Enchanting the Heiress by Kristi Ann Hunter is the third in Hearts on the Heath, but a stand alone novel. The story is set in Newmarket which is a market town in the English county of Suffolk, north of London. Harriet is a person who likes to direct others in a helpful way, but has secrets. Jonas is from Ireland and currently working for his twin sister’s husband and loves horses. Their stories make them unlikely to be friends let alone love interests.

The story was lovely and I greatly enjoyed the characters. Both Harriet and Jonas struggle with finding their place in the world and knowing their purpose. Their conversations with each other are heartwarming, humorous, and leave each of them a little unsettled.

I found myself highlighting an amazing quote on almost every page of this wonderful book. The dialogue between the characters and their deeper meanings had me pondering themes of purpose, contentment, and true friendship. Kristi Ann Hunter is an auto-buy for me! I highly recommend this story.

I was given a complimentary copy and not required to write a review.

Jonas got his own book! And it is adorable! It is everything cute and sweet and funny that we’ve come to expect from Kristi’s Regency romances.

I loved getting to know Jonas better as a character & he was all sorts of sweet and confused but also stubbornly frustrating - or should I say frustratingly stubborn? 😉 and Harriet with all her secrets is somewhat the same…

If Regency romance is your thing, you can’t go wrong with this one! Kristi never disappoints!

Thank you so much @bethanyhousefiction and @netgalley for the ARC. I was only required to provide an honest review in return, and honestly, I loved it!

Enchanting the Heiress is a beautiful story I greatly enjoyed! It begins telling the story about Jonas and his twin sister, Sophia, and how she has just married. She has a friend, Harriet, but Jonas isn't sure he likes her at all. She tends to get into other people's business to try and make things better, but Jonas tries to avoid getting too close to anybody, therefore they are mostly opposites in many ways. She gets him to help her write a book, and they develop a true friendship. As time goes on, their friendship develops into more, until he realizes that he is another of her projects, which infuriates him. Will their relationship survive this? Will Harriet change her meddling ways? Great, clean story I really enjoyed!

#BookRevew: ENCHANTING THE HEIRESS by Kristi Ann Hunter

I am glad I read the first two books in the series. It was nice to revisit many of the characters from those books. I was so excited to know more about Harriet.

I like that she loves helping people but then her motives were not all that noble. She had a lot to learn during the course of the book. The journey was painful but it was worth it in the end. She was a persistent lady anyway.

Jonas was great. Sophia and Harriet wanted to help him find purpose in his life but he was so stubborn to receive it gracefully. I enjoyed that he knew the Bible a lot but he had some soul searching to do as well.

It took me some chapters to really start enjoying the story. The trip to the woods and the springs was my favorite. It was sweet and enlightening. The plot was okay overall but I felt like some things were missing. Maybe I wanted more exciting events and revelations. I wanted more romance. I did enjoy their verbal exchanges. It was fun to see the change in Jonas when he was around Harriet.

There were many relatable things in the book like Harriet wanting Jonas to develop his potential. Harriet also had to learn that the end doesn't justify the means. I felt like I have read a couple of books with that theme but it’s fine. It’s a good reminder to us.

Rating: 3.8 stars
Series: Hearts on the Heath Book 3
Pub date: 01 Mar 2022

Thank you Bethany House Publishers and #netgalley for the complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

I love Regency fiction and nothing makes me happier than a new book by Kristi Ann Hunter. Every book she writes engages me from the first page to the last and I adore the way she has friends from earlier books appear in the latest book like treasured visits from old friends.
Through the machinations of others, Harriet and Jonas are thrown together. They seem to be complete opposites and I loved how Kristi brought them together. Both were vulnerable people who needed to learn how to let God reign in their life. I loved the plot and the witty, humorous dialogue. The setting of Newport with all of the horse-loving people was fun.
So grab a pot of tea and settle into your favorite reading nook. I hope you love this book as much as I do.
I was given a copy of this book with no expectations. All thoughts are my own.

“People didn’t have to abandon themselves in order to make a meaningful life, though. They just had to open who they were to the world.”

Harriet and Jonas. Their story is enchanting from the start. Their misunderstandings are intriguing, their conversations and banter are absolutely delightful, and their friendship that evolves into romance is delicious. Harriet, with her grand schemes that are over-the-top, and Jonas, with his self-deprecation and wonderings about his purpose, are such complete opposites yet balance each other out well. Jonas’ gift with words is lovely to behold and his letters are breath-taking. The lengths to which Harriet goes to deceive her father felt a bit unreal but was quite necessary, as this is how Harriet and Jonas become friends. I really enjoyed the cameo appearances of other characters from the author’s previous series.

