Kit and Elizabeth by Karen Tuft

Kit and Elizabeth by Karen Tuft ISBN-13: 9781524412012 Paperback: 269 pages Publisher: Covenant Communications Released: December 1st 2019

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Lady Elizabeth Spaulding’s world has fallen apart. Despite living her entire life to please her demanding parents, the Duke and Duchess of Marwood, she has little to show for it. After Elizabeth’s second failed betrothal, her father’s debts and appalling acts of retaliation force him to flee the country, consigning Elizabeth and her bitter mother to a life of poverty and exile. But Elizabeth’s fortunes change one day when an elderly acquaintance makes her an offer she can’t refuse.

Lady Walmsley, widowed and childless, is in need of a lady’s companion—and who better than the lovely Lady Elizabeth? Determined to rescue Elizabeth from her dreary life in the country, Lady Walmsley secures the help of Kit, the dashing Earl of Cantwell. But the young woman they find is a ghost of the charming girl they once knew. Taken in by Lady Walmsley, and with Kit’s enthusiastic encouragement, Elizabeth finds herself pushed to discover the joy of truly living. Now, for the first time in her life, she must decide for herself who she is and make her own choices.


My Review:
Kit and Elizabeth is a historical romance set in 1812 and 1813 in England. The main characters were likable, engaging people. Elizabeth was so used to doing what she was told to do (in hopes of gaining her parents approval and love) that she had to learn how to make her own decisions and figure out what she liked and disliked. She also had to realize that not everything was her fault since her parents blamed her for everything, including their own poor decisions.

Kit is a man of action, but he got better at listening to people's concerns by the end. However, I wasn't comfortable with how he pushed Elizabeth to do things she wasn't ready to do yet. Since her parents bullied her, it didn't seem nice that the well-meaning people in her life also bullied her at first. On the other hand, Kit never asked her to do something dangerous or refused to listen to her concerns (unless the concern was what people would think of her). By the end, they were good at listening to each other and building each other up.

The time period was more of a backdrop than a well-researched part of the story. Elizabeth and Kit went off by themselves (with no chaperone) on multiple occasions. Elizabeth showed herself in mixed company when soaking wet in thin gowns but was more concerned about not looking her best rather than how indecent it was. The author also didn't seem to know much about saddles based on how she described Elizabeth riding in front of Kit. But there was no bad language or sex. Overall, I'd recommend this clean Regency romance.


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.