The Best Intentions

Country House Party #2

by Candice Hern

Hannah Fairbanks would gladly leave the marrying to her beautiful, refined older sister. She herself would much rather tramp about the countryside, muddled hems and all, studying the ancient ruins and architecture that are her one and only true passion...or so she thinks. For on a fateful visit to a dashing, widowed earl, she receives an even more fateful kiss...and proceeds to throw everyone's plans awry!

Genres: Romance, Historical Romance, Regency, Historical, Historical Fiction, Regency Romance, Fiction

215 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1999

About the author

Candice Hern is the award-winning, bestselling author of historical romance novels set during the English Regency period. Her books have won praise for the "intelligence and elegant romantic sensibility" (Romantic Times) as well as "delicious wit and luscious sensuality (Booklist). Candice's award-winning website (www.candicehern.com) is often cited for its Regency World pages, where readers interested in the era will find an illustrated glossary, a detailed timeline, illustrated digests of Regency people and places, articles on Regency fashion, research links, and much more.

Reviews

[Teresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this one a lot. It's an easy, fast read and the brain will not be duly taxed. This is a follow on from A Garden Folly but it's not necessary to have read that one. The only connection is Miles, who was a friend of the dukes in the first book and this is his story.
I loved Hannah, the heroine of the book. She was scatty but funny and didn't care about the rules and regulations of being a lady. She loved old ruins and spent many days in dust and debris studying them. Her sister, Charlotte, has been brought to Miles' house as his sister thinks she will be a good match for him. He's a widower with two children and she thinks it's time he married again.
The scrapes Hannah gets into and there were many, were funny. The love story is a very slow burn and the ending has a sense of farce about it. The secondary characters weren't wholly interesting. They could have been fleshed out more.
On the whole though it was enjoyable and I'm glad I read it.

[Vintage · Rating 2 out of 5]

This started out promising with a charming heroine who really cares nothing for marriage, flirting etc. I mean really does not care. The hero is a widower who makes a point to chat at his dead wife's grave once a week. He needs to marry both for an heir and to provide a mother to his two little girls. His choice is the heroine's older half-sister, an accomplished flirt and great marriage material.

What romance there is starts out v.er.y. s..l..o..w..l.....yyyy. The heroine is fine with no romance as she would rather moon over the architecture of the area and play with the two little girls, but eventually notices what a nice guy the Earl is.

Two things did not sit well and dropped the book from a nice three star to two. The very slow burn, slow-slow burn, is sweet and all, but it was derailed for me when the heroine gets abandoned in a well or something and nobody including the hero does much to get her out. Where is Lassie when you need her? Okay, he worries, but still, the new love of your new life is stranded in a church hole, well, whatever.... Two, side romance of his younger brother and his childhood sweetheart is reborn after several years and a stint in the Napoleonic War. Nope, going off to war didn't derail it, the fact the his sweetheart found him in the barn lolling around with an experienced widow (and when I say lolling around I mean having sex) was the kicker. This note was very jarring and frankly kind of gross after all the other PG sweetness and light.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. It was lovely, cute and charming. I read it in almost a day, just like the previous book in the series A Garden Folly, but I preferred this one. It had a bit more substance than the other one, and the two leads did not spend their time fighting and arguing (or French-kissing). I already liked the Earl of Strickland in the previous story, better in fact, than the Duke of Carlisle, the hero of AGF, so it was wonderful to get to read his story. It can be read as a standalone, but anyone who has read A Garden Folly previously will remember that Miles is looking for a wife, as a mother for his two daughters. He does not want, nor hopes, to make a second love match, and for that reason he'd rather have an older, more mature woman who could understand him better than a green girl, wont to secretly hope for love and passion.

His sister Winifred, who cannot wait another minute to see him married, arrive on his doorstep with two of her husband's relative: the beautiful, flirtatious widowed Charlotte, Lady Abingdon, who is everything ladylike and proper, and her younger half-sister, Hannah Fairbanks, who tumbles out of the coach after handing first her papers and books about architecture, in the arms of the bewildered Earl.

Miles lives at Epping Hall, which is said to be one of the most beautiful estates around. It probably looks like this:


(I actually googled Epping Hall and it gave me this!)

