While the premise for this really grabbed me, the writing style unfortunately was not for me and I had to put this one down. I am quite fussy about prose, and this was a personal preference, so if you are a regency romance lover please do not let my early DNF put you off trying this story.

Another good read
Perfect book to curl up with and to get lost in
Will have you hooked from the first page
Thanks NetGalley

Great book! Really enjoyed it. Isabella was a well written character and I enjoyed her journey throughout the novel.

Isabelle Wareham, whilst caring for her beloved widowed father, has not seen much of the world. After his death, Isabelle finds she is no longer her own mistress but under the guardianship of her unscrupulous brother-in-law, Lord Dunsfold, who sees her as a way to improve his own fortunes.

The outlook looks bleak until events throw Isabelle and the impoverished Earl of Idsworth together. However, Dunsfold is determined to force her into a more lucrative match and Isabelle will need to rise above her circumstances to reach her chance of happiness.

Wow what a book thank you ever so much for the opportunity to review. I could not put it down. Would definitely recommend to others!

We meet Isabelle following the recent death of her beloved father, whom she's nursed for the past few years until his demise. During this time, Isabelle, together with the father's valet, have assisted her father in the management of the estate. Her sister (who leaves much to be desired) and her equally wicked brother-in-law, assume the father would have left the estate to them and are appalled to learn that it's been bequeathed to Isabelle instead.

Thus begins their careful scheming to try to find ways to work around this issue, including arranging a match for Isabelle that will work to their favour. The only person preventing this dastardly pair from succeeding is Isabelle's cousin Charlie.

To stall their determination to have Isabelle marry the man of their choosing, she decides to host the annual Boxing Day hunt. Unfortunately, a shooting accident happens during the hunt, which gravely injures the Earl of Idsworth and he thus becomes an unexpected houseguest that Isabelle will nurse back to health. Of course, as with all good romances, this ensures that the pair spend lots of time together and grow to love each other.

Along with the frustration brought about by her sister and brother-in-law, there's also the carriage chases, twists, turns and kidnapping to keep this book interesting and worth reading.

This was a DNF for me - I might come back and try again when I'm more in the mood for this kind of read.

This is historical romance and our female main character is 19 and newly orphaned. Luckily her father left her the house (much to her older sister's annoyance), but because she's underage she has to have a guardian.

She's left to her own devices in the country for a while until her brother in law (the wicked guardian) gets wind that she's been nursing a man back to health in her house, after an accident on the property, and whisks her off.

This gets off to a bit of a meandering start, and I thought we were doing a slice of life type story switching between these 2 neighbouring country homes.

But once we got into the shooting, and her being dragged away from her home the pace picked up and I got quite invested, staying up too late to finish!

This is the 3rd book that I've read by this author and I'm still not completely on board with the odd point of view thing that she does. It will switch point of view from one paragraph to the next, without section breaks. We drift between different characters, which really contributed to that meandering feeling in the first half of the book as we switched between all of these people.

There's a whole section where aome of them were trying to play some kind of prank with a cat - I don't really know why that was included, or what the prank was even supposed to be!

But that first half is offset by the second half where we have her held against her will, in peril and questioning will he be able to save her in time. That bit was good!

3.75 rounded up to 4. The POV switches is pulling it down a bit for me

Isabelle has been caring for her ill father most of her life, staying on the estate and not being presented or venturing in to society. After his death, she fully believes she will inherit the estate and life will continue as normal - however, he passed before she's of age and her brother-in-law is left in charge. He moves her out of her home and proceeds to match make with prominent men hoping to benefit himself. However, Isabelle has fallen in love with someone else, a lesser match but one for love. She has to fight for her home and her love.

It's an interesting romance, with a lot of turns - well written characters you'll root for - and the descriptions are so clear you'll believe you are right in the story as you read it.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for a temporary, digital ARC in return for my review.

4,5 stars

A sweet story. Isabella has inherited from her father. Her elder sister is annoyed as is her brother-in-law. Unfortunately Brother-in-law is her guardian as well as her cousin. Sir Charles has invited his friends Molly and Julian down for Christmas. Charles is also a guradian. Though she's in mourning Isabella Still holds the shoot. Her creepy relative Edwin turns up. Edwin wants to marry her for her money. Edwin's a very poor shot and shoots ex soldier Julian who almost dies. Isabella and her father's valet (and batman) nurse Julian back to health.
Meanwhile greedy borther--in-law is still keen to make a profit out of Isabella. I don't think he got punished enough at the donouement but then perhaps Cassandra, Isabella's sister made him suffer.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

My thanks to Allison & Busby for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Isabelle’ by Sophia Holloway.

‘Isabelle’ is the second novel by Sophia Holloway that I have read this year and I was so pleased to find it as delightful as ‘The Season’.

As I have long enjoyed the Georgian and Regency romances of Georgette Heyer, it’s always a pleasure to discover new authors who are following in the same tradition of historical romances that are faithful to the traditions and social etiquette of their period setting.

