Cassie Wilton is endlessly frustrated by her family's policy of only allowing one daughter to be out in society at at time until each one is married. Particularly as Cassie's older sister, Lenora, is so shy and anxious in company that Cassie is convinced they'll both be condemned to ending up as old maids. However, when Lenora has a chance encounter with Evan Glenside, the recent heir to the Glenside estate, Cassie takes it upon herself to further their relationship by writing letters to Evan as Lenora. However, what Cassie doesn't count on is finding in Evan the only man with whom she could ever picture herself. In the wake of Cassie's letters, can she ever straighten up the mess she's made for Lenora, Evan, and herself?

A case of cute premise but middling to poor execution. As a Christian romance, I felt like the character growth and the lesson Cassie supposedly learned over the course of the novel was pretty muddled. And both of her parents are characterized kind of terribly. They often cross the line of being unkind to Cassie and I found it unbelievable in a vicar and his wife in this genre (although their attitudes are admittedly more period accurate). I also felt like the obstacle between Cassie and Evan arrived far too early and was dragged on too long. Not recommended. ( )

There are some novels that you should, by all rights, enjoy. They have all sorts of elements that usually guarantee your gushing enthusiasm. But somehow, in practice, they end up not working for you at all. Unfortunately Josi Kilpack's The Vicar's Daughter was one of these for me. A historical romance with more than a hint of a Cyrano de Bergerac story line, this should have been right up my alley.




Twenty year old Cassie Wilton is the youngest of six sisters. Her father, the vicar of the title, and mother can only afford for one daughter to be out in society at a time but Lenora, the sister just older than Cassie, is so shy and uncomfortable in social situations that she's not likely to get married any time soon. And Cassie, who has her eye on a young local man and feeling as if her own chances of marriage dwindle as time goes by, doesn't want to wait her turn. When Lenora comes home from a ball with a handkerchief she was lent during an allergy attack and tells Cassie about the kindness of Evan, the owner of the handkerchief and a former clerk new to town who has been named as his wealthy great-uncle's heir, Cassie hatches a plan to bring Lenora and Evan together. She writes letters to Evan in Lenora's name, eventually falling for him herself, even as he's falling for the Lenora he believes is the author of the letters. All of a sudden it looks like Cassie's meddling is going to lead to unhappiness and heartbreak for all three people involved.




This should have guaranteed I like the book but I didn't like Cassie much nor did I like her selfishly milquetoast sister. That her parents catered to her sister without regard to Cassie's feelings in any way was incredibly frustrating, even if Cassie was annoying. That Evan was unfamiliar with the social rules of those who were once firmly his superiors is believable but that those he consulted gave him such poor advice (perhaps understandable from his rival for Cassie's affection but inexcusable from his uncle) was crazy-making. Quite frankly, he didn't have much of a presence in the book at all despite being the ostensible hero. More fleshed out than Evan's character, the female characters were not consistent in their actions. Cassie docile and abashed all of a sudden and Lenora inexplicably finding a backbone only when it suited to move the plot away from an untenable situation just didn't ring true. There were dolloping heaps of sanctimony and moralizing to go around and the actual romance felt thin and unsubstantiated. Those who want a story about self-sacrifice and forgiveness might find what they're looking for in this clean romance, I guess I prefer more romance in my romances (and no, I don't mean that as a euphemism for something else). ( )

Cassie is the youngest of six daughters, and her parents have a strict rule that only one of their daughters may be out in society at a time. This worked fine for Cassie's four eldest sisters, all of whom are now married, but Cassie is tired of waiting for her shy and anxious sister Lenora, now in her third Season, to find a husband. When Lenora meets a man at a ball, Cassie starts to hope that her wait may soon be over -- but Lenora is too shy to pursue the connection. Cassie decides to take matters into her own hands: posing as Lenora, she writes a letter to the mysterious gentleman. As their correspondence continues, Cassie frequently must remind herself that she is courting the fellow for Leonora, as she is in danger of falling in love with him herself.

I picked up this inspirational romance because of the Cyrano de Bergerac connection, though fortunately this doesn't try to be a retelling, exactly -- it is its own story. Like many Regency romances, this one is not 100% true to the period, as many characters' actions and opinions are a bit more modern, but if you're not a stickler for that sort of detail and you enjoy clean historical romance, this is a sweet one that's worth the read. ( )

Cassie Wilton is the youngest of six daughters, twenty years old, and desperate to make her debut into society. Unfortunately, her father (the Vicar, obviously) only permits one of his daughters to be “out” at a time. The system has worked well until Lenora, the second-youngest daughter, who suffers from paralyzing shyness and social anxiety. With the arrival of Evan Glenside, former London clerk now raised to the status of heir to a considerable country estate, Cassie sees a way to help her sister and herself. Cassie decides to begin writing letters to Mr. Glenside, posing as Lenora, in order to strike up a romance between the two introverts. Unfortunately for Cassie, it is not long before the correspondence sparks strong feelings within herself. Cassie must choose between following her heart and being a good sister.

Well, I’m not usually a romance person, but the historical setting, and the flavors of Taming of the Shrew and Cyrano de Bergerac proved too tempting to ignore. I enjoyed the book up to a point; the characters are well written, the plot nicely paced, and the setting does well with historical accuracy. However, the overall tone of the book is a tad preachy, and I feel like the author does a bit of moralizing on the headstrong nature of Cassie Wilton.

It wasn’t until after I finished the book that I realized I had read another book by the author, A Heart Revealed, and that I’d had similar reservations about that book as well (the review was pre-blog, but you can see my Goodreads review here).

In addition, as the Vicar’s Daughter went on, it became very hard to cheer for anyone. Do I root for the shy, kind, overlooked Lenora to get the man? Or should well-meaning protagonist Cassie come out on top? Should no one get the guy? With a romance novel like this, a happy ending is virtually assured, but it was hard to decide exactly what that happy ending should be.

In all, I feel like my hang-ups about the book boil down to it simply being not the best fit for me. As I said above, the book is well-written, with great dialogue and nicely-researched historical details. A lover of historical romance (or romances in general) will probably enjoy this book. It just wasn’t for me.

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. ( )

The only books that I have read by this author were the cozy mysteries. Which, I have enjoyed. Yet, it has been a long time since I have read anything from this author. I decided to try this author again. After finishing this book, I enjoyed this book in the author's Proper Romance line. I look forward to checking out more books in this line.

There was such an ease concerning this book from the characters to the storyline. Instantly, I shared a connection with everyone. I felt for Cassie as she struggled to find herself from being hidden in her sister's shadow in society to finding love. Although, there is nothing about Cassie that really points to her being a wallflower. That honor was reserved for Lenora. She was very quiet. Lenora and Cassie were like day and night. Yet, I am glad when Lenora had her moment when she stood up for herself. Finally, there is Evan. Evan was the perfect gentleman. I felt the struggle involving him and the two sisters. The Vicar's Daughter is a wonderful read with everlasting characters and a strong storyline. ( )