I received the book from the publisher/author and was under no obligation to post a positive comment. All opinions are my own.

So the three stars are really my own fault. I was so excited at the prospect of a new Kristi Ann Hunter book that I didn’t check to see whether I’d read any of the previous books in the series before requesting it on NetGalley. … And I hadn’t read either of them. So, I was kind of doomed? Lol!

This is one series where it would be _very_ helpful to read in order. Plenty of references to previous plot points left me confused, and I had a hard time keeping characters straight—or, frankly, invested in Harriet in particular. I really didn’t care for her as a protagonist.

So, for now, this is a DNF/3-star read (for what I did read) for me. I may revisit if I read and enjoy the other books in the series.

I received an eARC of the book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Another sweet, inspiring Regency from Kristi Ann Hunter! Enchanting the Heiress is fun and engaging, and readers will enjoy plenty of cameos by Hunter’s past characters. I really enjoyed the ending (the epilogue is adorable) and I’m excited to read more from Hunter. 3.5/5 stars

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Miss Harriett Hancock loves living in Newmarket. Most of the year, the quiet village provides plenty of scope for her charitable works. When racing season starts, she plays the part of an eccentric heiress. Each person in her small circle of close friends comes from a different walk of life—gentry, nobility, and working-class people.

Some, such as Jonas Fitzroy, might call her meddlesome. Harriett prefers to see herself as helpful. She loves to provide opportunities for others to achieve their dreams or help others. But for years, she’s lived a lie.

Jonas, highly protective of his twin, Sophia, vows to pay closer attention to the meddlesome Miss Hancock and put her in her place. After all, Miss Hancock has no right to put ideas in Sophia’s head. Especially ideas about turning him into one of her charity projects. Jonas doesn’t need changing, thank you very much.

So when Miss Hancock proposes she become his patron so he can pursue his art, Jonas grudgingly agrees. But he’ll set the terms. Spending time with Miss Hancock will him ample time to judge for himself how harmful the friendship between Sophia and Miss Hancock might be.

He doesn’t expect to find himself drawn to Miss Hancock. Nor does he expect to discover a love of writing.

But will Harriet’s lie, and past actions prevent their relationship from ever moving beyond the surface?

What I Loved About This Book

Third in the Hearts on the Heath series, Enchanting the Heiress has an unexpected romance. Jonas Fitzroy, although a gentleman’s son, feels comfortable with his identity as a hard-working stable hand. Anything is better than working in the circus—his previous occupation with his sister Sophia. Even more intriguing, Harriet is six years older than Jonas. His position as protector and provider for Sophia after their parents’ deaths makes him seem more mature than Harriet most of the time, though.

Although a Regency romance, readers will identify with themes of familial expectations and the necessity of knowing ourselves before we embark on a relationship with the opposite sex. Fans of Melanie Dickerson and Sarah E. Ladd will enjoy Enchanting the Heiress.

This book kind of left me at a loss for words to describe it because I’m still not sure exactly what was going on. Pretty much every aspect of this book had question marks on it for me, from the characters to the plot to the romance.
Harriet hadn’t endeared herself to me in the previous books but I hoped that getting in her head would give me a clearer picture of her thoughts and motives. But her motives and reasonings didn’t honestly make that much sense to me and I really questioned her logic in so many areas. She did seem to really have a heart for helping people though sometimes she seemed more focused on how helping people made her feel than the good it would do for them, and her methods weren’t always the best.
Jonas was pretty great, and I felt for him a lot while he just tried to be content and live his life and the women were determined that he needed to do and be more. He stood his ground admirably but with the pressure he received you can’t really blame him for giving in at times.
The romance between Jonas and Harriet didn’t really click for me, they just seemed too different and they clashed too much for me to believe they could make a life together.
And the plot, I felt like the situations used to have Jonas and Harriet spend extended time together just didn’t fully make sense to me and wouldn’t have actually happened. And everything moved excruciatingly slow that it just constantly felt like nothing was happening.
The writing itself was up to Hunter’s usual standard but I just couldn’t get lost in the story as I tried to make sense of what was happening.

