Paullett Golden

This novel is in the same vein as Northanger Abbey in its satirical take on gothic novels. This makes it lean more towards the domestic and novel of sensibility than the true gothic. It is a novel of emotion and romance rather than horror. There are some impressive references to The Castle of Woifenbach, Vathek, Caleb Williams and of course Ann Radcliffe’s Sicilian Romance and The Mysteries of Udolpho. The explained supernatural is in keeping with Radcliffe and there is also a hint of the madwoman in the attic. The heroine is isolated and alone with absent parents and in need of a male protector, as was custom in the eighteenth century.

Isobel as the heroine feels silly and immature. Women were not well educated, but she appears young and impressionable along the lines of Lydia in Pride and Prejudice but I suspect she is meant to be a lot older, as she is over the age of consent to be married. She portrays the awe and wonder of a child when she visits Reading and the bookstores. When she meets a lady in distress she shows compassion, but all these are surface characteristics with no real trauma to bring out psychological depth. It is good that she is a nobleman’s daughter which would be in keeping with the rise of the middle class and Alistair is the ‘other’ exotic element who seeks to integrate into British society. Again, we are told he is of mixed heritage and it would have been good to have some flashbacks to the time he was with his mother expressing his anguish and hardship. We are told he has difficulty relating to and reconciling with his father, but it would have been nice to feel that tension. There is a slight pull between Persian and British culture and it would have been nice to see him come down on one side or the other, either emphasise the exotic or go out of his way to create the persona of an English gentleman despite his appearance.

The author has taken great care to include many of the elements of an eighteenth-century gothic novel but has neglected the story. What does the heroine learn? Where is the progression of character? What is the conflict and driving force? Where are the opposing characters? It was nice to see Alistair and his father reconciled and the requisite happy ending, but it would have been good to see more of the conflict shown. The reader needs more of a reason to want to care about these characters. I’m afraid we are not up to Jane Austen’s standards yet.… (meer)

Enjoyed this mistaken identity, arranged marriage, Georgian romance. It’s a story that had me cheering for the main couple to find love. Definitely kept me on pins and needles the whole time, wondering when the truth would come out.

J’non is a gentleman’s daughter who through unfortunate circumstances is forced to become a maid. When her mistress decides to elope on the journey to her betrothed’s estate rather than go through with a sight unseen arranged marriage, J’non must decide if she’ll assume her mistress’ identity or tell him the truth when she arrives. After careful consideration, she decides to assume her mistress’ identity and go through with the marriage. As she spends time with her new husband, she begins to fall in love with him, but how long can she protect her secret?

Trevor Gaines, Marquess of Pickering is in desperate need of a wealthy wife to support and renovate his newly acquired estate. He agrees to marry a rich merchant’s daughter without ever meeting her. When the woman arrives unaccompanied, he’s arrested by her beautiful eyes, but shocked to see the manner in which she arrives and her unfashionable clothing. Though disgusted by her father’s supposed neglect, he quickly marries her and offers her all the accessories worthy of a marchioness. Determined to not allow his heart to be involved, he attempts to avoid her during the day. However, he quickly comes to appreciate and love his wife’s abilities and enjoys their closeness in the evenings. But, what happens when he learns the truth?

Trevor & J’non are a delightful couple. At first, Trevor comes across as an austere, serious, peer of the realm, but as he lets his guard down, he learns to love and become the thoughtful husband he never dreamed he could be. I loved J’non and really sympathized with her situation. I enjoyed how things worked out in the end and ended up even liking the spoiled Phoebe whom Trevor was supposed to marry.

It’s an easy to read, enjoyable closed door romance with plenty of swoony moments and a compelling story. I received an advanced complimentary copy from Book Sirens but also purchased a copy through Kindle Unlimited. All opinions are my own and I was not required to provide a positive review.

Content: Closed door, some mild sensuality, mentions of having intimacies between a married couple.… (meer)

I always find this author’s works to be filled with complex and interesting characters as well as plots that shy away from the cookie-cutter version offered in so many HR novels. This book definitely follows that rule and I loved meeting J’non Butler and Trevor Gaines who are, indeed, very interesting characters. While their journey to love is straightforward and lovely, their journey to a HEA has a very large obstacle across the path.

