A Tree, A Book, and A Breeze

An Inconvenient Beauty Kristi Ann Hunter Bethany House Publishers       I began reading Kristi Ann Hunter's Hawthorne House series when the first book came out, and I enjoyed it- I do like a good historical novel set in the Regency period, and while this series isn't written in true "Regency" style, it's lighthearted and fun, as well as often comedic.      However, the previous book in the series left me a little disappointed, and I'm afraid the same happened with An Inconvenient Beauty as well. I wasn't sure why the novel wasn't clicking with me, but by the end I think I had it narrowed down to that fact that the writing is a bit too repetitive and over-explanatory; it dragged the plot and the humor down.      There were some things I liked about the book, though: Isabella is a character who in any other romance novel might have been seen as the villain,  as she's beautiful and encourages multiple suitors that she n...

An Elegant Façade Kristi Ann Hunter Bethany House Lady Georgina Hawthorne has worked tirelessly to seal her place as the Incomparable for her debut season. At her first London ball, she hopes to snag the attention of an earl.  With money and business connections, but without impeccable bloodlines, Colin McCrae is invited everywhere but accepted nowhere. When he first encounters the fashionable Lady Georgina, he's irritated by his attraction to a woman who concerns herself only with status and appearance.  What Colin doesn't know is that Georgina's desperate social aspirations are driven by the shameful secret she harbors. Association with Colin McCrae is not part of Georgina's plan, but as their paths continue to cross, they both must decide if the realization of their dreams is worth the sacrifices they must make.        I was wondering what I'd think about this book. I read A Noble Masquerade and enjoyed it, but I wasn't too s...

A Noble Masquerade Kristi Ann Hunter Bethany House Publishers Lady Miranda Hawthorne acts every inch the lady, but inside she longs to be bold and carefree. Entering her fourth Season and approaching spinsterhood in the eyes of society, she pours her innermost feelings out not in a diary but in letters to her brother's old school friend, a duke--with no intention of ever sending these private thoughts to a man she's heard stories about but never met. Meanwhile, she also finds herself intrigued by Marcus, her brother's new valet, and although she may wish to break free of the strictures that bind her, falling in love with a servant is more of a rebellion than she planned. When Marcus accidentally discovers and mails one of the letters to her unwitting confidant, Miranda is beyond mortified. And even more shocked when the duke returns her note with one of his own that initiates a courtship-by-mail. Insecurity about her lack of suitors shifts into confusion at her...