I am a longtime fan of Kristi Ann Hunter. I enjoy her humor and romance that she weaves into her plots! That said, I struggled to connect with this book and ultimately ended up putting it down. I found the plot to be somewhat mundane and I was confused a good portion of the time as to what was going on. The characters has loose motivation for carrying out the circumstances that were unfolding in this story. I struggled to like the heroine Harriet. She seemed to manipulate people and situations under the guise of helping others, however her circumstances suggested that she was prone to self preservation in the form of lies and using people to her advantage. Jonas was likable enough, however I wish that his sister would have just let him be content with his life. His interactions with Harriet were confusing, and filled with an odd sort of chemistry that I couldn’t quite decipher. Was it attraction? Was it confusion? Was it frustration? Maybe all of the above. All in all I didn’t connect with the plot or characters as they just didn’t come together seamlessly for me which is ultimately why I put it down. I am hopeful for what may come in a new series by Kristi Ann Hunter.

This read took a bit for me to get into it, but I kept going and glad I did!

I loved the banter that went on between the two main characters, Harriett wants to help everyone, she feels that is her gift! Now Jonas, he wants to be left alone, he likes standing by the walls out of the way. We are along for the interaction between these two, and I found myself laughing out loud!

Can these two unlikely people forge any kind of a relationship? You will wonder as you turn the pages, but you have to keep turning for answers!

I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Bethany House, and was not required to give a positive review.

I adore historical fiction, and this is such an interesting premise. I recommend because of the story itself, writing style, and its ability to transport you into a different world/time period.

Enchanting the Heiress, by Kristi Ann Hunter, brings her Hearts on the Heath series to a close!

Now that his twin-sister Sophia has married, Jonas Fitzroy must find a new direction for his life. Sophia’s best friend, Miss Harriet Hancock, wants to transform Jonas from a stablehand into an artist or an author. However, Jonas does not quite know what to make of this eccentric heiress and her ideas!

Hold on tight, as Harriet and Jonas, from two very distinct levels of society, find the new place that God has for them in this world!

I liked Jonas, but I found his early exchanges with Harriet tiring. They both seemed to view it as charming banter, but honestly it reminded me of the bickering of kids - arguing over every little thing, nitpicking, refusing to give an inch.

I didn't like the pulling of Harriet's back story forward one string at a time, especially when she laments guilt and lies that her whole life is based on. As the reader, it's frustrating to not know what she's talking about when you're in her head and it kept me from connecting with her experiences.

I liked Harriet and her passion for Jonas' writing. Ironically though, at one point she says, "Your writing is good enough to circumvent what some would consider a lack of a story." Which I thought was hilarious on its own, but it was also somewhat applicable for how I was feeling at this point in the novel. Things were very slow moving and I really wasn't sure where they were going.

Harriet accidentally lets slip that she meddles because she "knows better," which she is immediately ashamed of. I thought this response was out of character for her. She doesn't really take away anyone's choices. They've always had the ability to go along with the opportunities she provides. Or not.

In general, Harriet is portrayed as someone who has been conditioned since childhood to manipulate with white lies and good intentions. Left unchecked, this has apparently grown some character flaws (arrogance), and bricked her personal life up in a tower of untruths, leaving her isolated and trapped. I appreciate imperfect people and I love an opportunity for growth, but I just didn't connect with this one. It took too long to find out what the situation was/ who Harriet was.

Harriet is an independently wealthy single woman living in Newmarket. She's been away from home a long time - trying to live out the adventurous life her father wanted her to have, The only problem is - she hated traveling and being away from her family. So she has created a life on paper that doesn't exactly match up to what she is actually doing.

Jonas is an Irish stable hand in his brother-in-law's racing operation. He and his sister were raised in a genteel household until his father died and left them needing to sell everything to pay debts. After that they traveled with the circus - until an injury to Jonas made that impossible. Their personal history has led to Jonas keeping largely to himself and making the most of what he has - instead of trying for more. Jonas is a talented artist and writer - but he isn't willing to do more with those talents.

Jonas's sister asks Harriett to use some of her <i>Emma</i> style tactics to help Jonas embrace his skills and live a bigger life. But Jonas is very suspicious of Harriett's meddling ways - and can sense there is more to her story than she has shared among her friends. Their relationship and the setbacks it experiences - really worked well. Especially that the major setback takes both Jonas and Harriett on a path that gives both of them a chance for personal growth - not just a deus ex machina moment where everything magically gets fixed.

