The Upright Son
Series: The Ashmead Heirs #4
Author: Caroline Warfield
Published June 28th 2022 by Dragonblade Publishing, Inc.

Goodreads Synopsis
A notorious will left David, the very proper Earl of Clarion, with a crippled estate and dependents. He’s the one left to pick up the pieces while caring for others—his children, his tenants, and the people of Ashmead. He cares for England, too. Now that the estate has been put to right, he is free to pursue his political ambitions. But loneliness weighs him down. Then he meets his new neighbor.

Her uninhibited behavior shocks him. Why can’t he get her out of his mind?

Happily widowed Lady Delia Fitzwallace revels in her newly rented cottage, surrounded by flowers and the wonder of nature, thrilled to free her three rambunctious children from the city of Bristol and let them enjoy the countryside to the fullest. If only she can avoid offending her very proper neighbor, the earl, when their children keep pulling her into scrapes.

She has nothing he needs in a countess. Is she exactly what he needs as a man?
Goodreads

Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.

Finding out that this father has left nearly all of the estate to his illegitimate children, leaving only David with the title of Earl of Clarion, was a shock to say the least. Looking for the many unknown siblings, and recovering the estate from the edge of ruin, while also raising his children and grieving his late wife, David is about done in. So when a handsome widow, and her own children, move into the dower house to help offset some of the costs, David does everything he can to avoid Lady Delia Fitzwallace, but the children have other plans. While David's own children are being raised to be perfect society kids, seen but not heard, Delia has other plans for hers, and wants them to be free to explore, and have a childhood. They are very different parents, with different ideals, but together, they bring the best - and worst - out of each other. As David's shell starts to crack, and he drops some of the pressure and tension he's had these past years, can he allow himself to find love again?

I'm going to admit, that in previous books, I wasn't that keen on David. He was always in the background, and was a little too much of a stick in the mud for my liking, but reading his story, and finding out more about him, it really helps the reader to understand him. He had had a hard upbringing with his narcissistic parents, and never was allowed the chance to have fun, or be anything other than the heir, and then earl. So meeting Delia, and seeing how people can be carefree, and allow their children to be children, and not hide in the nursery or schoolroom everyday, was refreshing. I really liked Delia, and all of the children, from the first time we met them. She was like a breath of fresh air, and someone that David needed completely. Honestly, they brought out the best in each other, and though their relationship was not without it's difficulties, it was right for them. A great ending to the series!

Dates Read:
July 4-9, 2021

Rating
3 Stars