My Bookshelf: The Headmistress of Rosemere by Sarah E. Ladd

Patience Creighton has devoted her life to running her father’s boarding school. But when the enigmatic master of the estate appears at her door, battered and unconscious, the young headmistress suddenly finds her livelihood—and her heart—in the hands of one dangerously handsome gentleman.

         At twenty-five, Patience Creighton is already a spinster. The busy headmistress of Rosemere always expected a dashing man to sweep her off her feet and take her away…but that man never came. And since her father’s death, keeping the school running and her mother happy has been plenty to keep her occupied.

         William Sterling dallied his way into financial trouble and mortal danger. When he is assaulted by his creditors’ henchmen on the road home from a tavern, he guides his horse to the doorstep of his tenant, the Rosemere School for Young Ladies. After being tended to by Patience, the wounded William rides off into the dawn—but makes a point to learn more about the lovely headmistress.

         As he spends more time at Rosemere, something delicate begins to develop between William and Patience. But that will not deter William’s creditors. With little money to repay his debts, and less for the upkeep of his estate, it becomes clear that sacrificing Rosemere may be the only way to preserve his legacy. But it may also cost him his happiness.

         The Headmistress of Rosemere was the first book I ever read by Sarah E. Ladd, but I was very glad I did. For my last birthday I took a trip to the LifeWay store in my area and let myself pick out as many books as I could for a certain amount of money, so I naturally hit the bargain shelves first so I could get the most novels possible. That is where I found this gem. I hadn’t heard of Sarah before, but the cover immediately caught my attention, as did the description, so I thought I’d give it a try. Since I am such a huge fan of regencies, that wasn’t really a huge leap of faith, but it was to a certain degree as I wasn’t really sure what I was getting when I bought that book. But, I just couldn’t see myself putting it back on the shelf, so I bought it—along with seven other books—and ended up reading it first out of all the other books I got that day. Sarah has been one of my favorite authors ever since.

        This story draws you in from the very first page, and then proceeds to take you places you never thought you would go. It is completely unpredictable, in the very best of ways. It surprises you, challenges you, and touches you in ways that are impossible to forget. And the scenes between Patience and William just about knock your socks off. Every one of them is incredible—their connection is immediately palpable—and you cannot help but find yourself anxiously awaiting the next time they are together. Their connection made this one of my all-time favorite romances, and gave me some unrealistic expectations for when I finally have my own.

        On top of this, the characters were so easy to fall in love with. Despite the mistakes he has made along the way, I immediately fell for William, and found myself cheering for him from the very beginning. So you can imagine how proud I was of him as he changed for the better throughout the novel. It just made me love him even more. Patience was no exception. From the very first page she was someone to be admired; her strength and determination made me long to learn from her. Never whiny or annoying, she was a heroine that was easy to love, and I found myself championing her cause as well as the story went on.

        So, as you can see, I cannot help giving this novel all five bookshelves for being absolutely wonderful and a book I will never regret purchasing. Not only that, but it gave me another author to follow whose books I always fall in love with. Sarah is an extremely talented author, who I am proud to have on my favorite authors list, and whose books somehow always manage to make it into my favorite books of all time category. Needless to say, I absolutely love and recommend this novel, and am looking forward to anything Sarah writes in the future.

        Happy reading!

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All credit for the italicized synopsis goes to Sarah E. Ladd and Thomas Nelson.