Review: "The Inns of Devonshire" by Sally Britton, Annette Lyon, & Deborah M. Hathaway

Mirror Press is back with another delightful Regency romance anthology, this one set in three inns in Devonshire.

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Three novellas, three times the romance, and three times the love . . . in this brand new Timeless Regency Collection

The Seventh Star Inn by Sally Britton

After years of looking after one another, Susan Baxter and her mother view their neighbors in Totnes as family. When a new landlord inherits the leases on their homes and businesses alike, Susan dreads knowing her world could change at the whim of a stranger. But when she meets Collin Stonecroft and his inquisitive daughter, her feelings shift quickly from cautionary to hopeful. Collin has lived in the confines of London boarding houses all his life, and he’s determined to give his daughter more. They check into the Seventh Star Inn with plans to return to London as soon as possible, but both find Miss Baxter and her local history lessons far too enchanting to leave behind. When Susan learns of Collin’s proposed changes to her beloved neighborhood, will she be able to help him see that some things are perfect the way they are?

The Truth about Mr. Blackmore by Annette Lyon

Leigh’s life at the Old Grey Inn is drudgery broken by flights of fancy thanks in part to novels by Simon Blackmore. When Mattias McGrady comes to the inn for a fortnight, Leigh captures his attention. A relationship develops, and she dreads the end of his stay, which will mean a return to an unhappy life. An urgent letter to Mattias leads to him inviting Leigh to an event that stands to change both of their lives forever. If all goes well, Leigh will have a life of her choosing after all. But half-truths and lies have a way of complicating matters. When their plans go awry, Leigh loses her reputation and Mattias almost surely loses his career. Can either of them find happiness?

The Coachman’s Choice by Deborah M. Hathaway

Ever-reliable Mary Thorne has helped her widowed mother run The Golden Mermaid Inn for years. She spends her days greeting guests, ensuring the inn runs smoothly—and dodging flirtatious remarks from passing coachmen. But she’s far too busy to pay any attention to such men, even the enticingly attractive Mr. Northcott. Known far and wide for his horsemanship, punctuality, and dallying reputation, Robert Northcott relishes his life as a coachman, especially his freedom to flirt with numerous women from inn to inn, all without the messy details of commitment. There’s just one woman who's immune to his charms: the lovely, single landlady of The Golden Mermaid. Robert is determined to win Mary over, just as heartily as she is determined to keep her distance from him. But his carefree life is threatened when his pursual of Mary becomes more than just a game...

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The Inns of Devonshire is another delightful Regency romance collection! These three novellas can each be read in an hour or two - perfect for an evening when you want to read a complete story from start to finish! 4 stars for the collection. (Keep reading for my thoughts on each novella.

The Seventh Star Inn

This novella is so charming! I love stories about women who are slightly older; though Susan was only in her late twenties, she would have been considered an old maid in that time. Her connection with both Collin and his daughter Beth was really sweet, and I loved watching both relationships develop. 4 stars.

The Truth about Mr. Blackmore

I'll take a good secret identity story any day of the week, and this one is certainly delightful! I loved how Leigh and Mattias had long kept their true selves hidden from the world but quickly found kindred spirits among each other. I thought the reveal of Mattias's secret, both to Leigh and to the public, was handled well, and I just was really satisfied with this story. (OK, so I did keep expecting the villains to be more villainous than they really were, but that ended up being a pleasant surprise.) 4-1/2 stars.

The Coachman's Choice

Of the three novellas, this was the hardest for me to get into. I did enjoy Mary and Robert's story, but I wasn't flying through the pages. I did appreciate that their relationship progressed slowly and that the reader got to watch it unfold; by the end, I was definitely rooting for Mary and Robert's happily ever after! 3-1/2 stars.

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Follow the blog tour:
Join the virtual book tour of THE INNS OF DEVONSHIRE, a collection of novellas by bestselling authors Sally Britton, Annette Lyon, & Deborah M. Hathaway, October 4-17, 2021. Thirty-five popular on-line influencers specializing in Regency romance, historical romance, and inspirational fiction will join in the celebration of the release of the 18th book in the bestselling Timeless Regency Collection with spotlights, exclusive excerpts, and reviews of this new anthology set in Regency England.

Oct 04 Fire and Ice (Review)
Oct 04 Austenprose (Excerpt)
Oct 04 Timeless Novels (Review)
Oct 05 Lu Reviews Books (Review)
Oct 05 Beauty in the Binding (Spotlight)
Oct 05 For Where Your Treasure Is (Excerpt)
Oct 06 Probably at the Library (Review)
Oct 06 Our Book Confessions (Review)
Oct 06 Bookworm Lisa (Review)
Oct 07 Literary Time Out (Review)
Oct 07 Reading with Emily (Review)
Oct 08 Bringing Up Books (Review)
Oct 08 Gwendalyn's Books (Review)
Oct 09 Becky on Books (Review)
Oct 09 Books and Socks Rock (Review)
Oct 10 The Christian Fiction Girl (Spotlight)
Oct 10 Heidi Reads (Review)
Oct 11 My Jane Austen Book Club (Excerpt)
Oct 11 Encouraging Words from the Tea Queen (Review)
Oct 11 Wishful Endings (Review)
Oct 12 So Little Time… (Excerpt)
Oct 12 The Caffeinated Bibliophile (Spotlight)
Oct 12 Laura's Reviews (Review)
Oct 13 Austenesque Reviews (Review)
Oct 13 Storeybook Reviews (Excerpt)
Oct 13 Rosanne E. Lortz (Review)
Oct 14 From Pemberley to Milton (Spotlight)
Oct 14 Chicks, Rogues and Scandals (Excerpt)
Oct 14 Christian Chick's Thoughts (Review)
Oct 15 A Darn Good Read (Review)
Oct 15 Relz Reviewz (Spotlight)
Oct 15 Reading is My Superpower (Review)
Oct 15 Book Confessions of an Ex-Ballerina (Review)
Oct 16 My Bookish Bliss (Review)
Oct 17 The Book Diva Reads (Spotlight)

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ABOUT THE SERIES

Since 2015, Mirror Press has been publishing the Timeless Regency Collection, a curated anthology of novellas and short stories set in early 19th century England. Featuring bestselling authors from the historical romance genre, the series has hit the USA TODAY bestselling list and charted at #1 at Amazon.com. Learn more about the series and other anthologies published by Mirror Press at their website.

AUTHOR BIOS

Sally Britton is a wife, mother, and author who loves the world of romance, received her BA in English from Brigham Young University, and reads voraciously. She started her writing journey at the tender age of fourteen on an electric typewriter, and she’s never looked back.

Sally primarily lives in Oklahoma with her husband, four children, and Izzie the Aussie Shepherd. She loves researching, hiking, and eating too much chocolate.

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Annette Lyon is a USA Today Bestselling author. She's won a Whitney Award (2010) and is an eight-time recipient of Utah's Best of State medal for fiction and short stories. She's the author of more than a dozen novels, even more novellas, a cookbook, a grammar guide, and some 120+ articles. She's worked as a professional editor for publishers and bestselling authors and graduated cum laude from BYU with a degree in English.

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Deborah M. Hathaway graduated from Utah State University with a BA in Creative Writing. As a young girl, she devoured Jane Austen's novels while watching and re-watching every adaptation she could. She finds inspiration for her novels during her travels with her English husband to the United Kingdom, where she draws on the beauty of the country in such places as Ireland, Yorkshire, and her beloved Cornwall. Be sure to sign up for Deborah's Newsletter to stay updated on new releases, free and discounted Clean Romance novels, and more!

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."