Quick Sips: Counting on Love
Georgiana is a duke’s daughter and expected to receive the attention of society’s most sought-after men. However, after turning down sixteen marriage proposals in her first season, she becomes unsure of the courtship process. She wants a love marriage, like her parents. She worries she will not find the spark with someone, especially as she must keep her remarkable mathematical talents and passions hidden.
Reginald is the third son of an earl, so naturally, he is expected to go into the church. However, he would much rather be a scholar. Regi studies classics and is eager to continue his translations of a Greek text. Instead, his eldest brother has charged him with sorting out their dying father’s ill-kept and suspiciously inaccurate ledgers.
Jasper is the eldest brother and heir to the earldom. With his father approaching death, he feels an acute pressure to find the perfect Duchess. With his mistress still on his mind, he discovers Georgiana to check all the boxes. He invites her and her family to stay in their country home to explore the possibility of an engagement.
Georgiana lets her mathematical interests slip in front of Reginald. In over his head, he asks for her help to decipher the ledgers. Feelings between the two grow and she uncovers family secrets. How can reveal her feelings for Regi and the secrets she finds in the accounts while not tearing apart the family she has come to adore?
A Family Snapshot
While this book has a lot of favorite Regency events, such as balls, parlor games, and tea time, it has an overall different feel others I have read. The plot does not merely tell the story of a romance. Instead, the reader is transported into a particular moment of a family’s life story. The earl’s death is the catalyst of the changes in the relationships and responsibilities for the Taverston children. It’s the beginning of a new chapter for their family.
Therefore, Counting on Love includes several scenes that do not directly relate to the romance of Reginald and Georgiana. Rather, they are essential to understanding who the Taverstons are. Reginald’s first POV is memorable, as he visits his mistress and is promptly dumped. His reaction is mild and he harbors little feelings over this. It does not interfere with his romance with Regina, however, we discover his role as the level-headed, less-emotional brother.
The way the setting is described with so much detail allows it to be a very cozy read. For most of the book, the plot was not rushed. Each room of the Chaumbers, the oddly designed earl’s country estate, is illustrated through words to the readers. It made me feel like I was also a house guest enjoying the planned entertainment.
Slow Burn
Since Georgiana is at Chaumbers to be courted by Jasper, she and Reginald push down their bubbling chemistry. This makes for a slow burn with few outwards expressions of desire for most of the novel. I wished for more scenes of those simmering feelings between the two protagonists to help me understand Georgiana’s switch from I could love this man to I do love this man. The finger stroke moment was perfect and swoonworthy. Give me more of that!
When the romance did heat up at the very end, I found it a bit abrupt. While Reginald had a mistress, Georgiana is a virgin. They didn’t strike me as characters who would become consumed with their physical desires so rapidly. I think the book may have made more sense as a closed-door romance, since Georgiana and Reginald have more of an intellectual love.
A Love Triangle without the Ick
As I’ve mentioned in other reviews, I hate a love triangle. Thankfully, this one doesn’t upset my sensibilities. While the love triangle makes up a big part of the plot, creating a forbidden love between the MCs, no one is left broken hearted. Jasper is clearly not over his mistress and is pursuing Georgiana for practical purposes.
Reginald’s jealousy is justified, as it is not fun to watch your brother court your crush. Yet, Jasper and Georgiana’s relationship is too tepid to stir up real angst. The situation allows for some good proximity, longing glances, and blossoming friendships between several characters.
More to the Story
Coventry’s descriptive and relaxed storytelling has me invested in the Taverston family. I want to know more about their pasts and see where they end up in the future. The middle brother, Crispin, definitely has some intriguing secrets. The second book, Holding onto Love, tells Jasper’s story, followed by Oliva’s in the upcoming third book, Waiting for Love. I can only assume Cripsin’s story will be told in the final book.
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