Publication Date: August 1, 2023
She’s forbidden to wed a nobody. He’s nothing in society’s eyes. Will their desperate schemes backfire before they find a way to be together?
Northanger Abbey. Eleanor Tilney can’t bear her lonely life any longer. Distraught when her tyrannical father throws her friend out of the house because the girl lacks an inheritance, the long-suffering general’s daughter decides anything is better than a future all alone. So in a frantic bid for freedom, she puts aside her tender feelings for a man of no standing to pursue a wealthy husband.
Philip Brampton understands that fortune is against him. And he tries gallantly to bury his distress and support his lonely beloved, even after she starts pursuing an arrogant buffoon. But when he catches the fellow about to kiss her, their resulting harsh words cause a heartbreaking rift.
Stiffening her spine in a world that refuses to acknowledge her value, Eleanor attempts to navigate the impossible situation without quashing her desires. And though his shy nature abhors a scene, Philip braces himself for a confrontation with her cruel and abusive patriarch. Do these childhood sweethearts have any hope of achieving lasting happiness?
If you’ve ever wondered how Eleanor Tilney’s happily ever after came to be, Loving Miss Tilney by Heather Moll provides an enjoyable rendition of a love story where Eleanor happily marries and gains a home away from her overbearing father.
In the vein of Jane Austen, Loving Miss Tilney draws the reader deep into the Regency Era and the serious restrictions placed on women, which limit their options, often ruining their chances of happiness.
General Tilney has ordered Catherine Morland from Northanger Abbey, demanding she leave immediately. Eleanor is devastated not only by being forced to send a dear friend away but subsequently by the loss of her brother, Henry, who, in defiance of his father, leaves Northanger, never to be welcomed home again if he continues his pursuit of an engagement with Ms. Morland. In the hastily arranged trip used as an excuse for leaving Northanger abruptly, General Tilney and Eleanor visit Welland Hall, the home of longtime friends Lord and Lady Longtown and their daughter, Alice.
As the Tilneys are visiting, others are invited to Welland to make a house party of it. Among those invited are Lord Vaughan of Belleville Hall and his cousin, Philip Brampton. Philip and Eleanor have shared a romantic attachment for several years but know marriage is impossible, with Philip having no title and a small annual income.
Eleanor can no longer face living under the dictatorship of her father, and even though she loves Philip, she turns her attention reluctantly to Sir Charles Sudbury, a vulgar cur but who has the fortune and title that will satisfy her father.
Philip is understandably dismayed and unable to watch the one he’d hoped to marry throw herself at someone so obviously unfit. Eleanor succeeds in gaining a proposal from Lord Sudbury, but her heart is torn between gaining freedom from her domineering father or losing everything and admitting her love for Philip. Will she be true to herself, or will the desire to be free win out? One way or the other… she must choose.
Loving Miss Tilney is a gently told story familiarly entrenched in the vein of Regency romances. For those who know the plot of Northanger Abby, you may think the plot is a foregone conclusion, but Heather Moll drops some intriguing surprises along the way, which will keep you guessing. While Eleanor’s complaints about her father become tedious and repetitive, the overall love story is heartfelt and carries forward the original feel of Jane Austen’s Northanger Abby.
Loving Miss Tilney is a love story that beckons the reader with its resilience of hope, the steadfastness of true love, and belief in what one ultimately holds most dear.
Heather Moll writes romantic variations of Jane Austen’s classic novels. She is an avid reader of mysteries and biographies with a masters in information science. She found Jane Austen later than she should have and made up for lost time by devouring her letters and unpublished works, joining JASNA, and spending too much time researching the Regency era. She is the author of An Appearance of Goodness, An Affectionate Heart, Nine Ladies, and Loving Miss Tilney. She lives with her husband and son, and struggles to balance all the important things, like whether to buy groceries or stay home and write.
