My Bookshelf: An Inconvenient Beauty by Kristi Ann Hunter

Griffith, Duke of Riverton, likes order, logic, and control, so he naturally applies this rational approach to his search for a bride. While he’s certain Miss Frederica St. Claire is the perfect wife for him, she is strangely elusive, and he can’t seem to stop running into her stunningly beautiful cousin, Miss Isabella Breckenridge.

Isabella should be enjoying her society debut, but with her family in difficult circumstances, she has no choice but to agree to a bargain that puts her at odds with all her romantic hopes—as well as her conscience. And the more she comes to know Griffith, the more she regrets the unpleasant obligation that prevents her from any dream of a future with him.

As all Griffith’s and Isabella’s long-held expectations are shaken to the core, can they set aside their pride and fear long enough to claim a happily-ever-after?

 

An Inconvenient Beauty is the fourth book in Kristi Ann Hunter’s Hawthorne House series, coming after A Noble Masquerade, An Elegant Façade, and An Uncommon Courtship. Ever since I first found A Lady of Esteem—the e-book prequel to this series—as an option for preorder on Kindle, I was intrigued by this series, though at the time I had never even heard of Kristi Ann Hunter before. I absolutely love historical fiction, so I knew that this would be a series I would enjoy, and boy was I right. While the prequel was absolutely amazing—I think I read the entire thing waiting on it to be my turn at the hair salon—it only gave me a taste of what this series would hold. I have absolutely devoured every book by Kristi that I have gotten my hands on, including this one. Although I do still think that An Uncommon Courtship is my absolute favorite, An Inconvenient Beauty just might come in a very close second.

Griffith and Isabella’s story is so different from any other story I have ever read. While I have encountered characters who have a certain picture of what they want in a future spouse—and are fairly often wrong about what they actually need—I haven’t read of any quite as particular as Griffith. Or quite as stubborn. And those stories definitely didn’t feature someone quite like Isabella Breckenridge. Isabella and her bargain add such a twist to this story, and the way that Griffith reacts to her and his attraction to her—both at the beginning when he first realized it and towards the end—were both hilarious and endearing.

I have to say, even though I knew a little bit about the plotline before I began reading this novel, I had no idea Isabella’s “bargain” would be quite what it was, or that everything would play out quite the way it did. There were more than a few unexpected twists and turns that I never saw coming, and Griffith, Isabella, and Frederica’s adventures captivated me through the very end of the story. I have to say, I think that this novel was the perfect conclusion to the Hawthorne House series, although I hate that I won’t be able to read any more about their family’s adventures.

All in all, I highly recommend this novel, though I definitely recommend reading the rest of the series first. The entire series is absolutely wonderful, so I suggest reading them all. I can also happily give An Inconvenient Beauty all five bookshelves, and a place on my all-time favorites list. I am so very, very glad that I have this book on my bookshelf, and the other three books in this series, and I am really looking forward to reading more by Kristi in the future!

Happy reading!

To see where I’m linking up, check out my Where I Party page.

All credit for the italicized synopsis goes to Kristi Ann Hunter and Bethany House Publishers.