Really enjoyed this one. Uncle Percy was awful. I understand his plight, but not his execution. Bella was too hard on herself. She was trying to save her family from ruin. I loved fiesta Frederika who fought for her love. No one was going to discourage or stop her. Lord Riverton is swoon worthy. Who doesn’t love a big and husky teddy bear of a man?

I need Frederika’s story with her soldier.

Highly recommend

Hoopla audio

Our hero and heroine each have an agenda, and neither of them want to fall in love. They’re approaching their problems practically and though both are in mission mode, they’re surprised by the inconvenience of attraction and growing affection. I loved this conflict. It was fun watching their efforts fail while they fought their feelings.

I enjoyed the brotherly friendship between Ryland and Griffith. It’s rare in fiction lately, and it stood out as strong and honorable. Once again, Kristi’s humor injections made me laugh aloud. Such a fun element in a regency, which genre can at times be stuffy and proper. That balance is one reason I love this author’s work.

Kristi also gets to the center of these characters’ hearts. One of the book's themes was freedom. Though he’s a duke, Griffith isn’t wholly free. Another theme was helping one’s family to the extent of sacrificing personal comfort and preferred future.

I also love how Kristi includes a strong but subtle faith thread in her novels. Here’s what I mean: without preaching at readers, she weaves into either the heroine's or the hero’s life a need for God, a sense that He longs for her/him. In this novel, the heroine misses God and wonders if He misses her too. How delicious is that? Readers can feel that dynamic while considering their own faith. It’s personalized in that way, without readers feeling condemned or labeled or condescended to. So well done in her novels!

Such an enjoyable read! I recommend reading this series in order to get the most out of it.

Highly recommended!

An Inconvenient Beauty
Hawthorne House #4
By Kristi Ann Hunter

Griffith has watched his younger siblings all find love and has witnessed the mistakes his closest friends have made on their own journeys to love and matrimony. And Griffith is determined to have a plan that will remove any and all chances of him making similar blunders. For the past year, he has been watching and his effort has paid off - he has determined that Miss Frederica St. Claire will be the woman he will marry.

There is just one problem - Griffith has to actually speak to the object of his logical determinations. After Trent's experiences, Griffith knows that love can come after the vows have been said. And Griffith has never had cause to doubt his logically thought out decisions so he is positive his approach to love and marriage will be a success.

Unfortunately, Griffith's attempts at courting Frederica are being thwarted by Frederica's cousin Isabella Breckenridge. It isn't that Isabella is trying to interfere but somehow they just end up spending time together. But with Isabella being the societal bell of the London season and the object of every gentleman's attention Griffith knows that she could never be the lady for him.

But Isabella is living a lie, one put forth to secure the future of her family. And if the truth comes out Isabella and those closest to her could be hurt and Isabella's chances of marriage will be gone (not that she is looking). And the longer Isabella is in society the greater the danger that the truth of who she truly is will be known.

Can Griffith find love based on logic or will his heart rebel and lead him in another direction? Only time will tell - and all of society has their eye on him after all he is the Duke of Riverton and his family is known for their marriages based on love.

I really think this book is my favorite in this series - though the first two were up there in the reading enjoyment factor. I like the way Griffith thinks things through and has a plan even though it doesn't go quite the way he planned it. And Miranda and Georgina are fun as they offer advice to their big brother in the ways of the heart. This is a definite high note on which this series is ending and Griffith's story is the perfect conclusion.

I was provided a complimentary review copy of this book by the publisher with no expectations of a positive review ~ all opinions expressed are my own.

An Inconvenient Beauty is the fourth and final novel in Kristi Ann Hunter's Hawthorne series, and it was a fitting finale to the series. This novel is about the oldest Hawthorne sibling, the Duke of Riverton. He is the gruff, aloof, and almost cold member of the family, and he has decided it is time for him to take a wife. The story follows the oftentimes entertaining, other times truly moving, adventure as he finds his well made plans are thrown awry by the beautiful Isabella Breckenridge. The plot is well written and moves at an excellent pace, allowing the reader to get settled into the story and setting. The themes are flawlessly interwoven and are thought provoking as the characters deal with their inner issues. The characters are well developed and realistic, each with their own unique strengths and weaknesses. I enjoyed watching Griffith and Isabella butt heads and learn from their differences and their mistakes. Overall, I have truly enjoyed reading this series, and I look forward to reading more of Kristi Ann Hunter's new books.

