"A Lady in Hiding" features Lady Elizabeth Davenport, who flees from an arranged marriage to Lord Nigel Penweather, a pompous boor of a man who has a tenuous grasp of personal hygiene. He is as idiotic as his name.
Upon her rescue from a drifting lifeboat while en route to America, a problem due to her own self, a supremely ungrateful Elizabeth struggles with her new persona as a servant; an actress she is not. Her savior Lord Barton quickly realizes she is not who she claims to be.

Although far too young to be hired as a housekeeper, she embraces her role and is a surprising success. She quickly "gets over herself" and is a truly delightful character. However, while I initially found Lord Barton heroic and charming, by the end of the book he was neither of those things to me. One minute he treats Elizabeth with love and respect, the next he is downright rude, especially when others are around. I gave him credit for restraint until an event near the end of the book ruined my good opinion of his character permanently.

The secondary characters in Philadelphia are funny and sweet. The ones in England, not so much. The historical details are interesting; the differences between Americans and English and how they treated others are shown and yes, Americans are much nicer! I frequently read up on true events and people in novels like this one; Richard Allen was a wonderful man.

Jen Geigle Johnson's prose is clear and flows well. The book is clean, which is important to me. While I wasn't a huge fan of the hero at the end, I've enjoyed other works by this author and will read more of her novels. I deducted one star because I disliked what Lord Barton DIDN'T do in what should have been a wonderful gesture.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this novel.

"His Lady In Hiding" is a historical romance set in 1817 in England, America, and on ships traveling between the two. Lady Elizabeth started out as a very spoiled, self-centered young woman but learned to sympathize with servants and slaves as she learned how to run a house as a housekeeper. She did become a more likable character as the story went on, but she didn't seem to learn from her mistakes. She very quickly learned why women travel with others for protection, but she kept going off on her own even when she knew there was danger beyond the ordinary ones. As she didn't hide very well, either, this made it easy for her unwanted fiancé to keep tracking her down to repeatedly attempt to force her to marry him. This created many opportunities for rescuing her.

Lord Barton was more likable because he didn't have to experience something for himself to empathize and he was willing to risk his life for a stranger. However, after a few scenes of their budding friendship on the ship, most of the story had him acting erratically towards her (harsh or distant in company and more sympathetic when in private) as they tried to maintain their new social roles despite their romantic interest in each other.

The historical details mainly focused on inheritance laws and marriage settlements. There is no sex or bad language.

This book opens with the greatest hook, it will pull you in right away and make you giggle at her descriptions of Lord Pinweather and Liz’s reaction to him.

Liz is such a fun character to read. She’s the kind of character that makes you cringe just a little at her naievety when you first meet her. You start to shake your head at her fumblings, until you find yourself cheering on her successes. Liz’s character growth is what makes this book hard to put down.

The book has a fun pace, every time I felt like it slow just a little, Jen would add a new twist. She does a great job of juxtaposing characters and settings so you get a greater understanding of the characters as a whole. Miss Vincent, Miss Burchill and Lady Sariah were all really good examples of that.

I felt like Lady Sariah was a bit of an unnecessary obstacle at first, but I love the insight she gave to Barton’s background and the attitude of the ton on different levels.

Having the story take place in both London and America gave that same view, pulling out both Barton and Liz’s need for freedom in a subtle way.

The need to not hide, but to be free seemed to resonate with my soul this week. I’d read this book as a beta, but that message stuck out to me this time, where it hadn’t before. A mark of a good book is being able to connect to it again and again.

London - 1817

Young Elizabeth is trying to explain to her father how unsuitable and disgusting his choice of a suitor for her is. Lord Pinweather is the man and he makes her stomach turn. When she overhears how her father plans to make money by marrying her to him, she is appalled. Her father needs the money to pay his debts. Refusing to accept her fate, she learns of a place where she can sail to America and find employment as a housekeeper.

Anthony Barton, second son of the Marquis of Sussex, is on the same ship as Elizabeth when they encounter a storm. She had been resting in a a small boat when she is swept overboard. Anthony jumps in the sea to rescue her. She later tells him that her name is Heidi Worthing. Upon arrival in America, they are both surprised to find that she has been hired to be housekeeper at his home. This sets the stage for an uncomfortable situation as they had shared many secrets and had become friends. Now, she must return to being just his employee.

As Elizabeth settles into her job, she quickly becomes a favorite with the staff as she is determined to learn and participate in their jobs. In addition, Anthony is delighted to see how happy they all are and admires Elizabeth’s leadership.

Will their attraction lead to someone more?

