Highcliffe House

About the Book: 

Brighton, England, 1813

When a romantic entanglement leaves her humiliated and reeling, Anna Lane wants nothing more than for her father to whisk her away from the gossip of the ton. Unfortunately, he has obligations elsewhere, leaving her stuck in London.

Graham Everett’s financial security depends on an investment with Mr. Lane, his long-time friend and business partner. He’ll do just about anything to secure it for his family, even if it means fighting spoiled, embittered Anna for her father’s attention.

Luckily, Mr. Lane concocts a plan that will give everyone what they want, with one stipulation: Anna must accompany Graham to Brighton in her father’s stead and make a decision to invest—or not—based on a thorough report.

But it will take more than a day at the beach for these two headstrong hearts to admit that they’ve been wrong about each other. If they are willing to invest a little time working out their differences, they might have a chance at real love.

My Review:

Graham Everett has found a fabulous opportunity to purchase land in Brighton for development, but he needs extra capital. Turning to his mentor, he asks for him to invest in this project. Little does he realize that Mr. Lane would only consider it if his daughter, Anna, go with Graham in order to give him an assessment as to the wisdom of the investment. That would be fine, but Anna and Graham detest each other. This humorous and poignant story of realizing that impressions are just that until you get to really know someone. Watching Anna’s walls of self-preservation come down was the sweetness of the story. Both Graham and Anna had to let go of their judgements of each other to see the true nature of each other.

Eight year old Tabitha was such a fun character and a delight to have in the story. She is a wild child who loves the outdoors and is fascinated with animals. I loved how she met Anna and couldn’t help but laugh!

Things to love about this book:
Forced proximity
Dual POV
Brighton
Twist on Pride and Prejudice
Graham’s family
Beach adventures
Fishing surprise
Humor
Enemies to more
Clean romance

One of my favorite quotes:
“True to form, she turned her nose up at me, took her father’s arm, and smiled the most innocent and gracious, helpless, and hopeful smile that could turn any man’s heart to utter mush. A smile that would one day trick some poor hapless man into marrying her.”

I highly recommend this Regency romance. Readers from teens through older readers will enjoy this story. I received a complimentary copy of the book. All opinions are my own and voluntarily provided.