The Elusive Miss Ellison by Carolyn Miller Review

About This Book:

"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. 

My Thoughts on This Book:

Set in the early 1800's in Great Britain, this charming story tells the tale of a reverend's daughter Miss Lavinia Ellison. After tragedy hits her at a young age and losing her mother, her heart is a bit hardened towards the family responsible. When the brother shows up and tries to charm his way into her life she holds a wall up with her whitty come backs and her charismatic expression.

She devotes her life in helping the poor in her little country village and tries to enjoy her simple life without a beau or prospect of one. Can Nicholas, Lord Hawkesbury, show her she is worthy of attention and love or will her feelings of his family and her mother cause her not to find true love..

A well written story. The characters came to life on the pages and found myself often chuckling at their ways of speaking to each other. I look forward to the rest of the books in the series.

About the Author:

Carolyn Miller lives in New South Wales, Australia, with her husband and four children. A longtime lover of Regency romance, Carolyn's previous novels have won several contests, including the 2014 RWA "Touched by Love" and 2014 ACFW Gensis contests. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and My Book Therapy.

I received a copy of this book for the purpose of review. My thoughts on this book were my own and I received no other compensation for this review.