Highcliffe House
By: Megan Walker
Publication: May 7, 2024 by Shadow Mountain
320 pages
Genre: Adult, Historical Fiction, Regency
Source: Publisher via Edelweiss (Thank you!!)
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Goodreads description--Love ignites when two rivals vie to secure a possible fortune at the seaside town of Brighton.Brighton, England, 1813
When a romantic entanglement leaves her humiliated and reeling, Anna Lane wants nothing more than for her father to whisk her away from the gossip of the ton. Unfortunately, he has obligations elsewhere, leaving her stuck in London.
Graham Everett’s financial security depends on an investment with Mr. Lane, his long-time friend and business partner. He’ll do just about anything to secure it for his family, even if it means fighting spoiled, embittered Anna for her father’s attention.
Luckily, Mr. Lane concocts a plan that will give everyone what they wat, with one stipulation: Anna must accompany Graham to Brighton in her father’s stead and make a decision to invest—or not—based on a thorough report.
But it will take more than a day at the beach for these two headstrong hearts to admit that they’ve been wrong about each other. If they are willing to invest a little time working out their differences, they might have a chance at real love.
Highcliffe House reminds me of Jane Austen's unpublished novel Sanditon. Granted, I haven't read her unpublished book, but I did see the PBS Masterpiece Classic version. Anna and Graham are at odds. In Anna's view, Graham has taken all her father's attention away. When they should be having family dinners, Graham arrives to discuss business deals with Anna's father, leaving her to eat dinner alone. While her father was supposed to be chaperoning her around London during her Season, she's left with an aunt who isn't at all who Anna would like to be spending her time with. Especially after being humiliated and at the center of a near scandal, Anna needs her father more than ever, but once again, Graham shows up with some investment opportunity.
Graham's father abandoned his family. Graham has two younger sisters and a mother who is now his responsibility to take care of. And he's done so. Slowly. One investment opportunity at a time. Thankfully, he's had a mentor and father figure in the form of Mr. Lane, Anna's father. He can't figure out why Anna can't seem to stand him. But he can't let her stand in the way of providing for his family.
Anna's father also once made her a promise that he wouldn't look at getting remarried until she finds a husband first. But he's finding it hard to keep that promise since he's developed feelings for someone. When he's faced with a much-needed trip to Bath to visit his sweetheart and an investment opportunity that needs to be researched, Mr. Lane decides to send Anna to investigate the opportunity on his behalf. She is determined to shoot down the proposal and get back to some alone time with her father, but of course, Graham can't let that happen.
Graham's family is wonderful. It was easy to fall in love with both of his sisters and his mother as well as him. Anna has sorely missed having a mother figure in her life as her mother died giving birth to her. But things can't be easy. Graham may have worked his way up, but that doesn't mean he's in a position to take on the care of another dependent.
I highly enjoyed Highcliffe House. It hooked me very quickly, which has been a struggle lately. I could easily root for both characters. Their motivations were so easy to understand and agree with. The secondary characters made the story come to life. Highcliffe House gets 4.5 Stars. Have you read Highcliffe House? If so, what do you think? Let me know!
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