THE TROUBLE WITH ANNA

A headstrong lady and an imposing lord are matched against their will.

Lady Anna Reston doesn’t want to be at her best friend Charlotte’s party—she’d rather be out in the stables or riding one of her beloved horses. She’s shy and certain that people see her as “plain to look at and prickly to deal with,” and especially wants to avoid being overawed by Charlotte’s attractive and haughty older brother, Julian Aveton, Earl Ramsey. The party goes from intimidating to tragic, though, when her grandfather dies in the middle of it. And one week later, when his will is read, she learns that she’s in line to inherit the unentailed portion of his estate—but only if she marries Julian in the next six months. Anna is terribly hurt that her grandfather chose not to leave her the estate outright, but Julian assumes it’s a setup engineered by Anna, and says he will refuse to go through with it. Once home, his mother and sister convince him he’s mistaken, and when he goes back to apologize to Anna, a slow back-and-forth begins between the two. Their attraction grows, but the connection is derailed by a series of misunderstandings. Unsure whether she even wants to inherit her grandfather’s estate but terrified of losing her horses, Anna splits her attention and devotes just as much time to a gambling scheme with Charlotte that might afford them both some financial independence, which leads them toward a daring venture that may change everyone’s lives forever. Griffiths’ debut is a delightful and witty slow burn with enough complexity to celebrate friendship as well as romance, and loaded with ample details about horse racing to boot. Some readers may chafe at Julian’s more chauvinistic impulses, but he’s an excellent (if slightly simple), starchy hero who’s not afraid to admit when he’s wrong, and is well paired with the lively Anna. Although Anna is a fairly contemporary heroine, and the story features several steamy encounters, the book has a pleasingly old-school feel, and readers will finish with the hope that one or more of the well-drawn supporting characters will star in future volumes.

A strong Regency debut from a promising new author.