I had no idea this was the 4th book in the Burgundy Club (a group of avid collector's of books), but that is probably just as well since I wasn't very interested in the other characters (all of whom featured as the main characters in the preceding three books). Maybe would have read the second book, THE DANGEROUS VISCOUNT, as it is the direct precursor to the events of this novel and gives fleshing out of everything they mention as backstory.

Then again I don't know if I want to see Blake and Minerva at each other's throats, I rather enjoyed the slow build up as they came to tolerate, respect and enjoy each other's company.

Some of it annoyed me. I felt Neville draw out their misconceptions and prejudices against each other too long. I was also irrationally irked by Minerva's age (19)--it seems I've gotten used to old historical romance heroines and to me Minerva being 19 felt...odd (especially as my sister is 19 and I can't see her acting that mature).

I would have liked a bit more resolution in regards to Blake's 'dark secret'. It all comes tumbling out to Minerva and one other person within pages of each other and for the latter its just kind of 'Oh so that's why' moment. We're never quite told if he tells everyone else or not and the 'epilogue' had me gritting my teeth as it seemed to contradict what they had said earlier about acceptance.

I can't deny though that this book had me hooked. I started it and finished it within the same day. Neville is a new author for me, but I think I'll keep a look out for her forthcoming novels.

A sidenote--why is the man on the cover wearing his BOOTS to bed? As least I assume that's a bed, it kind of resembles a scene near the middle. ( )

An outstanding romance, a great plot, great characters. The title is misleading, it's not my idea of an arranged marriage, it's more like an accidental marriage.

Setup: Lord Blakeney returns to London after a two-year absence to enjoy himself, but his parents require his attendance at a come-out ball for Minerva Montrose. A delicate incidents occurs which requires marriage between Lord Blakeney and Minerva. The bulk of the book is about what happens after their marriage, but I don't want to spoil the many excellent surprises.

A great romance about how love can develop even with a very bad start. ( )

This is the first book I've read by Miranda Neville & I thoroughly enjoyed it. I don't usually read series out of order but I saw this recommended to me on Amazon & bought it straight away, not realizing it was the fifth in a series. It's no matter though, the story of Minnie/Blake stands very well on its own.

Minnie is a woman who pines for political power & influence & Blake is born into the very thing but wants nothing to do with any of it. She's a voracious & opinionated reader & he's of the sporty end & prefers to be with his horses. A funny if not cliched turn (her epic migraines are never mentioned again in this book) causes their paths to cross in such a way that marriage is the only choice to avert scandal & that's where the story really takes off. It's quite clear early on that Blake isn't the slacker Minnie (& most others) regards him as. He has a secret that he's been keeping for years & will go to most any length to continue to keep.

It was very easy to feel for Blake as the story unfolded & while I wanted him to fess up to Minnie, I could understand why he was so reticent. Huntley, our resident extortionist, was reason enough to make anyone wary of divulging a secret ever again in life. For Minnie's part, she was very informed & smart in a good many ways but she was just as stunted when it came to reading people or having any clue about why Blake was the way he was. I suppose that could make Minnie seem inconsiderate & put some readers off, but I liked it because it was clear that she too was flawed. It was as though she couldn't conceive of people relating to the world of books & reading in any other way than she did, so watching her grow over the course of the story was interesting. I did feel badly for both of them often as they stumbled along in the story. Also, I was worried when Blake became Hampton because I kept thinking that as he was relying on his secretaries (or anyone other than Amanda) to give him summaries of all things before he signed all things political, he could be signing anything (much like the IOU Huntley had him sign before). His vulnerability made me anxious & I wanted someone, anyone, to tell Minnie before something drastic happened! In the end, that wasn't the drastic event I needed to worry myself over but the one that presented itself was handled well, even if it was a bit predictable.

The romance between Minnie/Blake was very well done & believable & not overwrought & sappy. I appreciated that. It was nice to watch them evolve as people & as a couple & I cheered for them. Their having genuine affection for one another was sweet but I most enjoyed that they had mutual respect & felt protective & supportive of each other. I'm a huge historical fiction fan so I was probably a bit predisposed to enjoy this & I would read others in the series. ( )

Boring.

