Willowwood: A Victorian historical romance

By Mollie Hardwick

Book Overview

An enchanting historical romance set in Victorian England Perfect for fans of Dilly Court, Katie Flynn, Sara Fraser and Lucinda Riley.

Will Lilian ever find the love she desires...?

Lilian de Wentworth is twenty years old, Victorian, beautiful and trapped.

A fall from her pony in childhood has meant near-total confinement to her rooms at the Dower House, Scarbrick Park, Yorkshire ever since, to become - at least to her mother's mind - the embodiment of the enchanted princess from the poetical works of Alfred Tennyson.

But if sleeping princess she be, then she is awakened from her trance at the local village cricket match, when love at first sight springs up between herself and Jack Ellershaw, an under-gardener on her uncle's estate.

But scandal ensues from their meeting and Lilian is sent to London, on an extended visit to her eccentric Aunt Frederica, admirer of the sensational, visionary Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.

She is quickly caught up in their heady, languorous world. Presenting, as she does, the perfect appearance of a Pre-Raphaelite woman - red hair, pale complexion, languid limbs - she is persuaded by the suave Leoline Bevis to act as artist's model.

Soon it seems as if the natural delights of Yorkshire - and Jack - have faded from Lilian's mind, as she falls deeper and deeper into the trap of Bevis's lethal glamour...

Can she ever find her way back to happiness...?

WILLOWWOOD is an authentic late Victorian historical novel with an intriguing heroine at it's heart.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0F4XB3GK6
• ISBN13: 9798317058449
• Release Date: April 2025
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 396 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.3" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

When worlds collide..

Forbidden Love in late Victorian England. Lilian and her family live on the country estate of her uncle, Sir Lewis Hambledon. Beautiful Lilian was crippled in a riding accident and has not walked in seven years. She is cossetted and pampered by her smothering widowed mother. One of Sir Lewis' under gardeners, Jack Ellershaw, is a talented Cricket player who dreams of playing professionally. Lilian and Jack fall in love in the face of family and community opposition. Lilian is removed from temptation and sent to London to visit with her "artistic" Aunt Frederica. Aunt Frederica is currently enamoured of the notorius Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. Lilian meets the members at her Aunt's Salons. Soon Lilian finds herself modelling for the mysterious painter Leoline Beavis (vaguely reminiscent of D. G. Rossetti). Leoline has a very murky marital past and no little acquaintance with drugs and potions. Lilian finds herself threatened and at risk from Leoline with no protector. Fortunately, Jack discovers her perilous situation and removes her from her Aunt's home. He brings her to his family's cottage and places her under the protection of his skeptical parents. Lilian struggles in this new milieu. Can she surmount her "lady of the manor" upbringing? Will her family respect her choice? Will her infirmity be a burden to Jack and his family? Can love conquer all? This is a very entertaining romance. There is the added bonus of a look at the game of professional Cricket, and the practices of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. Recommended.