Summerset Abbey

Summerset Abbey, Book 1

By: T. J. Brown

Narrated by: Sarah Coomes

1913: In a sprawling manor on the outskirts of London, three young women seek to fulfill their destinies and desires amidst the unspoken rules of society and the distant rumblings of war....

Rowena Buxton

Sir Philip Buxton raised three girls into beautiful and capable young women in a bohemian household that defied Edwardian tradition. Eldest sister Rowena was taught to value people, not wealth or status. But everything she believes will be tested when Sir Philip dies, and the girls must live under their uncle’s guardianship at the vast family estate, Summerset Abbey. Standing up for a beloved family member sequestered to the "underclass" in this privileged new world, and drawn into the Cunning Coterie, an exclusive social circle of aristocratic "rebels", Rowena must decide where her true passions - and loyalties - lie.

Victoria Buxton

Frail in body but filled with an audacious spirit, Victoria secretly dreams of attending university to become a botanist like her father. But this most unladylike wish is not her only secret - Victoria has stumbled upon a family scandal that, if revealed, has the potential to change lives forever....

Prudence Tate

Prudence was lovingly brought up alongside Victoria and Rowena, and their bond is as strong as blood. But by birth she is a governess’ daughter, and to the lord of Summerset Abbey, that makes her a commoner who must take her true place in society - as lady’s maid to her beloved "sisters". But Pru doesn’t belong in the downstairs world of the household staff any more than she belongs upstairs with the Buxton girls. And when a young lord catches her eye, she begins to wonder if she’ll ever truly carve out a place for herself at Summerset Abbey.

©2013 T. J. Brown (P)2013 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Wanted More

This book left me wanting more. Not enough character development with the secondary characters and too much time repeating the same story lines. I get it she doesn't want to tell anyone she is weak...move on and grow the story from there. Overall just a disappointment.

Good read...until the ending

I recognize that this is the first of a trilogy, but the ending was so abrupt that I just sat in shock for a minute when the copyright details started.

The story itself was engaging, but a tad predictable. I just finished the book a few hours ago and am still trying to decide if the rest of the series is worth reading. I'm not feeling the need to know what happens next, even though the ending was abrupt.

The narration was pretty good and I do not typically like female narrators. One of the characters has an irritating affectation, but it's not enough to make me stop listening, which I have done before.

Overall, I would recommend this if you enjoy this period in history and particularly if you like reading about the differences between classes I this period. I do not recommend it if you like endings that appear to be thought through.

I wouldnt go crazy over it.

I liked the book up till the end. The person reading it was awful in my opinion. Once I got paat the reader I could focus more on the story. it was ok. I dont know if I will finish the other books.

Great for Downton Abbey fans, but…

This is a great story for those of us that need a Downtown Abbey fix (myself included). I really enjoyed about 95% of the book; however, I really disliked the lack of a good ending. Even with the short epilogue it still left too many things unanswered. I understand this is a planned trilogy but there could have been so much more at the end. Without giving away too many spoilers I’ll just say that the choice one of the sisters makes at the end made no sense to me. It just came out of nowhere and I don’t believe it was true to the character. (In my opinion)

Of course I will get the 2nd and 3rd books in this series because the story was so incomplete. It’s a shame that publishers/authors have to drag out stories just to make a few extra bucks.

Complaints aside, the narration was excellent!!! Spot on perfect. Overall this was an easy and enjoyable listen at a fantastic price.

4 stars

Poor Narration

I'm seventeen minutes in to the book, but don't know if I can continue. I'm afraid Ms. Coomes' narration is really making it difficult to listen to the book. She is overly dramatic, there are odd pauses and breaths taken, and the voices seem like caricatures of characters, instead of possibly real people.

I'd had this on my Amazon wish list for quite some time, hoping the audio book would become available, and now I'm regretting the use of my credit.

I apologize for not reviewing the contents and the story, but I'm stuck on the poor narration.

Great story

If you could sum up Summerset Abbey in three words, what would they be?

Charming romantic gripping

What was one of the most memorable moments of Summerset Abbey?

When Pru discovered her mother had never married

Any additional comments?

The narrator was really good and made the story so interesting