Appointment in Bath

Somerset Stories, Book 4

By: Mimi Matthews

Narrated by: Alex Wyndham

Length: 6 hrs and 52 mins

Publisher's summary

A chance meeting between the sheltered daughter and the forward-thinking son of rival Victorian families sparks a forbidden romance in USA Today best-selling author Mimi Matthews’s fourth book in her acclaimed Somerset Stories series.

Shy and stammering Meg Burton-Smythe has spent the whole of her life living on the fringes of local society. She’s more comfortable with her daydreams than she is with people. But when a dashing, golden-haired hero rides to her rescue one morning, she dares to hope that her dreams might finally come true. There’s only one problem: her handsome rescuer is the son of her father’s sworn enemy.

Ivo Beresford doesn’t believe in clinging to the past. Freshly returned from a lengthy grand tour, he’s looking to the future, eager to spearhead the building of a new railway extension in Somersetshire. But an unexpected encounter with Meg Burton-Smythe, the isolated only daughter of his parents’ oldest foe, sets the past and the future colliding.

Resolved to put ancient grudges to rest—at least where innocent young ladies are concerned—Ivo encourages lonely Meg to embark on a secret friendship. After all, what harm can a friendship do? It isn’t as though there’s any danger of the two of them falling in love…

©2023 Mimi Matthews (P)2023 Audible, Inc.

Good author, good narrator

What’s not to like about Matthews and Wyndham? As always, they are a great team!

Wonderful Addition to Series, Narrator Fabulous

Within Mimi Matthews’ fourth title in the Somerset Stories series, readers will find the shy, faltering and beautiful Margaret “Meg” Burton-Smythe. At the youthful age of eighteen she is untried in the ways of the world, yet she is eager to make her debut in society as a gentleman’s daughter. As a sheltered young woman, she has a lively imagination, fueled by copious reading while living a quiet life on her father’s country estate. This fosters a longing for success not only on England’s marriage mart, but also for success in finding a chivalrous hero with whom she would fall in love. She faces several relational challenges in this diverting narrative, not the least of which is the veritable Shakespearian rivalry between her father and the nearby Beresford family. This decades-long feud is not unwarranted, but is a festering wound within the community. Meg befriends one of the Beresford sons, which leads to emotional confrontations on both sides.

Although Appointment in Bath is the fourth title in the Somerset Stories series, this reviewer has not read the previous two volumes. Thus far I have enjoyed Matthews’s title The Work of Art, the opening novel of this collection. With the publication date of Appointment in Bath occurring the week of this writing, I wanted to be a part of promoting this latest story. Although it was a bit of a risk to temporarily skip over Gentleman Jim and Return to Satterthwaite Court, I was nonetheless rewarded with a delightful tale. There are some references to those prior works, but Appointment in Bath works quite well as a standalone.

Mimi Matthews’s work is a pure delight. Her writing skill enables her to craft a compelling story, present well-drawn characters and avoid predictability in her choices. While much of her writing is firmly set in the 19th century, she presents characters who are relatable and accessible. The protagonists are likable, and the villains earn this reader’s disdain. She doesn’t avoid addressing difficult and gritty issues, but the content is not salacious or gratuitous. Mature themes are addressed in a realistic yet modest way. The romantic moments are simply delicious and leave the audience wanting more without drawing us deep into the minutiae of bedroom scenes. I loved the friendship of Meg and Ivo, and my heart broke for her as she yearned for more love and affection from her father.

While Appointment in Bath does offer a satisfying, realistic conclusion, not every difficult issue is tied with a neat little bow. Characters face challenges that are common to many in our non-fictional, modern existence. Some readers may easily identify with Meg’s stuttering problem, her struggles with anxiety, and her growth as a young woman. Others will relate to Ivo as he works to improve his community in the face of a local township that is resistant to modernization. Between the characters’ ambitions, family conflicts, desires for reconciliation and romantic endeavors, Appointment in Bath offers an absorbing narrative that was thoroughly enjoyable. Due to Matthews’ excellent work in this as well as the opening novel The Work of Art, I look forward to retracing my literary steps in order to also read the other books in this series, Gentleman Jim and Return to Satterthwaite Court. A fifth title, A Lady of Conscience is also due for publication in June of 2024. Mimi Matthews continues to show herself to be a reliable and entertaining author, one who consistently earns my hearty endorsement.

