lots of emotional depth. I fell in love with the Alexander family for their warmth and generosity.

I have found a new author to put on my favorites list. I really enjoyed this book. Annabelle’s candor was fun to read. I loved watching Peter came back alive after years of mourning. The Alexander family were great except Nathan. I would love to read more about them. There was a happy sigh when this book ended.

This is the debut novel for author Katie Stewart Stone, and she did a very nice job with this gentle regency story. The main character, Anabelle, faced great tragedy, and her future seemed uncertain. I enjoyed following Anabelle’s story as she finds a new life with her aunt and uncle. She also begins to hope that she might actually have an opportunity to marry for love instead of wealth and social standing, but faces some challenges along the way to actually realize her hopes and dreams.

I liked Anabelle, and she came across as a kind, but quite outspoken, young woman. She was drawn to Lord Peter Alexander, who was as quiet and withdrawn as she was out-going. I appreciated the fact that the author allowed Anabelle to show characteristics of being a young, still somewhat immature young woman, as many regency stories tend to make an 18 year old appear to be more mature than they should be at that age. I also enjoyed the setting of the story and the secondary characters in the book. This is a good beginning for a new author, and I hope to read more from her.

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

Amazing debut novel by Katie Stewart Stone. Loved every page; couldn't put it down. The characters are deeply developed, each with their own internal struggle to overcome in order to find happiness and love.

I was just about to say if I had one word to describe this book it would be...but then I wanted to start adding a couple other words to describe it. So I decided I better not limit myself to that one word. How about, a couple words I'd use to describe this book would be...that works better. Ok, those words. Cute and sweet, very happy characters, emotions, healing, coming to discover ones self. There are probably several more I could use (glad I didn't limit myself) but I'll stick with just those.

This is a debut novel by this author. I really enjoyed reading the About the Author section of the book. I enjoy reading that for every book I read. I like coming to learn and know what makes them want to write or what inspired the story. So, go take a look at this author's. Good job following your dreams!

I enjoyed several parts of this book and some of the others I didn't connect with as much as I had hoped. I have to agree with several other reviews that I felt like it was a YA Regency. I didn't connect with Anabelle as I had hoped either. But I can see how many other readers will love her character. There were a few conflicting things for me while I read. I would have liked to see a little more development with some of the underlying themes that the author was writing about. She would give hints at a conflict that the heroine was having but didn't fully flesh them out throughout the book as much as I would have liked and what I think would have developed it more and shown a little more maturity for Anabelle's character and story.

There were several different relationships throughout the book. Anabelle's relationship with her parents (of course we only see this through her eyes and as she is working through the pain and loss of them as she receives news of their death at the beginning of the book). But it is an important relationship that drives some of the story.

We also have her relationship with her aunt and uncle and their son. Then her relationships with everyone at the Bellingham Estate. The Alexanders were a fun family. They were very happy and loving and kind to everyone. They were very welcoming and accommodating to Anabelle. But sometimes they were too loving and happy for me. The different relationships Anabelle has with this family develop this story.

There are a couple spots throughout the book that feels like it is modern colloquialism and not Regency that distracted me. But overall, it was a cute and sweet read. I was glad when Anabelle was able to work through her emotions from her parents' deaths and find peace.

Content: Clean. Some kisses. A character who is a bit of a rake. Some slight suspense. Death of her parents.

I received a copy from the publisher, Covenant Communications, via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions in the review are my own.

Happy Reading!!!

As a first time author, Katie Stewart Stone, has given us a solid story, with deep character's and an enthralling story. This story has everything, from character's you love instantly to character's you hate, and it grows through the story. I loved this book, and hope she writes another about this family. I want to know the stories of the other brothers!

This was such a cute debut novel! The characters were endearing and I enjoyed watching their relationships grow and develop. The story touched on some great themes such as dealing with grief, learning to be true to yourself, and discovering the meaning of home.

I really enjoyed this novel! The heroine receives some incredibly sad news at the beginning and realizes she is not wanted anywhere. She is welcomed at her aunt and uncle’s home-whom she doesn’t really know but the love and welcome she receives was so genuine. It actually made me reflect how I welcome and receive others into my own home. The friendship created amongst the characters and the love that develops between the hero and heroine are written so well. You can feel the special bond.

Disclosure statement:
I receive complimentary books for review from publishers, publicists, and/or authors, including Netgalley. I am not required to write positive reviews. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255.

3.5 stars for this is a sweet regency by a new author. Anabelle Milton is visiting a friend during holiday when she receives news that both of her parents have died in an accident. A distant cousin and his wife are inheriting her home and she's to live with an aunt and uncle she hasn't seen in a very long time at Bellingham Cottage.

