I read this book within a day, finding it hard to stop and go t9 bed with it unfinished. I really liked the main characters, the various family members, and the details about English politics which were interesting..

I’m cheap. I totally own it. I get my ebooks when they are on sale and will wait forever until the next one in a series goes on sale. Until now. As I read Book 2, Philippa Holds Court, I remembered the characters from book one and how I loved them. I equally loved Philippa’s story and decided I had to purchase the next book regardless of the price. I know it will be worth it. Just as a certain man came to the verdict that Phillipa was worth all he had.

This is an entertaining romance with the politics of the repeal of the corn laws as background. The characters are engaging, especially Phillipa and Jack.

Great Story - Philippe is an intelligent young woman, interested & knowledgeable about what is happening around her.. Great Storyline - Goes beyond finding a husband for a young woman. Great Storytelling .. liked the idea of a Bill of interest being discussed & argued & voted on. Great Read - the book was one of interest & was hard to put down. Ms Gourmet is a fine Author, writes words of worth.

When Philippa visits her brother Lucius and his wife Selena, she is so happy he has an affectionate marriage. Their newborn child is loved and cared for by both of them. In her family, the parents were not involved with each other much nor with their children. Their newborn child has prevented Lucius and Selena from hosting Philippa for the Season as they all had hoped. Living with her arrogant older sister, Maria, and her pompous husband, Charles, has been difficult. They want to arrange a marriage to unite their family with someone in politics. At the point they arrange a marriage without her consent, Philippa leaves and plans to walk to her brother’s house. On the way, Jack comes upon her and offers her a ride. There will be several other crises which serve to convince them romance exists. Both exasperating and endearing events are sprinkled with humor. I look forward to following the family into the next book !!

I enjoyed reading this book and I respect the extra effort that the author took in researching England's Parliament & governing systems, the Corn Laws, and how they related to the social season & society in general. This added interest & depth to the setting, the characters & to the plot of the book. I really appreciate that this author used a different setting & story idea that hasn't been seen very much or overdone in other Regency novels. I applaud any elements of originality in the books I read! I did end up Googling the Corn Laws for myself since it was the setting for this book & I was curious about the subject. What I found out is that greed is rampant no matter what time you live in. To allow tariffs & laws to exist in any country long after they are actually needed & when they are hurting people ... is just reprehensible. The law was originally designed to protect English farmers from inexpensive foreign imports of grain after the Napoleonic wars BUT the increased profits led wealthy landowners (only 3% of the population & with the exclusive right to vote) to want to retain these higher profits long term even though they made corn, barley, wheat & other grains very expensive for the average person to buy and hurt the working class (97% of the population). This lasted from 1815 - 1846!! As long as the wealthy in Parliament were the only ones allowed to vote, things didn't change even though the people's suffering led to riots. In 1832, the right to vote was extended to a sizable portion of the merchant class and this eventually led to a free trade policy & elimination of the Corn laws in 1846. This reminded me in a small way of what happened after the cost of gasoline went up so high this year (Spring & Summer 2022). I wasn't previously aware of how oil prices were managed globally, all the international laws & tariffs involved, or how a war half way across the world from me could affect the price of gas at my own gas pump. And these higher gas prices have affected the prices of everything else that we need to live today. This has been devastating to so many with lower incomes & to my country's economy overall. If the majority of your budget is going towards gas & food, how can you afford to buy much else? The small window from this book into the Corn Laws of the past has forged a link for me ... not much really changes over time except customs, culture, fashion, & technology. Greedy people seeking political power in order to line their own pockets; that never changes.

As a second novel in the series.. this work does not disappoint. Phillipa’s character is defined and as Jack grows to love her spirited ways this author teases you toward their happy union. It’s a pleasure not to be embarrassed by overdone affection and I love that this novelist keeps relationships with her characters within the bounds of propriety. A Clean and chaste romance makes this book a pleasure to read and yet leaves you wanting more plot twists for Jack and Phillipa in their future together.

If you've never read a Jennie Goutet book, I recommend you try one! She has a wonderful talent for writing an enjoyable story that keeps you interested, and the characters she creates are superb. - Clean, sweet romance, no sex or bad language. - Very good storyline with bits of history woven throughout. One of the (many) things I enjoyed in this book was the bits of dry, witty humor! "... Miss Clavering was nothing short of stunning - the kind of face a man could look at without spoiling his breakfast." This was a thought that Jack expressed to himself upon meeting Philippa. In the beginning, he was quite pompous, with a critical examination of females that he was considering to fill the role of his wife. Little did he know that she was beyond stunning and would shake his world - and change him for the better. Philippa is such an awesome character! Strong willed, but still very caring and sensitive to the feelings of others. Their beginning interactions are pretty comical. I appreciate the research the author did on the workings of Parliament, and the inclusion in this story. It made the setting feel more real. I recommend reading the first book in this series, 'A Fall From Grace' before reading this one. The events in the second book follow the first book chronologically, and you will better understand who some of the other characters are who make appearances in this second book too. It will feel a bit familiar. I highly recommend this book! It is definitely on my 'Read Again' bookshelf!

I enjoyed this story so much! Philippa is a wonderful heroine - witty, charming & capable. And Jack is a great hero who just needs someone to soften his rough edges & bring out the warmth in his noble nature. Their constantly finding themselves at odds initially obscures how beautifully suited they are for each other, and the various events that lead them to recognize it are frequently reminiscent of a Georgette Heyer novel! My only complaint is that I wanted more of their happily-ever-after. Hopefully there will be more of Philippa & Jack in the next installment at least *Romance level: sweet kisses, nothing graphic [I listened to this as an audiobook narrated by Stevie Zimmerman who does such an excellent job that it enhances the story & makes it even better!]

I am happy to say this was a well written novel. I don’t know much about the politics in London during this time period other than what I’ve read in novels like these. But from what I read it was consistent with what was going on. I especially enjoyed the flow of the romance, I never felt the romance was excessive or imbalanced to the storyline of the politics. I enjoy novels that emphasize the storyline or plot more than the romance. Yet the romance is woven in naturally, which I felt occurred in this book. The H and h were not overly attracted to each other. It was a nice subtle falling in love. Though the proposal seemed a little abrupt, but I guess it was time to end the story. Lol. I didn’t notice any annoying grammatical issues. Ie no repetitive phrases that get noticed, no exaggerated metaphors or similes that seemed odd. Phraseology flowed well. I feel a book is well written when nothing pops out at me and interrupts the flow and this book accomplished that. It wasn’t adventurous or overly exciting, but was just a good solid read.

The lovely heroine of this book was Philippa Clavering, the younger sister of Lucius who had his story told in the first book. I had a good impression of Philippa from the first installment in the series, and in this one, I absolutely adored her. She was feisty and intelligent, but most of all, she had a kind heart and could truly see and understand the feelings and needs of others. Jack took a little longer to grow on me, but I was soon rooting for the two of them to make a match. Also, I enjoyed seeing the changes Jack made to his priorities. The secondary characters were well developed too, and there was a second couple I was rooting for in this book. Some villains from the first book made an appearance here, and there were some new characters I would classify as villains as well. I had strong feelings one way or the other about almost all of the characters. I was happy to see Selena and Lucius again here and look forward to seeing Philippa and Jack again in the next book. I hope to see the rest of his family too and how things turn out for them.