Yet Hannah is all excitement about this:



St. Biddulph's Church, situated near enough Epping Hall so she can sneak out and go explore while Charlotte tries to bring Miles up to scratch. Hannah loves old architecture more than anything else. In fact, knowing that there was St. Biddulph's at a walking distance was the only thing that reconciled her to going to Epping. Charlotte hopes to introduce her to Society for her first Season soon, but Hannah has different ideas. She has absolutely no intention of sitting tranquilly in a drawing room, adding to her embroidery, but much prefers running along the country side with her notebooks, making discoveries in old buildings. Charlotte spends all her interactions with her scolding her about her childish and unladylike behaviour, telling her she will never catch a husband if she doesn't mend her ways.



I loved Hannah! She was unique and fun, and her passion for old architecture was wonderful

Miles, the prim and proper, starchy Earl of Strickland does not know what to think. It would unthinkable to marry Hannah, he reasons, because she is just a child, and he has solemnly vowed not to marry a young woman. Charlotte is beautiful and he feels attracted to her, but the fact that everyone seems to consider them already as good as engaged has him confused. And plus, Charlotte doesn't seem too enraptured with Amy and Caro, his little daughters, whereas Hannah is creating a lasting bond with them, playing, listening, and drawing things for them. His girls are quicker to recognize who is best for him, it seems. ;)

Nevertheless, he cannot deny that he is extremely pleased his girls get along so well with Hannah. Amy used to be so introverted, and she feels very at ease with Hannah, calling her her friend. Miles finds himself saying many time "bless you, Hannah Fairbanks!" whenever he thinks of how happy his daughters are.



The romance was really cute. Miles can call Hannah a chit and a child as much as he wants, it doesn't change the fact that he's obviously falling for her and is saying that only as an excuse to try and hold himself in check.

There were some really good moments in this book, which I won't spoil, but it was very heart-warming and fun. The H/h had good chemistry, and watching their relationship develop was amusing. The secondary characters were meh, nothing exciting, and the writing style was good but very simple (there wasn't enough Regency slang for my taste :P). I strongly recommend it though, it is a great story for escapism, and very cute and romantic!! I suggest to skip A Garden Folly and read only this one, unless you're on a fluffy-read streak.

[QNPoohBear · Rating 5 out of 5]

Miles Strickland, the Earl of Prescott is furious with his sister Winifred. Winifred has written to inform her brother that she will be arriving for a month-long visit with two female cousins in tow: one a girl just out of the school room and the other her older, widowed sister. Miles can see through his sister's matchmaking plot and he has no intentions of marrying a young girl whose thoughts of matrimony undoubtedly include love and romance. Miles is done with all that. He buried his heart with his wife two years ago. If it weren't for his two young daughters and his need for an heir, Miles wouldn't even consider marriage. Hananh Fairbanks, a nineteen year old bluestocking, also has no interest in marriage. She would much rather study ancient architecture than attend a country house party with an eligible earl. Her sister Charlotte has other ideas. Charlotte, a young widow, has every intention of capturing the Earl and introducing her hoydenish sister into Society. However, as they say, the best laid plans of mice and men... Hannah, determined to be herself, rebels against her sister's strict ladylike rules with very unexpected results.

This story is a must-read for Georgette Heyer fans. It's a true comedy of manners with well-drawn characters and a lively, entertaining plot. Miles is the perfect hero. He's rich, handsome, charming, a devoted dad, landlord and brother. What's not to love? Charlotte is an interesting character. I didn't really like her methods but yet I feel bad for her being a young widow in a society that isn't kind to women. I wish she had been fleshed out a bit more. The story is told primarily from the points-of-view of Hannah and Miles. It never gets inside Charlotte's head though from Hannah's thoughts we gain an understanding of what Charlotte is really like. Hannah is one of the best heroines I've come across. I was a bit nervous because she's so young but she's a very appealing heroine. I love that she studies ancient architecture and her passion and enthusiasm for the subject is almost catching. At any rate it provides some of the funniest moments in the book. I especially like that she's forthright and determined to be true to herself. Though I think she's a bit young to be married, I really enjoyed her story and found the romance believable. The plot made me giggle in many places, especially when Hannah forgot to act like a lady. The climactic moment had me breathless and amused at the same time. Hannah is just so much fun, you can't help falling in love with her. I haven't read A Garden Folly but this book stands on it's own because the events of the previous spring were explained. This book is almost one for the keeper shelf, but I will pass it along to someone else to enjoy.

