A Most Noble Heir ~Book Review~

A Most Noble Heir

By: Susan Anne Mason

Cleanliness (See “About” for scale): Slightly Tainted (No cursing. Content to consider: religion, kissing, servitude, mention of characters cursing [not specific], drinking, birth, multiple implications of sex, kidnapping, and death.)

4.5 Stars

First of all, I absolutely love this cover! It is very nicely done, and gave me fairly high expectations for the book. I always love when the words are 3D to the touch.

A Most Noble Heir is the story of hatred, bitterness, forgiveness, and most importantly — love. The beginning starts as the perfect 1800s, British, Jane Austen-esque, adorable romance. The characters are extremely lovable and understandable. Although the main part of this book is the romance, there is so much more to the story.

At first, I thought it was going to be a slow read, but I found myself rushing through it. I was actually impressed by the plot twists that I didn’t see coming at all. The book was also full of emotional roller coasters. It had me tearing up by chapter four!

The thing that made this book seem so much more real was that the author was inspired to write it by the history of some of her ancestors who were servants at Stainsby Hall in England. Fiction based on family is always impressive to me.

This story is so, so perfect for fans of Jane Austen. I think the similarities are one of the main reasons I love this story. It has all the elements of Austen’s books with some added mystery and drama. The writing was very good and gripping.

The main thing I disliked about this book was the constant focus on “the honeymoon night.” If you took all the scenes of the main character Hannah having anxiety about the wedding night or (later) wishing for love from her husband, you could probably fill two or more chapters. It wasn’t detailed or gross, but I got tired of reading about it over and over. It didn’t help that Hannah wasn’t my favorite character in the first place. While the rest of the characters developed nicely, she just seemed to get whinier and whinier. I wished she could have been as lovable as the others, but she did vindicate herself for the most part by the end.

I loved this book a lot, and it held up to my high expectations. It was beautiful, but still a thrilling novel. The characters showed how much good one noble person can do and how standing up for yourself, your ideals, and those whom you love is worth it in the end.

 

 

~I was sent a free copy of this book from Bethany House Publishers for an honest review~