The Whitworths are among the most upper of classes in Regency Britain. The eldest of three sons, Percival, is considering his duty to find a wife to continue the family line. Of all the ladies he has encountered it is only elegant Lady Adelaide, the ward of family friends since her parents died, that he considers to be a match. as he knows her from when they were young. While staying in the country, one stormy Christmas night, the two families celebrations are interrupted by a young woman with an ill child begging for help. The young lady is Nell Hawthorne, named after her mother who was an infamous prostitute and then raised in an orphanage. Following this, Nell is hired by Lady Adelaide to work as a maid. As it approaches the next Christmas when Percival is due to propose to Adelaide, Nell answers the door only for Lord Percival to collapse into her arms, ill with fever. While he recovers, Nell is given the task of looking after him. As time goes on, Percival finds himself falling for her even while knowing that they can never be together. Then, when it comes times to propose, Percival finds himself torn between the Lady he knows he should marry and the young woman who has entered his life and entranced him.

A Regency Romance novel with a heavy hint of Bridgerton in it. The story is as unbelievable and romantic as you would expect it to be, with everything neatly tied up at the end. It’s a slow start when reading it, several scenes are replayed from different viewpoints and it while it might add a little to the characters, it does slow the pace down as you keep waiting for the next part to be replayed. After a while, the plot does settle down and it follows a more expected form, but this also allows the plot to flow more smoothly. The characters are enjoyable to follow with Nell and Percival making an odd couple who slowly form a bond together despite their different class, and way of thinking. The story is well written and each part follows neatly on as it progresses and I do like that it doesn’t try to fit everything in over a few months but this books does cover over the years. I was also enjoying that a lot of the story is shown and not mentioned, and the writing does an excellent job of immersing you in both sides of the culture divide of the time. I was surprised by how long the book was, because after a slow start, I found myself turning page after page to get to the end to see how it all plays out. There are a few story lines that are to be completed but by and large it ends well.

The formatting is very good, aside from where a few of the Chapters do not start on a new page. There are a few spelling and grammar errors with a few more modern terms sneaking their way in, like kid or buddy. Overall, this was an memorable read, certainly the longer it went on and by the end of it, I was quite enjoying it. Fans of the genre should definitely give this one a read.