#Review: A LORD APART by Jane Ashford

  3 of 5 stars

Daniel Frith, Viscount Whitfield, feels unprepared to put the estate in order after the untimely death of his aloof parents. All his life he has felt marginalized by his parents who traveled the world and the piles of paperwork they left behind gives him no insight into why they were always absent during his childhood. When he finds that Rose Cottage on the estate has a new owner, Miss Penelope Pendleton, he's even more confused. Who is this woman and how did she come to own a cottage on his estate. When he meets Penelope, there's something about her that soothes his soul. They embark on a journey together to organize stacks and stacks of paperwork trying to find out why Penelope was left the cottage.

I enjoy Miss Ashford's books, but I was on the fence about this one. Most of the book is Daniel and Penelope sorting through hundreds of years of paperwork. It was rather boring until they stumble upon evidence that his parents may not be what they seemed. The slow build-up of their romance was sweet, but I didn't really feel a connection. The Foreign Office agents added intrigue to the storyline although it was wrapped up very quickly. 

I'll certainly read the next book from Ms. Ashford, but I'm hoping there's more than stuffy and dusty paperwork at the center of the story.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review and was not obligated to leave a review.