****************

Audible edition comment: Alex Wyndham's performance in this series continues to be fabulous. His voice is rich and delightfully English. His skill with regional accents is executed very well, and he is able to differentiate between various characters within the same class. Voices of female characters are appropriately pitched higher, but do not wander into a distracting, silly range. I was easily able to get lost in the story. Well done!

Young Love

Meg and Ivo’s friendship to love story is a delight. Meg is young but coming into her own and Ivo is confident and caring. A great listen!

Darling Story — Too Short

Truly a darling story. I loved everything about it except it’s barely a Novella in length. I would have enjoyed another 100 pages to fully draw out the story. It has a sweet ending.

Another gem in this series

I love this series. The stories are awesome and the characters are so real that we listeners are pulled in to be part of the story. Mimi & Alex are an awesome duo. Thank you!!!

Delightful

Alex Wyndham's performance is stellar, as always, and a wonderful enhancement to this delightful addition to the Somerset Stories series. Mimi's ability to create stories interwoven with familiar characters from previous books is unsurpassed. Appointment in Bath is another beautiful continuation of the connection between the Heywoods (The Work of Art) and the Beresfords (Gentleman Jim) first seen in Return to Satterthwaite Court. I enjoyed the rather satisfying "resolution" to the antagonism between the parents of Ivo and Margaret--not becoming friends, but leading to a bit of "just desserts" for one of them—a clean and absolutely delightful story. I'm looking forward to reading about James and Hannah, and Jack and ?? (whose story may be the most interesting of all).

Smiling as this one ends ❤️

Narrator is my FAVORITE, so no need to go on about him. Author is also a favorite, but the previous book left me ever so slightly feeling it lacked the normal Mimi Matthews effect. This one made up for it. I waited to listen to it for months, as I was unsure about liking the female character (because of the familial back story), but she was such a sympathetic character, and their love story was lovely. 😌

Loved Ivo and Mag!!

Wow! I loved the sweetness of the story! Ivo is just as much a hero as his father ♥️ This story may not have had all the flare and passion as Gentlemen Jim but still just as fabulous of a love story!
Anxious to read all the stories of Nicholas and Margaret’s children! The interaction of their children and parents is part of what I love most about this book! Can’t wait for James story!

Favorite author and narrator combo for the win!

A tender, heartwarming confection of a novel. Forbidden love never tasted so heartachingly sweet. There is something tantalizing about forbidden friendship, secret meetings, romantic walks in the snow, and kisses under a mistletoe. This book exudes romance and fairytale feels.

Meg, oh Meg! My heart aches for you. I have the softest spot for shy heroines. Mimi Matthews writes the best shy heroines you can’t help but ADORE (Philly, Julia, and now, Meg). When anxious, her stammer worsens. The scene in which she confronts her father about why she was named Margaret devastated me. You guys, we must protect Meg at all cost. 🥺🥺🥺

Luckily, Ivo, our bespectacled hero with a heart of gold, provides her with a safe space to grow and spread her wings. Ivo gently pushes Meg out of her comfort zone and helps her to discover her voice and inner strength. Their secret meetings by the bridge reminded me of Arthur and Philly’s (The Work of Art) meetings at the park. These two cuties will live in my heart forever. Ivo believes in progress and change for the betterment of society. I love that he’s a forward-thinking hero. Gosh, some of his lines are terrific. “You can’t prefer something that’s not of your own choosing. Not if you’ve had no other experiences to weigh against it.”

The Beresford and Burton-Smythe families despise each other. But true love blossoms in the unlikeliest places. Appointment in Bath portrays forbidden love with compassion and sensitivity.

Alex Wyndham's narration is perfect, as always! 💕

A delightful romance

Meg’s friendship with Ivo is a delight to listen to. I thoroughly enjoyed this story and the characters. Alex Wyndham’s narration as usual is wonderful to listen to.