With her signature style and captivating characters, Kristi Ann Hunter’s novella collection A Return to Hawthorne House gives us a glimpse into the past of beloved supporting characters from her debut series
Book Blurb
Always a Lady
Despite the fact that her daughter is not cooperating, Caroline, Duchess of Riverton is determined to ensure every one of her children marries someone they love as much as she loved their late father. William, the widowered Earl of Blackstone, is delighted to have his days of escorting daughters approaching an end. The last thing he expects is to find himself drawn to a woman who is just starting such a journey. Are they each too set in their ways to grasp this chance to have a second love?
The Lady’s Maid
When Lydia Smith began her career as a parlor maid, she knew love and marriage wasn’t likely in her future. Dreaming about the boy next door as she dusted seemed harmless until he started working as the new valet under the same roof. When Finch needs her help with a special project, will it give them a chance to defy expectations and find love or ruin their happiness forever?
My Thoughts
I still remember reading the Hawthorne House series for the first time and falling in love with Hunter’s writing and her wonderful characters. When I discovered she was going to write novellas in that story world again, I was ecstatic.
The first novella, Always a Lady, tells the story of Caroline, the matriarch of the Hawthorne family, meeting her second husband. This couple is featured in the original series, so getting a chance to see their love story play out was so much fun. It also gave me a better understanding of Caroline. She had a lot of pressure on her when she lost her first husband. But my favorite part was seeing her break some of her ladylike rules. Especially since I knew Miranda would happily hold it against her mother after all of those lectures about what a lady does or doesn’t do.
The second novella, The Lady’s Maid, featured characters I didn’t quite remember. I went back to refresh my memory, and now I’m so glad Hunter included their story. I also loved getting another glimpse at Trent. He was my favorite of the Hawthorne siblings.
Lydia and Finch’s story is sweet and beautiful. There’s a great twist at the end, which I don’t want to reveal. But it made me love Trent even more. (I didn’t realize that was possible!)
The print version includes A Lady of Esteem, the prequel novella for the Hawthorne series that first introduced the siblings. I read it before I read the series, and I can vouch for the fact that it’s a sweet story you’ll enjoy. You also get to meet Lydia and Finch for the first time (and see them again in Trent’s story, An Uncommon Courtship, which takes place after the events of The Lady’s Maid). Splurging for the print version would be totally worth it.
Overall, A Return to Hawthorne House is a delightful collection for Hunter fans and new readers alike.
For more on Kristi Ann Hunter, check out her website and sign up for her newsletter. You can also follow her on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest.
And if you haven’t read the Hawthorne House series, I highly recommend it. You can read my reviews of the novels here.