[Janet · Rating 2 out of 5]

Edited to add a very favourable review from a Regency web site I adore: http://hibiscus-sinensis.com/regency/... ... check it out!

I came close to clicking "liked it" but the spectre of Balogh's An Unacceptable Offer loomed ... the age gap was pretty huge ... I couldn't decide whether the older sister was an eeeeeevil wicked stepsister or just misunderstood. What else: the secondary couple was difficult to get behind. Basically the younger brother slept with a married woman before he went off to war, IN the "special" place for him and his local sweetheart and now he's back seven years later.

What I liked: the heroine's unbridled enthusiasm for Saxon ruins, for archeology, for research and for mostly liking herself "just the way she was". I'm glad I read it but particularly the interaction between the two little daughters and the heroine: that was very reminiscent of Balogh. Oh, and the hero talking a lot (I mean a LOT) to his dead wife ... on the one hand, great that he loved her and that he mourned her still but it was too much. In my opinion. Did I really buy into the hero loving the rather slapdash heroine for herself? The jury is out.

[Cheesecake]

DNF at 20%
Honestly it's a good story, but the writing style annoys me a bit and life is short.
Just too much nitty gritty details that I found distracted from the flow of the story.

Ex. The story starts with a conversation between the Earl and his friend over breakfast that takes 9 pages. The dialogue was interesting but it's interspersed with detailed accounts of what they are eating and how much of it they ate and how they ate it. I can see the details supporting the Earl's OCD problem. But I couldn't care less about what his friend ate (especially as it was beef tongue!).
This is the pattern through out the story... at least to where I left off.

[Saby Reads All Day · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was delightful! I have a soft spot for plain bluestockings who land the lord in the end, and this one didn't disappoint at all.

I'll definitely be checking out this author's backlist.

[Yue · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was misled by the good reviews once again. I was expecting more: more laughs, more sweetness. Taking that aside, it was a good regency novel.

I did not know this was the 2nd of a series, but thankfully it is not necessary to read the first one to read this. Hannah, the clumsy heroine, was likeable most of the times. She loves architecture, and to read books, and she is not interested in marriage and clothes and that kind of things. And I mean, she really isn't, not like other novels where heroines are like her but they quickly fall in love with the hero and they get instantly interested in looking nice. There is one scene where Hannah actually cries because she is clumsy. For that scene only I consider her not a Mary Sue.

Miles was an OK hero. What I liked most about him is that he loves his deceased wife for the entire book. He talks to her, he reminds her always, he looks after her daughters. And not because he becomes attached to another woman he forgets his wife. Thank you Author, for not making the hero remind with contempt his previous marriage or to forget his first wife.

Hannah's older sister, Charlotte, seemed like she was going to be the wicked one. At least, there we have a twist. Not because she is looking forward to marry our hero it means she is mean.

Miles' brother, on the other hand... If I were Rachel, I would have never forgive him. Men!

Another negative aspect: the age difference. 10 years is really not so much, but it is if the girl is just 19 (barely out of school) and if he has married before with 2 daughters. A 19-years-old with a 5-years-old daughter already! She should be going to parties and have fun instead of having to raise a girl so early in her life.

The end was very pink. I put this on my clean-romances shelf, although at the end there are some "steamy" kisses.

[Michele Bolay · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really like Hern's books and have been delving into her backlist to see what I have missed, but this was not one of my favorites. Just too many differences between the hero and heroine, especially age. And Hannah's 19th-century "Manic Pixie Dream Girl" got to be just a bit much for me. I love a bookish, scholarly heroine, but it felt like Hern was trying just a bit too hard to make Hannah quirky! and fun!

[shms · Rating 2 out of 5]

A low angst sweet romance in which the heroine was totally likeable. I suspect she would not think much of me at all because I have zero interest in architectural styles, Anglo-saxon or otherwise and when ever this book took to prosing on about some such thing I skipped those passages. It did make be google 'St.Biddulph' only to find that it was fictional. Really if you're going to write pages and pages about the style of a particular church you should at the least pick one thats real.

[EuroHackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The August 2026 #TBRChallenge is "Backlist Banger." Considering a great bit of Mount TBR is made up of the backlists of favorite authors, this was not a difficult prompt. It was the time crunch that pressed me towards something on the shorter side, and I ended up with an absolute gem of a read!

