Yorkshire - Lynne Connolly

Another of my rereads this Yorkshire and another very good read.

Rose Golightly accompanies her family on a visit to their cousins in Yorkshire, she finds a run down house, not the society gathering she and her sister are hoping for. Lord Hareton has deliberately run down the once great Hareton Abbey until it’s a near ruin. The only other guests at Hareton are the twin Kerre brothers, intimidating and haughty leaders of society, together with the fiancée of the older brother.

When the Earl of Southwood’s son and heir, Richard, Lord Strang is badly injured in the same accident that kills her cousins, Rose is forced into the position of nurse--and detective. The attraction between Richard and Rose is instant and undeniable, but Richard is to marry the frigid Julia Cartwright in a few weeks, and has deliberately closed his heart to love. In order to offer Rose his heart he must extricate himself from an engagement he has long come to regret.

When they discover that what at first appeared accidental was in fact a deliberate act of sabotage Richard and Rose set out to solve the mystery. Can Rose trust her instincts, ignoring Richard's reputation as a seducer and give him everything she has to offer? Can they clear Rose's family name by discovering her cousins’ murderer?

The book is written in the first person from Rose's point of view. it doesn't work with every story but in the right one it can be just the thing and I quite liked it. Rose Golightly and Richard Kerre meet in unusual circumstances. While she is already on the shelf and a country girl he is used to go about seducing married ladies in society and is presently contracted to marry another young lady. We get to know Rose's thoughts and her surprise at Richard's feelings towards her and how she deals with it. Especially how difficult it is for her to believe he loves her and how could there be a happy ending when he is supposed to marry someone else. One thing about Richard is that he is determined to win Rose and marry her no matter what. I liked that! Another thing I liked in the book is the atmosphere, manners, behaviours and conversations nothing is out of place. Rose is a very sensible girl, she analises her feelings and proceeds accordingly.

The book is also centered around the mystery of who provoked the accident that killed the Earl of Hareton, his heir and injured Richard. I found the mystery was very interesting and added something to the story without overwhelming the romance. All in all a very solid story with interesting characters and I'm hoping the other books in the series will be released soon.

Grade: B+