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Lakeshire Park by Megan Walker
Publication Date: April 7th, 2020
Publisher: Shadow Mountain
Genre: Historical Fiction/Soft Romance
Synopsis:
Brighton, England 1820
Amelia Moore wants only one thing—to secure the future happiness of her younger sister, Clara. With their stepfather’s looming death, the two sisters will soon be on their own—without family, a home, or a penny to their names. When an invitation arrives to join a house party at Lakeshire Park, Amelia grasps at the chance. If she can encourage a match between Clara and their host, Sir Ronald, then at least her sister will be taken care of.
Little does she know that another guest, the arrogant and overconfident Mr. Peter Wood, is after the same goal for his own sister. Amelia and Peter begin a rivalry that Amelia has no choice but to win. But competing against Peter—and eventually playing by his rules—makes Amelia vulnerable to losing the only thing she has left to claim: her heart.
Thoughts:
Two sisters about to become destitute unless the younger marries asap? Yes please! This trope is one that I thoroughly enjoy and found even more entertaining in Lakeshire Park.
When I was looking into Edenbrooke by Julianne Donaldson, this book was constantly popping up as well and I can certainly see why. It has that same fun, sweet romance that gives you all of the feels and a dash of humour akin to Jane
Austen. Honestly, there is so much to love about this book!
Walker was able to do an amazing job at settling you in to the story and the precarious situation of Amelia and her younger sister. I was genuinely worried for them throughout my reading and I really appreciated how pragmatic Amelia is as a leading lady. She knows the score and will do whatever she can to save her sister from a life without the possibility of love. Then we have Peter who also has a sister whom he is helping to catch the eye of the same man that Amelia’s sister cares for. He is also relentless in his aid but you can’t help but love his character even if his ends are at odds with Amelia’s.
The story takes place on the property of Lakeshire Park under the premise of a house party where everyone invited are all living under the same roof for a number of days which adds a lot of fun and games. There are hi-jinx, misunderstandings, societal plays, difficult truths, and flirtation abound!
I have already re-read this and will be likely doing so again in the near future. Amelia and Peter have such great banter and a playfulness that I love to see in two leads. I look forward to reading more from this author.