“A Most Noble Heir” by Susan Anne Mason

When stable hand Nolan Price learns from his dying mother that he is actually the son of the Earl of Stainsby, his plans for a future with kitchen maid Hannah Burnham are shattered. Once he is officially acknowledged as the earl’s heir, Nolan will be forbidden to marry beneath his station.

Unwilling to give up the girl he loves, he devises a plan to elope–believing that once their marriage is sanctioned by God, Lord Stainsby will be forced to accept their union. However, as Nolan struggles to learn the ways of the aristocracy, he finds himself caught between pleasing Hannah and living up to his father’s demanding expectations.

At every turn, forces work to keep the couple apart, and a solution to remain together seems further and further away. With Nolan’s new life pulling him irrevocably away from the woman he loves, it seems only a miracle will bring them back together.

A Most Noble Heir as inspired by a real story, and it’s just as fascinating in real life!  I love that Mason used her own ancestors’ story as she knows it to prompt what might have happened between these characters.  That idea definitely adds to the fun of the story.

The idea of a commoner secretly being a nobleman is an idea that has enthralled readers for decades, and it’s no less exciting here.  Mason keeps the storyline fresh by adding in twists and turns each time you think you have the plot figured out. I love the way that those surprises advance the plot and keep you guessing.

The main characters were pretty great, too.  They were solid, likeable people with fatal flaws that couldn’t be seen at first.  I really enjoyed them and empathized with their plight, which made the story much more fun.  There were surprises among the cast of characters, of well, and I enjoyed finding characters who were more than I expected.

I read A Most Noble Heir in an afternoon.  I couldn’t put it down – I thought I had predicted the ending but kept second-guessing myself when the plot would twist.  I could understand Hannah’s feelings and loved the spiritual journey that Mason led her on, and that made the story all the better.  It was the best kind of historical fiction – suspenseful and dramatic but with history strongly influencing the characters’ actions.

If you have any interest in historical fiction, pick up a copy of A Most Noble Heir.  You’ll be glad you did.

I received a free copy of this book from LitFuse Publicity.  All opinions are my own.