Series: N/A
Traits & Tropes: second son; bookish hero; wallflower heroine;
Publication Date: 05.23.23
Genre/Setting: Historical; Regency; London, England
Heat Level: 3
Rating: 3/5
As the middle of three sisters, Lady Olivia Wynnburn has always been rather overlooked. She’s content enough with being relegated to the corners, that way no one notices her social mistakes. But all that changes when the Duke of Beaubrooke selects her over her sisters to be his bride.
Alexander Reddington never expected to be the duke, but his brother’s passing thrust him into the role. He’s more content to spend his time engrossed in his botanical studies and couldn’t care less for social engagements. But now he must fulfill his late brother's marital obligations and when he winds up sharing a corner with a lady who is just as socially inept as he is, he believes he’s found the perfect wife who won’t hound him about attending society events.
To his surprise, however, after their marriage Lavinia begins to gain confidence and accepts many more social invitations than Alex ever expected. Even worse, Alex seems to be losing his heart to her and he has no idea how to handle any of it with his research due date to the Royal Society looming.
This was a fine story, though rather slow. The conflict relies heavily on misunderstanding and miscommunication, and the MCs seemed to have the same argument over and over again. I enjoyed seeing the overlooked wallflower finally begin to come into her own, but Lavinia was also frustratingly naïve at times. In many ways, Alexander was just as naïve, so this caused most of their disagreements, but sometimes the story was bogged down by these little minutiae and that made it hard for me to stay invested. He was too suspicious for no reason and somehow, I was just left wanting more. I wanted her to take her sister and her supposed friend to task in a more dramatic fashion and I also wanted real communication sooner. That said, this was still a sweet, enjoyable story, and I very much appreciated how low angst it was.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
https://www.bookbub.com/reviews/644819047
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5682547847
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