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Love Engineered
It's 1855 and Louise Thomas, owner of a large estate in Devon is ready to fall in love, but only if she can find a man who will put up with her thirst for knowledge in the engineering and scientific world.
Charles Lucas is one of the country's top engineers, tipped to be the new Brunel. He is too busy with his work for love - especially with a member of the gentry. When he meets Louise, she interests and intrigues him like no woman before. But he must make some serious decisions when he hears disturbing rumours about her.
Charles Lucas is one of the country's top engineers, tipped to be the new Brunel. He is too busy with his work for love - especially with a member of the gentry. When he meets Louise, she interests and intrigues him like no woman before. But he must make some serious decisions when he hears disturbing rumours about her.
236 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
7 people are currently reading
173 people want to read
About the author
Jenna Dawlish
2 books9 followersI began writing at the tender age of thirty years old whilst commuting into London. I started with a Harry Potter fan fiction as I eagerly awaited the release of the next Potter book. Eventually, I decided to take the next step and create my own stories and characters. The result was my first novel - Love Engineered.
I love writing and researching into the Victorian Era, adding to my huge pile of books regularly.
I now live in Devon with my family in a quaint (and sometimes drafty) english cottage.
I love writing and researching into the Victorian Era, adding to my huge pile of books regularly.
I now live in Devon with my family in a quaint (and sometimes drafty) english cottage.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
December 25, 2009
Love Engineered is a very sweet Victorian romance.
Taking place in 1855 London, we meet Louise Thomas, a wealthy landowner who is immensely interested in engineering (a woman with a brain! Shocking!) and we also meet Charles Lucas, an up and comer in the engineering world.
I love a smart heroine, so I instantly liked Louise. I liked how she was outspoken. Charles was a very flawed hero. He was prejudice against the upper class and quick to believe rumors.
We all know how romance novels end, but how the hero and heroine get there is what makes each story unique. Louise and Charles have to overcome misunderstandings, vicious rumors and prejudice. They each have to see their own way through these before their feelings for each other become clear.
I loved the epilogue. I found the formatting very clever.
Overall, a nice, clean romance novel with endearing characters. A great debut!
Taking place in 1855 London, we meet Louise Thomas, a wealthy landowner who is immensely interested in engineering (a woman with a brain! Shocking!) and we also meet Charles Lucas, an up and comer in the engineering world.
I love a smart heroine, so I instantly liked Louise. I liked how she was outspoken. Charles was a very flawed hero. He was prejudice against the upper class and quick to believe rumors.
We all know how romance novels end, but how the hero and heroine get there is what makes each story unique. Louise and Charles have to overcome misunderstandings, vicious rumors and prejudice. They each have to see their own way through these before their feelings for each other become clear.
I loved the epilogue. I found the formatting very clever.
Overall, a nice, clean romance novel with endearing characters. A great debut!
January 14, 2010
I really enjoyed this book and I could not put it down. I felt the story had a great pace and that the author did an excellent job of developing the Characters. I liked how this book had many twists and turns. It keeps you on your toes! I will be reading this book again and again. I will be looking forward to more of her books!!!
August 9, 2010
Having a heroine who is unabashedly enthralled with engineering set during the Victorian era was a breath of fresh air! Louise's enthusiasm and curiosity was delightful and totally engaging. Charles character was also written well in the aspect of his drive and focus on the career he loves. The weakness in the story came in the romance aspect. The depth and understanding of each characters feelings, especially Charles, just wasn't there. We read them, we just don't FEEL them. Given this story is a romance, that was frustrating because the story flowed so well and was so enjoyable in all other aspects.
