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The Teacher's Noble Heart: A Tender Regency Tale of Love and Defiance on the Edge of Cornwall’s Windswept Moor
Not yet published
Expected 10 Mar 26Kindle Edition
Expected publication March 10, 2026
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About the author
Susanne Dunlap
31 books472 followersSusanne Dunlap is the author of more than a dozen historical novels for adults and teens. Susanne grew up in Buffalo, New York and has lived in London, Brooklyn, Northampton, MA, and now Biddeford, ME. Her love of historical fiction arose partly from her PhD research at Yale.
Susanne is also an Author Accelerator Certified Book Coach in fiction and nonfiction, specializing in coaching historical fiction and historical nonfiction.
Susanne is also an Author Accelerator Certified Book Coach in fiction and nonfiction, specializing in coaching historical fiction and historical nonfiction.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
Review of advance copy
“Now, she prepared to take a leap into the unknown. She might face disaster. She might find this was the worst decision she’d ever made. Or she might just discover what it meant to work for the betterment not of spoiled aristocrats, but of children whose lives were sorely limited by circumstance”. Page 6
The Teacher’s Noble Heart reminds me of the classic Dear Enemy by Jean Webster. Like Sallie McBride in Dear Enemy, Persephone Wilkins chooses to help disadvantaged children over a life of comfort at Atherleigh Manor, making this a social and feminist novel. The female characters, women of the Regency era, show that their worth is not tied merely to marriage or social status, but to their intelligence, beliefs, and communal values.
I like that the prose is modern, which makes it easy to follow the story’s multiple plots. Themes such as class and sexual inequality, child labour, and marriages driven by social status rather than love give the story moral weight and complexity.
My main whinges are as follows:
1. It took me a while to connect with the characters, as the first chapter begins with Persephone and then shifts to Sophia and James’s complicated relationship and their social circle. Page after page, I could not determine what had happened to Persephone until page 55.
2. The climax did not reach the emotional intensity or narrative complexity I was hoping to find in this novel. By the middle of the manuscript, my motivation to finish reading had go down hill, as the characters’ conflicts were resolved too passively and, at times, predictably.
3. For a story that challenges societal norms, the resolutions felt overly restrained.
Overall, The Teacher’s Noble Heart has a classic flair that may appeal to readers who prefer slow-paced stories centred on emotional depth and the polite resolution of social issues rather than the dramatic intensity of Wuthering Heights.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving my review voluntarily.
The Teacher’s Noble Heart reminds me of the classic Dear Enemy by Jean Webster. Like Sallie McBride in Dear Enemy, Persephone Wilkins chooses to help disadvantaged children over a life of comfort at Atherleigh Manor, making this a social and feminist novel. The female characters, women of the Regency era, show that their worth is not tied merely to marriage or social status, but to their intelligence, beliefs, and communal values.
I like that the prose is modern, which makes it easy to follow the story’s multiple plots. Themes such as class and sexual inequality, child labour, and marriages driven by social status rather than love give the story moral weight and complexity.
My main whinges are as follows:
1. It took me a while to connect with the characters, as the first chapter begins with Persephone and then shifts to Sophia and James’s complicated relationship and their social circle. Page after page, I could not determine what had happened to Persephone until page 55.
2. The climax did not reach the emotional intensity or narrative complexity I was hoping to find in this novel. By the middle of the manuscript, my motivation to finish reading had go down hill, as the characters’ conflicts were resolved too passively and, at times, predictably.
3. For a story that challenges societal norms, the resolutions felt overly restrained.
Overall, The Teacher’s Noble Heart has a classic flair that may appeal to readers who prefer slow-paced stories centred on emotional depth and the polite resolution of social issues rather than the dramatic intensity of Wuthering Heights.
The Teacher’s Noble Heart reminds me of the classic Dear Enemy by Jean Webster. Like Sallie McBride in Dear Enemy, Persephone Wilkins chooses to help disadvantaged children over a life of comfort at Atherleigh Manor, making this a social and feminist novel. The female characters, women of the Regency era, show that their worth is not tied merely to marriage or social status, but to their intelligence, beliefs, and communal values.
