Edwardian England and the dawn of the motorcar.

Spencer Hayes has always loved engines. When he returns to England after a visit to America he is full of ideas concerning the new motorcar industry. He has decided to visit his old school friend, Andrew Wooding, to share his vision and while there meets Andrew's younger sister, Lydia. Spencer knew her as a child, but now she is a young woman full of many bold ideas of her own.

This book does well to celebrate friendship. Lydia has a group of friends who laugh and encourage her. The friendship between Andrew and Spencer withstands confusion and misunderstandings. There is much banter between characters which gives the book a charm in the beginning, but tends to wear thin by the end. True and honest discussion are withheld causing needless confusion. Emotions and immature angst erupt over the smallest slights. The setting and the passion for motorcars gave this book a clever twist, but ultimately it lost its steam by the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

"Hearts of Briarwall" was an unexpectedly good discovery!

I'm not overly fond of cars, and I prefer the Regency to the Edwardian epoch, yet I have been utterly transported into early 20th-century England at the time of the Second Industrial Revolution and I loved it!

Lydia Wooding is a young girl firmly rooted in her epoch: a motorcar-lover and a suffragette, she is a decidedly modern person who wants to make the most of the independence that is, more than ever before, within her reach. Surrounded by her three smart, perceptive and loyal friends, Florie, Violet and Ruby, our young heroine is really to seize the day. Then comes Spencer Hayes, a dear childhood friend of Lydia's brother Andrew, young, smart and practical, and ready to discuss a business opportunity and look for investors. Lydia and Spencer might be different but they see the world in the same way and have a matching sense of humour. They seem made for each other, and the romance between them grows... but all too soon, everything shatters as they both seem they have lost what is dearest to them.

I got an arc from Netgalley. I absolutely loved this book. The characters are raw and real, i felt like i was feeling their emotions right along with them. Great sibling and friend dynamics. Funny and sweet, a perfect read on a chilly afternoon.

I'd like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me a chance at reviewing this book.

I like clean romances and I thought the story was pretty solid in the summary for this. So I requested it.

I made it through 70% of this book before I decided to just abort. There are other writers who write stronger Victorian fiction. While the plot was interesting, the characters and the way that it was told did not lend to it.

The characters lack any sort of depth and the romance is very lukewarm. There is hardly any swoony moments between the two and it hurts that when they finally have their first kiss, you just don't feel that urge to read more and how it all turns out.

There is also a painfully modern tone and the things the characters do don't sound or come off as true to that time period. It may have been researched but the writing just wasn't helping.

I really wanted to enjoy this book, and as someone who makes it her mission to read clean romances of Georgian/Edwardian/Victorian eras, this one is a no-go for me.

A fun, insightful story of living with change and loss
What an entertaining story exploring how society’s changes could impact individual lives. Lydia had been orphaned at the age of six. Her brother Andrew was fourteen at the time of their parents’ death in an automobile accident. Having no close relatives, a neighbor was appointed as guardian with him hiring staff, nannies, governesses to raise the children in their childhood home. Now Lydia is almost twenty-one years old and has accepted her parents’ deaths but Andrew still struggles based on a secret he has kept from Lydia. When Andrew’s longtime friend, Spencer, arrives things start to shift. Spencer needs funding for a business venture but it will require not only Spencer but Andrew to face ghosts and secrets from their past. Add in an attraction that soon grows between Spencer and Lydia but is complicated by Andrew’s and all interactions take on new meanings. A very fulfilling read as you watch wonderful characters struggle and grow. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the copy. This is my review and all thoughts are my own.

Hearts of Briarwall by Krista Jensen a great historical fiction that has it all: romance, history, and a wonderful, enjoyable plot.

I really enjoyed this novel that takes place in England at the turn of the 20th century. 1906 was a time that society was on the cusp of change. So many inventions, war on the horizon around a decade later, and societal shifts beginning to take root.

I enjoyed The Wendy League, a group of young women that were fun, respectful, loyal, but yet were smart and wanted more for themselves “in a man’s world”. I liked the nods to Peter Pan throughout the book as well. All four girls (Lydia, Ruby, Florie, and Violet) are excellent characters in their own rights and would make a lovely main character in subsequent books. I also enjoyed their interest and involvement with Women’s Rights and Suffrage. That theme could easily be continued on as well.

I really liked Lydia Wooding and Spencer Hayes. Both come to the table with heartbreaks and losses in their pasts. Both are likable, realistic, and when paired together, their opposite personalities seem to pair well and they bring out the best in one another. I enjoyed the slow burn relationship and romance that developed.

I also enjoyed the progression of the characters, including Andrew, as the book continues on. Seeing positive changes and improvements is always a pleasure.

5/5 stars

Thank you NG and Shadow Mountain Publishing for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 8/2/22.

#HEARTSOFBRIARWALL #NETGALLEY

This was an interesting book, with a fun storyline. It was a great story and the characters were interesting. with depths to them. I'll be reading more from Krista Jensen.