This book read to me as being maybe ahead of its time - setting wise? It was set in the regency - but maybe read more like a Victorian setting? The mixing of classes seemed definitely ahead of its time. I think even in a casual setting it would have been unheard of for a stable hand to dine with a duke (or really any level of aristocracy - family relationship or not). Also - Jonas's writing came across as very much like Emerson - who could have been a contemporary - but was definitely more progressive than what Jonas and Harriett would have been reading at the time. Not to mention that even at almost 30 - Harriett living alone without a companion is unusual. I did like that the hero and heroine weren't traditional regency main characters tho!

This book is a romance with very strong religious overtones. I appreciated how those overtones blended with the story and it is not overly preachy. So even if Christian Romance isn't your thing - you can kind of look past that...

Overall - I enjoyed it.

I received this as an ARC from NetGalley, but these opinions are all my own.

Hello! Enchanting the Heiress is a lovely book, indeed, and absolutely enchanting from each word to the next...from each chapter to the next. When I think of a short description for this book, I would say, 'a stable hand...a noble heart.' I love Jonas's and Harriet's story. I love how they each discovered a little piece of themselves and more about each other...both from their real-time interactions and through their ongoing collaboration. And the best part is that their romance blossomed via fictional characters the two created. Each character had good intentions, and I know Jonas felt betrayed by what Harriet perceived as helpfulness...helping Jonas to realize his full potential. Harriet realized that she, too, benefited from her friendship with Jonas. These characters meant well and did not see their blooming love for what it was. Even Jonas started to acknowledge, early on, that certain developments might be 'a sequence,' and 'not a conflict.' I love that thought from the author and the reflection of Scripture. And I love how the romance evolved between two lovely people, Jonas and Harriet. The name Jonas seems intentionally chosen based on Jonas in the Bible. And Harriet actually reminds me of Harriet a bit from Jane Austen's Emma. Enchanting the Heiress is a highly enjoyable book, and I definitely recommend it! :)

I loved this book! I want to reread it just for the sake of enjoying it all over again. Harriet is exactly the type of heroine I adore. She is super intelligent, quick witted, eccentric and has the wealth to be able to do good for others. I love her heart and desire to help others. There can be a fine line between trying to better things for others and just flat out assuming and meddling, but I love that her heart is truly focused on helping. Jonas has been intriguing from the very first book and I could not wait to get his story. I like that he is quiet and focused, but I loved his journey to learn that there is a point in which he needs to engage life and others around him. Harriet has some painful and humbling lessons to learn, and they are handled with grace and dignity. This is a story that abounds in grace, forgiveness, and redemption. The humor perfectly balances any heaviness and all elements are expertly woven together to create an all-out enjoyable story.

Kristi Ann Hunter does a great job of focusing on Spiritual growth in her characters and not having them weighed down by all the societal expectations. The tensions of being confined by them are always present, but her characters are not defined by them, and I love that!
I wanted to be able to remember characters from previous books, but found it was not necessary to still fully enjoy their presence and contributions to the storyline.

I received a complimentary from the publisher via NetGalley and all opinions expressed are solely my own, freely given.

I loved this book!!! This was a fun read especially since both of the characters were really fighting falling for eachother. I love a good gushy love story but sometimes it's fun to have one with alot of push and pull. I hope there are more boos in this series, I'm not ready to say goodbye to my friends!

The previous book of the series "Winning the Gentleman" left me with a mixed opinion, but I found "Enchanting the Heiress" more convincing!

The book begins a little before the previous story ends, right before Sophia, the sister of this book's protagonist Jonas, receives a marriage proposal from Aaron. It felt very strange and a bit gauche to be catapulted right into the previous story, especially for those you haven't read the previous book in the series and because that part of the story was not well explained.
Thankfully, my memory came back - I realised that I had read the previous story and remembered some key elements - so I was slowly able to piece everything back. It would have been nice if the settings had been built more carefully.

The rest of the book was an improvement compared to the first chapter.
I appreciated the originality and personality of the two protagonists. They are original and it's refreshing to see that in a Regency romance. I appreciate from time to time a hero younger than the heroine (and he is redheaded, no less. And a readhead without a fiery temper - that's appreciated!) Too many books are stereotypical in these two regards, so this originality was welcome.
I was a bit skeptical of how the romance between Harriet and Jonas would unfold, as they have once again such different characters and positions in society, but it ended up being relatively convincing. Less convincing was Harriet's reason for lying to her father to such an extent for so many years, and the resolution of that particular point...

Despite these various weaknesses, I found the book enjoyable, original, and I enjoyed seing past characters make regular appearances throughout this book.

+ brownie points for the nice and original cover.

*I received an e-ARC and this is my honest opinion*