Appointment in Bath is the fourth entry in Mimi Matthews’ celebrated Somerset Stories series. Matthews is a prolific USA Today bestselling author of proper Regency romance and Victorian romance.
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The Somerset Stories Series follows the romances of the Heywood, Beresford, and Burton-Smythe families across the Regency and Victorian eras. While the stories, like the characters, are related, each can be read on its own.
I am a longtime fan of Mimi Matthews’ books. I read the first two novels in the Somerset Stories series, The Work of Art (#1) and Gentleman Jim (#2), when they came out a couple of years ago, and I recently helped Mimi launch Return to Satterthwaite Court (#3).
I was thrilled to be chosen for the launch team for Appointment in Bath (#4), especially because I got to read the book early!
I received a free copy of Appointment in Bath (#4) in exchange for an honest review.
|Related: Find out more with The Hourglass House Guide to Mimi Matthews’ Proper Historical Romances.
What is Appointment in Bath about?
Here’s the publisher’s synopsis. Mimi describes the book as “Romeo and Juliet with a happier ending.”
Shy and stammering Meg Burton-Smythe has spent the whole of her life living on the
fringes of local society. She’s more comfortable with her daydreams than she is with people.
But when a dashing, golden-haired hero rides to her rescue one morning, she dares to hope
that her dreams might finally come true. There’s only one problem: her handsome rescuer is
the son of her father’s sworn enemy.
Ivo Beresford doesn’t believe in clinging to the past. Freshly returned from a lengthy grand
tour, he’s looking to the future, eager to spearhead the building of a new railway extension
in Somersetshire. But an unexpected encounter with Meg Burton-Smythe, the isolated only
daughter of his parents’ oldest foe, sets the past and the future colliding.
Resolved to put ancient grudges to rest—at least where innocent young ladies are
concerned—Ivo encourages lonely Meg to embark on a secret friendship. After all, what
harm can a friendship do? It isn’t as though there’s any danger of the two of them falling in
love…
Hahaha, of course there isn’t!
Why I Think You’ll Love Appointment in Bath
Along with The Work of Art (#1), this is one of my favorite books in the Somerset Stories series. I’ve never regretted the time spent reading a Mimi Matthews book, but I really feel like this is some of her best work.
A Friends-to-Lovers Romance
If you’re a fan of the friends-to-lovers trope, it doesn’t get much better than this. I genuinely liked both leads–I would be friends with them, and they genuinely like each other.
I loved how they remained friends even as romance crept in.
A Quiet Country Setting
Despite the title, most of the action occurs in the wilds of Somerset over the quiet late autumn to late winter season.
The cast of characters is quite small. Because even their friendship must be kept secret, many scenes involve only Ivo and Meg.
Sometimes I want to read an intricate plot with dozens of characters, but sometimes I don’t. Appointment in Bath is perfect for those times when I want a straightforward story tightly focused on a few characters.
Bonuses: Horses, Trains, Bridges, Bath
Ivo and Meg meet because of a horse, and most of their courtship occurs on horseback as they ride together in the deserted countryside.
The second son of an earl, Ivo finds the traditional career options open to a man in his position (the church and the military) unappealing. He’s investing some of his personal fortune in a railway company, with the goal of bringing the railway to their hometown. To do that, he needs to win over Meg’s father, the most prominent landowner in the area.
Not surprisingly in a book about a romance between members of warring families, bridges are a big motif. If you’re a fan of bridge architecture, you’ll enjoy their many appearances.
The final scenes of the book are set in Bath, that favored city of many a historical romance. It’s always nice to visit, if only in the pages of a book.
|Related: My review of Return to Satterthwaite Court (Somerset Stories #3)
The Past, Present, and Future Collide
Appointment in Bath will likely appeal to readers of this page because of the consciousness the characters have about how the past affects the present and future.
Railway entrepreneur Ivo is tightly focused on the future, but even he finally has to admit that he and Meg won’t be able to move forward with their own future together until they understand what happened between their families.
Get Your Copy of Appointment in Bath!
Appointment in Bath is available from June 27, 2023 in paperback, ebook, and audiobook wherever books are sold.
Buy on Bookshop to support local bookstores with your purchase!
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4 comments
This looks like a great read. Thanks for the recommendation.
I hope you enjoy it!
Thanks so much for the rec! I hadn’t heard of Mimi Matthews or the Appointment in Bath book before. I will have to put it on my queue.
You’re in for a treat!