An Affair Downstairs

December 1, 2014
Browning’s second Edwardian historical (after Thornbrook Park) further fleshes out the passions and drama at an English manor in 1907. Lady Alice Emerson, younger sister of Thornbrook Park’s mistress, Lady Averford, has no intention of marrying, despite societal expectations and family pressure. However, she still wants to experience love and pleasure. To that end, she has her sights set on the rugged estate manager, Logan Winthrop, a brooding loner with a dark past. Logan has likewise fallen for the impetuous, independent Alice, but he knows they can never give in to their desires. As Lady Averford finds her sister one unsuitable marriage prospect after another, Alice and Logan are inevitably forced to choose between love and propriety. Browning skillfully plays her characters off one another in a slow, charming manner, developing the relationship in a gentle fashion that doesn’t disguise the simmering fire. The shifting morals and social rules of the time provide the perfect impetus for Alice’s evolution and the story’s resolution. Agent: Stephany Evens, FinePrint Literary Management.

Starred review from January 1, 2015
Set in the Edwardian era, the second installment in Browning's Thornbrook Park series (Thornbrook Park, 2014) is an easy and fun read. Lady Alice Emerson is not entirely happy spending the season with her sister, Lady Sophia, who is trying hard to fulfill a promise to their mother to arrange a suitable marriage for Alice. Unfortunately, Alice is equally determined to turn down any suitors. She has decided that she only wants a dalliance with Logan Winthrop, the estate manager with a scandalous history. Logan only wants to do his job and keep his past behind him. Nonetheless, the attraction between Logan and Alice is intense, if fraught with tension. Alice manages to get herself into all manner of trouble, even somehow becoming engaged to a scheming suitor. But true love prevails, and Alice gets both passionate love and the independence she craves. Fans of Browning's winning series will be glad to see Lady Eve and Captain Marcus again as well as aura-reading Aunt Agatha. Recommend to readers of Mary Balogh and Jane Feather.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)