January 14, 2010
Love Engineered by Jenna Dawlish is set during the Industrial Revolution (late 1800's) in England. During this time great advances in agriculture, industry and science were occurring with some of the greatest minds meeting together in London. Unfortunately, none of those great minds were female. Louise Thomas is a female interested in engineering who attends lectures given by the men in the field to further her education and because she has questions she wants answered. A wealthy noblewoman with no family, she is allowed to attend but is seen by both the engineers and upper society as an eccentric. While Louise has all the creature comforts she could desire, she has no one to share her interests or her life with. Louise finally meets someone who sparks her interest, engineer Sir Charles Lucas, a man who is considered one of the greats of his day. Through Charles, Louise meets and becomes instant friends with his sister Jane. As Louise's friendship grows with Jane, so does her relationship with Charles. Just when Louise starts to think she can open up to Charles, an enemy from her past threatens to destroy all her new-found happiness.
Louise is a woman surround by people who serve her faithfully because of her wealth but she is all alone in the world, with no one to laugh with. Louise is an self-educated woman who very insecure about herself because of being hurt in the past by people who just want her money. She has built walls around her heart, partly in response to being hurt and partly because there really isn't anyone to share her life with. As Louise becomes friends with Jane, her relationship with Charles starts to grow into something more. I really felt for Louise, she is a lonely woman who wants more in life than to just dress trendy and find a titled husband. She has a studio where she works on her own experiments and pursues her own line of thought. She has a large country estate where she works to better the lives of those who live on it and works hard to assist those in need. But don't think that Louise is one of those obnoxious heroines who only does good, she has built walls around her heart and her life and in some ways is trapped in a lonely world of her own making. Her friendship with Jane is one of the only relationships with another woman where she allows her to see the real Louise.
Charles is a great engineer but he struggles to know how to trust and who to believe. After meeting Louise he thinks that she is just too good to be true and must therefore be a meddling female who doesn't keep her nose out of other people's business. When he hears conflicting stories from an old classmate, Charles believes the worst about Louise and makes her promise to end her friendship with Jane. Charles then starts to really see what Louise does with her life and the pieces start to fall into place to get him a better picture of who she really is. I really liked the story, it was a quick read. However, I LOVED finding out after I finished the book that the story is based on the real life of Louise and Charles Lucas. That a woman as progressive and scientific as Louise really lived her life and there is an award in England given to deserving engineers named after her made me want to reread the entire story.
Louise is a woman surround by people who serve her faithfully because of her wealth but she is all alone in the world, with no one to laugh with. Louise is an self-educated woman who very insecure about herself because of being hurt in the past by people who just want her money. She has built walls around her heart, partly in response to being hurt and partly because there really isn't anyone to share her life with. As Louise becomes friends with Jane, her relationship with Charles starts to grow into something more. I really felt for Louise, she is a lonely woman who wants more in life than to just dress trendy and find a titled husband. She has a studio where she works on her own experiments and pursues her own line of thought. She has a large country estate where she works to better the lives of those who live on it and works hard to assist those in need. But don't think that Louise is one of those obnoxious heroines who only does good, she has built walls around her heart and her life and in some ways is trapped in a lonely world of her own making. Her friendship with Jane is one of the only relationships with another woman where she allows her to see the real Louise.
Charles is a great engineer but he struggles to know how to trust and who to believe. After meeting Louise he thinks that she is just too good to be true and must therefore be a meddling female who doesn't keep her nose out of other people's business. When he hears conflicting stories from an old classmate, Charles believes the worst about Louise and makes her promise to end her friendship with Jane. Charles then starts to really see what Louise does with her life and the pieces start to fall into place to get him a better picture of who she really is. I really liked the story, it was a quick read. However, I LOVED finding out after I finished the book that the story is based on the real life of Louise and Charles Lucas. That a woman as progressive and scientific as Louise really lived her life and there is an award in England given to deserving engineers named after her made me want to reread the entire story.
January 7, 2013
I thoroughly enjoyed reading Love Engineered, a sweet romance by Jenna Dawlish. I liked the fact that Louise was a forward thinking modern woman living in the 1860s who was also responsible for maintaining a large estate as the only remaining heir to her family. Refreshing to see a woman taking a place in the male dominated world of engineering. The way she and Charles grew into their relationship was well written with neither character falling out of step with what you would expect from them. Charles was beautifully flawed, Louise was intelligent yet naive, and the ending was more than satisfying. I highly recommend this book.