Poor Anabelle didn't even get to return home to pack up her belongings before going to live with an aunt and uncle she hardly knew. Distant relatives that suddenly inherit can be so possessive and rude. I loved that her aunt and uncle (Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence) were so welcoming at Bellingham Cottage. I liked that she and her much younger cousin Andrew got along so well, and think it probably helped her adjust to her surroundings.

Anabelle seemed to be at odds with herself quite often. Every time she spoke her mind or the free spirit within her made an appearance she'd hear her mother's voice telling her what a lady should and should not do. I got a little tired of Anabelle's boasting to herself of her ability to play the pianoforte, and it seemed as if that was her only talent. I liked her friendship with Robert, the youngest of the brothers at Bellingham. It seems she was more herself when she was with him.

Sometimes this felt like a YA book, and maybe that was because Anabelle often came across as very young, although she was too old to be a love interest for Robert. Maybe that was because of how she was raised or because she was finally getting a chance to discover her true self, and find what she really wanted in her life.

I wish we'd had more than a glimpse into the life of Peter, the oldest of the Bellingham sons. We don't get to see him very much or get his point of view on anything. We also don't see much of Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence (the aunt and uncle), I wish Anabelle had spent more time with her aunt and we could've heard stories from her.

I enjoyed this story and would read another book from this author. I received a complimentary copy from Covenant Communications via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions expressed in my review are my own.

On a visit to some friends in Brighton, Annabelle Milton, while being proposed to by a worthy suitor, Annabelle is given a note telling her that her that both her parents have succumbed to an illness. With the family estate entailed, Annabelle accepts an offer to live with her Aunt Rebecca at Bellingham Cottage.

Annabelle has been drilled by her mother what makes a proper female, and it is at Bellingham where she comes into her own. She befriends her young cousin Andrew, and they roam about the countryside having adventures, learning to fish. She also learns to ride horses, and has new experiences that broaden her horizons. She becomes acquainted with the four Bellingham brothers, one peaks her interest, and another is interested in her, but she does not return the interest. I have to say that I love the incident at the ball with Mr. Timmon's shoes!

I really enjoyed reading the novel Coming Home to Bellingham! Katie Stewart Stone wove a wonderful plot, and I liked the fact that there were two romances in one novel. She writes interesting dialogue, and she creates compelling characters. I look forward to her other novels

I received an ARC copy from NETGALLEY; the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Coming Home to Bellingham was a cute debut book by Katie Stewart Stone. It was sort of like a YA regency! Anabelle Milton is struck by tragedy when her parents die suddenly and she must find her way to family that lives in Bellingham Cottage. She meets the Bellingham brothers and becomes best friends with one, is fending off the unwanted advances of another, and falling in love with the third. It's a difficult situation to be in for sure!

This story has a lot of fun moments. Anabelle has a hard time filtering her words and she often says the wrong things. We are shown a sweet friendship between Anabelle and Robert and see Anabelle as she settles into a family and gets to know her young cousin (who steals all his scenes!) The author does great with writing the blossoming relationships between those three. I did have a hard time relating to Anabelle overall, because she comes across as quite young and immature. This also made it difficult to be drawn into the romance because her interactions with Peter didn't quite feel balanced. He had so many more life experiences and she was just so young and not in the same place he was at all. I thought Peter was a well-drawn hero, but I wish we'd had more from his perspective and that he'd been able to really express how his losses had colored his perspective. There was so much great emotional backstory that is only hinted at! I would have loved for the author to dig deeper and show us that side of our hero and heroine.

I did love the setting of the Bellingham estate and could easily picture it, but I wished the author had stayed true to society's rules for the regency times. It was fairly modern in places for both language and the actions of a young lady from the time period and detracted a bit from the story. With that said, however, it's obvious that the author has a talent for storytelling and I will be watching for more from her!

Thank you net galley for the advance reader copy of this novel. This was a clean US recency romance. The plot moves well I'm this to propel the action and romance forward. There were a few things that under were out of context for the time period but overall a great read!

(3.5 stars) - a commendable freshman effort

This is one of those stories that is a little challenging to review. I liked it despite some things that bothered me. If you're a Regency purist, then be warned that there are anachronisms. It's one of those Regency stories that plays more loosely with social strictures than would have actually been permitted in "polite society".

*** SPOILER ***
Especially marrying so far beneath one's station. A lord marrying a gently-born, penniless orphan would have been unlikely enough, but for his brother to marry a servant would have been totally unacceptable
*** END SPOILER ***

It shouldn't work as well as it does, critically speaking, but it has both an earnest and fairytale quality to it that kept me reading (I don't like historical credibility pushed too far, but I am not a purist, fwiw). I wanted to find out what all the subtext was about with the brothers. The overall story was entertaining and provided a pleasant diversion

*Clean romance level: passionate kisses, a man tries to force his attentions on a woman, but nothing graphic