Review: Prudence by Elizabeth Bailey

The Particulars: Historical Romance, Harlequin Historical, avaible as e-book, out of print

The Source: The Bookshelf

The Grade: B-

The Blurb:

Would Her Tender Heart Lead Her Into His Arms?
No one was more aware of their position in life than governess Prudence Hursley. Fresh from the Paddington Charitable Seminary, softhearted Prue expected to see little of her new employer, Mr. Julius Rookham, and was prepared for a life of lonely independence.
However, Julius's willful niece continually threw Prue into his path, and the more she got to know the dashing confirmed bachelor, the more she found herself wishing for the impossible. So when Julius began actively seeking out her company, she couldn't help but wonder if perhaps dreams did come true….

The review:

Edit: I discovered that information at Goodreads was wrong, so I changed the title and cover.

This book is one of my favorite Regencies, but I hadn't re-read it for awhile, so when I found it at my mum's recently I decided to read it again.

And I am glad I did. This is a charming Regency without any dukes or earls, which was a nice change.

Most of the book took place at Rookham Hall, and it felt believable to me. I appreciated the tiny details, from the drab dress Prue wore, to the way the staff had their internal tensions.

But mostly, I enjoyed getting re-aquitanced with Prue and Joshua. Both of them were very down to earth, and happy with their lives ( mostly). I enjoyed reading about Prue's adjustment to life in the Rookham household. From how she struggled with bouts of missing her friends, to how she started to get to know the rambunctious twins.

I enjoyed Prue and Joshua's romance. It was sweet, and slow paced. What I liked was that both Prue and Joshua struggled with their growing feelings, although their reasons were different. But that made me like the book even more.

Despite all the things I liked about the book, it took awhile before it hooked me. Which might have been because I have read it before.