As the novel opens, we are sitting in the study with Miles Prescott, Earl of Strickland, and his friend Joseph Wetherby. Miles has just received a letter from his sister, Winifred, who has decided to make a trip to his country estate with her family for a visit. She has invited along a cousin of her husband's, the widowed Lady Abingdon, who is about to launch her younger sister into Society for the first time. Miles's feathers are ruffled at the idea of his sister matchmaking for him, and rues that she is trying to match him with a girl barely out of the schoolroom. He's just had his own disastrous turn at courting a young woman and wants no part of giggling girls who read romance novels.

Miles is a widower, having lost the love of his life two years earlier. He'd wallow in his own misery for the rest of his life, but he has two very young daughters and he is realizing that they need a mother's guidance. As loathe as he is to admit it, he needs to marry again. He has no desire for another love match, as he still loves his first wife quite deeply, and decides to choose an older, more mature woman who would understand why he could not offer her passion or love along with his title, estate, and wealth. But now here comes Winifried with her matchmaking schemes!

He loves his sister and her family, so he welcomes them with open arms even if he is determined not to fall into any schemes. He is absolutely dazzled when he meets Charlotte, Lady Abingdon; she appears to be his ideal candidate for a wife: mature, beautiful, widowed. He is somewhat less than impressed when her younger sister bumbles out of the carriage behind her: a clumsy girl who looks no older than 16, with loads of books and notebooks, who has absolutely no filter between her brain and her mouth. Miles is appalled that this is who his sister is trying to set him up with, and immediately pulls her aside to give her what for. When Winifred explains that she invited Charlotte along as the wife candidate, not her little sister, Miles is relieved.

Hannah Fairbanks is Charlotte's 20-year-old half-sister. She was taken in by Charlotte and her late husband after Hannah's mother died, and though Hannah is grateful for her sister's charity, she has no interest in preparing herself for the marriage mart. Her great passion is Norman and Saxon architecture, and she is especially excited to be near St Biddulph's, an ancient church near Miles's estate. She has already made plans to spend most of her time there and out of her sister's hair. She is such a clumsy, hoydenish tomboy that she knows she'll only be in Charlotte's way.

Everyone assumes that Miles will court and extend an offer of marriage to Charlotte, and everyone moves about working under that assumption. Miles is at first amused, and then extremely uncomfortable with this role he is expected to play. Charlotte is lovely, yes, but she is also extremely practiced in the wiles of courtship. She is the exact opposite of his late wife, and Miles begins to discover that maybe this is not what he wants in wife #2. Even more importantly, his daughters do not seem to like Charlotte, and she seems quite uncomfortable around them.

The girls love Hannah, on the other hand, who takes to them and their twin boy cousins like a duck to water. Charlotte is perma-embarrassed by Hannah's antics with the children, and spends quite a bit of time scolding Hannah and trying to fit her into the mold of a proper young lady. Hannah wears her heart on her sleeve, and Miles can see how hurt she is by her sister's constant upbraiding. Even when Hannah tries her best to be the lady her sister wants her to be, she can't quite get out of her own way - whether it's tripping over her skirts, mussing up her hair, or trying to curb her tongue from blurting out every thought that crosses her mind.

Meanwhile, Miles's younger brother, George, returns to the estate after 7 long years away at war, and is determined to win back the heart and hand of his once-betrothed, Rachel Wetherby, whom he betrayed before joining the army. George is a consummate flirt, and he likes Hannah a great deal, though she warns him that using her to make Rachel jealous will not work. Who could be jealous of a hoyden, after all?

I really enjoyed this novel. I absolutely loved Miles - he is a devoted man: devoted to his estate and tenants, to his daughters, and to his late wife. He visits her tomb quite often and tells her what's going on; he wants to feel close to her still, and it helps him sort his feelings about what's going on in his life. He cares a great deal for his young girls and is worried about how his wife's death has affected them. When Hannah seems to bring his eldest out of her shell with little effort, his heart melts, and mine melted right along with it. He is greatly amused by Hannah's antics, but also feels for her as she struggles to be what her sister wants and still be true to herself.

Hannah is a wonderful character as well. She is an absolutely open book, and I ached for her as she struggles to be what Charlotte wants her to be. She doesn't want to mess up Charlotte's second chance for a happy marriage, but she finds herself falling for Miles kinda in spite of everything. He is so kind to her, indulging her love for architecture and sharing her interest in ancient buildings, including his own estate. She finds him easy to talk to, and absolutely adores his children. She has no expectactions that he could ever care for her as more than a sister, though, as its obvious that he is meant to marry Charlotte.

