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Hearts of Briarwall

Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

London and the countryside of Albury, England, 1906.

Lydia Wooding can hardly keep up with all the inventions the new century has brought. She's particularly fond of the petrol motor car, a luxury that fuels her longing for independence. Her older brother and guardian, Andrew, however, refuses her frequent requests to learn to drive. He's been extra protective of Lydia after their parents were killed in a motor car accident, and he'd prefer his sister focus her attention on finding a suitable husband.

Lydia and her three best friends anticipate they'll all get married someday, and they certainly enjoy the attention they receive from their coterie of suitors. But settling down is hardly a priority for any of them when there is so much life to experience. Inspired by the play Peter Pan, which they all saw on the London stage, and its promise of everlasting fun and adventure, the young women vow to seize the day and pursue all that life has to offer, including engaging in meaningful causes like the upcoming, and controversial, women's suffrage march.

Spencer Hayes is a man of practicality, purpose, and innovation, but he lacks the financial backing to make his dreams a reality. When he contacts his childhood friend, Andrew Wooding, about a promising business venture, he is happy to be invited to Briarwall Estate to discuss the terms. Once there, he is surprised to find that Andrew's shy, younger sister, Lydia, has grown into a young woman of beauty, wit, and a bit of fire. Even better, the two share a passion for motor cars.

Torn between his dream for the future and pursuing a relationship with a passionate, free-spirited woman intent on creating her own future, Spencer must figure out how to protect his head and his heart from Lydia who is determined to live life to the fullest—and change the world in the process.

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    • Publisher's Weekly

      June 13, 2022
      Jensen’s satisfying Edwardian debut pairs a suffragette and an entrepreneur. Rebellious women’s rights advocate Lydia Wooding’s parents died in a motorcar accident, which means that convincing her brother, Andrew, to teach her to drive will be no easy feat, especially since he still thinks of her as a child. Andrew is similarly uninterested when his dashing friend Spencer Hayes asks him to invest in Spencer’s auto parts shop—but Lydia jumps at the chance, putting a large chunk of her inheritance into the business. She’s hopeful that Andrew will come to see the wisdom in her ways—but when the secret of Spencer’s late father’s involvement in a scam is revealed, it threatens Spencer’s success and makes Lydia question her judgment, both of her own ability and her assessment of Spencer, whom she’s grown to think of as more than a friend. The romance itself is a bit bland, but Lydia’s bubbly, forward-thinking friends and the unusual backdrop of the early automotive industry breathe life into the story. Readers will be excited to see what Jensen does next.

    • Booklist

      August 1, 2022
      Lydia Wooding is driving Spencer Hayes crazy. Spencer's sole reason for visiting Briarwall Estate is to convince his old school chum Andrew Wooding to invest in Spencer's new business venture involving motor-car parts. However, instead of talking business with Andrew, Spencer finds himself constantly distracted by romantic thoughts of free-spirited, thoroughly modern Lydia Wooding. Lydia already has one man, her overprotective older brother Andrew, telling her what to do. She certainly doesn't need Spencer offering her his "helpful" advice. Instead, what Spencer should be doing is treating Lydia with the same respect he is giving Andrew. Especially since, when it comes to investing in the automobile business, Lydia just may be the one Wooding family member who can actually make Spencer's business dreams come true. From the book's delightfully outspoken heroine, who fully embraces the philosophy of England's latest literary sensation, Peter Pan, to the fascinating tidbits about the fledgling motor car industry that underpin the plot, everything about Jensen's Edwardian-set, sweet historical romance is handled with dazzling flair and great finesse.

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  • English

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