I’m typically lenient on certain errors, but this one is riddled with them, and I didn’t even get that far in. A Baron legitimizing his illegitimate daughter on his deathbed? That aside, thr prospect of her inheriting a barony is not outside the realm of possibility (there are many baronesses in their own right), but he has an heir! Also, it’s SO obvious who she really is, even if they’re saying it’s the baroness’ daughter…people literally gossip about it! For this to have a shot at working, it would need to have been established much earlier, when this child was newly born, or perhaps when the real mother was still pregnant!
Also, while there likely are examples of sixteen year old brides from the Regency, they weren’t that common. Heck, they weren’t even as common as people think in medieval times.
This just reeks of a contemporary writer who did very basic research (if at all), and decided to write a historical romance.

Married at sixteen to a much older, philandering and dismissive husband, Lady Eleonora Coventry, Baroness of Kendal, has been living under the man’s thumb until widowhood promises her the first taste of freedom a decade later.
But even from beyond the grave her late husband controls her every move. Overwhelmed by the fear of losing their son - an angry and hurt boy - and raising a heartbroken little girl - the baron’s baseborn daughter - as her own, she decides to retire her family to their country estate.

After running away from home at sixteen, Ridley Ellis has been working in stables for over a decade and life at the forgotten Windsong Manor suited him just fine. That is until Lord Coventry’s widow decides to take up permanent residence. The secrets from his past are no longer safe.
Smitten at first sight by the young Lady’s beauty, he also senses her pain. Where his talent for handling even the most difficult horses eases his way with her troubled children, winning Nora’s trust will require a far more delicate touch.

Nora is drawn to her handsome and wise stable master - a true gentle man as her little girl points out - but the pressure of living under her late husband’s solicitor’s scrutinising gaze and their class difference make a future together impossible, or does it?
Ridley falls not only for this incredible strong lady, but also for her children and realises that offering her his heart also means sharing his secrets. A risk his willing to take, but then his past finds him…

⭐⭐⭐✨
A lovely story that had me hooked from the beginning with its air of mystery.

The friends-to-lovers relationship between Nora and Ridley felt natural with the tension steadily building and both of them acting as considerate adults. No love-sick calves, no grand explosions of emotions, but a warm and tender romance amidst all the family drama - sorry, no steam in this story.
As a mother I would say Nora followed her instincts when it came to raising her children and I loved it. Ridley’s approach, developing a careful but reliable bond with them, was admirable and endearing.
There are some truly sleazy villains in this tale as well and the last third of the book has some interesting twist and turns. Some expected, others more surprising but not completely unexpected.

This is a well-written, beautiful and touching story and a nice read, but somehow it all felt too modern at some points and I nearly forgot I was reading a HistRom. Still, I would recommend it and it’s suitable for all audiences.

My thanks for the ARC goes to NetGalley and Shadow Mountain Publishing. I'm voluntarily leaving this review.

Genre: Historical Romance, Regency Romance, Sweet Romance, Proper Romance
Spice Level: Sweet!

I love Regency books that explore both the time period and add a modern twist. In this story, Eleanora (Nora) is a widow, but her husband has maintained his hold on her through his will. She is fighting to reclaim her son and raise two children to become decent human beings while a solicitor has the power to determine if she's doing an acceptable job of it.

Then there's Ridley. (You can tell he's brimming with secrets!) He also has a way with horses (and kids), calming them. But as a hand in the stable, his life is only as secure as what the upper-class dictates—so you know things aren't going well for him.

As their relationship develops (think slow burn), I was giddy with delight. His thoughts are definitely more modern than the standard people of that era.

This is a delightful book—perfect to escape into.

I highly recommend this book.

Happy (swooning) reading!

Plenty of feels in this delightful romance. I liked the dynamics between Nora, Ridley, and her kids. They become a family.

I love the plot and the characters and the two main characters falling for each other was going great! I just couldn’t read “devil take it/devil take him” one more time. I did not finish. I read 50 percent.

Windsong Manor is the story of Eleanora, Nora, Coventry who was married at the age of sixteen. She finds herself widowed about ten years later. Her husband, the Baron, was much older than her and was not a kind man. After he dies, she is told by her husband's solicitor, that he is to oversee the care and education of her son to insure he will be a landowner in his father's image. In addition, she is to be the mother of his illegitimate daughter who lost her mother and wants to acknowledge.

Nora decides to move to their country estate so her son can learn about his lands and duties. When her son arrives home from Eton, Nora is shocked by her son's demeanor. He is an arrogant snob, and cruel to everyone he encounters.

