Winning Miss Winthrop by Carolyn Miller

I am not a fan of Regency fiction and was hesitant to agree to review this novel. The beginning got off to a rough start for me as the author assumed, I think, that I was familiar with the customs of the era. I had to find out what an entailment was to understand what was going on. About a third of the way into the book, however, I began to enjoy the story.

This is your typical romance. A common business man, now Lord of the manor, once loved Catherine, the woman he just forced to move out of the manor. Maybe he still loves her and she him. But misunderstandings present huge obstacles and one wonders of they will every get together again.

I was impressed with a couple aspects of the novel. One was the study of the customs of the entitled people. Christian charity and loving behavior was pitted against the cultural norms of the day. Catherine tried to show Christian love and compassion to others while her mother was a jealous and somewhat heartless person. I also liked the way some of the characters were developed. Catherine's aunt was a pistol, saying what she thought and shocking many with her truth. Another aspect of the novel I liked was the clear demonstration of the effect rumors had on one's reputation. And at that time, reputation was everything.

I did have trouble liking the main characters, Catherine and Jon, however. Catherine seemed immature and impulsive for her age. I would have liked her better had she been more truthful. And Jon did not seem a very compassionate man until almost being forced into it. Granted, they had both been hurt but I like to see characters rise above hurt to be excellent.

I do recommend this book to those who enjoy Regency romance novels. After the initial rough start, I did enjoy the author's writing style. There was some pithy dialog and some humor along the way. But the main attraction of the novel will be the typical romance plot.

You can download a discussion guide and find out more about the book and Bath at https://www.carolynmillerauthor.com/miss-winthrop.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

Carolyn Miller lives in New South Wales, Australia with her husband and their four children. She is a Regency romance writer with three books being published each year. You can find out more at https://www.carolynmillerauthor.com/.

Kregel Publications, 320 pages.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.