“Lady Patience Kendrick was born to a life of privilege, and with the London Season looming, she finds herself facing unprecedented pressure to adhere to the rules of society. Unfortunately, the free-spirited young woman is anything but proper. Patience's elder brother, a former military man, bemoans his sister's antics - but when he accuses her of incurable frivolity, it is simply more than she can bear. Determined to prove her brother wrong, Patience undertakes a drastic experiment: she will disguise herself as a maid and demonstrate her ability to work as hard as anyone. Taken on as household staff by her brother's former general, Patience soon learns that willingness and ability are two very different things. While her plan sounded promising in theory, the reality is that she is out of her depth - and the irresistibly charming son of the house isn't helping matters. Patience soon finds herself embroiled in a charade far more complicated that she imagined. With both her pride and her heart at stake, she is determined to prove her brother wrong - even as her plans spiral delightfully out of control.“ (Goodreads)
I’ve always wondered what I’d have been like a the daughter of a duke. I’d like to think I’d have been like Patience! She was determined to show that she wasn’t decorative, but could serve a purpose beyond marrying well. I love how she took her fate into her own hands and refused to give up. She was nothing if not tenacious!
It was fun to see the Woodsworth household come alive with Patience’s influence. Even slightly stuffy Anthony changes. He was a good guy to begin with, but he was really devoted to his lists. I get it, because that’s totally how I am! He’s so committed to Miss Morgan, and convinces Patience to help him win her over. Hilarity ensues.
Case in point: my favorite line from the book was, “This is Miss Patience. She does not have syphilis.” I snorted, and laughed so hard that my neighbors pounded on the wall! I couldn’t help it. It was so funny! Just once, I’d love to see someone introduce someone like this. The book was full of funny moments.
It was just as full of sweet moments. I really loved the journey both characters went on. They grew a ton, and that’s super important to me in my reading. I want to see characters end up better than they started, and this book delivers. Esther Hatch does a fantastic job of creating vibrant characters who seem to jump off the page!
Obviously, I loved this book. I can’t recommend it highly enough!
If you’re interested, here’s a purchase link: Amazon (It’s only $5.99 on kindle!)
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