Nineteen-year old Isabelle Wareham has been nursing her widowed father for some time. Following his death Isabelle learns that until she reaches the age of 21, she is under the guardianship of her brother-in-law Lord Dunsfold. He, along with her cousin, Charlie, also control her inheritance until then. Charlie may be a sweetheart but Lord Dunsfold is manipulative and controlling.

Without entering spoiler territory Isabelle desires to make her own decisions about her future. Yet Dunsfold is determined to force her into a marriage that will be advantageous for himself. He is a nasty piece of work who seeks to cut Isabelle off from her friends and allies.

While the ‘heiress in peril’ may be a classic premise of the Regency romance, I felt that Sophia Holloway did well in creating relatable characters that I quickly felt connected to. I so admired Isabelle and each little victory had me cheering her on; while each setback had me worrying that the Dunsfolds’ machinations might well succeed. The closing chapters were certainly page-turners including fun twists and a thrilling carriage chase.

Overall, a delightful, well written traditional Regency romance. There also were moments of humour that made me smile, such as the saga of the Lady, the cat and the sable muff.

I shall definitely be reading more of Sophia Holloway’s writings and recommending them widely.

As regular readers will know I love a good regency romance, but there are so many tropes and styles of writing with them that drive me around the bend. But, when I find an author I love I simply devour everything they’ve written at lightening speed: I LOVED Kingscastle by Sophia Holloway when I was sent it to review last autumn, and I proceeded to read everything else she’d published during my last Christmas break in single sittings.

Isabelle, todays new release I think took a bit longer to get going than the rest (I was worrying that she was losing her touch!) but then I fell head first into devouring this lovely, charming expected-yet-unexpected in true romance novel narrative.

Isabelle Wareham has not really been ‘out’ in society as she instead stayed home to care for her widowed father. But, when he dies and leaves her his estate, she’s pulled from piller to post by an unwanted suitor, her unscrupulous brother-in-law Lord Dunsford who is only interested in his inheritance, and the Earl of Idsworth, who might be the answer to her problems and to securing her own happiness… but of course, Dunsford would never let her marry an impoverished ex-military man with a dark stain that his name. Can she manage to forge her own path?

If you, like me, are looking forward to some reading time during the festive period and you love a gentle romance, Isabelle needs to be at the top of your shopping list!

After the death of her father, Isabelle is put under the guardianship of her brother-in-law and older sister, who does not care much for her and has always resented her. When Isabelle is presented with a chance of romantic happiness for herself, her family decide that the match is not appropriate and do everything they can to quash the relationship before anything comes of it, but Isabelle is determined to wait until she comes of age and can do as she pleases - unless, of course, her unscrupulous family have other plans for her.

This is a very standard formula Regency romance novel, it feels when you're reading it like you know exactly where it is going at all times. That said, it's quite cosy and feelgood, but the best thing about it by far is the cast of side characters - Sophia Holloway is particularly good at writing sharp older women, and those characters are my favourite in her books. It wasn't a particularly remarkable story but I enjoyed reading it, and what more does a reader really want?

This really was such a delightful read. The two main characters of Isabelle Wareham and Julian, Earl of Idsworth were very engaging characters. Isabelle, although only 19 yrs old, was quite mature for her age, due to her past circumstances. She was a very caring person but could also be determined. Julian, was an honourable man, but due to an unfortunate event, had joined the army for a period of 10 years. There was almost an instant attraction that only grew as they got to know each other. However, nothing runs smoothly, as despicable relatives plan on working things out for their own advantage. There are a few surprises along the way and certainly one person had his comeuppance, which was quite amusing. I would have liked an epilogue as this would have rounded things off nicely. But, really I just didn’t want it to end! I received a copy and have voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Isabelle Wareham, recently orphaned, is a strong woman, but as not being of age yet falls under her brother-in-law´s guardianship. He doesn´t have the best in mind for her though, especially when a man appears and an accident happens.. With some dark points and the cruel treatment of Isabelle the story develops till the happy ending. I liked the different characters and story lines, once I had managed the rather clumsy start of the book.
Recommended for a holiday read or a present for lovers of Regency Romance.
Thanks to the author Sophia Holloway, the publisher Allison & Busby and Netgalley for an ARC ebook in exchange for an honest review.

I have to say the book has given me moments of smiling to myself from behind the pages or shock from the villains who try their hand at kidnapping, and I'm delighted to tell you Isabelle gets her happy ever after even though it takes lots of attempts to get there.

If you love historical romance and a few giggles then give it a try.

I was offered a digital copy of this book from the publishers, however I prefer paper copies so I held out to wait for my local library to get it in for me yesterday.

