The Rise of Miss Notley (2017)

The Rise of Miss Notely (2017), by USA Today bestselling author Rachael Anderson, is the second novel in the Tanglewood series. This novel comes in all forms including eBook, and is roughly 271 pages in length. With a full-time job and a five-year old, this novel took me about 4 days to read (this is a very fast-paced novel, I just got super busy at work!). I give this novel 5 STARS. It is a clean historical romance.

This novel is a very sweet but predictable story. It is the kind of book you go to when you need a break from the toils of life. The kind of book you turn to when you want to smile and feel delightful, happy flutters in your heart! Right now, with my life kind of in a craze, I needed a book that I could escape into where I could enjoy the highs and lows, and the happy ending, of very well-written characters. That is exactly what I got from reading The Rise of Miss Notley.

What I love so much, and what Ms. Anderson does so well in her books, is character development. Ms. Anderson has created such realistic characters. I love Cora and her strength. She is brave, and smart, and kind, and clearly not a good housekeeper (LOL!). But, she is determined. She works so hard at getting things right, which is quite endearing. I appreciate her genuineness, and how she treats everyone with respect. I also find the leading male role, Jonathan, very believable. Something very cruel happened to him in his past, and his response was to run away…a very realistic response by many, many people. Watching Jonathan grow and overcome his sadness because of his growing relationship and often “adventurous” interactions with Cora was the best part of this novel.

I very much enjoyed escaping into this novel. Ms. Anderson is a very good writer. I look forward to book 3 coming out in August, which is Lady Harriet’s story; she has been an awesome cameo character in books 1 and 2, so I really can’t wait to read her story and see the conundrums she finds herself in!