Mischief and Manors

by Ashtyn Newbold

[sstaley]

More and more, it's hard to find good clean romances that also have a great story line with compelling characters. Mischief and Manors has so much what readers are looking for. We meet older sister Annette who has two younger brothers who she feels she must take care of. They are orphaned and at the mercy of a mean aunt who is tiring of the younger boys and their horse play. She threatens to send them to an orphanage if they don't shape up. Soon Annette and her brothers are sent away to Kellaway Manor for the summer where Annette meets up again with Owen Kellaway, who was very much like her brothers when he was young.

I liked the two brothers Peter and Charles who are typical boys for their ages and they bring much humor to the story, along with Owen helping out with said humor. Annette seems very serious in much of the book, but she has had to be the one to watch over her brothers since their parent's deaths five years earlier. Basically she's sacrificed many things in her life for her brother's benefit. It was fun to see how Owen brings Annette out of her shell as he is also helping her brothers. This book isn't all about humor though, there is mystery, plot twists you may or may not see coming, and of course the romance that blossoms throughout the book. There were a few times I wanted to bop Annette up side the head and help her see what was right in front of her. Eventually things head in the right direction. There is definitely much witty banter in this book, which I truly liked. There were a few inconsistencies with some of the dialogue concerning the time period the story takes place in. This could bother some readers, though mainly I overlooked them. I got carried away in the story and just wanted to keep reading to see when Owen, whom I truly liked a lot, would charm Annette enough to win her over.

This was a fun, clean, and refreshing debut novel. I look forward to reading more books from Ashtyn Newbold.