The Stats:
Find the book on: Amazon and Goodreads
Pages: 378
Publisher: Bethany House 
Release Date: May 4, 2021
Title: The Nature of a Lady
Author: Roseanna M. White
Fiction

Why I Choose this Book

I chose this book because Roseanna M. White is one of my favorite authors. Her books whisk me straight into whatever world she’s created and hold me captive until the very last page. 

My mom is currently reading her Shadows Over London series, and I can’t wait to give her the Codebreakers trilogy when she’s done. And speaking of those books, if y’all haven’t read them you should request them from your library ASAP – they’re the best. 

What I Thought about the Book

When I read a book there are several things that I subconsciously check for: 

-Characters

-Setting

-Plot

-Believability

-Questionable content 

Characters

My favorite relationship in the entire book was between the main character Libby and her maid, Mabena. It was incredibly sweet, sometimes sad, and made me tear up more than once. There were points that I wished it could have been front-in-center more, and a couple of times where I didn’t feel like enough time was spent focusing on what they were going through, but that’s how life is in general. 

There were many other beautiful, intriguing, and sometimes confusing relationships in the book, all of which made the story feel like it was coming alive. The grandma was also incredibly precious and I just wanted to hug her. 

Setting

The book takes place on the Isles of Scilly, which I’ve discovered I know very little about, and now I really want to research them – or even visit someday. The author did a fabulous job of making them pop in vivid imagery through her beautiful writing. The culture of the islands captured me with scenes of village life, generational feuds, rowboat races, and hot tea on cold mornings. It was delightful. 

Plot

The fact that the author originally thought of the book idea because she has so many readers named Elizabeth and realized that so many people with the same name could be confusing is delightful. 

This story is more character-focused than plot-driven (which is how I like it), but there is a solid plot for the book. It’s just not incredibly fast-paced. While meandering at times, the story kept my focus the entire time and I read it in one day. I didn’t want to put down the story – plot or characters. 

Believability

There were a few things that I raised my eyebrows about, feeling like they were a bit of a stretch, but I generally do that a lot while reading. I thought it was highly unlikely that Libby and her maid would have been allowed to go off to the island by themselves, but I chose to ignore that so I could enjoy the story. 

Questionable Content

I don’t recall anything. There are a few kisses and a bit of violence, but none of it was too detailed. 

Conclusion 

I can’t wait until the next book in the series comes out because this world and these characters are ones I want to be a part of again. This was one of my favorite reads of 2021 for sure. 

Rating 

I’m giving The Nature of a Lady 4.5 out of 5 stars. Thank you to the author for sending me a copy of the book so I could post this review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.