I received this novel from Bethany House through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

As is his way, Griffith makes the logical decision to get married. After careful, rational consideration, he decides on Miss Frederica St. Claire and so pursues her relentlessly. The problem is, her beautiful cousin Isabella seems to be stealing his heart whether he likes it or not. That was not in the plan...

In her usual fashion, Kristi Ann Hunter provides us with another sweet, humorous, Regency romance. It is the fourth and final installment of the Hawthorne House Series, pairing off the remaining unmarried sibling: Griffith, the Duke of Riverton. As we have seen in the previous series, he prides himself on being logical. But logic will only help so much in when love is part of the situation. Griffith has some lessons to learn.

As does Isabella. She was forced to make a promise that will get in the way of any of her hopes of love with Griffith, even if he will set his pride away long enough to consider her an option. Breaking the promise and keeping it have terrible consequences for her.

This truly was a sweet historical romance. I laughed and hurt through it, and I would certainly recommend it to other fans of regency romance.

I received a complementary copy of this book. All opinions are my own, and I was not compensated for sharing them.

5 Stars!
I read the prequel novella to this series a while back and really enjoyed it, but was too swamped with other books to read the rest of the series as it released, but I did finally read the first book in the series A Noble Masquerade earlier this year and I absolutely loved every second of it and knew I wanted to read Griffith's story when it released!
I was so looking forward to getting to know Griffith better, it was so great to get inside his head, he was every bit the amazing hero I knew he would be and I loved him from page one on! I also instantly liked Isabella and found myself relating to her love for nature and her family, and it was just so awesome to watch her and Griffith fall in love!
I am well aware that this is book four in the series and that I have not yet read books two and three, but I did not have any trouble reading this one so I would definitely say that An Inconvenient Beauty stands alone very well too!
I seriously loved this book SO much, from the very beginning I was hooked and hated to set my kindle down! I am not in general a huge fan of regency era stories, but the fantastic historical detail in Kristi's writing makes me feel like I am really there, I love that I am able to escape from the world for a while and completely immerse myself in the world of these characters who feel like dear friends to me!
I'm afraid I'll end up giving something away so I'll just say that I absolutely loved every single moment of this book and am so looking forward to reading more of Kristi Ann Hunter's work!


I received this book from the publisher. No review required. All thoughts and opinions are one hundred percent my own.

** 4.5 stars***

I am very sad that this is the last book of the "Hawthorne House" series. I have come to love reading about this family!

This book lived up to my expectations, and they were high. Kristi Ann Hunter always delivers a book with great characters and is fun to read.

In this story, the eldest son, and the Duke, is learning what it is like to love. He always appears put together and intimidating. He takes his role and Duke and head of the family seriously and does it well. He "thinks" that he can logically pick a bride and that all will be well, but that is not the way that love works. His thoughts and world are turned upside down when the beautiful Isabella Breckenridge has her first season.

I enjoyed the history in the book. This book takes place at the end of the War with Napoleon. Isabella's uncle is trying to force through legislation and uses others as pawns to sway the vote. The political manuring is fascinating.

This book is a perfect ending to a wonderful series. It can be read as a stand alone, but I highly recommend all of the books. You won't want to miss any time with this family. It's a clean book with kissing and Christian themes.

Source: I received a complimentary copy of the book from the publisher. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

I am so sad that this is the end of the Hawthorne House series! I love these books and the characters in them.

I am not sure I could pick a favorite but #4 is pretty close! I loved finally getting to read Griffith's story! Both he and Isabella had to realize that their plans are not always God's plans, but God's plans are always best! So much to overcome between both of them- pride, selfishness, etc!

