An Unexpected Journey: A Regency Hobbit Retelling

Lady Laura Tamlow doesn’t have a splendid estate in Grandview, but it’s hers. Her surroundings may not be luxurious, but she finds happiness there. Her orderly routine is upended when an elderly woman shows up unexpectedly and seems to know more about Grandview, and indeed, Laura’s family, than a stranger should.

Jonathan Canfield’s family is also in straitened circumstances, and there are men clamoring for payment he can’t provide. There is one last, desperate option available to him, and it involves Laura. Will she agree to help him reclaim family treasure, stolen from them by a man so powerful he’s almost untouchable?

This was the first of Ann Elizabeth Fryer’s books I’ve read, and I really enjoyed it. I’ve long been a fan of Tolkien’s work, so when I saw this was billed as a Regency Hobbit retelling, I had to pick it up.

The characters are well written. Laura is everything a lady should be – kind, thoughtful, gentle. But there’s more to her than meets the eye. Jonathan is a gentleman of character, even when his finances are tight. And oh, I can relate to financial difficulties. This common thread between the characters and me made it easy to like them and cheer for them. Jonathan’s grandmother alternately made me want to hug her and ask her what in the actual heck she was doing, and his sister Melissa, well, let’s just say she made some choices she’s going to have to live with.

Lord Herrington, the dragon of a man who will demand more than anyone dreams, is deliciously creepy. I picture him in my mind almost like Jabba the Hutt – grotesque, but so powerful that no one (well, almost no one) dares cross him. I found myself wondering more than once how in the world Laura and Jonathan could possibly get ahead of his game.

And of course, the romance is just lovely. Is there a touch of insta-love about it? Yes. But shared difficulties can often cause an initial attraction to bloom into so much more, and so it happens here. Jonathan and Laura realize that some things are more important than worldly treasure and must not be sacrificed for financial gain.

My one little quibble was that Fryer’s writing style, at least here, had a noticeable number of sentences beginning with verbs rather than subjects. “Was a strange emotion, this.” “Would bring grief upon grief.” “Was a rich one of the like I’d never tasted.” Had it been occasional, it wouldn’t have bothered me. But it was frequent enough that it caught my attention and pulled me out of my enjoyment of the story. This is the only one of her books I’ve read, so I don’t know if this is the norm, or if it’s an effect peculiar to Regency romances. I don’t like to take off stars for grammatical/stylistic concerns, but this bothered me enough to take off half a star. Still, 4.5 rounds up to 5! It’s a good story, and if you aren’t a nitpicky word weirdo like I am, you may not even notice.

I enjoyed the story, and I’d like to read more of Fryer’s books. I recommend this for fans of the Hobbit, a good Regency romance, or both.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from JustRead Publicity Tours. I was not required to provide a review. All opinions here are mine, and I don’t say nice things about books I don’t actually like.