Book Review: A Flight Of Fancy by Laurie Alice Eakes

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A Flight of Fancy by Laurie Alice Eakes

Book Review

Synopsis from GoodReads:

Cassandra Bainbridge has twice set aside her scholarly pursuits–once for the London Season and once for her wedding preparations. Love seems a wonderful alternative to study, until disaster strikes. When an accident brings an end to her betrothal, she heads for the country to recover from both her injuries and her broken heart. There she pursues her love for ballooning and envisions a future for herself as a daring aeronaut. But when her former fiancé slips back into her life, will she have to choose between him and her dream?

My review:

I really enjoyed this book. I was intrigued to learn about ballooning during the regency period which, I must admit, until this book, had not thought much about. It added a nice dimension to the love story because it was not something that I know much about. The logistics of the ballooning itself, as well as how a woman would be involved considering societies rules and fashion during that time, certainly kept my interest. And, of course, there was the love story of Cassandra and Geoffrey. I really liked that they were struggling with intimacy issues prior to marriage, which is also something that is not referred to very often in regencies where the characters are professing Christians. It made them both more human to me.

This is the second book in The Daughters of Bainbridge series. This book is a standalone book. I was introduced to this couple in the first book and I wasn’t sure I would like them, but getting to know them in this book, I can tell you that I really enjoyed them, particularly Geoffrey. I liked this book better than the first one.

What I enjoyed most about this book:

Geoffrey (Lord Whittaker) was such a great hero. The love he expressed for his family and Cassandra, his battle to do what was right while he struggled with his own desires, his struggle with his faith… There was so much to love about him.

What I liked about this book:

I went back and forth on my feelings about Cassandra. There were times when I absolutely loved her zeal for her passion of ballooning. I admired her intellect and wanted to encourage her to listen to Geoffrey when he told her she was beautiful. I definitely had a lot of compassion for her because of the accident and how she had to deal with it. (No spoilers here, you will just have to read it yourself to find out about it!) But there were those times when I just wanted to shake her a little bit and say “Don’t let this man get away from you – these type of men are hard to come by!”

What I didn’t like about this book:

If there was something that I didn’t like about this story, it was probably Cassandra’s younger sister Honore. But I haven’t read her story yet, which is book three of the series, so I am reserving judgment (remember, I didn’t care for Cassandra and Geoffrey when I met them in the previous book and I came to love them).

My rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Would I recommend this book to others?

You bet! This book had a unique storyline with the ballooning. Ms. Eakes seems to have done quite a bit of research on the subject and it was fascinating to learn about. And it also had a very nice romance, which is the whole reason I read it to begin with. It is a good, clean, interesting regency book.  I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

Where can I learn more about this author and their books?

Laurie Alice Eakes, Author Website

Giveaway

Good books are meant to be passed on and so I am passing along my copy of A Flight of Fancy by Laurie Alice Eakes. It is a gently read copy in very good condition. To enter the giveaway, just fill out the Rafflecopter form below.  For the mandatory blog post comment, you must answer the question from the Rafflecopter form.  Open to readers with USA mailing addresses only.  No purchase necessary.  Void where prohibited by law.  The winner will be notified via email and will have two weeks to respond back to me with their info.  Good Luck and Thank You for stopping by!

The comment question for this giveaway is:  What type of professions or hobbies do you like to read about from the regency period?

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