Coming Home to Bellingham
While visiting a friend, Anabelle Milton receives the shattering news that both her parents have died suddenly, a distant cousin has inherited the estate, and she is now an impoverished orphan. Fortunately, her aunt offers her a home with her and her husband, the manager of the Bellingham Estate in Northamptonshire. Not only does the aunt turn out to be kind and welcoming, but so does the Earl of Bellingham’s entire family. The second son, Nathan, makes unwelcome advances, but it is to his older brother, Lord Alexander, that she feels drawn. Despite the family’s friendliness, Anabelle remains uncomfortably conscious of the social gap. Is a match possible?
This Regency romance demonstrates the psychological impact of personal loss and the value of kindness to others, whatever their station in life; but though promising, it is a first novel and it shows. Since the story is narrated by Anabelle in the first person, it is not always clear why the hero is attracted to her, her antipathy to unemotional men is unexplained, and awkward expression can be distracting: characters grin and smirk rather frequently, and terms like ‘negative feelings’ and the ‘path toward self-discovery’ feel inappropriate in this historical era.
