REVIEW: Lord Windmere by Gianna Thomas

Lord Windmere: The Four Lords' Saga Book 1
by Gianna Thomas

Publisher: NPC Pubs
Page Count: 113
Release Date: August 3, 2015
Format: Kindle

How got: free copy from author

First attention getter: genre and email from author

Synopsis:

From GoodReads:

Will Lord Windmere (Matthew Fremont), who has been running from parson’s mousetrap, win, or lose and pay £1500 to his friends?

Matthew Fremont has accepted an invitation to a house party as he is seriously considering looking for a wife and starting his nursery as his parents have requested of him. He discovers on his arrival that Lady Jane Thornton—his longtime friend from a neighboring estate to his parents’ home—is also in attendance. Since he has not seen her for two years, he is pleasantly surprised to find that she is all grown up, and he is more than happy with the result.

Lady Jane Anne Thornton is also pleased at seeing her friend, Matt. Occasionally allowed to tag along with him and her older brother, Robbie, Janie has long held a tendre for Matt. And it’s not just because she saw him and her brother swimming at the hidden falls. Will their friendship turn into love? Will they be able to overcome the obstacle of a rival for Matt’s affections? And will Janie even survive the house party?

My Thoughts:

Star Rating - 3.5

This was a short and sweet tale of Regency era romance. It’s got all the hallmarks of the Regency genre: bets made on romance, social balls/gatherings, the many societal mores of the times, and romance blossoming in the genteel English air.

I liked the time the author put into building her atmosphere and main relationship. She takes the time to set the scene, not something every novella writer does. I had no problem picturing every social interaction and the grandeur of Regency gentility.

I also really liked Matthew and Janie. They were very sweet together and made me smile more than once. There wasn’t a massive amount of depth or character analyzing present, but this is a novella so I wasn’t expecting it. For this being what it was, I liked the leads well enough.

I do think the author fell into the trap that many novella or short book writers fall into, trying to put too much into the story. The whole side story with Penelope and her antics was more irritating than entertaining. I found her to be juvenile and two-dimensional. She added nothing to the story but aggravation.

I also wished more mention could have been made on the whole bet thing. In the beginning, it’s hinted that hopefully the partners for these guys don’t ever find out about it. After that little hint, nothing else is ever mentioned. Maybe the author is saving that for the last book, don’t know. But another mention at the end might have been nice.

For a short, sweet romantic fluff piece, this novella is pretty good. It pleases in the romance, atmosphere, and main character departments. At times, the author tries to fit too much in for dramatic flair that’s not needed. Yet, the work is still enjoyable for what it is: a tender getaway into Regency love.

Note: Book received for free from author in exchange for an honest review.