This is a fun, sweet story. Caroline and Benedict grew up as neighbors. She spent most of her time with his younger brother, but the memories are still there. She married and became a young widow after her husband died from smallpox. She also contracted the disease and was left badly scarred.

As she moves back with her daughter to live with her father to regain her health, she begins interacting with Benedict. He is a great man, who loves his estate, the animals, orchards, and the tenants who live there. As they combine efforts to aid those in need of help, and with the help of adorable 4 year old Meg, things start to change.

I loved Caroline's growth and acceptance of her scars. I loved her understanding of what was important, and that is not on the outside..

This was a great, relaxing read!

A Provincial Peer is a worthy addition to The Georgian Gentleman series by Sian Ann Bessey. As in the previous books in the series, the protagonist, Benedict, Lord Benning does not act as a member of the nobility is expected to. He joins his tenants and employees in physical labor, enjoys their company, and is concerned for their well being. He encounters a former playmate, Caroline, the local vicar’s daughter, when her daughter wanders onto his estate. Because she is heavily veiled to hide smallpox scars, he does not recognize her at first. He eventually becomes involved with her and her daughter and helps Caroline come to terms with her disfigurement. Bessey does an excellent job of involving the reader in the horrors of the smallpox outbreaks that plagued England. As well, she includes Edward Jenner, the doctor who created the smallpox vaccine, into the story. She also uses various characters to demonstrate the hardships felt by the working class after the Napoleonic wars. This was well researched and is a compelling story. Strongly recommended for lovers of historical fiction.

I really enjoyed the romance in the book, seeing how it slowly bloomed over time and their childhood connection. I personally am not a fan of medical things so it made me a little uncomfy but it was handled in a way that wasn’t excessive. But I loved seeing how they grew together and saw each other for who they were.