J’non Butler is lady’s maid to a very spoiled, very rich young woman. Yes, Phoebe Whittington is spoiled and rich, but she’s being forced into marrying someone she’s never met – and she has already chosen the man she wants to marry. J’non is to accompany Phoebe from her home in London to the estate of her betrothed where the ceremony will be performed quickly. Goodness – I feel a big OOPS coming down the path.

As they travel, Phoebe tells J’non that she is NOT going to wed her betrothed and she IS going to run away with the man she loves. She also suggests that J’non continue the journey and marry the marquess instead. J’non does what she can to prevent the departure of her mistress, but she awakens to find Phoebe gone – and the marquess’ coach is arriving at the inn to continue the journey. What to do – what to do??? She must, of course, continue to the estate to let the marquess know his bride has run away with another man.

Trevor Gaines, Marquess of Pickering, has unexpectedly inherited the title along with a run-down and impoverished estate. He needs an infusion of money to set things right and orders his man of business to procure a betrothal to the woman with the richest dowery. It doesn’t matter whether she is a member of the ton or not – a rich cit’s daughter will do just as well. He doesn’t need to meet her or to know anything about her as this is entirely a business arrangement.

When the carriage arrives with his betrothed, he’s pleasantly surprised and hardly gives her a moment to speak before he tells her the plans for the wedding, etc. Oops – would she have told him if he’d given her a chance? Who knows? Probably not.

I love that Trevor falls for ‘Phoebe’ almost immediately and with her warm nature, friendliness to the tenants and townspeople, and insightful knowledge of farming and running an estate – well – he just falls deeper and deeper.

As we read, we just know there is more to J’non than meets the eye – but what is it? What is her background? Yes, we know all along that J’non and Trevor are going to have to pay the piper at some point – but goodness! What a conflict and resolution!

I am so glad to have met these two and I hope you will enjoy meeting them as much as I did. I will say – there are a couple of things I just didn’t understand and a punishment that was sorely needed but didn’t happen. However, I can’t tell you all about them without giving too many spoilers. That doesn’t matter though because the book was excellent.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.… (meer)

Enjoyed this delightful fake relationship Regency romance! Abbie is a likable character with a talent for writing. She invents a fake suitor in order to turn down an unwanted proposal from Lord Dunley. Surprisingly, Lord Dunley finds the exact embodiment of the person she describes and tells all and sundry that Percy Randall is engaged to her.

Percy, a carefree, somewhat lost 2nd son hasn’t quite figured out what he wants to do with his life. He’s set to be engaged to a young woman whom he doesn’t love by his 30th birthday. When he goes to visit her, he’s shocked to find he’s supposedly already engaged to a woman he’s never even heard of.

Percy travels to the obscure village of Sidvale to get to the truth, expecting a scheming woman after his name and money. What he finds, is a delightful vicar’s daughter and aspiring writer. He also finds friends, purpose, and falls nicely into a life he never imagined. He agrees to keep up the pretenses of the fake engagement until Lord Dunley finds another. This becomes even trickier when family gets involved. But the more time Percy spends with Abbie, the more they both are in danger of wanting the lie to be real.

I loved the romance between Percy and Abbie. Percy is so likable. He’s clever, funny, and has a great imagination. I loved how he joined her Ladies Literary Society and wrote as Mr. Stitch. He’s the perfect compliment to Abbie. I loved the funny stories they made up together and how he encourages her writing. Abbie can’t believe the man of her dreams, the likeness of the hero in her novels, is in love with her. Will she give in to self doubt and throw away her chance at happiness?

All in all, this was a fun novel and I found myself enjoying the dialogue, characters, and the creative premise. Following the novel are 14 snippets or flash stories that are just a few pages each. Each was accompanied by a lovely sketch. They were intriguing and had surprising depth for such short stories. I definitely wanted to know more after reading them.

While I would consider the novel mostly “clean,” a few of the flash stories while not too detailed had salacious elements I wouldn’t consider compatible with “sweet” or “clean” romances. The few stories which had these elements were: Entangled, Midsummer, and Gorgeous. Those you might want to skip if you prefer “sweet” romances.

3 1/2 stars I received a complimentary advanced review copy of this book from Book Sirens. All opinions are voluntarily left and I was not required to provide a positive review.

Content: innuendo, brief mention of a mistress, mention of tongue kissing in the main story and in a few of the short stories, one brief mention of unclothed individuals caught in a sexual act (Midsummer), suggestion of compromised virtue (Midsummer, Requited, Gorgeous), foreplay between a married couple but no direct mention of sex (Entangled).… (meer)