Matilda Chapple is financially dependent on her Uncle Strickland who lives at Creed Hall, but she longs for her independence and to this end she writes stories. But not stories that ladies can read. Then her Uncle is visited by Edward Kane a friend of her cousin Toby, who was killed at Waterloo. Due to a twist of fate the author of these stories is determined to live in the surrounding village and Kane offers to find the author.
I really enjoyed this well-written Regency romance. I also liked the characters, which for me is very important when it comes to reading romance stories. ( )

This book was lent to me by a friend and turned out to be not exactly what I was expecting, but in a good way. It is more about how to be a better parent of a teenager than it is about how to get a better teenager. Quite broad brush and very non-prescriptive, but inspiring and helpful. ( )

*I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Matilda is in an impossible situation. Poor and orphaned, she was taken in by her uncle in Creed Hall, where she lives an austere life, and she is now being pressured into marrying a man old enough to be her father. So, when she finds the diary of a young Countess, who lived in Creed Hall half a century ago, where she describes her amorous encounters with the stable boy, Mattie has an idea that can solve all her problems and guarantee the thing she wants the most, her freedom. And so Mattie decides to write and publish amorous confessions, under the alias Chérie, based on the Countess's diary and on a copy of Fanny Hill she has found between the things of her deceased cousin Toby.

It's precisely because of Toby that Edward goes to Creed Hall, to deliver Toby's belongings, who died to save him in Waterloo, to his father. And it is while trying to fulfill that duty to Toby's father that he ends up compromising with a mission he doesn't even agree with: to discover Chérie's true identity and reveal it, so as to stop the publication of her confessions. And that is how Edward finds himself as a guest of Creed Hall for a lot longer than he initially anticipated.

While trying to fulfill his mission, Edward ends up spending a lot of time with Mattie and feels inexplicably attracted to her. But Edward has returned from Waterloo disfigured and has scars, both physical and psychological and, as such, is convinced no woman will ever want him. But Mattie seems not to mind his appearance, she seems to genuinely appreciate his company, and she is not like any other woman Edward has ever met, which only adds to her charms...

Meanwhile, Mattie is getting closer to achieving the necessary funds to guarantee her independance, she only needs to write one more confession of Chérie's memories. But that confession consists of the description of the Countess's first time, which constitutes a great problem, because Mattie is a virgin and the Countess's diary begins after she is married... With no base material to turn to and without personal knowledge, Mattie sees only one solution: to loose her virginity with Edward and, therefore, acquire first hand knowledge that allows her to write the scene. But will she be able to give herself to Edward without giving him also her heart? And what will happen when he discovers she's the Chérie he looks for?

I really liked this romance, a kind of Beauty and the Beast, with strong and well developed characters and a very believable historical background. I liked Mattie a lot. She's never really known happiness until she met Edward, but she remains faithful to herself and her desire to be independent, not humiliating herself nor crawling at his feet. And I also liked Edward very much. He's a bitter man, changed by war, who has a lot of difficulty accepting a woman may want to be with him without expecting something in return and that, when he understands the mistake he has made, does everything he can to correct the situation.

The author has written a prequel to this book, a novella where she tells the story of the young Countess and her stable boy and I will definitely be reading it! ( )

Caz and Miranda have sold me on this one! ( )

THE SPINSTER’S SECRET is a historical romance set at dreary and depressing Creed Hall in Soddy Morton. Matilda, or Mattie, is thankful for the generosity of her uncle, Arthur Strickland, but is looking forward to the day when she can live on her own. She writes a series of stories about the events of a courtesan and plans to use the money from her writing to secure her freedom. She’s not far away from achieving her dream when her uncle learns that the famous “courtesan” lives in Soddy Morton. Edward Kane, a Waterloo veteran, is visiting Creed Hall out of respect for his slain friend and fellow Waterloo soldier, Mattie’s cousin, Toby. Feeling guilt over Toby’s death, Edward agrees to help Arthur find the courtesan. As Edward spends time at Creed Hall trying to discover the identity of the courtesan, he finds he is drawn to Mattie. When Mattie makes a shocking proposal, Edward begins to find himself again. But can Edward and Mattie find their way to each other?

Overall, I enjoyed reading Emily Larkin’s book. The characters of Edward and Mattie were well-developed and I liked that neither of the characters were pretentious or arrogant. The tone of the book; however, was rather dark and depressing. The descriptions of Creed Hall helped paint a clear image of just how depressing Creed Hall was for Mattie. Both Emily and Edward were rather sad characters trying overcome obstacles from their past. I liked the easy friendship between Mattie and Edward, but I caught myself wondering how Ms. Larkin was going to transform the friendship into something more. Both Mattie and Edward found pity for the other. Edward pities Mattie for having to live in dreary Creed Hall, and Mattie pities Edward for his battle scars and wounds. She made it work however, and I found myself happy for the two of them in the end. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a book that depicts more real life characters and who struggle with life events. I look forward to reading other books by Emily Larkin.

Rating: 4

Heat Rating: Mild

Reviewed By: AprilP,My Book Addiction Reviews ( )