The Nature of a Lady (#01 in Secrets Of The Isles Series)

Roseanna White is an incredible author who brings her characters to life. I thoroughly loved reading this book and I felt like I became part of the story and was there with the characters. I enjoyed learning about the Scillies, Beth,Elizabeth, and Oliver and the Island lifestyle. I would definitely recommend this book, and the others in this series.

The story has an okay plot, but is a bit convoluted and confusing getting there. There are a lot of characters crammed in that make it slow going really getting into the story. I would have preferred it more if it focused on Lady Elizabeth, who at the end of the day was the main heroine. It does have your typical ending for a romance, which I did enjoy. But I did often find it a little hard to follow at times as there were simply too many different stories at once. I was also a little confused by the grandmother who at first seems to have dementia or the like, but who apparently just """"knows"""" things, which was cute, but didn't make a whole lot of sense. On the whole, it was still an entertaining read that I did enjoy, but I have read better books.

It's mostly set in the Isles of Scilly, 1906. The main heroine, Elizabeth, is lovely in nature but not in appearance-a lonely, nerdy daughter of an earl. The hero, Oliver, is the son of a gentleman who happens to be a vicar as well; he would be the social equivalent of an Elizabeth Bennet, a nobody to nobility. Then there is the conflicted maid Benna, who gets much less time than the other two, but I liked her the best. There is also a rather brief 4th POV in the prologue, but that's just to set up the pirate treasure plot. It's immersive and fun. Roseanna has a great writing style with vivid word pictures and interesting characters. She also builds on a clear, well developed, but not overdone metaphor theme that resonates with the characters' interests (this metaphor theme was plants). With no swearing or mention of swearing, it's a good, clean romantic read. The maps at the starts are nice but necessary; White does a good job describing things anyway. I lost interest in the main characters for a time but devoured the maid's story. The grandmother is prophetic at times which I found weird. Elizabeth believes in evolution for most of the book, but she does come to God. It's excellent writing with a bit of suspense, treasure hunting, and plenty of romance and friendship. It's a story about coming home, finding home, friendship outside of normal social classes, making peace with former enemies, and seeking God. Looking forward to Book 2.

Lady Elizabeth Sinclair decides to spend the summer in Cornwall to avoid her brother and his plans to marry her off to one of his school friends. She's not interested in marriage-she's far more interested in botany and drawing and other scientific pursuits. I did like and admire that about her. \\n\\nBut I didn't find the characters as engaging or the plot as compelling as I had hoped. I found the story dragged in places, and The Nature of a Lady certainly wasn't one of those books I devoured in a day or so. Even the climax didn't work for me, because I wasn't invested enough in the story. \\n\\nThe Nature of a Lady has mystery and suspense and romance, the things readers expect in a Roseanna M White novel. It had the unique setting, and the popular time period. It had White's typical excellent writing style. But despite all the good things it did have, the sum of the whole was somehow less than the sum of the parts, and it left me with more of a ho-hum feeling than one of satisfaction. \\n\\nIt's set in the Isles of Scilly, Cornwall, which brings together Elizabeth's refined Downton Abbey-era upbringing with the wild roughness of Poldark's Cornwall (but a century after Poldark). Recommended for fans of Carrie Turanksy and Julie Klassen. \\n\\nThanks to Bethany House and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

Pirates, lost treasure, mysterious packages, a double romance, family drama, and a history full of tall tales - this book had it all. I'll admit, it took me a little while to get into (probably because it followed a few different characters and I couldn't quite tell how they all fit together), but once I did, I was captivated. I loved the tour of the Scilly Isles and learning all about a place I couldn't have even put on a map before. Experiencing it through the eyes of the different characters has me totally sold on the place! The story reminded me in some ways of the author's Ladies of the Manor series, with its intrigue and mystery. Definitely looking forward to reading the rest of the series!