The Earl’s Lady Geologist ,(The Linfield Ladies Series 1), Alissa Baxter

The Earl’s Lady Geologist ,(The Linfield Ladies Series 1), Alissa Baxter

Genre: Historical Romance

I like to take a trip back mentally to the past when reading sometimes. A gentle era in some ways, but fierce in others and very bound by convention.

Cassie is determined never to marry, but wants to continue her geology work, fossil hunting, writing, and once she comes into her inheritance, opening a shop with her fossil hunting friend Mary.
She won’t be able to work in the shop of course, that’s too much a trip away from convention even for her, but her friend Mary is a different class, she’s freer to do what she wants, although she doesn’t have money to do it, she’s barely scraping a living selling her fossils. She’s made some great discoveries but being female cannot be credited with them. That’s left to the “superior” men. Sometimes little changes 😉 we’re still fighting that battle on some fronts!

And then along comes Rothbury, who’s shocked to see her on the beach, filthy and risking her life fossil hunting under dangerous cliffs and tides. I loved him, imperious, full of responsibility and yet something in Cassie appeals to him. I just couldn’t see hi married to some vapid miss, who’s conversation would be fashion and gossip.
Cassie’s family insist she has a Season, although she’s very open about her desire not to marry. Her aunt and cousins are so friendly though, she goes along with their plans as she likes them and doesn’t want to upset them.
She gets into a few scrapes with the cousins, that was fun, and I think like her I’d have wanted to go to the Hallowed grounds of the Geological Society, even though its not for women….
Rothbury is intrigued the more he gets to know Cassie, and slowly, against their wishes, feelings develop on both sides. Like any good romance though its not without a few hiccups and even some drama thrown in at the end. Its a novel with several different layers to it, which made it a very enjoyable read.

Its a fun read, fitted the time period well. I was mentally placed back in time, and enjoyed the descriptions of the balls, the fashions, the day to day stuff Ladies of the time occupied themselves with. Poor Cassie, it wasn’t fossil hunting, though she did find a niche where she could help and enjoy her passion for relics.
The characters felt very real, and the issues both Cassie and Rothbury had around marriage were very well thought out, understandable and neither had a sudden change of heart, but one that came around more gradually. I like that, I hate when a character throws away a long held belief just because they fall in love. There needs to be more, and here there was.

Stars: Five. A story I really enjoyed with enough in it for me to reread at a future date when I want a relaxing few hours with a gentler time…

ARC supplied by Netgalley and publishers