February 9, 2010
Jenna Dawlish has written a lovely story set in England’s Victoria Era. It appears to be a love story loosely based on the real life marriage of famous engineer, Sir Charles Lucas to Louise Thomas, an avid engineering enthusiast (not an easy subject to research I have found…so I question it somewhat. If someone can steer me in the right direction, I would appreciate it!)
I enjoyed Dawlish’s writing very much. For a first novel, she exceeded my expectations and I look forward to further stories from her. Only a few things stuck out in my mind, two of which feel tied to one another. First, I would like to have seen the story a little longer, with more scenes fleshed out…perhaps with Thomas’ cousin? Or her trip abroad? Secondly, while I enjoyed the chasteness of the story (very pure, folks), I thought it tended to strip some of the character’s emotions away from them. Very rigid and formal at times…but perhaps that was intentional to keep with the period and respectfulness? Interesting thoughts and I’m not quite sure what I was looking for.
Having said that, I’ll clarify by adding that I don’t think it detracted from the book overall. It was still enjoyable and displayed a unique concept. If one had asked me if I would read a book centered on engineering without prompting, I would have answered, no. Nothing of the sort typically holds an interest for me. But, I am glad I received the opportunity to try Love Engineered and I certainly felt it was worth my while. Which only proves my point that you never know what you’ll end up loving unless you give it a try…and I do encourage other readers of this genre to try Dawlish out.
I enjoyed Dawlish’s writing very much. For a first novel, she exceeded my expectations and I look forward to further stories from her. Only a few things stuck out in my mind, two of which feel tied to one another. First, I would like to have seen the story a little longer, with more scenes fleshed out…perhaps with Thomas’ cousin? Or her trip abroad? Secondly, while I enjoyed the chasteness of the story (very pure, folks), I thought it tended to strip some of the character’s emotions away from them. Very rigid and formal at times…but perhaps that was intentional to keep with the period and respectfulness? Interesting thoughts and I’m not quite sure what I was looking for.
Having said that, I’ll clarify by adding that I don’t think it detracted from the book overall. It was still enjoyable and displayed a unique concept. If one had asked me if I would read a book centered on engineering without prompting, I would have answered, no. Nothing of the sort typically holds an interest for me. But, I am glad I received the opportunity to try Love Engineered and I certainly felt it was worth my while. Which only proves my point that you never know what you’ll end up loving unless you give it a try…and I do encourage other readers of this genre to try Dawlish out.
January 6, 2010
What a nice surprise I found at the end of the book that it is a historical-based love story!!! I entirely enjoyed every moment reading this book. I think every woman can empathize with Louise Thomas when it comes to being true to who we are in our core, even in the face of hardships that seem to never be faced by any of our peers. What a heroine! The undercurrent love story had a realism that many romance novels lack. But more than a story about two people falling in love, I think it is written more as two peoples' individual journey that end up falling in love. This book was definitely a "just one more chapter" that doesn't stop till the finale!
September 13, 2013
The premise was refreshing and this book had the potential to be good, unfortunately the writing was weak. I never connected to the characters and something has seriously gone wrong when you start rooting for the H and h not to get together (I didn't think Louise should have forgiven Charles for his misaken judgement about her, which felt like a plot development pulled right out of Pride and Prejudice). I ended up skimming a fair amount.
I was surprised to learn at the end that Louise and Charles were both real engineers of the period and this was apparently a fictionalized account of their "courtship." That made it a little more interesting for me.
I was surprised to learn at the end that Louise and Charles were both real engineers of the period and this was apparently a fictionalized account of their "courtship." That made it a little more interesting for me.
July 30, 2024
Read this book in one night. This author has won my heart heart over with both her books. I love her main characters , the plots and the pace of her stories. It is so hard to find really good books and I can say that both Love Engineered and Srig of Thyme are keepers!! I hope she has a long career as a writer.
