The Lord and The Lady Astronomer by Alissa Baxter is a wonderfully pleasurable read. The unique subject of astronomy along with an educated woman as a lead is nothing short of amazing. Like all historical romances, it takes a while to get into the flow of things and quite rightfully so, considering the multiple conventions and moral policing prevalent then.
The novel is certainly not centred on romance exclusively but it is an integral part nevertheless. What I admired the most is the intelligence of the female lead, how she is supported and encouraged for pursuing astrology. The men in the novel are equally kind and polite which in itself a novel concept.
It is definitely a great read.

I love stories with lots of dialogue and this one hits the mark. In addition it covers two of my all time favorite subjects; astronomy and antiquities so WOW. Lovely and lively plot, a bit longer than I usually like but I couldn't put it down once I started it. Abigail is amazing, lively and intelligent. She is dealing with trauma that holds her back from actually living. William interests her because they share common interests but he's a bit of a stick in the mud. When a mystery takes place the twists and turns are unexpected and the slow burn of romance is powerful. This is the first time author for me so I plan to go back and read some of her other works.

4.5 / 5.0

This book has all the feels of Pride & Prejudice, with the matchmaking of Emma, and a hearty dose of A Midsummer’s Night Dream. It is so good and the twists and turns are well plotted. I especially liked the slow burn romance that should have been dull but was masterfully done.

I consumed this entire book in one afternoon and might go find the previous two. Having read the prior two books is not necessary but you will encounter people and events from them. The female main character is struggling with trauma from grief and she is impetuous, but very intelligent and well written. The male main character is a Mr. Darcy mixed with Mr. Knightly and so clearheaded. He is about a decade older than the FMC, not my favorite trope, but it is the late 18teens and so a 10 age gap was not considered questionable.

Overall, I enjoyed this way more than I expected. It is well written and the plot is fun and the characters are engaging. The dialogue is fantastic, too.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for access to this eARC for my review.

Until Next Time,
MC

A sweet and charming Regency romance!

What a sweet and charming Regency novel to enjoy! Will keep readers interested until the last chapter.
Alissa Baxter is new to me, and I cannot wait to read her next series. The Lord and the Lady Astronomer is the
third book in The Grantham Girls series. I like adventures with women who hold new roles for that period. It’s so refreshing!

This story features a woman named Abigail who holds a pioneering role as an astronomer who falls in love with a man named William, Viscount Rochvale. who accepts her as she is with her unorthodox but refreshing ways. They first met in a very awkward situation! As time goes by, their new friendship goes on and soon develops to bring them closer. What follows is an adventure series of twists and turns to find a valuable Roman urn!

Note: This series is part of Dragonblade's Sweet Dreams line, so this is a sweet, wholesome Historical Romance where passion beyond the bedroom door is left to the reader’s imagination.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book from Dragonblade Publishing and NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Great story line , thoroughly enjoyed reading a book with so many twists and turns , suspense, instrigue and love 💘

I have not read the previous books in this series but I had no issue jumping in to the story. Anything that might have happened in previous books that you needed to know was fully explained here. I will start with what I liked, I liked Abigail a lot. She was a go getter. Knew she wanted an opportunity to practice astronomy she took it. Liked having fun with her neighbors and cousins.m, so she did it. I also liked her cousins Hetta’s romance story. The things that I didn’t really like: I just didn’t feel the rimantic pull really from both main characters. William is kind of insta lust but we aren’t really given insight in to why we are given more insight with Abigail which was nice but they didn’t really seem to grow their relationship cause the book was soooo prim and proper. I would have really appreciated some discussion during their time to tether to understand and see their love grow. Also, this is a slight spoiler I suppose but there is a story line that deals with classism and I just don’t like that stuff. Abigail’s family always holds the upper hand and snide remarks and no one defending the workers of the castle just turns me off. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Third novel in the Grantham Girls series.

Abigail Grantham is a sparkling character, impulsive and intelligent. Interested in a variety of subjects including astronomy. Underneath she carries a sadness and fear of things changing, of the ground shifting. Her parents died when she was young and that has altered her ideas about permanency. Maybe that’s why she finds astronomy and the past so interesting. The future is too uncertain.
Lord Rochvale appears to be rather one dimensional, withholding himself. (A rather distant Mr. Darcy if you will.)
He keeps the secrets of others and confuses Abigail by his distance, except when he’s talking about his love of Roman antiquities, and of course astronomy. Despite that, Abigail finds herself increasingly drawn to Rochvale.
Abigail is helping her uncle and Rochvale with their astronomical calculations.
Her cousin Henrietta appears somewhat troubled. Rochvale’s cousin, the quite handsome Gerald Burnby is a charming companion but Abigail doesn’t quite trust his attentions.
Then there’s another friend of the family’s who comes to stay, Lady Amelia. She and Rochvale appear close. What’s Abigail to think?
There’s a number of misconceptions when various of the characters seem to walk a miscalculated path to romance, leaving everyone concerned totally confused, hurt or under a misapprehension.
A charming, read in Dragonblade’s stable of ‘Sweet Dreams’ wholesome historical romances.

A Dragonblade ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)