About the Book
Arianna Reeves knows how quickly admiration can turn into exile. One poorly placed trust, one disastrously charming rake, and she is no longer society's darling--but its favorite cautionary tale.
Now returned home--uninvited and unmistakably whispered about--Arianna is determined to make amends with her estranged family and do something useful with her thoroughly ruined life. Even if polite society would prefer she did it at a very great distance from anyone respectable.
Thomas Bridges, a principled clergyman with an inconvenient habit of thinking for himself, is already walking a narrow line. His congregation expects propriety, his mother expects matrimony, and both have very firm opinions about his future. Thomas, however, would prefer a life guided by conviction . . . even when it proves impractical.
When Arianna repeatedly--and quite disruptively--crosses his path, Thomas faces a dilemma no sermon prepared him for. She is not at all what she ought to be: not dull, not foolish, and--most dangerously--not someone he can overlook, but a kindred spirit who shares his passion for service and his troubling habit of defying society's expectations . . . all with good intentions, of course.
As their forbidden acquaintance deepens into something far more perilous than friendship, Arianna and Thomas must decide: preserve their reputations, or risk them entirely for the good of others----and their own hearts.
Because in a society that measures worth by perfection, choosing grace, mercy, and love may cost them everything--and give them more than they ever hoped to find.
Expected publication date is Nov 3, 2026; Thomas Nelson; 400 pages
Pepper Basham is an award-winning author who writes romance “peppered” with grace and humor. Writing both historical and contemporary novels, she loves to incorporate her native Appalachian culture and/or her unabashed adoration of the UK into her stories. She resides in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia where she is a wife, mom of five, speech-language pathologist, and a lover of chocolate, jazz, hats, and Jesus. You can learn more about Pepper and her books on her website at www.pepperdbasham.com.
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My Review ~ 4.25 STARS
I’m a huge Regency fan so this novel checked that box even though there were some actions that could have been a bit impractical for the period. I’m also a huge fan of Alex Wyndham as a narrator so anything he narrates ups the book in that regard! He really is such a fabulous voice actor and brings Thomas to life.
Basham is a gifted writer, keeping readers engaged with steady pacing, witty banter, and swoony romance. The introspection of her characters allows the reader to get to know them, faults and all, and we may not always like them or their decisions. That doesn’t detract from the story for me in this case, though. As I age, I realize I want my fiction to reflect a little more struggle and deeper emotional turmoil than some of the ‘bonnet’ books depict. Pride & Practicality does this for me with its flawed characters.
I do love how Arianna and Thomas both have a heart for orphans and want to care for them through providing housing and education. Of course, if they’d had some honest conversations with each other much of their angst could have been avoided, but therein lies the tension between them. :)
If you’re a fan of Mimi Matthews (she writes Victorian era romance), I recommend you give Basham a go. What have you got to lose? Maybe you’ll find a new favorite author!
I received an audio copy for early review from NetGalley and the publisher. No compensation has been received. These are my thoughts on Pride & Practicality by Pepper Basham.
