A Lady Awakened is the debut novel from author Cecilia Grant that tells the tale of a widow who is trying to keep her brother-in-law from gaining the estate that her late husband worked so diligently to protect. An attractive neighbor is conscripted into her scheme and is stunned to realize that his practiced seduction moves are wasted on the oblivious widow. I was a bit disturbed that there was so little overt agonizing over the attempt to perpetrate a crime, no matter the good intentions behind it, particularly with the collusion of the housestaff who would undoubtedly know that their mistress was engaging in illicit activities but I think this was a reflection of the hard decisions faced by those with few options at their disposal due to their gender and/or station in life. The story unfolded gradually but gave a nice exposition on the intricacies involved in the administration of an estate and the disconnect between property owners and those who live on their lands. An enjoyable tale that gives a fresh twist on the travails of Regency life. My Goodreads review is at this link
I admit that we don't put up a Christmas tree. Occasionally I will buy a little one in a pot but it disturbs me to cut down perfectly healthy trees so that they can dry out in my house and be thrown away. Just my little quirk. I admit that I am just as bad with the little trees since I never get them into the garden in time but I don't feel quite as badly because they are small. That being said, I love the scent of pine so I must admit that I was touched to receive a florist's delivery from my younger brother that has a beautiful arrangement, complete with a couple of pine branches. Hypocritical? Yes...but at least it's not the whole tree. We all draw our line in the sand somewhere...and then the waves come and wash them out!
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