As You Are

By Sarah M. Eden

A horse breeder by trade, corbin Jonquil is more at home in the stables than in the ballroom of his sprawling estate. Corbin is the quietest of the Jonquil brothers and has always faded into the background, contentedly unnoticed. When a mysterious young widow, Mrs. Clara Bentford, moves into the neighborhood, however, Corbin quickly comes to realize that being noticed has its advantages. But how to catch the eye of the lady? According to his brothers, Corbin need only make a few simple changes to transform himself into the object of any woman’s desire—dubious advice, indeed. Following a series of misadventures, Corbin and Clara slowly lower the facades behind which they’ve been hiding, leaving Corbin shocked by the horrors that haunt the woman he’s coming to care for so ardently. When the menace of Clara’s past threatens to tear them apart and tensions mount, will the couple have the courage to fight for the promise of forever?

I have now read a fair few of Sarah Eden’s books, all of which are proper romances set in the regency era. This, however, has been my favorite. I think it is because anyone who feels introverted and shy will immediately connect with our main character Corbin Jonquil, a man who while being shy and unassuming, is also warm, gentle and unfailingly kind and loyal. Okay, maybe I was a little in love with Corbin too—and isn’t that what makes for the best romances? Clara was a fun character and love interest for Corbin, because she is humble but strong and feminine. She is very motherly and I think that is part of why Corbin starts to fall for her. I liked that this one was about second chances as much as first love. It was also hilarious in the fact that Corbin just didn’t know how to get Clara to notice him because he’s spent most of his life trying to blend into the background. His brothers don’t help matters and give him the worst advice! I just loved the goodness and gentleness of their love story and I highly recommend this story for those who enjoy regency romances. This is a part of the Jonquil brothers series, but can be read as a stand-alone.

I give it a 4 out of 5