Review: Like a Charming little Cottage
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 08 22, 2011
Firmly on the shelf, Victoria Barclay had a little more freedom than most of the young ladies and after witnessing her mother's abuse toward "the poor" she swore she would find some way to make things right. Her determination to do the right thing really endeared her to me and though she was often naive in her beliefs she was adorable.How could I not fall in love with one, Phineas Dartwell,  the third earl of Leyburn? Finny was her brother's best friend and when her older sibling took off to places unknown Finny took up the brotherly reins to watch after Victoria. His sense of duty never faltered, his honor and ideals were inspiring alone but it was love for Victoria that made me fall for him.But when Victoria sneaks away from him on numerous occasions to take up the mask and take the rich to task for their shocking greed, Fin begins to grow suspicious of his dearest friend's sister. He catches her in a part of town that she should never be in and determines to find out what she's up to. But once he learns that she robs from the poor to fund a hospital for the poor and pays to help many people -- sometimes through her own funds -- his affection for her grows into something much deeper. And while she was committing a crime, he couldn't find it in his heart to condemn her. But he must stop her.Charming is the only word that comes to mind for this story and I cannot quite put my finger on what exactly drew me in, I can honestly say that once I put the story down and it had ended, I felt a little sad that it was over. I truly fell in love the often reckless and nave Victoria whose good intentions often landed her in deep trouble. Was this book action packed? No. Was there anything really grand in scale about this book? No, not really. What made this book so endearing for me was that it was wonderfully written, with charming characters and a plot that wheedled its way into my heart. The ending totally won me over and I truly hated to put it down. I will likely read it again. It is definitely a keeper for me.