Hapgoods of Bramleigh

She lives for her art. He has adored her as long as he's known her. When her masterpiece goes missing, can love take its place? England, 1814. Edith Hapgood only has eyes for art. As the darling pride of her family, she has been encouraged in her passion for painting, making it easy for her to overlook other objects of affection. But her distant cousin, one of her chief friends and companions from the age of eleven, has no intention of being forgotten as the creative world opens to her. Lionel Hapgood has long struggled to keep his feelings for Edith secret and his head down while he finishes his degree and she pursues her artistic studies. But an ardent young man can only stand so much, and when he impulsively declares himself, he loses what he has so carefully built. As Edith grows as an artist, her own brush has something to teach her as well. Her portrait of Lionel, captured on the fateful day he spoke his love, not only attracts admiration and danger, but reveals to her the true state of her feelings. When it goes missing, so does a piece of her heart. Will the loss of her celebrated portrait lead to the loss of the one she learns to hold even dearer?

Scandal makes its own rules . . . Harriet Hapgood has always delighted in arranging the lives of others, while generally doing as she pleased. And after having thwarted her cousin Caroline's engagement, what better way to pass a dull winter than in helping Caroline to a new husband? Her cousin sets her sights on the glittering Mr. St. John Rotherwood, so Hetty cheerfully puts her shoulder to the matchmaking wheel. St. John Rotherwood didn't always glitter. A magnificent inheritance has catapulted the erstwhile impoverished Oxford mathematics tutor to the top of London society, where he finds himself eagerly pursued as a matrimonial prize. This apotheosis has not been an unqualified blessing, however. The attention is wearisome, and his formerly humble mother has been transformed by ambition. Is it nostalgia for his university days that draws St. John to Miss Hapgood, sister of his former pupil? Hetty feels the lure of the season's most eligible bachelor, but when an evening's lark leads to scandal, she discovers society has laws as rigorous as any found in mathematics. She could let Mr. Rotherwood rescue her, but if the world breaks her will, will it also break her heart?

The most important things in life can only be learned in the School for Love. At age thirty, the kindly and helpful Miss Rosemary DeWitt assists the vicar with the parish school, burying her disappointment that life seems to promise nothing more. But a chance encounter with an unknown, brooding gentleman sets her on a new path-one which might lead where her heart never dreamed. Though Hugh Hapgood was trapped for years in an unhappy marriage, the sudden loss of his wife only spells further disaster. Left with three motherless children whom he hardly knows, Hugh finds everyone about him wants to choose him a second wife, including his own children. But will the fates allow Hugh to have the woman his own heart chooses?

Book 4 in the award-winning series called "enchanting" and "sparkling" by Austenprose and Austenesque Reviews With her two older sisters married, managing family affairs has fallen to capable Miss Margaret Hapgood, leaving little time for thoughts of marriage. But a trip to Bath to find her uncle a wealthy bride throws her in the path of a handsome recuperating soldier, who is equally determined to keep his mother's fortune out of grasping hands.

She's beautiful but practical. He's charismatic and disreputable. When duty conflicts with love, will their hearts win? Somerset, England, 1808. Elfrida Hapgood keeps her eyes on the prize. Born to a penniless squire, she's determined to follow common sense and marry an upstanding and steadfast gentleman. So when her brother-in-law's handsomely rakish sibling attempts to woo her, she rigidly ignores the flutter in her chest. Frederick Tierney enjoys a flippant and frivolous life. But when he needs to escape a vengeful former mistress, the lovely older sister to his sibling's bride strikes him as an apt solution. Yet despite his efforts, he's shocked to discover the oh-so-proper lady is impervious to his charms. In spite of herself, Elfrida begins to like the well-dressed man-about-town until an unsavory encounter reignites her doubts. And when Frederick realizes he has truly fallen for the alluring woman, he struggles to prove there's more to him than his reputation. Will this unlikely pair take a chance at forever?

Somerset, England, 1808. Alice Hapgood is obsessed with studying flora and fauna. With upper-class standards taking a dim view of a lady dirtying her hands, she wears boys' clothing to pursue her passion. And when an assistant position for a handsome member of the Royal Society crops up, she impulsively dons her disguise and risks ruin. Joseph Tierney has no desire to join the clergy. Going against his family's wishes to become a researcher of the natural world, he takes on a bright young man to help with his latest assignment. And while the brilliant scientist is frustrated that the locals only see him as a candidate for marriage, he grows closer with his enthusiastic aide. As the work under her charming mentor unexpectedly sparks her feminine side, Alice longs to open up to him. But Joseph suddenly finds himself caught in a jealous triangle that threatens his career, standing, and freedom. Will this unlikely team's greatest discovery be happily ever after? The Naturalist is the engaging first book in The Hapgoods of Bramleigh clean Regency romance series. If you like clever-but-impetuous heroines, dedicated heroes, and humorous romps, you'll adore Christina Dudley's delightful tale.