"An Inconvenient Beauty" by Kristi Ann Hunter - a fun end to the series

In the final Hawthorne House novel, Griffin Hawthorne, Duke of Riverton has decided it's time to take a wife, and after a year of study and research has found the perfect women. Unfortunately, the woman proves elusive, abandoning him frequently in the company of her cousin, Isabella Breckenridge. Isabella is participating in the London season for only one reason--helping her uncle in exchange for the funds to save the family farm. Even if Griffith were interested with her--which he's not, as he's pursuing her cousin--catching the eye of a duke will not help her cause, since such a rank would scare off the plethora of suitors she needs to accomplish her goals. But while Griffith and Isabella are busy trying not to attract each other, somehow they've slipped into a friendship . . . a friendship that threatens to become something more.

As sad as I am to have reached the end of the Hawthorne House novels, I have to say the series ended in a highly satisfactory manner. Griffith (he-who-is-always-in-control) definitely meets his match in Isabella--not that she deliberately tests his control, but that she is so far out of the running for a bride that she worms her way under his shell before either of them realize what's happening.

I enjoyed that plain, boring Fredrika--Bella's cousin--is not actually a boring person; she might be sedate and not the best conversationalist in public situations, but with Bella she's lively and fun. I could see her being a good match for Griffith or any man, if she weren't in love with someone else. The antics that the girls go through to help Fredrika avoid Griffith and sneak time with her true love were really funny. I laughed out loud several times throughout the book, generally because of them (though Griffith's ladder incident cracked me up too). And of course, helping her cousin leaves Isabella more time with the one man she doesn't want to pursue her--making for more good scenes.

I enjoyed the bits of history added into the story (which the author points out in the note at the end), and I feel like I finally have a glimmer of what the British House of Lords vs. House of Commons is; Griffith might be the first British aristocrat in a book I've read to actually physically do anything with politics in the course of the story (even if it isn't a big part of the book). The message in the book is simple yet good--trust in the Lord, not your own power. Oddly (yet somehow frequently-true-to-life), it's the powerless Isabella rather than the powerful Griffith who needs to learn it.

Thank you Bethany House for providing a free book. I was not required to write a positive review, and all opinions are my own.

Hawthorne House
0.5 "A Lady of Esteem" - a free novella introduction to the Hawthornes and friends!
1. A Noble Masquerade
2. An Elegant Facade
3. An Uncommon Courtship

4. An Inconvenient Beauty

Related series: (Chronologically Hawthorne House comes first, Haven Manor second, and then Hearts on the Heath)

Haven Manor
0.5: "A Search for Refuge" (free prequel e-novella)
1. A Defense of Honor
2. A Return of Devotion

3. A Pursuit of Home 

3.5: "Legacy of Love" (published in The Christmas Heirloom novella collection)

Hearts on the Heath
1. Vying for the Viscount
2. Winning the Gentleman