I just reviewed In the Shelter of Hollythorne House by Sarah E. Ladd. #IntheShelterofHollythorneHouse #NetGalley
I loved this book! The storyline, the characters and the whole premise were awesome. Page turner!

This is a story about two people in their second act. Who fell in love but parted ways. Now they have been thrown back together as Anthony is sent to protect newly widowed Charlotte and her baby son from nefarious intentions. This is a sweet book, albeit a bit slow at times, as both characters hold in lots of feelings with thick shields. But eventually they crack, and the plot starts to pick up as Anthony has conflicting loyalties and multiple shady figures enter the story.

I enjoyed reading it but do wish there was a bit more spark between the two characters. Or perhaps a bit more on their past relationship and their backstory. Would of helped me care a bit more about their relationship, but overall I still enjoyed it.

**I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.**

Fans of Sarah Ladd, rejoice! Here is another winner from this beloved author.

In the Shelter of Hollythorne House is a second-chance romance that reunites Charlotte and Anthony years after he left to serve in the military. Charlotte has been recently widowed and (conveniently enough) her late husband was not a nice man. Anthony is assigned to help protect her (also convenient).

There is tension related to stolen jewels, which adds to the plot. The author incudes both Charlotte's and Anthony's points of view, and they are equally engaging.

Although the plot is somewhat predictable and the pacing could be tightened somewhat and the book a bit shorter, the ending is super satisfying and this is an enjoyable read. Already looking forward to Ladd's next book.

What a delightful regency-era romance novel this was - set in 1817 England!

Synopsis: The book begins in a romantic yet sad scene, as Charlotte has to say a painful goodbye to her big love, Anthony, who is leaving for the war. Then it cuts to the present day, as Charlotte Grey, now Charlotte Prior, is stunned to find her husband, Ronald Prior, dead from natural causes. His family comes from great wealth, and her husband Ronald was, let's say, far from a good man. Realizing that she and her son Henry's lives are on the line, she decides to run off to Hollythorne House, her family home, to protect the both of them. The Prior's allowed this because of a stipulation in her will but required that watchmen protect the house. In the meantime, where did Anthony end up after his time in the war? As a watchman. From here, we get a lovely second-chance romance between the two, as well as some drama, as Charlotte realizes her late husband Roland left behind some expensive emeralds that mill workers were after, as Ronald was in hot water at the time of his death and hadn't paid back what those mill workers deserved.

I loved this read - Anthony is such a dreamboat, and Charlotte, while a little rash in making decisions at times, was a strong, passionate character and a great mother. I also loved the Sutcliffe character and her relationship with her boss, Charlotte. I saw at the end that Anthony and Charlotte discussed finances and how they would move forward in opening up Anthony's family mill to help farm tenants to become profitable again. I would have loved to hear whether that worked out at the end when we read a future scene with Charlotte's now husband, Anthony, and older Henry. But maybe that's for a second book! :)

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

After going their separate ways due to circumstances outside their control, Charlotte and Anthony cross paths again when Anthony is hired to protect Charlotte and her son. New widow Charlotte wants to return to her childhood home, but safety is a concern, so Anthony and others are sent to watch over her until the danger the passes. Charlotte has been through so much. Who can she trust?

I really enjoyed this second chance romance. I loved Anthony’s patience and kindness. A very enjoyable read!

This is my first book of the author:Sarah Ladd and I was completely hooked!
In the Shelter of Hollythorne House is a second-chance romance that reunites Charlotte and Anthony years after he left their area to serve in the military. When they are thrown back together, Charlotte is newly widowed and wants to escape her cruel, late husband's home and domineering brother. Anthony, injured in the war, is working as a thief-taker and is part of a team assigned to protect Charlotte as she returns to her family home. Of course, Charlotte and Anthony find their way back together, but the conflict is really that Charlotte inadvertently took smuggled jewels when she left her late husband's house and some of his associates want them.

In the Shelter of Hollythorne House is a very enjoyable read. The writing here is engaging. The writing flows well and the plot is good. I liked that the tone of the book was serious without being too angsty. With two POVs, we get to see events from both Charlotte and Anthony’s eyes. The reason for Charlotte's baby to need protection is a little hazy, but a little suspension of belief keeps things going. And I’m so happy to say that the ending was so satisfying because finally our main characters preparing for happily ever after.

I've read all of Sarah's books and this is another amazing one like usual.

The story starts with Charlotte saying goodbye to Anthony as he's leaving to fight in the war.

