Anthony

The Shackleford Sisters, Book 9

By: Beverley Watts

Narrated by: Charlie Sanderson, Christopher Tester, Mark Elstob, Eilidh Beaton

Get ready for more laughter and sparkling romance in this, the final instalment of the Shackleford Sisters…
Anthony Shackleford had long been acquainted with the word duty. Indeed, since the moment he could walk, it had been drummed into him every Friday between the hours of two and four in the afternoon, accompanied by tea and apple cake. His mother had always been especially partial to apple cake.

The essence of his obligation was this. The Duke of Blackmore could not be expected to keep his in-laws into their twilight years. Despite the fact that his sisters had all made extremely advantageous marriages, as the only son, it was his job to ensure his parents a comfortable dotage. So, for the most part, his duty had always appeared very simple. Marry an heiress, preferably with a title. But while Anthony was handsome enough to capture the eye of even the pickiest of debutantes, the fact that the Duke had seen fit to gift him with a manor house and twelve acres would certainly help in winning over any unduly ambitious mothers.

Though grateful for his brother in law's generosity, Anthony was nevertheless determined not to hang onto his benefactor's coat tails and stubbornly declared he would undertake the repairs to Bovey Manor himself. Unfortunately, that meant he would have to temporarily set aside his duty since the renovations were likely to take some time…

Georgiana didn't know her last name. In fact it was only by accident that she discovered her first one. Raised in the slums of Exeter, she'd been George to everyone for as long as she could remember and no one but her foster family had any idea she was a girl. She knew nothing of where she came from, only that Henry and Martha Atkins were being paid to keep her alive. Indeed, she'd always been a pain in her foster father's slovenly arse - until she began to blossom into womanhood. As he suddenly started looking for ways to be alone with her, Georgiana realised she had to escape.

But Henry Atkins was not about to simply let her go. In truth, he dared not, since she was the key to plans years in the making…

When Anthony crossed paths with a raggedy arsed lad named George, employing him out of pity to help with the renovations to Bovey Manor, he had no inkling that his life was about to change forever, and duty would be the very last thing on his mind…

Perfect for fans of Regency Romances with wit and humour and a little bit of steam...

©2023 Beverley Watts (P)2025 W. F. Howes Ltd.

LOVED the Shakleford Sisters series!

Ahh... all good things must come to an end. I absolutely loved and enjoyed this book just as much as all the previous books. Augustus and Percy NEVER disappoint lol! Though I was sad and missed Freddy. I love that this author has such a great sense of humor. And I really appreciated that the same narrators did all the books. They did an amazing job giving each character life and personality. My only complaint is that the series is over. But alas... as I started out saying... all good things must come to an end. Huge thanks and a big thumbs up to the author for penning such a marvelous collection of literature.