Midnight's Budding Morrow

This is a review of Carolyn Miller's recent book that was published on May 31, 2022, and is the 2nd book in her Recency Wallflower series, but you do not need to read book 1, Dusk's Darkest Shores, which is an excellent book as well, to understand this one. This book takes place in the Regency era, in Northumberland, Yorkshire, England in 1811. Sarah Drayton is invited to go and spend time with her best friend from school Beatrice Langley, who lives in a castle in Northumberland, England with her elderly father and roguish brother, James Langley. Sarah currently lives with her aunt and uncle because her parents died, and is basically someone who is an unpaid servant for them, so she gets excited at the invitation to escape that life, even if for a while. Sarah ends up having a confrontation with James Langley prior to that visit that leaves a bad taste in her mouth towards him, but decides to go spend time with Beatrice as long as her brother is not in residence, which Beatrice profusely promises will be the case as her brother will be going into the army, so there should be no reason Sarah and James paths should cross..but things don't always go as we plan!! James Langley has a reputation for being a young man who has the reputation of drinking, gambling, and carousing, which makes the Ton, the aristocratic society, look at him as a rogue! He has earned this title by going around to parties, and seedy places and consuming alcohol, running up gambling debts, and other unbecoming behavior. His mother passed away, and that behavior stems from guilt and shame that he is carrying as a result of that death. He also cannot seem to get along with his father, and cannot seem to do anything right that would even begin to mend that relationship. The only time he talks to his father is when he needs money, or his gambling debts paid. He is wondering if life be any better in the army??? Shortly after Sarah's arrival, Beatrice elopes with her boyfriend, and James also makes a surprise visit. Beatrice leaves Sarah with her father and James, and her father, who wants an heir to keep the family line going, conjures up a marriage between Sarah and James, of which they both find themselves having to say yes to this marriage of neither of their choosing, because of necessity on both sides. James needs his debts cleared up, and Sarah needs a place to live as she can't go back to her uncle's home. So necessity wins the day. So a quick wedding ceremony takes place for them right before James is to leave for a long stint in the army. Afterwards, this leaves Sarah at the estate with James and Beatrice's father, who basically is a stranger to her, and servants who hate her, but there is no going back for her! She must press on, but realizes she is married to a man she hardly knows, and who does not have the character that constitutes a good husband, and she must try to make the best out of a horrible situation. She decides to trusts God, and while James is gone, she becomes the lady of the house, and sets about to improving the estate that literally feels like it is crumbling down all around her, learning how to get along with the difficult father in law, but wonders if this is really what God had in mind for her, because it really doesn't look good from where she is standing! James immediately leaves for the army, and while there, someone tells him about Jesus and disciples him, and James does some soul searching. He ends up coming back 7 years later to the estate, and miraculously finds his father still alive, and Sarah still there. I won't tell you what happens because you must read it for yourselves, but what I will say I highly recommend that you read this book to find out what happens to James and Sarah, and how God intervenes in both their lives. This book is a beautiful story of God's grace! I was hooked from the beginning!! It was a book I could so relate to, and I literally read it in three days because it was that good

Midnight’s Budding Morrow by Carolyn Miller is the second book in her Regency Wallflowers series. Sarah Drayton goes to spend some time with her best friend and ends up in a marriage of convenience with her friend’s brother. Sarah doubted her self worth. She longed to be loved. It sounded like such a good book, but it was so unrealistic. The characters went from sweet to mean in one page and did a complete about face on the last page. I would give this book three stars. I received this book from Reading with Audra for my honest review.