Book Review: Falling UP (Falling Series Book 1) by Lucinda Brant

 

*Editorial Book Review*

Falling UP 

(Falling Series Book 1)
By Lucinda Brant

Publication Date: 6th September 2025

Publisher: Sprigleaf Pty Ltd

Page Length: 409

Genre: Teen & Young Adult Historical Romance

A colossal inheritance affords Lord Henri-Antoine every indulgence. His is a life of aristocratic opulence and privilege. A world away, on the mean streets of 1780s London, Miss Lisa Crisp relies on charity to keep her from the poorhouse. Such vastly different lives mean Lisa and Henri-Antoine should never meet. Yet they do. And in a most startling way. One Henri-Antoine would prefer to forget. Yet he cannot forget Lisa. When they find themselves attending the same wedding on his brother's magnificent country estate, the couple wonder at fate, and their profound feelings for one another. Surely the bond between orphan and aristocrat cannot defy societal convention! Will love be their ruin, or can fairy tales come true?

She doubted she would ever see the likes of him again, wishing only that she’d had the opportunity to hear his voice when he was not agitated. She was sure he was possessed of a smooth, deep burr as Becky suggested. As to whether he sounded like hot chocolate tasted—full, velvety, and just a tiny bit wicked—that, too, she doubted she would be privileged to discover for herself.

Little could she know that she would indeed make these discoveries, in the most surprising of ways, and before the week was out.

There is a stark contrast between the lives of Lord Henri-Antoine and Miss Lisa Crisp. Henri-Antoine wants for nothing; his life is lavish and rich with close friends and family within the aristocracy. Lisa, however, only has a roof over her head due to the reluctant generosity of her cousin and not a penny to her name. Their vastly different life paths suggest that Henri-Antoine and Lisa are destined to remain strangers, with their lives unlikely to intersect. But when Henri-Antoine finds himself literally falling at Lisa’s feet, everything changes.

“Falling UP” by Lucinda Brant confronts the question: Can love overcome entrenched social barriers? By following Henri-Antoine and Lisa’s struggle, the novel probes whether two people from different social classes can defy rigid Georgian conventions to pursue happiness, making the society’s constraints the central obstacle to their union.

Lisa Crisp's situation has left her reliant on the generosity of her cousin and her husband, Dr. Warner, but she doesn’t take that help for granted, nor does her cousin allow her to forget how lucky she is to have been taken in. Lisa is, in general, content with her life, helping out at Dr. Warner’s dispensary and using her education for good in acting as a scribe for those who were unable to write, but still in need of the connections that sending and receiving letters could provide. However, the reveal of a stack of letters addressed to her provides an escape from the home that she has been allowed into, but never entirely welcomed in. Her best friend from Blacklands Boarding School for Young Ladies, Teddy, is marrying the love of her life, and Teddy wants nothing more than for Lisa to attend the wedding. Lisa’s honest and caring disposition sets her out as an instantly likeable character, for her qualities are simply charming. She has withheld a positive attitude towards life, and is not discontent, despite being entirely reliant on the benevolence of a cousin who would clearly rather that she were not there.

Henri-Antoine’s hidden battle with the falling sickness sets him apart, reinforcing the novel’s exploration of outsider status. Concealing his illness allows him to avoid ostracism, highlighting how both he and Lisa navigate social exclusion in different ways. When Lisa responds to his seizure with understanding rather than fear, it forges a meaningful connection, showing how shared vulnerability can cross social boundaries.

The contrast between their lives is striking, yet the connection between the two characters is immediate and evident. Lisa’s decision to defy Henri-Antoine’s simplest requests sets her apart, and she finds herself intrigued by the handsome man, who oscillates between being charming and annoyingly obstinate. When they both attend the same wedding—Lisa’s school friend Teddy is marrying Henri-Antoine’s best friend, Jack—they are compelled to determine what they want from each other amidst a gathering of high-society individuals, who are quick to gossip about others’ private lives and any hint of scandal. The wedding serves as the perfect backdrop for a high-tension atmosphere. Henri-Antoine is surrounded by family and friends, people from whom he wishes to keep his private life a secret due to concerns about judgment or interference. In contrast, Lisa knows only Henri-Antoine and Teddy, having only briefly met Jack. As she navigates a world where she feels somewhat out of place, she is determined not to reveal her discomfort among these high-standing guests. Amidst the gathering of prominent characters, Lisa and Henri-Antoine must explore their feelings for each other before allowing anyone else to intrude with their opinions. This scenario quickly evolves into an intense game of secrets and stolen moments, as they strive to conceal the truth from onlookers eager for any glimpse of gossip. 

This novel boasts a wide cast of side characters, many of whom are charming. Teddy and Jack, as they prepare for their wedding, continue to share their time with their best friends, and each acts as a grounding post for their respective best friends as Henri-Antoine and Lisa struggle to decide what their hearts are trying to tell them. In addition to them, Elsie, Henri-Antoine’s youngest sister, adds an element of childlike wonder and joy to the novel, as she quickly befriends Lisa and gives both Lisa and the reader a glimpse into how much their lives differ, and what life could be like if she were to join such a highly respected family.

A well-rounded story of finding love and learning just how much another person can mean to you, “Falling UP” by Lucinda Brant is an excellent historical romance novel for younger readers in their late teens. 

Review by Ellie Yarde

The Coffee Pot Book Club

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Lucinda Brant

LUCINDA BRANT is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of award-winning Georgian historical romances and mysteries. She writes about families, creating worlds that are full of history, heart, and Happily Ever Afters.

Lucinda has university degrees in history, politics, law, and a post graduate degree in education. Now a full-time writer, she has had many careers: university administrator; selling merch at rock concerts; mentor to first year medical students; and history and geography teacher at an exclusive boarding school for young ladies. 

Lucinda lives in a villa full of books by the beach, with her scientist hubby, and an Italian Greyhound princess called Mabelle. She has been researching and reading about the 18th Century for over forty years, and still finds the Georgian era just as fascinating now as then.

A proud member of Novelists Inc. (NINC); The Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi); the Audio Publishers Association (APA), and the Beau Monde—Regency Fiction Writers (RFW).

Lucinda's many awards include:

10k Random House/Woman’s Day Romantic Fiction Prize

15 x IndieBRAG Medallion 

10 x Readers' Favorite medalist

3x finalist for the RONE award. Awarded the RONE Historical Novel of the Year

Chatelaine Romantic Fiction First in Category Award winner

2 x finalist for the Romance Writers of Australia Romantic Book of the Year (RBY) award

"Quizzing glass and quill, into my sedan chair and away! The 1700s rock!"

Author Links:

Website • Facebook • Twitter • BookBub