Book Blurb:
Rebecca Turner traveled to Bath on the faint hope of finding a cure for her ailing mother—but with very little money to pay for it.
Dr. Jared Cooper was unsure he could ever love again until he laid eyes on Rebecca’s cousin—the incomparable Miss Alicia. He’s smitten, but she’s in mourning and thus unavailable for a time. Fortunately, her cousin Rebecca can help.
Finding themselves each in need of something that the other person can procure, Rebecca and Jared strike a bargain: he agrees to tend to her ailing mother at no charge on the condition that Rebecca discreetly passes his letters to her mourning cousin. She can ill afford to lose Dr. Cooper’s help, so when Alicia refuses to write back to the doctor, Rebecca takes matters into her own hands.
But what can Rebecca do when she finds herself falling in love with the man behind the letters, and he doesn’t know it’s her?
Sons of Somerset: A Clean Regency Romance Series
Can five working class men find love on the job?This is the fourth book in the clean and sweet Regency romance Sons of Somerset series. Although this working class romance is a stand-alone novel, the books are best enjoyed when read in order.
Book 1: Carving for Miss Coventry by Deborah M. Hathaway
Book 2: The Stable Master’s Son by Mindy Burbidge Strunk
Book 3: In Pursuit of the Painter by Ashtyn Newbold
Book 4: An Agreeable Alliance by Kasey Stockton
Book 5: The Highwayman’s Letter by Martha Keyes
Renae’s Review:
Is there anything sweeter than a clean, Regency-era romance novel? Personally, I think books like An Agreeable Alliance are just what the doctor ordered for a cozy evening in! The story centers on Rebecca Turner and Jared Cooper. When they meet, Rebecca is interested in Mr. Cooper purely because he is a doctor and her mother is in desperate need of medical attention, for which they cannot pay in the traditional way. Mr. Cooper is only interested in Rebecca for her connection to her beautiful cousin, with whom he is enamored. Soon, the two settle upon an “agreeable alliance”, in which Mr. Cooper provides medical treatment to Rebecca’s mother, in return for Rebecca’s aid in passing letters between her cousin and Mr. Cooper. Unfortunately, Rebecca’s cousin doesn’t like corresponding! But Rebecca is determined to help her mama receive treatment, so she writes Mr. Cooper on her cousin’s behalf. What could go wrong with that arrangement? Pick up a copy of An Agreeable Alliance to find out!
“Someday, she hoped a man would smile at her like that, and that it would have nothing to do with her cousin.”
Kasey Stockton has done it again! She created a cast of loveable characters, with just the right amount of growth throughout the story. Rebecca starts off as a selfless, meek girl who lives in her cousin’s shadow, but by the end of the story she gains the confidence she needs to speak her mind (though, thankfully, she keeps her selflessness!). Jared is absolutely dashing and positively full of humility. His backstory was one I couldn’t wait to uncover, and when I learned of it, my heart went out to him. He is a gem of a human, and while I was frustrated with his behavior for a couple of chapters (don’t worry, his behavior makes sense in the story!), I ultimately couldn’t help cheering for him and loving him from the start. Seeing him learn to forgive himself and others in the story was so heart-warming.
“‘None of us can change the past, but we can use our faults to grow from and to better ourselves. You needn’t pay penance for the rest of your life, either.'”
The side characters are also lovely, though I would’ve liked more expansion on what makes Henry so disagreeable to Rebecca in the beginning. It becomes apparent as the story progresses, but Rebecca has no way of truly knowing his character when first they meet, so I would’ve liked for Rebecca to have had more substance on which to base her opinion.
“‘Sometimes the emotions of the hear take time to catch up to the logic of the mind. You can know something is right, but that does not make your contradicting feelings any less real.'”
Overall, I give this story 4.5 out of 5 stars, which I’ll round up. The reason for docking half a point was because I felt that the story was a bit repetitive in some instances, almost as if it was written out of order and the author forgot she had already made a particular point clear elsewhere in the story. While I did greatly enjoy this story, it didn’t capture me quite the way Journey to Bongary Spring did. That being said, I really loved that Kasey included a brief mention of God in this book, the lack of which was literally my only complaint about Journey to Bongary Spring. Despite these small criticisms, An Agreeable Alliance is still a wonderful read and whenever the Regency romance bug hits again, I’ll know just which doctor to visit!
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