A sweet story with a neat, tidy, happy ending

'Sophie' is a sweet Regency romance with an insatiable wanderlust and a jovial cast of characters who are all, in their own ways, searching for their happily ever after.

As I had hoped when I listened to Hambly's previous book in the Bachelor Brides series, Rosalind, this outing is the turn of Sir Philip Bray, longstanding friend of the Atherton family and one of the characters I liked most from that novel. Joining him is the titular heroine, Lady Sophie Lewisham, a very young widow who is adjusting to a life that now includes freedoms that most women her age could not imagine. Though this is a standalone novel, I think it works best if you have first listened to Rosalind, for it references characters and events from that novel which, though not exactly spoilers, would be enjoyed more in context.

Sophie is nicely written, and is far more polished than Rosalind, but is still a little clumsy in places. Overall the Regency colloquialisms are not as heavy-handed this time around, which was my main gripe with the first book, so they feel less gimmicky.

Hambly's love of detail is far better served when describing Sophie's first glimpse of the Jura, and Lake Geneva. Her awed wonder and the vivid descriptions here do well to convey both her marvel and the beautiful landscape that provokes it. This, and the development of many of the characters, helps Sophie feel more accomplished than Rosalind, and I preferred it of the two. Though many characters fit the same mould as in Rosalind, such as a redoubtable dowager who immediately softens to the heroine, and a Godly lady's maid/companion who quotes bible verse. In many ways I think this series would be better labelled as Christian romance, given its reliance on biblical teachings.

More sensitively handled were the heartbreaking descriptions of the dead and wounded on the battlefield, told in nightmarish flashbacks and devastating conversations between the former military men. I hope Harry gets a story soon, too. He brought much-needed levity to this book, and the early morning ride about the park was very good fun.

The narrator, Helen Taylor, has a pleasant voice and infuses the characters with personality, bringing each to life very nicely. Her narration was a little stilted now and then, with a few odd pauses, but these are easily eclipsed by the well-paced and lively passages.

I would certainly recommend this audiobook to everyone who enjoyed Rosalind, and lovers of sweet Regency romance in general, who like everyone to find their happily ever after.

*I received this audiobook free of charge in the hope of an honest, unbiased review.

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