The plot is great, with amazing details of the parks and houses and time period, and strong. I love how Ms. Hunter weaves faith through out her stories.

You will not be disappointed if you pick up this series!

(I received an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley in return for my honest review. I was also on Ms. Hunter's launch team for my book. All opinions are unbiased and my own.)

When I saw this book I knew I had to read it. I didn’t pay enough attention to the fact that it was fourth in a series. In my goal to read ‘all the books’ this was just a minor hiccup, not a setback. Until it was. All the books people, it’s harder than it sounds. I found other books slipping in and pushing this book back because there were three that needed to be read. I found the end of the year creeping up on me and books that were still waiting in the wings for their turn to shine. I took a leap and crossed my toes and dove into ‘An Inconvenient Beauty’ hoping on hopes that it would read well as a stand alone novel. I was not disappointed, nor was I lost, as I flew through the pages. Yes, the experience would have been enriched with the reading of the previous three. But, I wasn’t lost in the weeds and it read nicely all on it’s own. Now, I still want to read the rest of the books.

I was drawn into the story and carried along with the details. Though at times I had an overwhelming need to yell at Isabella. Perhaps a Gibbs’ smack or two would have been appropriate as well. I can’t say a lot without giving away a lot of plot but suffice it to say that she got annoying with her martyr complex. Griffith with his over-analyzing and over thinking and perfectly planned out everything – wait that’s not so bad, I kinda liked it. But anyway, he took it entirely too far and he needed a couple of smacks as well if truth be told. I got bogged down in all the repeating details. There came a point where I got bored with the looping story that wasn’t really moving forward. I mean it did but ever so utterly slowly at times that I seriously considered skipping pages. I didn’t because, well fear of missing something important, but I thought about it.

Gibbs’ smacking aside, the characters were well developed and engaging. The story line was developed and the plot, while somewhat predictable, was engaging. While I assumed I knew things as fact I still needed to know exactly how it played out. If you enjoy the Regency period and grand balls and titles mixed with romance then this is a great book to read. If you like a little puzzle and mystery with your romance you will really enjoy this book. It’s set in faith but it’s not an over powering and detracting to the story. It’s actually well handed and compliments the greater story of the book. I’ve definitely got to go back and read the first three!

I was provided a complimentary copy of this book by NetGalley. I was not compensated for this review and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. I was not required to write a positive review.

Kristi Ann Hunter pens her fourth book in the historical fiction series set in 1800s (Regency England) featuring the Hawthorne siblings.

In An Inconvenient Beauty, Griffith Hawthorne, a rational, well-ordered man, identifies the perfect woman to be his wife – Frederica St. Claire. Griffith – the Duke of Riverton – is determined to court Frederica, who is secretly enamored with another gentleman. Since Frederica isn’t interested in Griffith, she keeps putting her beautiful cousin Isabella Breckenridge in his path. Frederica wants to distract her family from knowing about her true attraction.

Meanwhile, with her family’s challenging circumstances, Isabella recognizes she probably will not be marrying for love. As she comes to know Griffith better, Isabella realizes her family’s obligation prevents her from a future with Griffith. However, Griffith is starting to appreciate her finer qualities the more they spend time together. Will they discover in each other the marriage partner they need and overcome the obstacles in their way?

Hunter writes with historical detail, telling the story with humor and courtly romance. The relationship between Isabella and Griffith is respectable and clean, certainly appropriate for older teens. Hunter’s books are a delight to read, filled with excellent character development. Characters from earlier books reappear in support roles, to the delight of her fans.

An Inconvenient Beauty is the 4th (and I think final) book in the Hawthorne House series. I was a little nervous to start this one after being disappointed in the third book, but I'm happy to say that this one was so good and I'd like to just forget about the previous book. ;)

I loved the characters and getting to know Griffith more. While the romance wasn't something I loved, it was still sweet at times. The book was written very well and the storyline was easy to follow.

All in all, I really enjoyed An Inconvenient Beauty and recommend it.