Hannah is no shrinking violet, though. When Miles does kiss her and then blurts out that it was a mistake, she takes him to task in a beautifully clear, blunt way, telling him that though everyone thinks of her as a child, she is a woman with a woman's feelings and that he shouldn't dally with her. By the time the kiss happens (quite late in the book), Hannah has made an exciting discovery at St Biddulph's, and she is torn about how she can continue her investigations there and stay out of the earl's - and her sister's - way. Can she reconcile the idea of harboring feelings for him for the rest of her life if it means being able to continue her explorations in the subject she is most passionate about?

I knocked off half a star at the end becuase of course there is a last-minute misunderstanding, but all in all, I greatly enjoyed this. It pulled on my heartstrings exactly as I most enjoy, and I was really rooting for Hannah and Miles to find their way to each other. The secondary plot of Geroge and Rachel's faltering romance dovetailed nicely to the main story as well, and though Charlotte sounds like a total harridan, she actually isn't. There are no obvious villains, which makes it a tricky story to tell, and I think Ms Hern pulls it off with aplomb. I will definitely continue to read her backlist!

[siriusedward · Rating 1 out of 5]

not good...esp the secondary story..
the h is willful and childish and a whiner throughout never liked her ...oh so soft of her to build a gud relationship vit children...
and she was not soo much artful as she was willful and determinedly childish...yet she was whining about people not seeeing her as a lady..come on one must at least put some effort on it....


and the H ...was ..i did not get him.. i only understood that yes he loves his kids and wife a lot...throughout the story there was his love of amelia,first wife shown...but hhis attraction to the h was not shown much...

and he din't much respect her i feel...

and the secondary romance was every bit as bad,if not worse ...
i do not condone adultery and thats precisely what george did..no excuses..no grovelling...not enough suffering on his part for my liking ..he doesnot deserve the gal...he does nt appear to be made for her...neither does he appear to have done much to win her trust...there was no spark between them..it seems he canoot be trusted..i dont think he will be faithful..he is not sorry enough about the past..

[Sudha Bellamkonda · Rating 1 out of 5]

You don’t expect feminist icons in a regency romance. But the self-assured ladies who preserve their courage and kindness, integrity and compassion, in an era with strict societal norms is the draw for me. None of that here.

Candice Hern probably thinks packing the story with crypts hidden in apses, mysterious sunken ambulatories, unadorned arches that convey “the simple faith of the converted Saxons” add gravity to an insipid and unkind 20-yr-old brat. She speaks of her elder sister in downright acrid terms on with complete strangers. Her “scholarship” of medieval architecture did nothing to endear her to me.

Each of the other female characters are similarly lack luster - the conniving widow on her second go round, the girl-next-door who was cheated on at 18 and unable to move on after 7 years. Need I say more?

[Sometime · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a cute, sweet clean recency romance. I loved Hannah our MC. She was smart, feisty and fun. I loved the part where she has a small mishap and is left forgotten for two hours. When they finally get around to rescuing her she is having so much fun she is annoyed about having to leave. The only fly in this pudding is at the end where she runs away. I get really tired of the plot device where the h is upset so she runs away before thinking it thru and everyone has to chase after her.

[Lady Wesley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice little story about a widower falling in love when he didn't want to. I liked the heroine a lot; also the children were cute. Nothing special, but an enjoyable read for 99 cents.

[Kerstin · Rating 2 out of 5]

As entertainment novels go, this isn't a bad story. It is entertaining and amusing. What got me to shave off a star from my normal three for escapist novels is that the plot was too exaggerated at times bordering on silly.

[Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is part two of the Country House Party series. In part one we meet Miles, the widower Earl, when he proposes and is rejected by our heroine Catherine. In part two, he is back in his country home, and his sister has arranged for two sisters, Hannah, a young intelligent albeit non-ladylike girl, and the other a beautiful, demure widow. It is the widow is who is intended to be a match for Miles, but you know what they say about best laid plans!

I really loved this story. I know it's been panned a bit, but all in all I loved it. I even got a bit misty eyed at the conclusion, which normally doesn't happen! I highly recommend the series, especially this story!

