This is one of my favourite books by Eva Ibbotson. Anna is such a likeable character and I find the romance of this book so easy to be swept away in. It has all the ups and downs that you would expect in an expertly crafted historical romance. Its one of my favourite comfort-reads and is definitely one that I recommend at the library.

I have found this tricky to review. I enjoyed the story, and it has the same magical quality as Eva Ibbotson’s A Song for Summer, which I loved. I liked the main couple, and the romance worked well. For the most part, I really liked the vast array of side characters too. However, I was really uncomfortable with the character of Sebastien, and how he was just treated as comic relief.

Thank-you to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for the opportunity to read an eArc of this book.

One of Eva's best stories is well served here in this anniversary volume. Anna is a wonderful character; given her upbringing, you might expect her to be selfish or spoiled, but she is polite, hard working, and sees the best in everyone. The romance is just the right length without being instalove, and the background characters are amazing. Highly recommended to everyone.

I read Eva Ibbotson's children's books back in my youth many years ago, and still remember how much I loved them. So although I don't usually read books badged as romances, I decided to take a chance on this adult novel of hers. And I was very glad that I did, as I thoroughly enjoyed it. Another reviewer had described it as having a fairy tale like quality, and I agree with that. Mostly I like novels to be realistic, but sometimes you want exactly the opposite, and Ibbotson is an author who knows when to flick that switch.

The main character is Anna, a young Russian countess of saintly niceness, who is forced to flee to England after the Russian revolution. She finds work as a housemaid, where she tries to disguise her aristocratic background. The new young earl, a recently returned war hero, is immediately attracted to her - but he's already engaged to a wealthy heiress whose money he desperately needs to avoid selling off the family home. As the household prepares for the wedding, will love conquer all?

Ibbotson has a lovely turn of phrase and does brilliant descriptions, and she can make you love a character within a few pages. She is also often very funny. Most of her characters are implausibly nice, but in a way that makes you feel good rather than sceptical. Her writing lifts what might otherwise have been a humdrum or cliched tale into something that is a great pleasure to read throughout. There's no surprises, but I still was compelled to keep reading even though I had little doubt about the outcome.

If you fancy a slice of romantic escapism, with high quality writing and loveable characters, this is a great choice. Even a hard hearted cynic like me was charmed by it.

I read this ARC for an honest review
All thoughts and opinions are mine

I chose this title as I have read this author but not for some time

I really enjoyed this
Very much my genre

Highly recommend