July 20, 2016
This was an interesting promise that I had not accoutered before: woman interested in all things engineering in Victorian England. Our heroine is a very wealthy but also a very lonely gentle woman. She didn’t feel comfortably in the boxed world of women in Victorian times and, with her father encouragement, pursued things such as engineering and land management. She had hard time forming friendships among women. Her wealth made her very wary of male friendships as well as she constantly encountered fortune hunters. She was using her wealth to do many good deeds; although, I felt it was overemphasized in the story making her look too unrealistically. To pursue her interest in engineering, she attended the annual engineering lectures where she met our hero and instantly was attracted to him. He was a talented engineer whose work was gaining attention. He was from trade and his previous encounters with gentry’ class made him wary of them. At first he is attracted to the heroine, albeit reluctantly, but soon his low opinion of the gentry was confirmed by tales that his former classmate shared. The story had an interesting promise but did not deliver. The storytelling was choppy and did not flow smoothly. The characters did not have enough depth and came up too one dimensional.
October 16, 2013
I can't believe I got this book for FREE! I hope others will take advantage of this opportunity to get a great read into their library. Furthermore, I hope that as a result, ratings for this book go up and the author is able to get money for it--or get money for it again.
This book really spoke to me in places--very unlike any other work written for entertainment that I can recall ever having read.
It's on a par with Jane Austen's works for its ethical code, it's so strict. I acknowledge that it does mirror Pride and Prejudice in its plot rather closely; nevertheless, it was original enough to hold me.
I was fooled by the epilogue into thinking that there were actual historical figures in the book; it was cleverly done! I saw from other reviews, too, that I was not the only one. Even after having discovered my mistake in this, though, I credit this author with considerable merit for having the focus on something beyond purely domestic interests and giving the heroine credit for the same. I thought the expression "a breath of fresh air" that I saw in other reviews of this book to be very fitting.
This book really spoke to me in places--very unlike any other work written for entertainment that I can recall ever having read.
It's on a par with Jane Austen's works for its ethical code, it's so strict. I acknowledge that it does mirror Pride and Prejudice in its plot rather closely; nevertheless, it was original enough to hold me.
I was fooled by the epilogue into thinking that there were actual historical figures in the book; it was cleverly done! I saw from other reviews, too, that I was not the only one. Even after having discovered my mistake in this, though, I credit this author with considerable merit for having the focus on something beyond purely domestic interests and giving the heroine credit for the same. I thought the expression "a breath of fresh air" that I saw in other reviews of this book to be very fitting.
October 14, 2013
236 pages
1855. Louise is beautiful, articulate, wealthy and a woman ahead of her times. She has a keen interest in engineering and she’s in attendance when engineering whizz kid Charles Lucas takes the platform.
Charles is a product of his time and not a little disconcerted about the beautiful woman in the audience asking him astute questions and taking notes. As far as Charles is concerned he has no time for the gentry believing them to be idle ne’er do wells nor is he inclined to romance since his first and only love is engineering or so he thinks. When a long time friend slanders Louise’s good character he’s too quick to believe, harsh words are said and Louise retreats to Paris to lick her wounds.
A bit slow to begin with and it lacked emotional depth. I didn't feel 'it' between Louise and Charles particularly Charles who was so hung up on Louise's wealth and his own prejudice he was quite literally a bit of a bore.
January 30, 2010
Love Engineered is a very sweet romance about a girl ahead of her time.
Our heroine is Louise Thomas, a wealthy woman who is interested in engineering. Louise's father before he died helped her establish her place in the male dominated engineering world. Her influence in those circles is important and she soon becomes especially interested in Charles, an incredibly talented engineer. When the two meet in London in 1855 they both find themselves learning things about love they hadn't expected to find.
When an old friend of Charles shares a secret he claims to know about Louise, Charles believes it all too readily. That secret leads to an ugly confrontation between Louise and Charles that both begin to wish had never happened.
