This one was interesting. I love how Frederick takes on this gaggle of adopted children and their various issues. Naturally, this being an Anita Stansfield book, he easily tames them and all is sunshine and lollipops.

I liked that Lily is actually a few years older than Frederick. It’s a nice change from the usual 17- to 21-year-old heroines.

There is a little bit of a mystery here that is also a nice twist. This one I didn’t really guess ahead of time.

I do wonder how Lily was able to inherit all her first husband’s assets. Clearly he wasn’t nobility, just a wealthy man, or it would have gone to some male heir.

Possible objectionable material:
Child abuse, orphans, children with traumatic pasts.

This book is also reviewed at https://biblioquacious.blogspot.com/2023/08/author-focus-anita-stansfield.html
Thank you to Covenant Communications and NetGalley for providing advanced reader copies in exchange for my honest opinion.

I LoVe AnIta Standafeild books. So you can’t go wrong. But a story about a family with 11 adopted children and she is a widow. You know right there it is going to be interesting. What an amazing woman Lily is to take in so many children. I have 6 and I can only imagine. She is strong and loving. Frederick is a great fit for their family which is need to help teach all 11 children. It is not your normal regency but none the less wonderful! But you can’t go wrong with Anita Standsfeild!

This was so difficult for me to finish. I loved the premise and was really disappointed in the execution.

Poor quality writing and too much religious stuff.

A story about an unconventional women and the man she falls in love with., I had great expectations for this book and it didn't quite live up to what i was hoping,it wasn't bad but wasn't an outstanding, totally memorable read either.

Thank you for the chance to review this book, however, unfortunately, I was unable to read and review this title before it was archived.

There was a movie a long time ago starring Paul Newman and Joann Woodward that could have been truly boring, but instead was fascinating. This is that kind of novel/romance.

If written any other way, it would have been so boring. But this melodrama is actually fascinating because it is character driven rather than event driven. The only thing that could be improved is the character of the children could have been developed more. It would have made it more interesting. But then there are 12 of them, and that would have been a daunting task.

Rather predictable, but how the problems and situations are resolved makes it readable. Also, there is an interesting reveal of just how children were treated in the 1800s. It isn't graphic, but you get the idea and it sort of churns your stomach. We've come a very long way.

Good story premise, and could be a tad unbelievable except Lily suffered some prejudice because of her looks, and Fredrick suffered child abuse that he barely remembers.

What i really liked about it was that Fredrick and Lily found qualities about each other to love and thus it isn't handsome hunk and gorgeous woman thrown together and magically love abounds. It's a lot more real than most romance fiction. The faith factor is a bond that draws them together at first, and this faith factor never dissipates. Just a lovely story.

It gets 4 stars instead of 5 because it is a lot wordy and there's quite a bit of rehashing that could have been trimmed out with good editing. Although this book was a Netgalley and Covenant ARC (thank you!) so it might have been trimmed after I got the ARC.

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I received this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. I could not finish this book. The characters lacked dimension and the story just did not catch my interest. I have read this author before and have enjoyed some of her other books. Maybe that's why I found this book to be such a disappointment.

If I had paid more attention to the publisher of this book, I would not have requested it.
Redeeming qualities:
clean plot
very compassionate
Non-redeeming qualities:
syrupy sweet characters who seem to have no angry moments or bad thoughts. Most of the worth of the characters came from things they did i.e. adopting children, helping out the neighbors--which in and of themselves are not bad things, but they cannot be the basis of worth for the characters.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review: this was a good clean romance! If you are looking for a regency romance with very interesting characters that do not fit the normal mold of regency characters. The story is entertaining and has some major conflicts that must be resolved.

It was a little more preachy than I was in the mood for, but there were some great themes. This is defiantly a religious fiction.

Such promise! The premise is a good one and one I hadn't read before. Unfortunately, Lily of the Manor fell short for me. Though I love simple and sweet stories, this one felt much too simple and sweet. I felt like I was only being told what was happening. I was never being pulled into the story. I never felt myself living within the story. This simplistic storytelling, combined with characters that felt not fully formed and so sappily sweet--the entire thing didn't feel real.

