Edenbrooke by Julianne Donaldson

 

 

There's almost nothing better than finding a good book to curl up with and if you're looking for one I'd highly recommend "Edenbrooke" by Julianne Donaldson. I found this book while I was scrolling on www.goodreads.com and I was instantly drawn to the cover. I'm a sucker for all things Jane Austen-esque and historical fiction and this cover promised to deliver.

I read the summary and a few of the comments from other readers and decided that I had to read it so. If you're curious about what other readers said about it the Goodreads link is below:

 https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12820360-edenbrooke

Edenbrooke is about a 17 year old girl named Marianne Daventry who's life changes when she visits a manor in the English countryside called Edenbrooke. Her grandmother sends her there for a visit and she encounters some unexpected twists on the way such as a bumpy carriage ride, a dangerous highwayman, and an intriguing gentleman named Philip. As it turns out, Philip lives at Edenbrooke and the two of them become friends during her stay but could things turn into more?

I found this book to be very entertaining as well as clean but not boring or slow. It had my pulse racing at times and then made me laugh out loud at others. Only a very accomplished writer can do that and I thank Ms. Donaldson for doing it flawlessly.

But let's get on with the review >>>>>>>>>>

The Characters

I really liked all of the characters and I thought each of them were well thought out. And even though the story is told through first person I didn't feel like I was missing anything. Marianne's point of view was very relatable and easy to read. She's one of the first heroines who I could identify with in a long time and I found her reactions to situations to be realistic if not admirable. Her relationship with her grandmother reminded me a lot of mine with my own grandmother and the fact that she was clueless to Philip's feelings made me like her even more. A strong heroine indeed and you know what a strong heroine needs - an equally strong (and dreamy) hero. And the author didn't disappoint.

Can I just say that if I could go back in time and meet a man like Sir Philip I'd move there permanently. Philip is everything a leading man is supposed to be: charming, handsome, funny, strong, and did I mention charming? He's close to perfection in my book and I really enjoyed seeing how love changed him. He met Marianne and he'd met his match. They infuriate yet captivate each other and their relationship was one of the most realistic I'd read in a while. It was insta-love or even insta-like. It was a slow build-up which played out through the story sweetly.

The Conflict

There were a few conflicts in this book but the most interesting one was the one between Marianne and Philip. She was completely oblivious to Philip's feelings for her for most of the story, repeatedly friend-zoning him. Poor Philip did everything but draw the girl a picture of his love (he did write her blush-worthy love letter) and she just didn't believe it. But that kept it interesting.

The other major conflict was the mystery of the highwayman's identity. I don't want to give away any spoilers but the highwayman ultimately became a very important piece in the story. In the beginning of the book, while Marianne and her maid are traveling to Edenbrooke, they get attacked by a highwayman. Fortunately, the maid shoots him and he runs away before he can do any real harm, but in the process he injures their coach driver, James. The ladies are then forced to go to an inn to get James some help and that's where Marianne meets Philip. But in the meantime the highwayman gets away.

The author plants a few clues throughout the story and by the middle of it I had a pretty good idea who it was but I was still surprised when his identity was confirmed.

So out of 5 stars - 5 being the best and 1 being awful - I give it 5 stars*****. And I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a clean (but definitely not boring) historical romance.