[Megzy · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

I love traditional regency where there is lots of chemistry and no sexual content and the author is able to convince me the story could actually take place in that era. This is one. Even though she is very independent and has her own interests, she wasn't a character out of our time gowned and placed in Regency time.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hannah was a delightful heroine-always getting into scrapes and generally being unlike a lady. She was also everything Miles did NOT want in a wife, so of course they fell in love.

[Scott Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book cover looks nice.

[Claire S · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very pleasant book to read. It's not unique or super exciting but it's a good romance. At first I thought the H and h were not very suitable, but I can see how they are able to bring out the best in each other. He can help her mature a bit and she can help him loosen up and love again. The romance was nice, although I dislike stories where a suitor is courting another sister first and there's some kissing involved. I find it a bit repulsive, but that's just my thing and it does not detract from the overall story. I believe the book would have been better if it had better secondary characters. The H's brother was amusing at first but his romance was incredibly flat. His love interest barely interacts with anyone even though they're all staying in the same house and has no involvement with the main plot. The best friend was also just sort of there, not doing much. The weird part is that, even though I disliked the widow sister and dislike her type of character in general, I actually appreciated the way the author portrayed her. She's was very much a product of her time and was doing what she was taught to do to get a man. I don't think she was intentionally malicious towards him or even her sister. She just thought that her sister should act the way she was taught to act. The h's mother (the father remarried) was much more open and carefree with her own daughter and that explains why she doesn't act like a lady. The older sister gets a bit of redemption in the end, which I appreciated. I dislike characters who are black and white. The main reason I liked the book was the romance. It takes a while for both to recognize they're falling love and it's through their interactions rather than insta-love (which is also high on my list of dislikes). Give me a slow burning romance based on actions rather than looks any time. I also enjoyed the country setting, which I prefer over London and the ton. On another note, this is definitely a standalone book. There were some references to events that happened in the first book (which I did not read but can tell) but in no way affects your understanding of this one. This was my first Candice Hern book and I'm definitely interested in reading more from her.

[Jacquelin · Rating 2 out of 5]

One of the more common story plots in books like this is that of the heroine who is a complete departure from her contemporaries. She doesn't care too much about fashion, she doesn't see marriage as a main goal of her life, she's modern, she's honest, etc., etc. Those types of characters are fine with me as long as the author doesn't take it to an extreme, to the point where the story is not believable in the slightest. Unfortunately, this book is that type. The female lead is a complete doofus. She hates fashionable clothes, her hem and slippers are ALWAYS torn and dirty. She doesn't know how to behave in public, all because her mother indulged her and wasn't too strict with regard to learning all the social rules, but honestly! It's completely unbelievable; that a mother indulges her daughter is one thing, but for the daughter to have not one singular idea of how to behave socially is ludicrous. This character is quite unlikable and, frankly, quite dumb. She LITERALLY (yes, I mean literally) can't keep from blurting out the most blunt and rude things. She actually clamps her hand over her mouth repeatedly after having realized that she just "...said that out loud!". She does it so often it A. is a wonder her mouth wasn't black and blue by the end of the book and B. made me question whether the author meant to make it look like such a complete idiot. It could have been a really cute story if the lead wasn't so unlikable

[Miriamgreen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Candice Hern for those of us that Google the fashions of the period she writes of know her to be a competent historian which now I find quite disappointing that she used a imaginary Saxon church rather than finding an actual architectural relic
I purchased this title during Covid probably in 2021 and it is downstairs on my bookshelf and desperation having been read multiple times but never given them review
Reading all of these reviews, brings back the plot line
For me, the architectural aspects were the most interesting especially the uncovering of the mosaic floor where the heroine spends most of her time
Ultimately, making an archaeological find of great merit
I do remember the sharp edges of the older sister and the indifferent aloofness of Hannah and her useful preoccupation
The highlight I remember is the walk that Miles and Hannah took around his actual house with Hannah, noting all the architectural details
I believe this is where miles interest began
The pairing of the h with a decade separating from the hero it’s not so bothersome
She bonded well with the children because she was almost a child herself But remembering that a 19-year-old can develop strong passions makes the pairing not difficult nor unreasonable
This review is written many many years later, so can be excused for rambling
Making good on the review is just another escape from the headlines of the New York Times. Trump is in his ninth month of turning our democracy inside out.