Well, this is one busy book. So many things happening that it boggles the mind - in a good way, that is. I liked Elizabeth and found her to be one strong woman, but Anthony needed a swift kick in the butt a time or two. I loved how the members of the black church backed her up. The really aggravating thing was how many times Lord Pinweather raised his ugly head. He was like a roach that you could not kill. All in all, this is a very good book and one that I think readers will remember for a long time to come.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

One of the things I loved most about this book is that it's heroine is genuinely A Good Person, who is just trying her best to do good, be good, and do her part to create a good world. This book is lush, twisty, and so wonderful! I love characters with lots of fight in them and this one definitely fit the bill!

This story was quite the adventure!  There were more plot twists and turns than I was expecting.  Thankfully, there was a happily ever after waiting at the end!  Although I was also surprised that His Lady in Hiding had less true historical connections than some of Jen Geigle Johnson's other historical fiction novels did, the story had plenty of substance without them.  She was consistent in pointing out social challenges of the day and her characters become advocates for bettering the world around them.  Very creative plotline, funny situations and banter, and characters with depth of perception and intention. 

I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Lady Elizabeth (Liz) Davenport is a woman escaping a forced engagement to a repulsive man, Lord Pinweather. Overhearing a conversation between her father and several men, Liz feels that the only way to escape is to find employment, changing her identity to that of her maid, Heidi. Without papers, her only hope is to travel to America and become a housekeeper. On board the ship bound for America, she meets Lord Anthony Barton, and the pair develop a friendship. Anthony soon realises that the story that Liz conveys about her background is not completely true but feels he must guide her in her endeavour to find employment. Over the months of travel, their feelings grow for each other, but it is only when they reach America, that the story takes a new turn, with Liz become Anthony’s housekeeper.
Liz and Anthony’s story was well told, and the gradual development of their relationship unfolding beautifully during their sea voyage. Liz’s true spirit is what make this such an interesting story, as her determination to make a new start in Anthony’s household. The dialogue between the pair was very witty as was the interplay between the couple and the secondary characters. Many of these secondary characters actually added to the story, giving it greater depth and complexity.
An engaging and enjoyable read.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

#HisLadyInHiding #NetGalley

Lady Elizabeth Davenport is in trouble. She won't be the victim of having to marry a man, who iis cruel. Liz.comes up with a plan, to run away and become a housekeeper in America. On the ship to America she meets Lord Anthony Barton, who guesses that she hasn't been in service, he teaches her how to be a housekeeper. The two of them are fun characters. This book was one I couldn't put down

Fantastic story! All responsibilities were tossed to the wayside as I was sucked in from the first page. Lord Barton and Liz are some of my favorite characters. This is a must read for historical romance fans!

Disclosure statement:
I receive complimentary books for review from publishers, publicists, and/or authors, including Netgalley. I am not required to write positive reviews. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255.

This is the Regency equivalent of a romantic-comedy, and another winner for Jen Geigle Johnson. Lady Elizabeth Davenport is being given in marriage to the repugnant Lord Pinweather against her wishes, but what can she do to avoid being forced to marry the repulsive man? Elizabeth (Liz) comes up with a plan--pretend to be a commoner and get a job as a housekeeper in America! So Lady Elizabeth becomes Heidi Worthing and boards a ship to Philadelphia. She's only on board a few days when she gets herself in trouble--adrift in a jolly boat in the ocean during a storm. Lucky for her Lord Anthony Barton is on the deck when the storm sends the small craft out to sea. What a memorable meeting they'll have to tell their children and grandchildren.

Liz (aka Heidi) and Lord Barton are both surprised to find that she's his new housekeeper. He knows she's not a commoner and doesn't know anything about being housekeeper, because they became friends on the ship. This sets the stage for many comical instances, my favorite is rug-beating day. Liz is used to speaking her mind which leads her into various situations because she doesn't think of what the consequences might be. Lord Barton couldn't help but care about Liz/Heidi/Miss Hastings. I think my favorite thing he did was throw Lord Pinweather's men off her trail when he disguised the maid.

I can't believe it's been less than two years since I discovered this author, as she's quickly become one of my favorites. She's also one of those authors who weaves some actual history into her stories. I think readers will thoroughly enjoy Liz and Anthony's story.

Thanks to NetGalley and Covenant Communications for my complimentary copy. All thoughts and opinions expressed in my review are my own.

Another winner from Jen Geigle Johnson. Highlighting the issues of the time such as slavery and injustice, lack of rights for women, and social class differences, Jen weaves a tale that gives the reader empathy and information. This book is beautifully written as it highlights those relevant social issues with consideration and is masterfully done.

The romance is gradually developed in a natural way and you feel that you are right there with them. The characters are full and developed, even minor characters that I would love to learn more about and I hope we do.

One of the things that I particularly like about Johnson’s writing style is her ability to develop the story and have natural issues rather than contrived problems because someone refuses to tell the other person their “secret” and the big reveal causes more problems. Her characters are honestly done and if there is a secret, there is a reason and it is dealt with reasonably.

Her stories feel like they could be about real people dealing with real issues. I will read every one of them I can get my hands on.


I was given an ARC of this book for review by the publisher.