Courted by Experience by Bree Cariad

Courted by Experience by Bree Cariad

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



I’ve gotta get it out of the way right up front – I was surprised by how judgmental Celie’s grandmother was considering that she was part of the Domestic Discipline lifestyle that Hyacinth was founded on. I totally get her wanting the best for her granddaughter, but to summarily dismiss a man as a potential suitor just because he was a widower and had a child just rubbed me the wrong way. Granted, it gave Celie the opportunity to prove her mettle when it came to following her own path to happiness rather than her grandmother’s when the opportunity to do so arose, which is ultimately what elevated Courted by Experience to a 5-star read for me. But that doesn’t mean I had to like her grandmother’s negativity before she took the time to get to know Marcus and his daughter Vanna.

Celie has returned to Hyacinth to spend the year with her grandparents and to enter the courting system now that she is 18 – a fact she has kept from her mother, who was so opposed to the Domestic Discipline lifestyle that she took Celie and left Hyacinth when her husband died in a car accident over a decade ago. Celie’s childhood memories of Hyacinth and her father, as well as her research into Domestic Discipline have left her longing for her very own suitor and head of household. Unfortunately, the first several dinners are a bust despite her grandmother’s preference for the potential suitors. Fortunately for Celie, her grandfather listens to the things she says and accepts a dinner request from Marcus; he also has no problem taking her grandmother in hand when she lets her best intentions run amok.

I loved watching Celie get to know Marcus and Vanna, appreciating rather accepting that they were a package deal. Because Courted by Experience is an In Hyacinth book and the courting system is designed to lead to a marriage between the two parties, I don’t think it’s really a spoiler to say how much I loved Marcus’s proposal to Celie at the end, especially the exchange between Celie and Vanna that was so freaking sweet that I teared up. Ms. Cariad has given fans another great addition to the series and I’m looking forward to reading Courted by a Knight later this week.

I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Reviewed by Angela at Crystal's Many Reviewers!

Check out the Courted by Experience (In Hyacinth #5) by Bree Cariad blog post on Crystal's Many Reviewers.


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