Review: Edenbrooke by Julianne Donaldson
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The Basics
Title: Edenbrooke (Edenbrooke #1)
Author: Julianne Donaldson
Published: 2012
Publisher: Shadow Mountain
Pages: 255
Format: Paperback
Genres: Fiction — Historical fiction, Regency fiction, Romance, Historical romance, Regency romance, Clean romance
Book Synopsis
After her mother dies and her father subsequently leaves for France, Marianne Daventry moves to Bath to live with her grandmother. She, however, quickly grows tired of urban life and longs to return to the countryside in which she had been living. So, when she receives an invitation from her twin sister, Cecily, to accompany her to Edenbrooke, the country estate of the Wyndham family, she jumps at the offer. There, she befriends Philip, and what she initially perceives to be a friendship punctuated by the occasional flirtation, starts to evolve into something else. Unanticipated complications, however, arise and make Marianne question how she should proceed with both her relationship with Philip and life in general.
My Review & Overall Thoughts
Edenbrooke hooked me from the very first page. From grand estates and elegant balls to highwaymen and sword fights, this book had all the makings of a classic Regency romance. It felt like a modern-day version of a Jane Austen novel: Austenian at its core but simpler in prose.
Marianne’s love interest, Philip, is certainly reminiscent of one of Austen’s leading men –he’s wealthy, handsome, and honorable. His relationship with Marianne is sweet, as well as amusing. I enjoyed his playful teasing at her expense, and it was equal parts funny and aggravating to see how clueless Marianne was when it came to Philip’s feelings toward her. The introduction of other potential romantic partners also created enough uncertainty that I kept eagerly turning the pages to see how everything would unfold.
Another aspect of this book that I enjoyed was the cast of secondary characters. Mr. Whittles, Mr. Clumpett, and Mrs. Clumpett were a few of my favorites. With his awkwardness and at times cringe-worthy behavior, Mr. Whittles reminded me of Mr. Collins from Pride and Prejudice. Mr. Clumpett’s frequent (and sometimes hilariously inappropriate) references to animals always made me smile, and I loved Mrs. Clumpett for her forthrightness and decision to buck traditional gender norms.
The not so good
One of the characters, Mr. Kellet, had a story that felt rather unfulfilled. At the novel’s beginning, I thought that he would play a much larger role in the story due to how at odds his personal interests were to those of Marianne’s, but he ended up being a fairly minor character with only a few scenes.
Cecily, Marianne’s twin sister, was another disappointing character. At the end of the book, she displays a nearly 180° shift in behavior that is hard to believe, as her actions run counter to every other depiction of her.
Overall
I adored Edenbrooke. It was such a fun read, and it made my daily commute – dare I say – enjoyable. When I read this book, I was transported from my cramped seat on the commuter rail next to some guy snoring a tad too loudly to the English countryside, and that’s some of the highest praise that I can give. If you enjoy Regency-era novels, romances, or simply a good historical fiction, you should read this.
If you’ve read Edenbrooke, let me know what you thought in the comments below. And if you haven’t read the book, you can still drop a line to say hello and let me know what book you’re currently reading 😊
