The Elusive Miss Ellison (Regency Brides: A Legacy of Grace #1) by Carolyn Miller

  

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Category: Adult, Christian Fiction
Genre: Romance, Clean Romance, Historical Romance
Content: Clean

 

Handsome appearance counts for naught unless matched by good character and actions.That's the firm opinion of not-so-meek minister's daughter Lavinia Ellison. So even though all the other villagers of St. Hampton Heath are swooning over the newly returned seventh Earl of Hawkesbury, she is not impressed. If a man won't take his responsibilities seriously and help those who are supposed to be able to depend on him, he deserves no respect from her. In Lavinia's pretty, gray eyes, Nicholas Stamford is just as arrogant and reckless as his brother--who stole the most important person in Livvie's world.Nicholas is weighed down by his own guilt and responsibility, by the pain his careless brother caused, and by the legacy of war he's just left. This quick visit home to St. Hampton Heath will be just long enough to ease a small part of that burden. Asking him to bother with the lives of the villagers when there's already a bailiff on the job is simply too much to expect.That is, until the hoydenish, intelligent, and very opinionated Miss Ellison challenges him to see past his pain and pride. With her angelic voice in his head, he may even be beginning to care. But his isn't the only heart that needs to change.These two lonely hearts may each have something the other needs. But with society's opposition, ancestral obligations, and a shocking family secret, there may be too many obstacles in their way. Fans of Georgette Heyer, Lori Wick, and Julie Klassen will enjoy the spirited exchanges between the bluestocking minister's daughter and the bruised war hero as they move past pride and presumption to a humbled appreciation of God's grace and the true strength of love.

 

There were some things I loved about this book. I really liked the self-reflection and growth of the main characters. I enjoyed the message about valuing people over money or titles. Lavinia's kindheartedness and selflessness added a very nice touch to the story, even if she starts out rather self-righteous. She's kindhearted to certain people but judgemental to others (one other in particular), but she learns and grows. The Earl was harder to like in the beginning but he grew so much as a person. I enjoyed seeing that growth and ended up coming to love his character for the efforts he puts in to change himself for the better.

I have mixed feelings about the twist in the book regarding certain members of Lavinia's family. I would have liked to see if things would have worked out if Lavinia hadn't appeared in London. Would the Earl have come to his senses without her doing so? I feel like it would have been better if it had played out that way instead of the way it did. He waited so long to put his mother in her place that it felt like needless drama. The misunderstandings between the main characters got a bit old at times, and I could have done without the part on the terrace where Lavinia has to be rescued from a rakish individual. It was a bit much. In addition to these things, I found the Christian content to be very heavy-handed. I prefer that sort of content to be more subtle in the books I read. 

Overall, I liked this book despite the little things I found wrong with it. I enjoyed it and had a hard time putting it down through certain parts, particularly when illness swept through the village. Because of the things I liked, I may try another book by this author in the future.