*I received a complimentary eBook copy of this book for my honest review. As always, all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.*

Griffith, the Duke of Riverton, likes things logical and orderly, so he naturally wants to apply his logic skills towards finding a wife. He has decided that the most sensible choice for a spouse would be Frederica St Claire, but he can't seem to get her stunning beautiful cousin, Isabella Breckenridge out of his head.

Isabella Breckenridge is in London for her first season, sponsored by her Uncle Percy. Her Uncle is sponsoring her season in London to help her struggling family, as well as to serve his own purposes as the figurehead of the Apothecary Act.

Isabella wants to do her duty to help her family, even if it means possibly letting go of any dreams of a future with Griffith.

I really liked Frederica, she is a kind and headstrong young woman who knows her own heart. She loves another man and is not interested in Griffith, whether or not he is a Duke. She instead directs his interest to Isabella.

Isabella is a bright and beautiful young woman, she and Griffith quickly strike up a comfortable friendship. And he likes that she is the only young woman outside of his family who treats him like a regular man, and speaks freely with him of her love of plants and flowers. But she is riddled with guilt for what she has done going along with her Uncle's plan, making her own way instead of trusting God.

I like how Griffith has a good group of friends, mainly Ryland, who give him good advice. Griffith is an honorable fellow, full of integrity, and lives his faith. I like that he is a man of action and when he knows what to do he doesn't tarry.

A fantastic read from beginning to end, I love how Griffith is a gentleman like Mr. Knightley who doesn't lead women on. And Frederica is my favorite because she knows her heart and what is important. Definitely a must read for fans of the previous Hawthorne House books, or for anyone who loves a well done Regency romance!



Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and testimonials in Advertising."

Kristi Ann Hunter has written quite a series of historical romances. An Inconvenient Beauty is the final book of the series.

Isabella Breckenridge is living with her Uncle Percy for the London Season to help him pass a bill through Parliament. He wants her to use her beauty to lure peers of the realm to consider courting her so he can talk to them about his Apothecary Act and convince them to vote for it. In exchange for her acting her part, Uncle Percy will pay off her father's debt and help him get back on his feet. What she doesn't know is that if she doesn't fulfill her part of the agreement, he will frame her father and have him transported.

Griffith, Duke of Riverton, has finally decided to settle down and look for a wife. He decides that Frederica St Claire will be his choice. She's not an incomparable--her nose is too large and offsets the rest of her features. But instead Griffith keeps running into Isabella, and then becomes fascinated by her beauty, her open personality, and her reluctance to fully engage in society's functions. She doesn't gossip, she doesn't play flirting games, she'd rather just blend in to the background and it attracted him like no other. What bothers him is that she doesn't want to engage in a relationship with him either. If only he could figure out her secrets.

I meant to read only a little bit of the book last night before I went to sleep, but I got caught up in the way the story was ending and read it to the end. I didn't have that much to read, close to two hours of reading, but I really didn't mean to read all that.

This is a Five Star Book, Two Thumbs Up, and a little bit of mystery to keep you interested.

My thanks to Bethany House for allowing me to read and review this book.

I enjoyed this read while at a resort pool on vacation and everyone around me would ask what I was reading and would hear, I’m reading a great story about a Duke looking for a Duchess! This was a great romance with twists and turns and even made up words, which I laughed out loud at . There was a trail of lies throughout and the underlining truth that lying will catch up with you eventually. Another aspect of the book was the Duke thought love could be figured out logically and found that love didn’t play by that rule. The way the author paints the dances, mansions, and the scenes was stunning. When the characters were walking along in a park, I felt like I was right there looking at the trees with them. I really enjoyed this read and recommend it to you!
I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Also posted on Amazon, B&N, Christianbook

Very well done! I'll let the other reviewers tell you the story... I'll tell you why the story is really good, in fact...

Great story, and even though this is the 4th in the Hawthorne series, the character development is not skipped over nor is there any real need to read the first three to know what's going on. Of course the previous characters play a part in this one, and you get to see the happy marriages :), but this is a great example of a stand alone story in a series.

