ARC Review: The Girl With Flaming Hair by Natalie Kleinman
10:00
Series: None
Author: Natalie Kleinman
Published June 15th 2021 by Sapere Books
Goodreads Synopsis
A dazzling Regency adventure full of twists and turns! For fans of Georgette Heyer, Mary Balogh, Jane Aiken Hodge and Jane Austen.
Sophie is plagued by the shadows of the past…
Regency England
While driving his curricle, Rufus Solgrave, Earl of Luxton comes across Sophie Clifford lying unconscious in the road, having fallen from her horse.
Not too far from home, he takes her back to Ashby, his country seat, leaving her in the care of his mother, Elizabeth, Countess of Luxton, and his sister, Lydia. Under their kindly supervision, Sophie soon begins to recover.
Upon discovering that Sophie has never mixed with London society, Elizabeth invites her to accompany the family to town for Lydia’s come-out. Unhappy with her homelife and eager to sample the delights of the season, Sophie accepts.
However, her enjoyment is marred when talk of an old scandal surrounding her birth resurfaces. What’s more, her devious stepbrother, Francis Follet, has followed her to London, intent on making her his bride.
Sensing Sophie’s distress, Rufus steps in to protect her from Francis’s unwelcome advances.
And although neither Rufus nor Sophie are yet thinking of marriage, both soon begin to wonder whether their comfortable friendship could blossom into something warmer…
THE GIRL WITH FLAMING HAIR is a historical romantic tale set in Regency England, with a spirited and intelligent heroine at its heart.
Goodreads
Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher. This in no way impacted on my view.
The Girl with Flaming Hair follows Miss Sophie Clifford, who has been sheltered for her entire life, and after an injury, is invited by the Dowager Countess of Luxton and her daughter, Lydia, to take part in the upcoming Season, and get away from her odious stepbrother. However, she soon discovers that her flaming red hair is not just a sight to see, but also marks her out as being illegitimate and the truth about her childhood is revealed. She's actually an heiress, with a living father and grandparents who'd love to meet her and be with her, and her stepbrother, Francis, will stop at nothing to marry her and get her wealth. But her feelings for Rufus, Earl of Luxton, are growing, and it seems they might be reciprocated. Will she be able to have her happy ending, or will her birth haunt her?
I have really mixed feelings about this book. For one, the plot was good, and I did grow to like most of the main characters. But my main bugbear was the writing style. I just was annoyed with how flowery and unnecessary it was. The book also felt like it dragged, considering it was only 221 pages. I did read it in a day, but there were times when the plot and pacing felt like it took hours to get through. It wasn't a book that was quick and extremely engaging. I think the main reason I persisted was to mark it off my TBR, and it find out what happened to Sophie and Rufus, who I wanted to get together, even when they were both annoying me. All in all, an okay book, but not an author I'd be in a rush to read again.
Dates Read:
July 15, 2021
Rating
3 Stars
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