I have recently started reading Ms. Holloway's books and have really been enjoying them and this one also did not disappoint. The story was well-written and quite captivating.
Isabel is recently orphaned and finds herself now under the guardianship of her wicked brother-in-law, Lord Dunsfold. When Isabelle decides to host the Boxing Day Hunt as her father used to, she meets Julian, an impoverished earl, who gets injured in the hunt. Julian becomes her unexpected houseguest as she nurses him back to health.
A romance begins to blossom between them, but her brother-in-law has other ideas for her future that will benefit him. These two have many challenges and obstacles thrown their way before reaching a happy conclusion.
The characters were well-defined and had such great depth and personalities. Thee author did a great job in creating some characters you truly love and some you can't help but hate. Julian and Isabelle were such a wonderful couple, I loved their interactions and seeing them together. This was a delightful and charming story and I am glad to have had the opportunity to read it.
I received a complimentary copy from Netgalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.

Isabelle Wareham has cared for her beloved widowed fatherbut when he dies she finds she's under the guardianship of her unscrupulous brother-in-law, Lord Dunsfold, who sees her as a way to improve his own fortunes as her father left the estate to her. The outlook looks bleak until the Boxing Day hunt throws Isabelle and Julian, the impoverished Earl of Idsworth together. However, Dunsfold is determined to force her into a more lucrative match.
A delightful read & a very well written one. The characters have depth & were well portrayed some I loved & some I loathed. The pace was steady & held my interest all the way through. I loved both Julian & Isabelle, they were attracted to each other from their first meeting but the road to their HEA was strewn with obstacles & I loved hoe they overcame them I also loved Charlie & hope he has his story. I would have loved an epilogue to round everything off
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

From the publisher: Isabelle Wareham, whilst caring for her beloved widowed father, has not seen much of the world. After his death, Isabelle finds she is no longer her own mistress but under the guardianship of her unscrupulous brother-in-law, Lord Dunsfold, who sees her as a way to improve his own fortunes. The outlook looks bleak until events throw Isabelle and the impoverished Earl of Idsworth together. However, Dunsfold is determined to force her into a more lucrative match and Isabelle will need to rise above her circumstances to reach her chance of happiness.

Isabelle was a delight for a reader like me – someone who enjoys historical romance and manners more than historical romance and graphic sex. This novel has the added bonus of some hijinks involving a cat and a fur muff in the manner of Georgette Heyer.

Our heroine is Isabelle, recently orphaned and with a sister who might as well be a fairy tale stepsister, she is so resentful of Isabelle. For four years, Isabelle and her father’s faithful valet have assisted her ailing Papa and managed the estate as he declined. Now he is dead, and he had the gall (according to her sister and brother-in-law) to leave his estate to Isabelle. Fortunately, Isabelle has a good-natured cousin to protect her from the dastardly pair and from the patronizing suitor who feels certain she will marry him given enough time.

Isabelle’s father always hosted the Boxing Day hunt, and she eagerly agrees to host without him, to give her something to think about other than her grief. An unfortunate shooting accident leaves Isabelle with an unexpected houseguest. Isabelle moves a little slowly for a stretch, when Isabelle is nursing the gravely injured Earl of Idsworth. However, it turns into a cracking good time. There are plot twists and kidnappings, carriage chases and heartfelt romance.

The author has written many lovely, old-fashioned passages that I quite enjoyed, like this one: “This was England, and he loved it. Fighting through the Iberian Peninsula had taught him to appreciate the verdure of his native country, even in the grey-green drabness of winter; the smell of damp woods with the leaf litter of beech, oak, and ash; the dark, ploughed loam ready to nurture the next year’s harvest. Only by being effectively exiled from it had he come to realise how much it meant to him.” (p. 76)

I read an advance reader copy of Isabelle from Netgalley, courtesy of Allison & Busby. The book is scheduled to be published on December 15, and the Galesburg Public Library will own it.

A bit of a slow read, but for fans of the Bridgerton series this will fill the gap, the heroine is likeable enough to keep you reading until the end but I would urge you to read other titles by the author

Isabelle is the sweet, romantic tale Regency lovers have been waiting for. With shades of Jane Austen, the characters come alive with their demureness, ridiculousness, and wickedness. There is someone for everyone to love and to loathe.

When her father dies after a long illness, Isabelle is alone and left to discover what will become of her when her nefarious brother-in-law and the sister that never loved her take over her guardianship. Her cousin Charlie, who lives nearby, will not let anything happen to the estate she has inherited and dearly loves. Then she meets the one person who could take all her worries away. Except, he is an impoverished Earl who is just back from his stint in the military. Theirs is a forbidden love that you will root for the entirety of the tale.

Sophia Holloway has done an amazing job of pulling the reader into the Regency world to where we never want to leave. When reading these romantic novels, I can easily envision myself in the middle of the drawing rooms and carriages, watching events unfold as if they truly are happening around me. It is a great escape, and Ms. Holloway is commended for offering such an experience. I look forward to more escape through her writing in the future.

Thank you Allison & Busby and NetGalley for the digital ARC. The opinions expressed are my own.