Appointment in Bath: Somerset Stories (Book 4), by Mimi Matthews — A Review

From the desk of Laurel Ann Nattress:

If you never liked how Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet ended, tragically, here’s your chance for a do-over.

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BOOK DESCRIPTION

Shy and stammering Meg Burton-Smythe has spent the whole of her life living on the fringes of local society. She’s more comfortable with her daydreams than she is with people. But when a dashing, golden-haired hero rides to her rescue one morning, she dares to hope that her dreams might finally come true. There’s only one problem: her handsome rescuer is the son of her father’s sworn enemy.

Ivo Beresford doesn’t believe in clinging to the past. Freshly returned from a lengthy grand tour, he’s looking to the future, eager to spearhead the building of a new railway extension in Somersetshire. But an unexpected encounter with Meg Burton-Smythe, the isolated only daughter of his parents’ oldest foe, sets the past and the future colliding.

Resolved to put ancient grudges to rest-at least where innocent young ladies are concerned-Ivo encourages lonely Meg to embark on a secret friendship. After all, what harm can a friendship do? It isn’t as though there’s any danger of the two of them falling in love…

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MY THOUGHTS

I was beguiled from the very start by two very appealing main characters whose friendship is marred by family grievances. We soon sense that Meg and Ivo are perfect for each other and are rooting for them to become even more.

Forbidden Love

Matthews cleverly supplies all the “Love Across Battlelines” of forbidden love while building an endearing love story. Slowly, readers are shown how the main couple help each other develop their true self, and how only their love can heal the long-standing family feud.  

A Tyrannical Father 

I adored Meg’s character arc the most. She is an oppressed introvert with a stutter whose tyrannical father calls her “girl” in the most demeaning way possible. He makes her feel unworthy and unloved until Ivo helps her to look at herself, her family, and her possibilities differently.

Read and Repeat

Appointment in Bath is a heart wrenching, charming, and uplifting Victorian romance that readers will want to re-read immediately after the final denouement. It is a stand-alone story that will only be enhanced by reading the first three novels in the series: The Work of Art, Gentleman Jim, and Return to Satterthwaite Court. 

Fifth Book Next June

All of Mimi’s novels are must-reads for me so be sure to mark your calendars for the release of the fifth novel in the series, A Lady of Conscience, arriving next June!

5 out of 5 Stars

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WE RECOMMEND APPOINTMENT IN BATH IF YOU ENJOY:

❤️ Forbidden love tropes

❤️ Charming, endearing characters

❤️ Impeccable historical research

❤️ Swoon worthy heroes

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BOOK INFORMATION

• Appointment in Bath: Somerset Stories (Book 4), by Mimi Matthews
• Perfectly Proper Press (June 27, 2023)
• Trade paperback, eBook, & audiobook (288) pages
• ISBN: 978-1736080269
• Genre: Historical Romance, Victorian Romance

AMAZON | PUBLISHER | ADD TO GOODREADS

We received a review copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Cover image courtesy of Perfectly Proper Press © 2023; text Laurel Ann Nattress © 2023, austenprose.com, an Amazon affiliate.

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