Ridley Ellis works in the stables and is known as a horse whisperer. He has repeatedly refused any advancements and wants to

work with the horses out of the attention of everyone. This leads us to believe he has a secret he is desperate to keep. The children are to learn how to ride a horse, is Ridley is tasked to teach them since the stablemaster is not around. He has a gentleness and work ethic that earns the respect of those he meets. The children slowly but surely begin to change for the better.

The solicitor returns often and upsets the household until he finally informs Nora that he is not satisfied that Nora is raising her son according to the wishes of the former Baron. He takes her son and turns him over to a friend of her husbands who is a horrible old man. Fearful that this will undo all the progress he has made to be a better young man, Nora is determined to get her son back.

There are a lot of issues for everyone in this story. First, we have Nora a young girl in an arranged marriage at sixteen to a demanding and cruel man. Her husband dies and her parents did not ensure that Nora would be provided for after his death. She is forced to care for his illegitimate daughter who is missing her own mother. And she has an angry son who has the potential to be the very image of her cruel husband. She definitely has her hands full at a young age.

Nora is amazed at how spending time with Ridley changes everyone he meets for the better. He instills a calmness in Nora that was never there before.

Their romance is a wonderful love story. I liked the characters of Ridley and Nora. Ridley is strong and self-assured but with a kindness that is not often found. Nora is still so young and not as worldly as most women her age. They both have fears that they have to overcome before they can be free from their pasts. I really enjoyed this story.

Windsong Manor by Julia Wright, 256 pages. Shadow Mountain Publishing, 2023. $17.
Language: G (0 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: PG; Violence: PG
AUDIENCE APPEAL: HS - OPTIONAL
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
Married young, Eleanora went from being her father’s daughter to her husband’s wife. Now a widow, Eleanora (26yo) has the time to be the baroness, the mother, the woman she wants to be—as long as she passes one more test from her late-husband under the scrupulous eye of his former solicitor.
Wright introduces readers to Eleanora as someone who has been ignored and pushed around and to Ridley as someone who works hard but can never do anything right in the sight of his boss. These underdogs quickly win the hearts of readers—we want to see them succeed and overcome the challenges others put in their way because we, too, have experienced the difficulties of being pushed down. I was anxious for them and their happy endings from the start, making it difficult to put down their story.
Eleanora and Ridley are depicted as White on the cover. The mature content rating is for mentions of alcohol; the violence rating is for mentions of guns and murder.
Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

Windsong Manor by Julie Wright
Eleanor Coventry, widowed at 26, escapes London to raise her son, the young Lord Coventry at their country estate, Windsong Manor. Here, she meets Ridley Ellis, the young stable master. There is instant attraction on both sides, but the class differences seem insurmountable. Eleanor also faces two extremely unreasonable portions of her late husband’s will: raise his illegitimate daughter as her own and face the constant scrutiny of the crooked solicitor in raising their son. Ridley also has his own secrets he is keeping. Will they be able to be together or will friendship have to be enough?

I really enjoyed the character of Eleanor. After being married off at sixteen to a cruel man for his title and fortune, she is able to overcome his emotional abuse and infidelity through unwavering compassion and love. While Ridley’s character was predictable, I enjoyed his interactions with Eleanor and her children. I would rate this book 4 out of 5 stars. There were facets to the story that were more modern-thinking than true to the time period. For instance, a peer in this time period would rarely legitimize a son, and never a daughter. The working class would have instantly distrusted Ridley because of his lack of course manners.

If you’re looking for a sweet story and are not a stickler for historical accuracy, you will enjoy the novel. If you’re a regency truist, you might want to skip this one.

**I was given an advanced copy by the publisher in exchange for my honest review**

This was a fun regency romance for the proper romance series. Unlike most of the books in this series, this book highlights a widow who has moved to the country estate to raise her children in a more grounded atmosphere. Recovering from her unhappy marriage she tries to raise her children as she wishes, however stipulations in her husband’s will seem to haunt and control her as if her husband were still alive.

When she employs the stable master Ridley, she learns to appreciate his gentle nature and easy conversation. Ridley feels torn in his position and worries about his troubled past being revealed.

This was a fun story including some mystery, forbidden love, difference in station, and the reality of the lack of control women had during they time. It was a really sweet romance that was fun to escape into.

It was a little predictable and I struggled a little to connect to the main character, but overall I enjoyed it.