Despite my lack of love, I know there is an audience for this book. I learned, after finishing this book and doing a little research on its author, Anita Stansfield is the LDS market's #1 best-selling romance novelist. She obviously has an audience that loves her simple and sweet storytelling. I'm just not a part of that audience.

Lily Broadbent was in search of a tutor for her eleven children, all of whom she had adopted. It had to be the right person to meet all of their needs. Frederick Woodstone was in search of a job as a teacher. He was desperate and prayed that this job would be the one, otherwise, he would be left with no place to stay and no money to survive on. When he first met Mrs. Lily Broadbent, the lady of the manor, he was struck by her unusual beauty and calm demeanor. He was hired on the spot and he came to know more about Lily, he began to see her as more than an employer. She, likewise, saw Frederick in a different light.

When circumstances happened to bring the two of them together, their marriage was a natural extension of their earlier relationship. As they learned more of one another, they came to understand God's hand in their lives in bringing them together. There was suspense, drama, romance and love that told a wonderful story. I enjoyed very much that the story showed emotion and intimacy without being vulgar or crass. It was a beautiful story.

I was given an arc copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Frederick Woodstone only wants a teaching job. He never imagines he will quickly find so much more than he ever thought he needed. Lily Broadbent employs Frederick to teach her eleven adopted children, and in the process they build a strong relationship. Then Lily makes a dangerous decision, and Frederick must decide if he will support her and continue their deepening relationship...
I thought this book was very sweet, if a little improbable and uneventful. Frederick and Lily's relationship is one many people can only dream of having. This book tackles difficult issues, from adoption and relationships to child abuse and forgiveness. I was glad to see a happy resolution to the main conflict. Though the author includes difficult issues, the book is very clean and wholesome reading. I don't agree with some of the author's views on God and Christian living (I found some extra-biblical assumptions and thought some descriptions of Christian faith to be quite vague), but overall it is a good read.
I received a review copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

A very clean delightful romance. It was told from the teacher's perspective, which I found to be unique. I would recommend reading!

Very disappointed in this book. Having enjoyed several others of the author, I expected better. The characters were to"perfect". The sappiness of the Lily and Frederick was honestly too much to read. I believe people can be good but that doesn't require never losing your temper or not ever disagreeing. I liked the premise but would never chose to read it again.

this was a great book/story. I was involved from the very beginning. A few good lessons to learn here besides the romance. A lot of good feelings to go around.

Lily of the Manor is just an okay read for me. A little slow.

I have mixed feelings about this book; there are parts that were really interesting--like Lily's background and her adopting all those children and the altercations with Mr. Sawyer. I saw the "twist" coming, which didn't bother me. What did bother me is that Lily and Frederick were both a little too good to be true; they didn't feel real to me. Also, the style of the writing--long descriptive paragraphs telling what happened rather than dialogue and action--didn't appeal to me. I'm sure there are plenty of readers who would really enjoy it; it just wasn't the best choice for me.

The author writes her characters with tenderness and compassion. Lily adopts children from orphanages that have gone through terrible circumstances before they came to her. Lily treats her household staff like family and they all care tremendously for her and the adopted children. Fredrick a new worker is unsure of his position and how he will be treated by Lily. When they develop feelings for each other it is a sweet tender relationship with the utmost respect for each other that develops into a sweet marriage. An old grumpy man who says his wife and child died lied, turns out only his wife did. He had his child hidden away in a basement. He is rescued and interesting things happen after this. Things snowball after this with cause and effect. Interesting!
Thank you to NetGalley and Covenant Communications for a review copy in exchange for my honest opinion.
Pub Date 25 Jul 2017

The story in the book is great! I love the characters and the goals they set to help orphans. I love the side characters, too. BUT, there are pages and pages of angst and drama that are unnecessary. I was ok with the first time discussing forgiveness--but when I can skim pages at a time and not miss any story, there is too much psychobabble and not enough plot. I get that both Lily and Frederick (and the kids) have emotional trauma that needs to be healed.....but it got in the way instead of helping to build the story. I will not be able to recommend this to a friend without a disclaimer about the depth of drama involved.