Each of the main characters has a problem that stems from their own personality. That is another rare jewel to find in a novel. And contrary to Randy Ingermanson's axiom that in order to do a story well each character needs to want something so badly he/she will do anything to get it. Hunter writes so well that you don't notice the motivations so much as you delve into and really love the characters--all of them, even the ones who's head you do not jump into!

Hunter is one of the rare authors that can tell a story very well so that, even though there may be some problems with formatting when reading an ARC in Netgalley, you just brush those errors to the side because the story is so good. This isn't a convoluted story route. It has several complications that are quite interesting, but you aren't jumping into character's heads to be told their motivations every other chapter. Hunter treats her readers with respect, thank you. There's very little rehashing if any. The story move along at a good pace without pages and pages of character angst. The value of that is a very good story with a great plot and believable characters whom you can love... and hate.

Love the way that Hunter takes you into the era without problems in modernisms popping up that jerk you out of the story.

5 of 5 stars. Worthy read, and it's a keeper.

* This book was given to me by Bethany House and Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. This post has been tweeted and facebooked, too, and put on Amazon.com

I didn't want to like this book, after I started it, since I found Isabella to be too perfect of a heroine. But, then I realized that I was a bit like the Duke of Riverton with being a bit prejudice against a "Diamond" of the season. This wound up being the perfect conclusion to one of my favorite series! This series has had a lot of depth to the characters and managed to be outside the box when it comes to regency fiction. I highly recommend this book and the whole series!
I received this book from Bethany House in exchange for my honest review.

Griffith, Duke of Riverton, has decided it is time he completed his familial duty to marry and produce an heir. He has set his sights on Miss Frederica St Clare, who is perfect for him in every way. Except one: he discovers she has a previous love.

Can he compete with a dead man?

Worse, he finds himself attracted to Miss St Clare’s cousin, Miss Isabella Breckenridge. Miss Breckenridge is everything he doesn’t want in a wife—young, beautiful, a diamond of the first water. Or is she? As the Season progresses, he finds everything is not as it seems with the beautiful Miss Isabella and her uncle, the manipulative Lord Pontebrook.

I wasn’t entirely convinced by the setup. It felt contrived and less than believable—as Isabella herself commented, it didn’t paint the ruling class in a good light. Also, a few Americanisms snuck into the narrative—campus, graduate, math, druggist. Most people wouldn’t notice them, but I’m not American, so I did. I also would have liked to have seen more of the faith aspect—Isabella and Griffith were both Christians, but that didn’t come out as much as it could have.

But I still enjoyed An Inconvenient Beauty.

The dresses were beautiful, the balls glamorous, the dialogue witty. There were no kisses (which I know will disappoint some readers and reviewers), but there was so much attraction this was barely noticeable. Yes, the writing is excellent.

Kristi Ann Hunter is one of the rising stars of Christian Regency fiction, although her take has more focus on the romance than authors like Julie Klassen, as well as more humour.

Recommended for fans of Christian Regency Romance authors such as Carolyn Miller, and historical fiction authors such as Jen Turano and Karen Witemeyer. Thanks to Bethany House and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

This book was Regency perfection. I did not want it to end!

Finally Griffith gets his own book and it was worth the wait! Like the other books in the series this was a great read that had excellent character development and I loved how the romance developed over the book.
This really bring the Regency area to life and I absolutely loved it.

I was able to read each book in this series back to back, and it was so fun to be immersed in the Regency time period with the members of the Hawthorne family. This last book is Griffith's story, and I was excited for it since he was such a great character in the previous books. While the plot isn't too involved, it was enjoyable to see Griffith plan for one wife and end up falling in love with her cousin- who he discovers is unattainable, even for a duke. I admired his persistence while still trying to respect her wishes, and a sweet friendship formed amidst the attraction they felt but could not act on. There is some great humor to round out the angst and of course it was nice to read more about the continuing lives of Griffith's siblings and their spouses. I loved Griffith's relationship with his mother and the dynamics at play there. Of course it all works out in the end, and I especially appreciated Griffith's role in the conclusion and resolution of the obstacle that plagues Isabella.

(I received a complimentary copy of the book; all opinions in this review are my own)