Series: The Worthington Brides, #1
Traits & Tropes: titled hero; London season
Publication Date: 12.27.22
Genre/Setting: Historical; Regency; London, England, April 1821
Heat Level: 1
Rating: 3/5
Narration Rating: 4/5
With a large and boisterous family Lady Eleanor Carpenter has observed enough happy marriages to have a good idea of what she desires in her own husband. As her first season begins, John, the Marquis of Montagu, seems to check off many of her requirements, but perhaps not the most important ones.
John believes his marital bliss can only come from finding a biddable, empty-headed wife, but when he meets Eleanor, he finds himself enchanted by her despite the fact that she is the opposite of what he thought he needed. Both beautiful and strong-willed, Eleanor has her own cause in championing the safety of coal miners, even if it means risking her own safety. During their very proper courtship John and Eleanor begin to reevaluate their marital priorities a bit, though their growing feelings mean a compromise may be necessary if they’re to find a happy ending together.
Given how this story began I thought we were getting some intrigue and a pace-livening mystery to add to the romance, but that’s not how it turned out. This wound up being a very sweet, low angst story with a low stakes London courtship and the bit of mystery thrown in as an afterthought at times and resolved so quickly as to have me question its inclusion. That said, I enjoyed the narration and found the narrator’s voice to be quite soothing, even if the pace was incredibly slow. There were also a ton of supporting characters that I struggled to keep straight, and I felt that the plot often became bogged down in the minor details of life and the character’s routines, which did get a bit dull at times. This book was extremely well-researched and well-written, but it did seem that some storylines were merely touched on at the very surface level and then never mentioned again, though I’m assuming this means these were the threads being sewn for future stories. This heroine was also somehow rather mature for her very young age and also frustratingly naïve with her expectations of how quick she should fall in love. For me, this made it seem as if John and Eleanor fell in love incredibly quickly and made me question if it was real or just more of an infatuation. I also could’ve very much done without the detailed description of birth in the epilogue. These critiques, however, are merely down to my personal preference and I think this was an enjoyable story that will appeal to many readers who want a more traditional-feeling Regency romance.
I voluntarily listened to and reviewed an audio advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
https://www.bookbub.com/reviews/2420506992
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5080526620
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