Tenant of Chesdene Manor

This was a fun Regency romance that kept me reading so that I finished it within about a day.
Diana Chalfont and her mother live in one wing of a grand old house. The old house, most of which is in a state of utter neglect, is about the only thing left of their family fortunes. Fortunately, the latest heir, Sir Sidney Chalfont, says they can keep living in the house and even rent off some of it to a tenant if that will help ends meet.
But who would want to rent a broken-down, empty house? There are no takers, until one day the mysterious Christopher Richmond knocks on their door and asks to be shown the property.
The novel is split between this country estate and the social life of London. Diana is a competent young woman who is by no means sure she'll ever want to marry. She's sort of a cross between Lizzie Bennett and a very mild Emma Woodhouse. The adventures of her and her friends are fairly predictable, but I found this a pleasant, well-written excursion into Regency rom-com.

I throughly enjoyed this novel and am eagerly looking forward to reading more by the author!

The main characters are very likable and well-written. I also appreciated that the author didn't try too hard to show off her knowledge of the time period. For example, even though there were descriptions of clothing and life in London it never felt tedious or unnecessary. While the plot twists and couple pairings are fairly obvious, that in no way diminished the story for me.

Thank you NetGalley and Sapere books for providing a digital review copy.

When a mysterious man becomes the tenant of Chesdyne Manor, Diana Chalfont is both relieved and delighted. Though the estate is owned by a cousin, the income will help support herself and her family. She goes to London with a friend, frequently encounters Mr. Christopher Richmond, and finds herself being pursued by the very cousin who inherited the title and estate at her father’s death.

I’ve begun to think of this author as a definite favorite of mine, ranking with Georgette Heyer. In this novel, we have Diana, who is a lively, practical young woman, who has seen her family’s fortune decline steadily. She knows her own mind and heart and does not encourage men’s attention just to make a good match.

The plot moves at a good pace. There is a secondary plot, a growing romance that is sweet and pleasant to read along with Diana’s story. It is easy to see through the twists of the plot, but it does not detrimental to the story.

I would recommend this to readers who enjoy classic stories.