The hero and heroine has zero chemistry. I could not connect with the heroine at alll. When she wasn't going off about how she wanted to be involved with politics and blah blah blah, she was snooping through her husband's things. When the hero wasn't bemoaning his dyslexia, he was going on about what a sportsman he was.

I couldn't get into this book at all. ( )

For full review including excerpt and dialogue highlight, please visit Reader's Edyn at:
http://bit.ly/HMO7n1

Review:

Blake has always been viewed as lazy and irresponsible. A seeming disappointment to his parents, and a poor option as a replacement for his powerful father. But Blake has allowed these assumptions to occur and has taken steps to see that such stereotypes remain. Blake has a secret. A shortcoming of sorts and he would rather the public view him as lazy than the idiot he thinks himself to be.

Minerva has had political aspirations for some time. She is highly intelligent and dreams of having a voice of her own in the future. He goal, when she encounters Blake at the ball given in her honor, is to secure a proposal from a future-husband who can lead the way to making her dreams come true. Unfortunately, a chance encounter with Blake, paired with mistaken identity seals her fate in exactly the opposite direction she wanted to head in – or was it?

Blake and Minerva – a couple that, against all odds, actually ends up making sense. A couple those, if first impressions are to be believed, were a phenomenal example of opposites. I have to admit, I initially did not hold very high hopes for this couple. They seemed so m ismatched that I had trouble seeing them as a couple, let alone a powerful couple in the ton with vast amounts of influence. Minerva seemed too intelligent for Blake and he didn’t seem to stand a chance of being able to manage such a spirited woman with near unattainable dreams for her future. But first impressions, in this case, were completely off the mark. Blake ends up an entirely different individual than the reader is introduced to. Minerva as well, seems somewhat cold and standoffish as a female MC, but ends up exhibiting raging passion within many aspects of her life – specifically anything she sets her mind to and anyone she cares for. I feel that the excerpt I chose is a good example of just how difficult a match the two seem to be. And in contrast, the dialogue highlight I chose - one of my favorite in the book - I chose because it shows so much about the characters. Those that can read between the lines can see Minerva’s competitive spirit as well as her political ambitions and Blake’s humor paired with a suggestion that there is more to him than presented on the surface.

This is the first book I have read from Ms. Neville and the fourth in this series (The Burgundy Club). While I believe reading the preceding books would have helped endear me to the characters sooner, I also believe that I was granted a favor in reading this book first with these particular characters. I read a review recently of this book in which the reader was concerned about the characters because of their descriptions in previous books. Good point. Given this bit of information, I may not have been interested in these characters enough to read their story. I suppose it all depends of the type of character you prefer. For me, skeptical as I was as I began this book, I am glad that I read it first. This is actually saying quite a lot coming from a person who, whenever possible, is anal about reading in order.

I have to say that I was slightly disappointed with the intimate scenes. Rather strong language was presented fairly early in the book, making me believe that the scenes would be steamy and somewhat dirty (dirty in the “my cheeks are burning, but I am loving every minute of it” kind of way). Sadly, they were not. Don’t get me wrong. The scenes were well written and entertaining. And I very much enjoyed “watching” the passion grow between Blake and Minerva, but I felt they could have been just a bit steamier.

Overall, I enjoyed my time spent with Confessions From An Arranged Marriage. I liked the secondary characters enough to further explore their stories and have added them to my TBR list. Minerva, while initially perceived as overly intelligent and mismatched to Blake ends up being quite a lot of fun in her escapades. And Blake, with his sense of humor and points of weakness that shake his confidence, which he effectively shields everyone from – everyone except the astute Minerva – makes him a much more likeable character once the reader understands his motivations. And while these characters are not my preferred type, I found that I enjoyed the transformation from first impressions to the essence that truly was Blake and Minerva.

(Digital ARC provided by author for review.) ( )