The Jewel of Gresham Green by Lawana Blackwell

Knowing my fondness for historical novels and for England, a friend recommended the Gresham Chronicles to me. Titles include The Widow of Larkspur Inn, The Courtship of the Vicar’s Daughter, The Dowry of Miss Lydia Clark, and now The Jewel of Gresham Green (which appears to be the only one available at PPL as of this writing).

Technically, I was a little disappointed in the way the stories portray Victorian England (at least, I think it is supposed to be Victorian). The author obviously did a lot of research, but 21st Century American viewpoints have a way of slipping in anyway (typical of this kind of novel). But, forgetting the technicalities, I found I enjoyed them all immensely as a fun and entertaining read. The people are almost all likeable, though not impossibly perfect—and the author loves to invent characters with amusing quirks. The plots and sub-plots are interesting, but not overly agonizing. Although not all of the characters are sweet and innocent types, the content is "family friendly." And the “bad guys” almost all either ultimately reform, or get their come-uppance. So what if they’re not entirely realistic? That’s the fun of fiction!