Three years later, Charlotte finds her husband dead and it's a relief for her since he was a cruel man. She has a 7 month baby boy and when his life is threatened, she leaves to her childhood home, Hollythorne House.
Her brother in law hires two men to protect her and the baby and one of them turns out to be Anthony.
They are both surprised by this as he didn't know she was the widow and she didn't know what he was doing or where.

At first, Charlotte and Anthony treat each other very formally, but as the story develops into more threats and danger, they start to rely on each other.

Charlotte's and Anthony's lives have not been easy for either one in the years since they last saw each other but we soon see they are just what each other needs. Here's a literary couple who definitely earn their HEA.

I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

Another wonderful book by Sarah Ladd!
Filled with romance, suspense and so much more!
Sarah Ladd really pulls you into her stories and tugs on your heartstrings.

This is a romance set in 1817 in England. In this very slow-paced story, the two main characters spent a lot of time thinking about the current situation and how they got to this point. I've rarely read a book were so little actually happens. Potential points of suspense turned out to hold little conflict: her husband died of natural causes, Silas gave in every time Charlotte defied him, etc. The most suspenseful part was between 75% and 88%, and the main question was if Anthony could prevent a panicked Charlotte from doing something foolish.

While both characters said they'd changed from when they'd been in love, Anthony was immediately interested in her again. He knew she was stubborn, impulsive, and had a temper (often misdirected at him) but loved her anyway. Charlotte could never trust a man again after the way her charming suitor became abusive after marriage. When she first saw Anthony again, rather than count him as a potential ally, she considered him a jailor meant to prevent her freedom. But then she's suddenly confiding in him. But then she doesn't trust him. But, well, she has no one else to trust. Then they were always meant to be together. Anthony kindly described her as "emotional."

Charlotte's also very proud and not particularly clever or practical. Her only way of handling Silas was to defy him, even when he gave reasonable advice. There were enough historical errors that the story didn't feel very realistic. For example, the characters acted like Anthony made no money while being an officer fighting in a war. The clothing seemed to be the most historically researched part. Having just read a different story about a widow of an abusive husband overcoming that influence and finding love, this just felt so jerky and shallow in comparison. There was no sex or bad language.

Ladd has done it again! A captivating story that held a unique adventure that kept my interest throughout. I loved Anthony's character most as he always held to his humble beginnings and kept his integrity intact despite others around him falling apart. All around a story well-done.

IN THE SHELTER OF HOLLYTHORNE HOUSE by SARAH E LADD is a most enjoyable and exciting romantic suspense novel set in Regency England with very interesting characters and a great plot. There is quite a twist in the end and Charlotte, who wants to keep her seven month old son Henry safe and is also determined to never again be imprisoned as she was in her marriage to Roland Prior, is unsure who to trust. Can she trust Anthony Welbourne, the man she was in love with, or has he changed since coming back from the American war and joining Walstead’s Watchmen as a thief-taker? In fact, who can she really trust? I like to see her strength of character as she takes on her crumbling family home and learns to look after her baby, qwho she was hardly ever allowed to spend time with.
Anthony wishes he had listened to his uncle and taken over the family mill instead of following his father’s dreams and running off to war, thus losing the love of his life. He also feels responsible for his uncle’s death……
In The Shelter of Hollythorne House is an altogether lovely read and one I highly recommend to anyone who rnjoys this genre.
I was given a free copy of the book by NetGalley from Thomas Nelson. The opinions in this review are completely my own.

Sarah Ladd's books are a such a delightful escape! In the Shelter of Hollythorne House is a second-chance romance that reunites Charlotte and Alexander years after Alexander left their area to serve in the military. When they are thrown back together, Charlotte is newly widowed and wants to escape her cruel, late husband's home and domineering brother. Alexander, injured in the war, is working as a thief-taker and is part of a team assigned to protect Charlotte as she returns to her family home. Of course, Charlotte and Alexander find their way back together, but the conflict is really that Charlotte inadvertently took smuggled jewels when she left her late husband's house and some of his associates want them.

The writing here is engaging. With two POVs, we get to see events from both Charlotte and Alexander's eyes. The reason for Charlotte's baby to need protection is a little hazy, but a little suspension of belief keeps things going. We get a satisfying conclusion, with the villains getting exposed and our main characters preparing for happily ever after.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

3.5 STARS!!!
What I liked - In the Shelter of Hollythorne House is a very enjoyable read. The writing flows well and the plot is good. I liked that the tone of the book was serious without being too angsty.
What I did not like very much - Sometimes the dialogues veered into American cop show territory, which could be jarring
What I loved - A competent hero, and baby Henry!!