Originally Published: 07-30-2020
Home to Somersby is a regency romance novel by Anita Stansfield.
Book Details
This book is a stand-alone novel that does not belong to any book series.
And it just happens to be a regency romance instead of contemporary or historical like many of her others.
And because it’s a regency romance, the story is filled with customs and language and attitudes of an era long past.
And due to the genre and who this author is, there’s no swearing or bad language or sexual details to worry about.
Also due to this genre, you’ll find that the story is written in such a way that it depicts the way people talked, acted, and thought.
You can tell that the author has done adequate research to show that she understood the ways of the era and how to portray them.
Book Summary
This story is about Hazel Hollingsworth. How she discovers that she’s actually the daughter of the maid that used to be employed by the home she grew up in.
Even though she was legally adopted by her parents, Alice and Horace Hollingsworth, she still feels like she’s a blowing in the wind!
And when her mother can give her no answers, she’s left to wonder many things.
So the majority of the story is Hazel coming to terms with her heritage and what it means for her.
She takes haven at her aunt’s home in Somersby, hence the name of the book!!
And there she finds love and acceptance despite what her origin might be.
And the story goes into great detail of life in that timeframe. And it’s described using the language and customs of the genre and the era.
A huge chunk of the story was about life and what’s happening and yes, that did get boring! But it was also good to see that Hazel went thru the stages of grief and loss just as we understand things today.
And of course, we see how she becomes a part of her aunt’s household and the cousins she has there. And that includes a love interest that she didn’t expect.
Going right along with the customs of the time, where cousins married and it’s a normal thing, her and cousin Mark come to realize they have feelings for each other.
And due to the genre, this courtship is long glances, holding hands and chaste kisses! But we do see how they got to really know each other, with a chunk of that being off book.
And then in the end, Hazel finds out really how she came to be and it’s completely surprising and nothing that you’d expect. I won’t tell you here, so you’ll actually be surprised.
And as this is a true stand-alone, we don’t have to worry about finding the next book to read.
Conclusion
I will be the first to admit that regency romance is not a favorite genre of mine. The customs and such of this timeframe bug me.
But Anita Stansfield is one of my fav authors, so I know that when I read something written by her, it’ll be well researched, thought out and planned and just a good story to read.
I did find that everything went right for this Hazel. She was safe getting to her aunt’s house despite the times she traveled in and the fact that she went herself.
She arrived just in time to be welcomed wholeheartedly into their home. And the developing relationship between Hazel and Mark was adorable and chaste, just as it should be for this genre.
The story was well written, yes, but I found some aspects of it boring and annoying but I think that’s more to the fact that I’m not fond of this genre.
I still, hands down, recommend this author to anyone who wants a good hearty read that makes you think.
