A Lady of Esteem

Title: A Lady of Esteem audio book

Series: Hawthorne House #0.5

Author: Kristi Ann Hunter

Narrator: Ann Marie Gideon

Publisher: Bethany House & Two Words Publishing

Genre: Christian Fiction, Historical Fiction,Regency

Source: Hoopla

My Review:

A Lady of Esteem is a novella that starts the Hawthorne House series. I read it after the first book, and it worked well there. However, I would recommend reading it to begin the series.

I loved getting Amelia's backstory. I found myself laughing out loud when she met Anthony. Amelia is so sweet and is a conundrum. Most of her friends are servants, and she has no idea how to interact with the upper class.

Anthony is a reformed rake. He likes Amelia from the moment of their first encounter. She is a mystery to him, and they continue to meet under hilarious circumstances.

Usually, I would not read a novella. However, this one definitely adds to the series. Also, for a novella, the story still feels complete. The characters have their trials, but overall this is a sweet story. Having read the first book, it was fun to see how Amelia was before getting to know the Hawthorne family and to see her character growth.

As a side note, Ann Marie Gideon is a fabulous narrator! I really enjoyed her reading of this and the first book, A Noble Masquerade.

★★★★★/5

Synopsis (Goodreads): 

Miss Amelia Stalwood may live in London at her absent guardian's townhouse, but she's never actually met any nobility, and instead of aristocrats, her closest friends are servants. Quite by happenstance, she's introduced to the Hawthorne family and their close family friend, Anthony, the reformed marquis of Raeburn. They welcome her into their world, but just as she's beginning to gain some confidence and even suspect she may have caught Anthony's eye, she's blindsided by an unexpected twist in her situation accompanied by nasty rumors. Will she lose her reputation when the world that has only just accepted her turns its back on her, or will she rest in the support of the friends who've become like family and the man who's shared his faith and captured her heart?

A Lady of Esteem is an e-only novella that gives an exciting introduction to Kristi Ann Hunter's new Regency romance series about the aristocratic Hawthorne family!