[S Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed The Best Intentions by Candice Hern tremendously. The characters were surprising and seemed very human and lively, with believable flaws and, as the title says, the best of intentions. I found them delightful and relatable, and the author caused me to sympthize with them deeply.
The setting made me want to be there. The plot kept moving in sometimes unexpected directions, and it developed naturally from the characters' motivations.
The writing itself was very good, clear with some sparkle, yet without drawing undue attention to itself.
One thing I truly appreciate is that the author didn't make me cringe with TMI. I didn't find myself thinking, "Get a room!" This book passes my "niece" test. I could have read it out loud to my nieces on a car trip without embarrassing any of us. A well-written kiss can tell us all we need to know.
I am looking forward to reading more of Candice Hern's books.

[HR-ML · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hannah, nrly 20, & widowed 25 YO Charlotte ("Lottie"),
her 1/2 sister attended a country house party. Hannah,
a scholar of sorts, had a fascination with the Saxon
architecture in the area, especially the church in the
small town.

Miles, widowed hero & earl hosted the party. His bestie
Joseph, elder sister Winnie & spouse attended, as did
younger bro George recently resigned as a career army
man. Miles had 3 and 5 YO daughters who from the start
had rapport w/ Hannah and not Lottie. Winnie's spouse
was Lottie's cous.

Charlotte, poised & sophisticated, better fit Miles's ideal
of a 2nd wife. Lottie gave Han a do/ don't behavior list.
Lottie turned shrill & verbally harpooned Hannah several
times in front of these near strangers. I detested Lottie.
Her assumptions & attitudes ruined the story for me.

[The Daydreamologist · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thing got better when some of the characters stopped lying to themselves. I didn’t particularly like any of the characters; they weren’t interesting in the least, and really really predictable. Stereotypes. The only exception, perhaps, was Charlotte. She was unpredictable because her character kept changing with the story. She was the mean older sister who cut her younger sister’s wings when the story needed her to be that, then she was the conniving flirt who was trying to ensnare an earl when the story needed an antagonist, and then finally she became the fond older sister to give the story a neatly-tied bow of an ending. The only reason that kept me from ditching the book was that I’ve had enough of ditching stories lately, and it was a pretty quick read, too.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good book if you like clean, traditional regency. There were some things that bothered me a bit, but overall didn't detract from my enjoyment of the story:
It was hard to believe that in those times everyone would promote a match with the older, widowed sister and not with the young innocent one. Also, it was strange that the hero was so worried about the age difference between him and his beloved. In regency times a husband 12 years older than the wife was perfectly normal and proper. Nobody would have thought there was the least bit wrong with that. It was not believable that the older sister would not even be upset with the younger sister for stealing the man she had hoped to marry.

[Kimberly Keagan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my fourth time (at least) reading this story. Although I'm not a fan of Candice Hern's steamier novels, I love her Country House Party series. This author is an expert on the Regency era (see her website), and it shows. A lovely, sweet, quick read! ♥️

Kimberly's Rating System:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ = I really, really liked the book. Maybe even loved it. 😍
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ = I liked the book. Would recommend it to others who enjoy the same genre.
⭐️⭐️⭐️ = The book was just o.k. for me. I finished it.
I don't post a rating on a book that I can't at least give three stars (chances are I didn't even finish it and, therefore, cannot give a worthwhile opinion).

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my heart …

In the best traditions of Georgette Heyer, this is a lovely, clean romance that does not disappoint in any way.
Hannah and Charlotte are sisters with a gap in bit years and experience, whose personalities couldn’t be more different.
Charlotte, a beautiful and enticing widow, tries to make her charming bluestocking sister Hannah into a lady.
Miles, widowed with two young daughters, needs to find a wife who will be a mother to his girls.
The various characters, including the children, bring a lively balance and add pace without detracting from the main action.
Delightful, funny, and heartwarmingly satisfying, a book I heartily recommend.

[bibliolatry · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful, wonderful book!

This is the second book in the series, and it was just as good, if not even better than book 1. It had elements of Cinderella and Much Ado About Nothing. It was beautifully written with excellent pacing, wonderful characters, humor, wisdom and charm. Candice Hern is an excellent writer. This book was so enjoyable, I read it straight through. I'm disappointed it's finished, because I loved the characters so much. No one was painted as a cartoon villain. Each character was likable and believable.