1st read: August 2021
2nd read: July 2023

This book has a different vibe from the rest of the books set in Karadok. The hero spent the majority of the book thinking that the heroine was lying about her identity. The heroine was so innocent and perky during the middle of the book that she reminded me of an old-school Disney princess. (Possibly because I recently watched the 1950s Cinderella movie.)

I still mostly enjoyed reading this again, but it's my least favorite re-read of the author's work.
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Original review:
In previous books Mathilde was "as meek as a mouse", but she realized that she needed to make some changes or her life would never change for the better. Mathilde posed as a boy and left her controlling mother to seek out her husband of 4 years, who she never met. The journey and her determination made her much stronger, but she's still dealing with some of the consequences of her over-sheltered life.

Guy was on the losing side of a civil war and he was forced to marry a women that he never met. He thinks that his wife was a part of the plot, so he hates the idea of her and is very bitter. When someone who claims to be his wife shows up at his house he is instantly drawn to her, but he doesn't believe that she is his wife.

I really enjoyed Wed By Proxy. The main characters had great chemistry and their interactions were fun to read. Mathilde and Guy had a lot of misunderstandings to deal with throughout the book, but the storyline was unusual and interesting enough that I didn't mind. Sometimes Guy acted like a jerk, but it was based on his own insecurity and I think he made up for it. ( )

After the dreadful Eden/Roland book, sooooo glad to see that AC has returned to FINE form. This is her best book yet, set in Karadok. Mathilde and Guy are simply lovely and the action/tension is perfect. ( )

The heroine was very naive, but it (mostly) didn't bother me like that often does. It's a grumpy/sunshine trope so it just seemed to go with her young and earnest, sunshiny character. Plus she had genuinely been overly cosseted, so it made sense for her. I liked the first half more than the second, and the last third or so was the weakest in my opinion. There's a bit of magic and some silliness as well, but overall it was decent. I didn't like how their first fight unfolded, it didn't feel consistent with either of their characters, and was maybe a bit suddenly over the top. I'll continue with the series though. ( )

I usually despise heroine-chases-hero stories, but this had some quality angst! Even if it did seem a bit manufactured (I am not entirely certain as to why Guy kept up pretenses, especially as his feelings changed. I know he was a suspicious woman-hater or whatever, but he walked right into that misunderstanding of his own accord). Good grovel too! ( )

Enjoyed this for the most part. I did think the hero was a bit of an idiot not to believe her when she first shows up and says she's his wife. He at least should have researched her claim. ( )