Series: The Phoenix Club, #2
Traits & Tropes: marriage in trouble; second chance; heroine with anxiety; arranged marriage; starched hero
Publication Date: 08.24.21
Genre/Setting: Historical; Regency; London, England, 1815
Heat Level: 5.5
Rating: 4/5
Despite being married for almost two years, Sabrina Westbrook, the Countess of Aldington, scarcely knows her husband at all and has rarely even spoken to him, much less shared his bed. This is made especially difficult since they live in separate houses. The Earl spends his time involved in politics with his seat in the House of Commons while Sabrina manages her social anxiety by spending time in her gardens at their country house.
Their marriage is polite, but the two times a year they visit one another in person are very awkward. Sabrina has had enough and is determined to make changes in both her life and her marriage.
Constantine Westbrook, Earl of Aldington and heir to the Duke of Evesham, knows what’s expected of him, so when his father arranged his marriage to a shy, but beautiful wallflower, he went along with it, thankful to be marrying the most beautiful woman he’d ever met. Unfortunately, he’s barely even seen her and is convinced she loathes him. Constantine is shocked when Sabrina arrives in London unannounced, especially since she seems very different from the woman he knows. She is full of demands and new expectations for him and if they’re to fulfill her desires, they must both learn a bit about love and seduction.
I’ll admit, the premise of this one had me nervous and I was very much afraid after our brief glimpse of Constantine in the previous book that we would encounter cheating or something very close to it here, but everything worked out satisfactorily on that front. Sabrina and Constantine really just needed to learn how to be open and communicate with each other and it was very satisfying to see them grow and develop that aspect of their relationship in addition to their intimate relationship. That made this book both steamy and endearingly sweet as both Constantine and Sabrina learned about each other and about themselves. Both characters grew into the people they wanted to be and truly were, as opposed to what they had been expected to be. Seeing them grow out of those narrow confines society had put them in and growing together was very sweet and they were easy to root for. I especially loved when Constantine and Sabrina began standing up for and defending one another to outsiders, presenting a united front and a real marriage at last. Constantine wound up being a very charming hero in his own unique way. His shyness and uncertainty were endearing, and I liked that he was willing to at least try to understand his wife. I do wish their open communication had come a bit sooner or that we’d gotten to enjoy it a bit longer and I wasn’t a huge fan of the false pretenses they both employed here. Nonetheless, I did enjoy this book quite a lot and I loved the fact that here we have a story where all the problems of the relationship aren’t just magically solved by going to bed, but rather by the MCs actually working to get to know one another.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
https://www.bookbub.com/reviews/212627262
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4156338287
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