The House of Stone and Ivy, by Anita Stansfield, Blog Tour & Giveaway

Book Summary:

Orphaned as children, Hennie and Lottie share an unbreakable friendship. Together, they suffered the horrors of orphanages and the workhouse, and now grown, they continue to rely on each another. When Lottie approaches Hennie about a possible position at a manor house, Hennie is eager to work alongside her dear friend. However, to secure the positions as stable hands, they will have to undergo a bold act of deception: the women must disguise themselves as men.

Upon arriving at the manor, Hennie is stunned. Her new position is at Ivy Manor—the beautiful estate where her mother was employed long ago and where Hennie was raised until her mother’s death. Hennie has wonderful memories of her friendship with the son of the house, Jack, and is shocked and dismayed to learn he has vanished. Living in disguise at the manor allows her to gradually uncover the truth of Jack’s disappearance and eventually find him. Both Hennie and Jack are thrilled to be reunited, and their friendship is renewed. Soon, their relationship blossoms . . . and threatens their determination to remain concealed. With so much at stake, will they be prepared to risk everything for love?

My Review:

The premise of this story is completely different from another other regency romance I have read. So I was drawn to the book just from that alone; add in a great cover and an author I have read for years and I was all in. Hennie and Lottie were best friends who grew up through the most difficult of circumstances, an orphanage and a workhouse. Now they are disguised as men working as stablehands in the very home that Hennie grew up in. So my thoughts are two fold. I like the story and how different it is from any other regency I have read. However, the author did a lot of telling what happens and what the characters think, instead of showing the reader. I had to do a lot of skipping over parts because it was tedious to read. I hate to say that because Stansfield is one of my favorite authors, but it was so difficult to read through parts where we were being told what the character thought instead of getting to peer into their mind and hear their thoughts. This is still a good story, it was just a little bit harder for me to get through.

Happy Reading!!!

You can pick up your own copy via Amazon.

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