Can real love grow between a wallflower and an unrepentant rogue?
Sarah Drayton is eager to spend time with her best friend at her crumbling Northumberland castle estate. Matrimony is the last thing on her mind and the last thing she expects to be faced with on a holiday. Yet she finds herself being inveigled into a marriage of convenience with her friend's rakish brother.
When James Langley returns to his family's estate, he can't be bothered to pay attention to his responsibilities as the heir. War is raging and he wants only distraction, not serious tethers. But his roguish ways have backed him into a corner, and he has little choice but to obey his father's stunning decree: marry before returning to war, or else. Suddenly he finds himself wedded to a clever and capable woman he does not love.
Sarah craves love and a place to belong, neither of which James offered before returning to the battlefront. Now everyone around her thinks she married above her station, and they have no intention of rewarding her for such impertinence. It isn't until her husband returns from war seemingly changed that she begins to hope they may find real happiness. But can she trust that this rake has truly reformed?
When tragedy strikes, this pair must learn to trust God and his plans. Will they be destroyed . . . or will they discover that even in the darkest depths of night, the morning still holds hope?
When James Langley returns to his family's estate, he can't be bothered to pay attention to his responsibilities as the heir. War is raging and he wants only distraction, not serious tethers. But his roguish ways have backed him into a corner, and he has little choice but to obey his father's stunning decree: marry before returning to war, or else. Suddenly he finds himself wedded to a clever and capable woman he does not love.
Sarah craves love and a place to belong, neither of which James offered before returning to the battlefront. Now everyone around her thinks she married above her station, and they have no intention of rewarding her for such impertinence. It isn't until her husband returns from war seemingly changed that she begins to hope they may find real happiness. But can she trust that this rake has truly reformed?
When tragedy strikes, this pair must learn to trust God and his plans. Will they be destroyed . . . or will they discover that even in the darkest depths of night, the morning still holds hope?
About the series:
While most stories set in Regency England focus on the rich, the young, and the beautiful, award-winning author Carolyn Miller decided she wanted to give readers something different for a change. Her new Regency Wallflowers series follows the commoners, away from the hustle and bustle of 1810s London, out in the Lake District of England. She tells the stories of women who are slightly older and have few prospects for marriage, women who might be considered “wallflowers.”
Midnight’s Budding Morrow is the second book in the Regency Wallflowers series. The first book in the series is Dusk’s Darkest Shores.
Midnight’s Budding Morrow is the second book in the Regency Wallflowers series. The first book in the series is Dusk’s Darkest Shores.
My Review
Will the pain of the past drive them apart?
I discovered Carolyn Miller while reading a Regency Christmas novella collection but Midnight's Budding Morrow is my first foray into one of her full length novels. While it may seem foolish to have started with the second book in a series, I think that the Regency Wallflowers are independent enough that I never felt like I was missing something.
While Midnight's Budding Morrow was mostly historical romance with some definite Gothic overtones, can anyone say creepy old crumbling castle and hidden family secrets, I was a bit surprised at the direction that Carolyn Miller took. All around the story was much deeper than I expected. Things like grief, alcoholism, thoughts of self harm, were all realistically addressed in a most non-judgmental way. The characters deal with the emotions of loss, guilt, false blame, and rejection, but the light of faith is always there hanging sometimes by only a thread.
Call me a goody-two-shoes but I despised James for a fair bit at the beginning of this second Regency Wallflowers book. He was such a mess, much of it self inflicted, though he had very real reasons for it, that I wondered if I could ever possibly like him. Sarah was almost the complete opposite, not only in her actions but also in my response to her as a character. Though, there were a few times I just wanted to yell at her to stand up for herself and show some backbone to those unpleasant people!
Overall I enjoyed reading Midnight's Budding Morrow. It was interesting, thought-provoking, and even featured a murder inquiry which satisfied my mystery and mayhem loving heart. Carolyn Miller did a good job with this book and I'm looking forward to reading more of her Regency Wallflowers series...
Tell Tale Book Reviews gives Midnight's Budding Morrow by Carolyn Miller a 4 Bark rating.
I discovered Carolyn Miller while reading a Regency Christmas novella collection but Midnight's Budding Morrow is my first foray into one of her full length novels. While it may seem foolish to have started with the second book in a series, I think that the Regency Wallflowers are independent enough that I never felt like I was missing something.
While Midnight's Budding Morrow was mostly historical romance with some definite Gothic overtones, can anyone say creepy old crumbling castle and hidden family secrets, I was a bit surprised at the direction that Carolyn Miller took. All around the story was much deeper than I expected. Things like grief, alcoholism, thoughts of self harm, were all realistically addressed in a most non-judgmental way. The characters deal with the emotions of loss, guilt, false blame, and rejection, but the light of faith is always there hanging sometimes by only a thread.
Call me a goody-two-shoes but I despised James for a fair bit at the beginning of this second Regency Wallflowers book. He was such a mess, much of it self inflicted, though he had very real reasons for it, that I wondered if I could ever possibly like him. Sarah was almost the complete opposite, not only in her actions but also in my response to her as a character. Though, there were a few times I just wanted to yell at her to stand up for herself and show some backbone to those unpleasant people!
Overall I enjoyed reading Midnight's Budding Morrow. It was interesting, thought-provoking, and even featured a murder inquiry which satisfied my mystery and mayhem loving heart. Carolyn Miller did a good job with this book and I'm looking forward to reading more of her Regency Wallflowers series...
Tell Tale Book Reviews gives Midnight's Budding Morrow by Carolyn Miller a 4 Bark rating.
(I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are entirely my own.)
Carolyn Miller
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Carolyn Miller is an inspirational romance author who lives in the beautiful Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia, with her husband and four children.
A longtime lover of romance, especially that of Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer’s Regency era, Carolyn holds a BA in English literature and loves drawing readers into fictional worlds that show the truth of God’s grace in our lives. She enjoys music, films, gardens, art, travel, and food. Miller’s novels have won a number of RWA and ACFW contests. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Australasian Christian Writers. |
Learn more about Carolyn at www.carolynmillerauthor.com, or find her on
Facebook (Carolyn Miller Author), Instagram (@CarolynMillerAuthor), and Twitter (@CarolynMAuthor).
Facebook (Carolyn Miller Author), Instagram (@CarolynMillerAuthor), and Twitter (@CarolynMAuthor).
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