An Autumn Courtship

The Mercer's House, Book 5

By: Mary Kingswood

Narrated by: Joanna Stephens

A family in trade moving up in the world. A family of landed gentry stepping aside for them. And the sons and daughters caught in the middle.

Johnny Fletcher is exactly where he wants to be - a Fellow at Cambridge, with a lifetime of scholarly pursuits in front of him. He’s not allowed to marry, but he has no need for a wife when he has his books for company. But his beautiful sister is on the brink of a wonderful marriage to an earl’s son, so he joins his family for a house party at the earl’s estate. At least there will be a decent library he can hide in. But when he intervenes to protect a young woman from unwanted attention, he finds himself caught up in scandal.

Lady Jemima Corsfield married young to please her family. Now her husband’s dead, she’s not allowed to look after her two sons, and she consoles herself by flitting from party to party, and flirting outrageously. The last thing she wants is another husband she doesn’t love. But when she’s caught alone and dishevelled with a stranger, the pressure for her to marry is intense. And if she refuses, she’ll lose her sons altogether. Can she find a way through the tangle, and will she ever find happiness?

This is a complete story with a happy ever after. A traditional Regency romance, drawing room rather than bedroom. Book 5 of a 6 book series.

©2023 Mary Kingswood (P)2024 Mary Kingswood

My Favorite of this Series. 5 stars.

Another fun, interesting, well-written, clean Regency romance. I like all of the books in the Mercer House series, but this particular book is my own personal Favorite. I discovered this author several years ago through my Kindle Unlimited subscription, and I now own and have read all of this auther's print e-books. I also love experiencing each fictional world again when the audiobook becomes available.

Worth a listen to hear likable Johnny’s story

Mary Kingswood is an automatic purchase for me. She’s an excellent writer. But this simple plot didn’t hold my attention as much as her other books did. It had a lot of turmoil and is centered around one woman, where nothing goes her way and most people are against her. So this book lacked the level of fun and mystery and lightheartedness of others written by her. Things get better here and there, especially when Wilberton Forbes pops in to help right a wrong, but in general, we are given lots of Jemima, who lacks maturity, kindness, and simple gratitude. We get tiny glimpses of appropriate behavior, but her overall personality is heavy handed, which made the listening experience less satisfactory. I wanted more reasons to like her and root for her beyond the wrongs done to her.

Joanna Stephens is a fantastic narrator. Absolutely stellar at capturing the mood and pace. However, her whispering is becoming more prevalent. She fades down several levels by the end of many sentences during the narrative. In some spots I can’t tell what she’s saying. The way around this is to use earbuds and stay focused or have the device very close. It would be difficult in a car or if moving about doing another task.

So…my first Kingswood book that had some let-down moments. She’s still the best writer out there, and her stories are unique. This is my least favorite, but I’m still glad I listened to it to hear more about Johnny’s fun and mature personality and about other members of this charming family with good insight and kindness.

The series declines by book!

I love Mary Kingswood. I have read several of her series twice. This series started off amazing. Each book after the first was a little less amazing. Now this one is down right annoying. The main characters make decisions out side of their normal personalities. The changes are too outrageous for words. Ugh.