Friday, December 2, 2022

A Fall from Grace (Clavering Chronicles Book 1) Book Review

a fall from grace book cover

Before we ever read the first word in the book, the title tells us what to expect.  What the title doesn't reveal is how and why Selena loses her position in society.

This historical fiction is set in Hertfordshire, England in 1817 and paints a vivid picture of how easy it was for a young woman, or even a whole family, to have the ton (high society) shun them.  

Imagine having everything you have ever known or expected your life to be, stripped from you because someone else made a mistake. By no fault of your own, you have to learn how to make a living for yourself while watching the world you once knew carry on without you. Becoming an employee in a house where you would previously have been received as a desired guest and ushered into the drawing room for tea with the countess.  Instead, you will now be expected to use the servants entrance and consider yourself fortunate that the countess has favored you enough to even allow you to be her companion.

That is what happened to Selena Lockhart in "A Fall from Grace" by Jennie Goutet.


"A Fall from Grace" Plot Synopsis

 A Fall from Grace
(Clavering Chronicles Book 1)
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The first few chapters of the book are somewhat humorous.  We are immediately introduced to Sir Lucius Clavering, sixth Baronet of Mardley.  As a wealthy landowner, he is accustomed to having "young maidens" devise reasons to be in his company alone in order to force a marriage.  A snowy night is the perfect opportunity for "accidents" to strand fair maidens who would require refuge in a nearby home.  On this particular night, two such woman separately appeared at his door.  One was intentionally planned, the other truly was in dire straits.  Both are greeted with suspicion.

___

As the lone female occupant of a broken down stagecoach, Selena needs shelter from the snow storm and other danger.  She believes her salvation must lie within the walls of a nearby home which is lit well enough for her to see in the distance. Dispute her lack of warm clothing, she sets out for the house and has plenty of time to recount the events that put her in this frightening situation.  Her father's extreme gambling problems followed by his subsequent death; her fiance's recindment of his offer of marriage;  insufficient funds to sustain her mother & sisters;  all combined to create this life she was so ill-prepared to live.  She was equally unprepared to be greeted by the cynical landowner who did not readily welcome her in out of the cold.

_____

Following Selena's story of becoming a companion to a bitter and unhappy widowed countess, caused me to consider what a truly difficult situation this would have been for a young lady who was raised in a wealthy home with the expectations of a prosperous marriage and continued position in high society.  It would require a strong and determined individual to make this unwanted transition in life status.

Since this is a Regency Romance novel, the reader can rest assured there will be a developing romantic relationship throughout the book. However, I was equally interested in watching the other relationships develop in this book.

I highly recommend this book, and series, to anyone who enjoys clean & wholesome romance novels.

 

 

At publishing time of this review, "A Fall from Grace" is available for free with a Kindle Unlimited Subscription. Or, you can purchase it with the link below.


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6 comments:

  1. Sounds like a delightful story. Two people who each have their own problems and don't realize they are each other's solution. Another sweet and proper romantic interlude. Thanks for your lovely review, Sylvestermouse.

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  2. The haute ton rarely made allowances for young women who violated the Almack’s patronesses’ rigid strictures, regardless of whether their transgressions were intentional or inadvertent and preventable or not. Too often, young women’s fortunes were out of their control, and a family member’s disgrace would blight even blameless young ladies’ prospects and social standing and severely restrict their options. As a fan of Regency romances, I’m looking forward to reading this one. Thanks so much for the recommendation!

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  3. Another to add to my list that seems to be growing again. Guess I'll have to live a nice long life to get through all of them. Fall from Grace sounds like a story I would enjoy and it's great that it is a whole series. Thanks for this recommendation!

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  4. Sounds like an interesting plot. You know I love historical fiction

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  5. This book sounds excellent - again, I love historical fiction. I often think of what it would have been like to live in a time where a woman's rights were few or nil, and the expectations of her were high! I think my mouth would have gotten me in trouble! - This does sound like an excellent read.

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  6. This sounds like a captivating story to read and become absorbed in with an interesting plot. I really think I would enjoy reading this. Thankyou for your review and recommendation.

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