This was a clean and compelling love story. I enjoyed it. The characters though flawed were easy to love and forgive. A very fun read!
Our heroine is Louise Thomas, a wealthy woman who is interested in engineering. Louise's father before he died helped her establish her place in the male dominated engineering world. Her influence in those circles is important and she soon becomes especially interested in Charles, an incredibly talented engineer. When the two meet in London in 1855 they both find themselves learning things about love they hadn't expected to find.
When an old friend of Charles shares a secret he claims to know about Louise, Charles believes it all too readily. That secret leads to an ugly confrontation between Louise and Charles that both begin to wish had never happened.
This was a clean and compelling love story. I enjoyed it. The characters though flawed were easy to love and forgive. A very fun read!
February 2, 2016
I picked this book up without knowing what it was about, and I am glad I did pick it up. It was wonderful. Louise was kind and forgiving, but also had her own flaws. I liked seeing her interest in engineering. Charles was a bit prejudice and absorbed in his work, but also an admirable character. This book had other wonderful characters - Jane, Lord Philip, etc. The story took some twists and turns I did not expect. This was a book that was hard to put down. I was delighted to find in the back of the book that the main characters were based on real people. I look forward to reading more books by this author and would love a book telling Lord Philip's story.
Content: Clean - some mention of immoral activities
Source: personal copy
Content: Clean - some mention of immoral activities
Source: personal copy
Want to read
February 15, 2016236p It's 1855 and Louise Thomas, owner of a large estate in Devon is ready to fall in love, but only if she can find a man who will put up with her thirst for knowledge in the engineering and scientific world.
Charles Lucas is one of the country's top Engineer's, tipped to be the new Brunel. He is too busy with his work for love - especially with a member of the gentry. When he meets Louise, she interests and intrigues him like no woman before. But he must make some serious decisions when he hears disturbing rumours about her.
Charles Lucas is one of the country's top Engineer's, tipped to be the new Brunel. He is too busy with his work for love - especially with a member of the gentry. When he meets Louise, she interests and intrigues him like no woman before. But he must make some serious decisions when he hears disturbing rumours about her.
August 10, 2016
Interesting take on a real-life courtship leading to marriage. The plot was nicely done, but could have used more proofreading and editing.
There were incidents in the plot that seemed to be drawn from other works (like Jane Austen), but at least that added the flavor of the period since both hero and heroine were both progressive thinkers for their time.
There were incidents in the plot that seemed to be drawn from other works (like Jane Austen), but at least that added the flavor of the period since both hero and heroine were both progressive thinkers for their time.
February 4, 2010
I really enjoyed this short book by Jenna Dawlish. It was a great love story with a bit of suspense. My only wish is that it would have been longer. It seemed a bit rushed at times. Even so, I would recomend!
February 15, 2011
Such a good book! I have been reading a lot of books set back in the early to mid 1800's and its refreshing to read about the beginning of the industrial age, but still maintaining what I love about the regency era. Thumbs up to the author and her fist book!
Fun clean love story!
Fun clean love story!
February 6, 2012
A fab read. If you're a historical romance fan - even if you're not - you will enjoy this. A hero to die for and a thinking woman's heroine too. Who thought bridge building could be sexy - it is, and it's a heart-warmer of a story too! Try it, you won't be disappointed.
July 24, 2013
this book was a look into history. This is a sweet romance of a girl interested in engineering and most importantly the engineer in 1855. I loved how this book was a romantic tale and a short history lesson at the same time
August 17, 2020
This was fun to read. It didn't fall into cliches which often happens. I especially thought the self-doubts expressed by both main characters seemed genuine and not manufactured.
November 13, 2014
Deadly dull
Why did I think there was any chance at all that a romance about engineering bridges could possibly be as anything but dull and boring.
Why did I think there was any chance at all that a romance about engineering bridges could possibly be as anything but dull and boring.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews