A Lord Apart

by Jane Ashford

Overview

Family secrets, an unlikely alliance—and a love neither expected…

After his parents' sudden death, Daniel Frith, Viscount Whitfield, is struggling to unravel a web of chaotic family records. He is astonished to learn his father's will contains a mysterious legacy: a house left to a complete stranger. He knows nothing about the beautiful Penelope Pendleton and he's not sure he wants to…until she turns out to be a whiz at all those nasty tasks involved in estate administration…

Penelope has no idea why Rose Cottage was left to her. But it's a godsend after her brother's reckless actions disgraced her family. She had planned to stay out of Viscount Whitfield's way, not grow ever closer to him. But when they discover how entwined their families really are, Daniel and Penelope must collaborate to avoid a scandal that reaches much higher than they could have guessed…

A delightful Regency romance for fans of Mary Balogh and Lisa Kleypas!

The Way to a Lord's Heart:

Brave New Earl (Book 1)

A Lord Apart (Book 2)

How to Cross a Marquess (Book 3)

Praise for Jane Ashford:

"An endearing, optimistic story of second chances."—Publishers Weekly for Brave New Earl

"A refreshingly different, sweetly romantic love story [readers] will long remember."—Booklist for Brave New Earl

"[P]lenty of wit, matchmaking, sweetness and sensuality to keep readers highly entertained."—RT Book Reviews for The Duke Knows Best

"Expertly crafted…another triumph of nuanced characterization and sparkling wit."—Booklist for Nothing Like a Duke

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781492663386
Publisher:	Sourcebooks
Publication date:	03/26/2019
Series:	Way to a Lord's Heart Series , #2
Pages:	320
Sales rank:	298,979
Product dimensions:	4.20(w) x 6.70(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Jane Ashford discovered Georgette Heyer in junior high school and was captivated by the glittering world and witty language of Regency England. That delight was part of what led her to study English literature and travel widely. She’s written historical and contemporary romances, and her books have been published all over Europe as well as in the United States. Jane has been nominated for a Career Achievement Award. Find her on the web at www.janeashford.com and facebook.com/janeashfordwriter. If you’d like to receive her monthly newsletter, you can sign up at either of those sites.

Editorial Reviews

02/18/2019

The clunky second novel in Ashford’s Way to a Lord’s Heart Regency series (after Brave New Earl) delivers the expected ambience and wit, but falls notably flat on chemistry and dramatic tension. Stocky, commanding Daniel Frith, Viscount Whitfield, struggles to organize the papers of Frithgerd Hall after the sudden death of his absentee parents. He is especially confused to discover that his father has willed a cottage on the property to sylphlike Penelope Pendleton, the orphaned sister of an inept labor radical who was posthumously convicted of treason, though she has no apparent connection to the Whitfield family. Penelope’s skills in estate management and their mutual desire to understand her inheritance bring the reluctant pair into close quarters, while grief-chaser and social smoother Lord Macklin invites himself into the household and uses his connections to discover more about Penelope. Cute dogs, baking mishaps, investigative cleverness, and the construction of a bathtub provide fun moments, but Daniel and Penelope’s connection is forgettable, and Macklin is far too bland a matchmaker to serve as a linchpin for this series. This is a rare miss for the generally reliable Ashford. Agent: Jennifer Weltz, Jean V. Naggar Literary. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

2019-02-04

The second in a Regency romance series, The Way to a Lord's Heart, that features men who have experienced traumatic losses and the women who help them heal.

Daniel Frith, Viscount Whitfield, is suddenly faced with managing the family seat in Derbyshire when his aloof parents perish in a shipwreck. Upon learning that his father left a house to an unknown woman, he is determined to discover why. The mysterious inheritance came not a minute too soon for Penelope Pendleton, whose fortunes took a disastrous turn when her brother became embroiled in a political scandal that ended his life and left her penniless. Once a respected baronet's daughter, she finds herself ruined, starting over in a new part of the country with few resources. Daniel's initial wariness fades quickly in the face of Penelope's beauty, resilience, and intelligence. As they partner to sort through his family's disorganized records, their mutual attraction grows. Penelope helps Daniel explore his grief over losing parents he never really knew: "All my life I was treated like an acquaintance by those most closely related to me." Ashford's (Earl to the Rescue, 2018, etc.) crisp writing and attention to historical detail are impressive. Domestic activities of the early-19th-century English countryside, from goatherding to cake making, are humorously depicted. But the plot is glacially slow, requiring a two-dimensional character to show up and goose it along periodically, his only apparent reason for being in the novel at all.

A leisurely visit to the Regency England countryside in which two characters slowly—sometimes too slowly—uncover the family secret that binds them together.

Kirkus Reviews