It doesn't feel like a spoiler to say that he's never <i>really</i> a stable hand, is he? I think I can count exactly one where he was. But that doesn't detract from this utterly delightful romance between a man looking to remake his life and a woman realizing that she can, in fact, have control over hers. Nora was married off far too young to a man much older than her, and he spent the ten-odd years of their marriage systematically alienating her from their son and dismantling her sense of self worth, before dying and forcing her to take in his illegitimate daughter. Nora genuinely wants to do her best for both children, but she feels like a child in adult clothes, like an imposter in her own life. Ridley, who works in the stables at the country house she moves her family to, is fighting his own demons, but he recognizes that both Nora and her children need someone to help them find their way, and without being condescending in any way, he manages to do just that. It's a warm, affirming story, and if it adheres to a few genre tropes, well, they're tropes for a reason, because they work well in the hands of an author like Wright.

This is a good one. If you like proper (clean) romances and a late Regency setting, give it a chance.

#WindsongManor #NetGalley

Nora married a baron who was older and not kind to her. At his death she is left to raise her son and a daughter of her husband's that she didn't previously know about. The trio moves to the country estate Windsong hoping to find some way to keep young Lord Edward fromI being taken by the solicitor. A stable hand catches Nora's eye and is a big help in training young Edward and helping mend the jealousy between the children. /
As mentioned in other reviews the children were young but spoke like they were older. Some of the time period titles didn't flow with the story line,
I liked that the story was different from other Regency novels.

What a beautiful story to remind us that who we are to the world means absolutely nothing compared to who we are at our core. I loved this story from beginning to end.

I found a friend in Nora. Her insecurities as a mother and not knowing who she is felt all too real to me. And sometimes it takes really hard and painful roads in order for us to figure it out. I loved Nora's progress from pliable, insecure, lost Widow to fierce, protective, has-a-backbone Mother.

Ridley was so kind and "gentle" as Lia puts it. He did not let his past dictate the person he became. I wasn't sure if Edward would ever be likeable, but Ridley slowly and gently taught him what it means to be a good man. It was so sweet to watch.

I loved the relationship between Lia and Nora and Lia and Edward. Family is what we make it. It was a love story in more ways than one and it was beautiful.

Thank goodness for family connections and happy endings! I'm not going to lie, I hoped the epilogue would feature Bonnie's baby, but it was still sweet.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐💫 (3.5)
Steam Level: 🔥 (kissing only)
Trigger Warning: death of a loved one briefly mentioned

Baroness Nora Coventry is a young widow tasked with raising her son to become the next baron. Add to that the revelation that her husband has an illegitimate daughter who Nora must also raise as her own. Overwhelmed by the pressure she is under, Nora moves her family to Windsong Manor in order to raise the children in the country where they will be shielded from the pressures of London. When Nora meets the manor's stable hand, Ridley Ellis, she finds the man to be a positive influence on her children and a kind friend for herself. But loving someone beneath her station will only make life harder for Nora's family, and Ridley has his own secrets that will complicate everything. Can Nora finally find happiness after years of misery?

I liked the overall storyline of this book, but the execution could have been better. Ridley was so lovable, and I enjoyed his moments with the two children- Edward and Lia. I think watching him be a positive influence in their lives was my favorite part of the book. He did have sweet moments with Nora, but their romance felt like insta-love to me. We're told about all the reasons he comes to love Nora, but we're not shown enough to make me feel invested in them as a couple. I thought there was a good amount of drama with Mr. Ashby pressuring Nora to raise her son the right way, as well as with the reveal of Ridley's past. Unfortunately I could see these conflicts coming and wasn't left feeling much suspense. In the end I just wanted to feel connected to the story and have some anticipation of what was coming next, and this didn't quite do it for me.

Thank you Netgalley and Shadow Mountain Publishing for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I have mixed feelings about this book. I liked Ridley's character; he was quite endearing. I also liked Nora and seeing her find her strength and face the challenges in her life. Their growing feelings for each other were sweet, and I enjoyed the romance aspect of the story. I wasn't sold on a major plotline, however--Nora's dying husband makes her take his illegitimate child and raise her as her own so she can be a spare heir. I'm not an expert in Regency rules and customs--but having read a ton of books set in the era, an illegitimate child, particularly a daughter, was a big deal. Passing off a child--not a baby, but a child who Nora clearly didn't birth or raise or even see for the first several years of her life--as Nora's own seems like quite the stretch, especially since women weren't typically very powerful in Regency England. (It would have been more plausible if the baron wanted to raise his daughter; he'd have much more clout, plus his forceful personality, to push the issue...but even then, it seems far-fetched.) The ages of the kids felt a bit off as well--sometimes felt quite a bit older than they were, with observations and conversations that felt more like adults than children. I also felt like the resolution came a bit too quickly and easily.
So, like I said, mixed feelings. I wish it had been more historically accurate, but I did enjoy the romance.
3 stars.
I read an ARC provided by the publisher. All opinions are my own.