I like that the prose is modern, which makes it easy to follow the story’s multiple plots. Themes such as class and sexual inequality, child labour, and marriages driven by social status rather than love give the story moral weight and complexity.
My main whinges are as follows:
1. It took me a while to connect with the characters, as the first chapter begins with Persephone and then shifts to Sophia and James’s complicated relationship and their social circle. Page after page, I could not determine what had happened to Persephone until page 55.
2. The climax did not reach the emotional intensity or narrative complexity I was hoping to find in this novel. By the middle of the manuscript, my motivation to finish reading had go down hill, as the characters’ conflicts were resolved too passively and, at times, predictably.
3. For a story that challenges societal norms, the resolutions felt overly restrained.
Overall, The Teacher’s Noble Heart has a classic flair that may appeal to readers who prefer slow-paced stories centred on emotional depth and the polite resolution of social issues rather than the dramatic intensity of Wuthering Heights.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving my review voluntarily.
The Teacher’s Noble Heart reminds me of the classic Dear Enemy by Jean Webster. Like Sallie McBride in Dear Enemy, Persephone Wilkins chooses to help disadvantaged children over a life of comfort at Atherleigh Manor, making this a social and feminist novel. The female characters, women of the Regency era, show that their worth is not tied merely to marriage or social status, but to their intelligence, beliefs, and communal values.
I like that the prose is modern, which makes it easy to follow the story’s multiple plots. Themes such as class and sexual inequality, child labour, and marriages driven by social status rather than love give the story moral weight and complexity.
My main whinges are as follows:
1. It took me a while to connect with the characters, as the first chapter begins with Persephone and then shifts to Sophia and James’s complicated relationship and their social circle. Page after page, I could not determine what had happened to Persephone until page 55.
2. The climax did not reach the emotional intensity or narrative complexity I was hoping to find in this novel. By the middle of the manuscript, my motivation to finish reading had go down hill, as the characters’ conflicts were resolved too passively and, at times, predictably.
3. For a story that challenges societal norms, the resolutions felt overly restrained.
Overall, The Teacher’s Noble Heart has a classic flair that may appeal to readers who prefer slow-paced stories centred on emotional depth and the polite resolution of social issues rather than the dramatic intensity of Wuthering Heights.
Review of advance copy received from Author
I enjoyed this book for a number of reasons. First, it’s a welcome departure from the rarified atmosphere of nobility and the impossibly rich that populate most Regency romances. Second, not all the women are incredibly beautiful or young. There is life after twenty. In addition, I found the setting of the slate quarry fascinating and, actually, would have enjoyed learning more about its workings. The plot is well crafted, although it took me a little while to unravel Persephone’s relationship with her former charges. All would have been clear had I read book 4 in the series. For the most part, I liked the main characters. They had depth and nuance. I plan to read the rest of the series.
Review of advance copy
One of my favorites of the author. This story has substance! It's not concerned with the hoity toity class as in all people in general. I like the two main girl characters. Neither one was a push over. The villian is irratating - it doesn't say she got her just desserts but you hope so. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. I thoroughlyenjoyed the book and look forward to her next one.
Review of advance copy
A Unique Regency Double Romance
This story is set against a backdrop of slate mining in Cornwall in the Regency era. I enjoyed this well-written tale, where despite their good education and motives, the heroes and heroines struggle to find their place in the world, before finally achieving their happily ever after. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This story is set against a backdrop of slate mining in Cornwall in the Regency era. I enjoyed this well-written tale, where despite their good education and motives, the heroes and heroines struggle to find their place in the world, before finally achieving their happily ever after. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Review of advance copy received from Indie Reviewers
Another great book in this series. As a reader you basically know who is going to end up with who, but the journey there has many twists and turns. Great characters and world building. Look forward to the next book in the series.
Review of advance copy
The combination of a regency novel set in Cornwall was a winner for me. There were multiple twists and turns to this storyline, and the ending was as I had hoped.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this honest review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this honest review voluntarily.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews