Reviews

The Girl with the Make-Believe Husband
3.5 Stars

Cecelia Harcourt travels to Colonial New York to care for her injured brother, but upon her arrival discovers that he is missing and his best friend, Edward Rokesby, is in a coma. Under the pretense of being his wife, Cecelia nurses Edward back to consciousness, but soon discovers that he has no memory. As Cecelia and Edward grow closer, Cecelia's dilemma increases. Should she tell him of her deception or keep it secret to discover what happened to her brother? Will Edward forgive her once he realizes the truth?

A well-written and engaging story, but the keeping secrets trope is annoying and undermines the romance for much of the book.

Cecelia's courage and devotion make her an admirable heroine, and the initial reasons for her deception are understandable. Nevertheless, her continued lying and attempts to conceal the truth are inexcusable, especially once she learns of her brother's fate.

Edward is a wonderful hero. Decent, caring and loyal, he does not deserve Cecelia's lies and Quinn is forced to work hard to redeem her heroine and create a satisfying romance. Although she is successful and the final chapters are lovely, it is all bittersweet due to Cecelia's actions throughout.

The mystery revolving around Thomas Harcourt's disappearance has the potential for exciting intrigue, but the eventual explanation is nonsensical and glossed over too easily and too quickly.

In sum, not Quinn's best work, but her writing is excellent and the letters at the beginning of each chapter are charming and go a long way to making Edward and Cecelia's relationship believable. Looking forward to the next installment in the Rokesbys series.