I am largely conflicted about this story. I was pulled in by the engaging characters and unusual situation but was left feeling confused by early missing character details, a mildly choppy plot, and an unclear theme.

This is the story of a docile young woman forced to marry an older man at a young age. His passing, far from giving her freedom, puts some strange strictures on her motherhood. If she cannot demonstrate her competence to raise her son as the baron he will become, he will be placed in the care of another. To complicate matters, she has also been required to accept her husband’s illegitimate daughter as her own. Determined to make this work, she decides to move her little family to the country estate, Windsong Manor, where she meets a stable hand who, the reader suspects early on, is much more than what he seems.

I can appreciate the heroine’s determination to be a good mother as well as her conflict of learning to be more assertive after having been docile for so long. This puts her all over the map behaviorally. Coupled with the missing details, the reader is hard put to keep up. This is also partly what makes it thematically ineffective. I’m left wondering exactly what message I’m supposed to take away from the story. It works well, however, as a light romance.

A clean and proper, stand alone, Regency romance. Eleanora (Nora) Coventry is married off at 16 to a harsh older Baron. When she is left as a young widow she learns in addition to caring for her young son who is the new Baron, she is now responsible for an illegitimate daughter. Nora decides to move to their country estate so her son can learn about his lands and duties. The story has Nora trying to reign in her angry son and show love and affection to a new daughter. A helper to both causes is Ridley Ellis who works in her stables. He has a gentleness and work ethic that commands respect. Nora herself enjoys her new friendship and early morning rides.

I don’t want to give spoilers but of course some predictable things are going to have to happen for their to be chance at love. Wright does a good job of showing the changes in the children especially in the son. But I would have like known why the boy was so angry (other than his father dying). There is some background missing. Did the father poison the relationship with comments or is he arrogant from his time at Eton? I wasn’t clear. It’s as vague as the children’s ages. Although the son can’t be more than ten. And I was surprised that an experienced writer like Wright makes mistakes in title usage. The daughter would never be an heir or Baroness as long as her brother is alive.

Except for those minor missteps I liked the characters and the plot. For anyone who enjoys wholesome historical romances. Thank you to NetGalley and Shadow Mountain Publishing for the ARC and I am leaving a voluntary review.

This was such a compelling story of a young widow finding joy in the hardest of times, finding love in the least likely place, and overall figuring out who she is as a woman.

This story line flowed and kept me interested from the first page. I really enjoyed the characters and how truly human they are.

I definitely recommend you give this book a read!

I really liked this one! Eleanora is a strong woman who must discover her strength after having her heart squelched by first her father then her first husband. After her cold husband's death, she moves to the country manor to try to save her son and create a family from the broken pieces her husband left behind, All she wants is to raise her children in kindness and keep her family safe.

Ridley Ellis, a stablemaster of Eleanora's country estate, only wants to be left alone in his chosen sanctuary. When the young widow and her family take up residence in the main house, he decides to leave them be. Except Eleanora is being harassed, her son needs guidance, and her new daughter needs love. Ridley can't help himself and steps in.

This was a wonderful romance, full of angst and worry at first, then sweetness. Steep odds must be overcome and deep inner healing must be accomplished if Eleanora and Ridley are to be together. Recommended for readers of Arlem Hawks, Sarah Eden, and Kristi Ann Hunter.

Rated PG
--clean, sweet romance
--mild violence
--no language
--no gore
--references to mild psychological abuse

I received this ebook free from NetGalley. My opinions are my own and voluntarily given.

I enjoyed this sweet story. I would have liked to know how old the kids were before halfway (though I don’t think we ever know Lia’s age?) and I didn’t understand why one character kept insisting a certain character was a duke when he repeatedly said he wasn’t. That made little sense to me. But the romance was sweet and Ridley was a perfect hero.

I had this sitting on my kindle, and I was so happy to remember it on a sick day when I needed something to do. And this book did not disappoint!! I read it in less than a day, and didn’t want to put it down when I had to.
This story was full of tragedy and heartache, but all the love and redemption and growth made it 100% worth the struggles.

Ridley was such an amazing Hero. He had so many amazing qualities that you can’t help but sigh over. (But we all know the dark wavy hair will always be a bonus feature to endure a man to me 😉). The way he treated the baroness’s children was so sweet, but he also knew when to be stern and to teach. He was the perfect balance of soft and firm. I loved his relationship with the baroness as well. She had had such a hard life and he knew how to help her feel needed and whole. Such a beautiful love story. 💙💙

Possible trigger warnings:
Abusive relationships with family
Mentions of Infertility

Thank you to the publisher and author for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.