It is wonderful to be reacquainted with the characters from "A Forthright Courtship" by Fanny Finch. In Ms. Finch's previous book, we met Miss Maria Worthing who is now engaged to Lord Edward Reginald, Duke of Foreshire and they were planning their wedding. Our heroine is Edward's sister, Lady Georgiana Reginald. She is a quiet, unassuming woman whose joy in life is seeing others happy. She considers herself a wallflower and at the age of six and twenty she feels she is on the verge of spinsterhood. Our reluctant hero is Captain Robert Trentworth. He is a man that does his best to think before speaking. He is a man of discipline and principle. But when he is around Lady Georgiana all common sense leaves him and he feels nothing but anger and bitterness. He had been engaged to Georgiana a few years ago only to have his heart broken when she called it off. Her father the late Duke of Foreshire, forbade her from marrying Robert because he had no title or fortune. The Duke threatened Georgiana by telling her he would cut her off financially and socially. She would have been ruined in the eyes of society. But all Robert thought of was himself and his feelings. He had no idea what Georgiana would have suffered by defying her father and marrying him. Shortly thereafter, Robert left for His Majesty's Royal Navy. Present day: Georgiana was helping Maria plan her wedding to Edward. Julia Weston is Georgiana's dearest friend. She sent her a letter inviting Georgiana to visit her for a couple of weeks in Bath. Georgiana checked with Maria and Edward and they were more than amendable to see her go off and enjoy herself. Everything for the wedding was under control. Georgiana had never been to Bath and was excited to see it and to see Julia and her mother, Mrs. Weston. Georgiana reminisced, for it was at the Weston country estate where she would meet Captain Robert Trentworth and where he asked her to marry him. It was also Julia and her mother who had advocated for the match between them. But they unfortunately understood why Georgiana had to let Robert go. It was no light thing for Georgiana. Robert's heart was not the only one breaking. Now In Bath, Georgiana decided to discretely look for an a small place to live in. Perhaps with two or three servants. She would live the remainder of her years in Bath as a spinster. Julia had other plans. Would she succeed? That evening, Julia planned a dinner party. It included five guests. Three gentlemen and two additional ladies. Georgiana never liked a large gathering but decided to soldier through it. When the guests started to arrive, that is when she saw the last person in the world she expected to see, Captain Robert Trentworth. He was also taken by extreme surprise to see her too. Georgiana had no idea he had returned to England. They were polite to each other but Georgiana could sense the anger and bitterness coming from Robert. What was Julia up too? What was she thinking to have invited them both to the same event? Apparently, Robert had risen in rank recently for he acquired a small fortune while in the Navy and an inheritance from his late aunt. The other gentlemen attending the dinner were Mr. Tomlinson and Mr. Norwich. It seems as though Mr. Tomlinson has taken an immediately interest in Georgiana and has the desired to further their acquaintance. Georgiana was still not over Robert. It was difficult to engage in conversation with another man. So, she decided to be her quiet self and listen to the gentlemen. The other ladies that were invited are the young and quite silly Miss Perry and the quick witted, direct and a little bossy Miss Everett. Would Georgiana get on with the ladies? What of the gentlemen. Would she receive the attentions of any of the other men? What of the Captain? Will he and Georgiana ever reconcile their past, forgive and become friends... or more? It was sad to read about what Georgiana and Captain Trentworth had been through. It was frightening what the late Duke, Georgiana's father, had put her through. It was also sad that Georgiana had to be the one to break Robert's heart because she felt duty bound to her father. What is going to happen? Will Georgiana ever find out if Robert missed her as much as she missed him? Will Georgiana break the rules of propriety, take a risk and seek Robert out? What if he rejects her? (I will tell you he unfortunately does reject her) Will she finally be able to put the whole disagreeable mess behind her? Will Robert ever see reason and admit he still loves Georgiana, forgive her and take another chance? If he does see reason, will he be able to admit that he accused her of being a social snob, rejecting him in the past because he had no title or fortune? Would Georgiana be able to forgive herself and forgive him? Will her brother Edward, who is now the Duke, be like his father and reject Robert as his father did? Will Robert take one of the other ladies to wife? What of Mr. Tomlinson? If he proposes to Georgiana will she accept so she will have security and a home? Or will she stay the spinster? (heavy sigh) Will Georgiana settle to marry without love and become a polite companion? If Mr. Tomlinson falls in love with Georgiana, is it fair to him that she does not return his feelings? What a conundrum!! This book is very realistic in the relationships it portrayed. It is easy to relate to the character's moods and emotions. I did find myself sighing a lot reading the story of pain and heartache. I found this to be a wonderful read. I highly recommend it.