The story was enjoyable and easy to read, aside from a few phrases and and words that were not accurate to the time. Rebecca Parker is independent and smart, loyal to her daughter and content with her life. Kenneth Winterton, earl's heir, was once content with his life but is having trouble adjusting to his new status and training. The pair work beautifully together and I was rooting for them from the start.
The kiss that they share upon first meeting was incredibly simple and moving, but brings me to the start of my frustration with the book: the best scenes and places for development/enlightenment were never finished! They kiss, and suddenly it's the next day and they're reflecting on their meeting, but we still have no idea how they reacted to the kiss, how they excused their behavior to one another, or even how they parted afterwards. It felt awkward and unfinished, which was unfortunate because it was beautiful until I was jerked forward another day. This happened quite a few times throughout the book and I could excuse most of them and still enjoy it until the very end.
I'll try to be vague and not spoil anything for those who are about to enjoy the book, but there was a huge buildup toward their monumental decision to marry and plans to let the neighborhood become introduced and accustomed to the idea . . . and then nothing. Things are resolved for Rebecca and Kenneth, but the drama was unfinished. Maybe I've become too used to spectacular finishes in Mary Balogh's Westcott series, but I thought Kilpack underdelivered. The main couple's determination is important, but the story itself and their eventual success as a couple would be dependent on being accepted by the neighborhood as a whole.
The book was fun, if frustrating for me to read. I would recommend it to lovers of clean historical Regency romance, but it will not be a book that I repeatedly come back to.
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