Book Review #blameitontheearl #janeashford #netgalley
I always except a Jane Ashford novel to be a sweet and heart warming story that will feel like a nice warm hug. This novel is exactly that, the story is sweet and very low angst, there is minimal conflict in the relationship, lots of the conflict in the story is outside of the main romantic relationship and the growth of the story focus on the characters. Ashford’s writing is well laid out, accessible and is softly paced. Because the novel is more focused on the nuances of day to day life, the pace is gentle and can feel slow in moments but is what I fully expected from this novel. If you enjoy a gentle romance with very low/to no steam levels, Ashford is definitely an author for you.
This romance is between Kenver, the heir to an earldom, and Sarah, an untitled young lady from Cornwall. When Kenver takes a tumble over a cliff and Sarah tries to rescue him, they both find themselves stranded in a sea cave all night until the tide goes out. In order to safe Sarah’s reputation the two get married but when they return to his home his parents are very unfavorable to the marriage and try to keep it from being consummated at every turn.
Sarah is a very sweet heroine, she is young and smart and thoughtful. While being constrained by the times and her gender she still tries to keep her head up and stand tall. Kenver, while a sweet hero towards Sarah at many times, does feel weak and a push over more often through out the novel due to the relationship he has with his parents. While Sarah wants to make the best out of her marriage and have a true one, she is constantly thwarted be Kenver’s awful parents. We see Sarah constantly mistreated by them, but it shows her strength in character, her kindness and her heart. Ultimately, these situations make me look down on and think less of our hero. Yes, he does eventually learn to stand of for himself and Sarah, it is hard to watch him take so long to come to this conclusion as well as his growth in this area is leaking because we don’t see a more steady growth. I did love the fact that Sarah and Kenver both share an interest in Arthurian legend. It is delightful and sweet how they can bond over a mutual interest. And even with the hardship of hero’s relations, we still do get some lovely growth of trust and interest between Sarah and Kenver. I do feel like the lack of sensuality and an exploration of a physical side of their relationship takes away some of the heartwarming moments and true believability in the growing of a loving relationship (but I do know to expect this with an Ashford novel).
Overall, I was charmed by the set up of this novel and while I got pretty much what I expected, I still felt a lack of believability in their relationship and a disheartening around the overall growth of the hero’s character. If you like the pacing and story telling of Ella Quinn and Mary Balogh, Jane Ashford is definitely worth checking out.
3-3.5 Stars
Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca and NetGalley for an eARC, all thoughts and opinions are my own.