Escape to Everly Manor by Chalon Linton

Escape to Everly Manor by Chalon Linton ISBN-13: 9781524408374 Paperback: 240 pages Publisher: Covenant Communications Released: Feb. 1, 2019

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from NetGalley:
Nineteen-year-old Lizzy and her nine-year-old brother, Thomas, find themselves orphaned after a tragic accident claims the lives of their parents. Their estranged, cruel Uncle Cline arrives to claim his inheritance, and he's determined to spend his newfound wealth and rid himself of his charges. Desperate to save her brother from a dangerous life as a cabin boy on a merchant ship, and herself from being married off to a detestable old gentleman, Lizzy schemes how they can run away.

Lizzy and Thomas escape and find refuge in an abandoned cabin. Lizzy soon meets a Mr. Barton in the nearby village, and the charming gentleman is immediately intrigued by the mysterious young woman. Through his kindness to herself and her brother, Lizzy begins to trust him and hope for a life in which she can live—and love—as she chooses.


My Review:
Escape to Everly Manor is a romance novel set in 1813 in England. There were many little things in the story that seemed improbable to me. For example, it wasn't until nearly the end that someone questioned why their parents named a cruel uncle as their guardian and left them completely dependent upon him. It's not like Lizzy and Thomas had no friendly adults in their life to look into the matter. Also, everyone acted like it was shocking for a nine-year-old boy to work, but factories (among other places) regularly employed young boys. So I didn't find it very historically accurate.

The main characters were nice and meant well, but they didn't always act realistically. Plus Lizzy was pretty useless in a crisis and quite adept at getting into situations where she was helpless and needed to be rescued. Even Barton sometimes acted stupidly when it came to a crisis. For example, he once handed what was obviously a weapon to someone who wanted to use it on him. Still, the author tried to create suspense through violent storms, injuries, and kidnappings.

The romance developed over time as trust built between the two. Barton was kind and patient. Lizzy had very little care for her own happiness and was determined to protect Thomas above everything (though her plans didn't do a very good job with that). Lizzy treated her brother like a five-year-old, babying him and acting like he's incapable of handling difficult situations. She rejected Barton in favor of caring for her brother, even though it's clear that she didn't have to make a choice between them. She let Barton kiss and hold her on several occasions but didn't even try to find a way to make a relationship with him work. Frankly, she kept making bad decisions even when better options were available. There was no sex or bad language.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.