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itsgnat's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? No
2.5
I really wanted to like this book but it was so frustrating to read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting
Moderate: Sexual assault
sarah_moynihan's review against another edition
4.0
Grace is beautiful and it has caused her nothing but trouble. Her parents both died when she was a teenager and the local vicar and his family took her in. She has earned her keep, participating in the church choir and doing various work around the house. But now that the family's two daughters are of an age to marry, their mother fears that Grace's beauty and dowry are standing in the way of her daughters receiving offers. She is told she must leave, luckily she has an aunt with whom she can stay. They had became estranged after her parents death, as her aunt was not only suffering the grief of losing her sister, but her own husband had recently passed as well. Grace is determined that she will make herself useful and make a home with her aunt and her family, but shortly after arriving in London she learns that this isn't the safest place for her to be. With pressure from all sides, she must try to find the protection of a husband in just two short weeks in order to find herself a safer living arrangement. But to secure not just a proposal, but a marriage in so short a time she will need to try to orchestrate a scandal to trap the young man.
Due to circumstances out of her control, she's stuck in some really difficult circumstances. Her options to change her life are slim, essentially she can get a job or get married. Either be beholden to an employer, but earn her own income or be beholden to a huband but mistress of the house. She quickly decides against employment, so she must marry. If she can find the right man though, it can't be so bad right?
I really enjoyed this book, it was so sweet and amusing. It's really a fun take on a historical romance, Grace is not the poised society girl in most romances and she's a bit modern too. For a woman named Grace, she sure does awkwardly and ungainly bumble her way through London society. She has spent her entire life in a small town, the last several years at the home of a vicar, she is quite naive, so she's making the best of it that she can. I loved it though, as I'm sure that is just what I would be like if I ever had to brave the intricacies of mingling with the ton. Her being so awkward really endeared her to me.
In enters Nate and a long series of awkward but sweet interactions in which one is never sure how how the other feels. And Grace has a knack for being adorable and charming but yet messing up their every interaction all at the same time. He is both confused and intruiged by her. He wants nothing more than to distance himself from her and focus on his railroad company, but she has the tendency to appear in unexpected places.
I loved this book, but the last five to ten pages kind of ruined the ending for me just because they were so cheesy and unrealistic, that it detracted from the rest fo the book for me. It almost felt like the ending of a completely different book. Sure there was humor and things being a bit far-fetched earlier in the book, but it was so over-the-top in the last few pages and felt like it was trying too hard to be amusing. Had the final scene on the street not happened the way it did, I would have had absolutely no critiques.
I hadn't heard of this author before, but after reading A Proper Scandal I think I'll have to check out her other book.
I would recommend this book to someone who is a ran of clean historical mysteries and is looking to something amusing and light to read.
Thank you to Covenant Communications and NetGalley who shared a copy of this book with me, this is my honest review.
Due to circumstances out of her control, she's stuck in some really difficult circumstances. Her options to change her life are slim, essentially she can get a job or get married. Either be beholden to an employer, but earn her own income or be beholden to a huband but mistress of the house. She quickly decides against employment, so she must marry. If she can find the right man though, it can't be so bad right?
I really enjoyed this book, it was so sweet and amusing. It's really a fun take on a historical romance, Grace is not the poised society girl in most romances and she's a bit modern too. For a woman named Grace, she sure does awkwardly and ungainly bumble her way through London society. She has spent her entire life in a small town, the last several years at the home of a vicar, she is quite naive, so she's making the best of it that she can. I loved it though, as I'm sure that is just what I would be like if I ever had to brave the intricacies of mingling with the ton. Her being so awkward really endeared her to me.
In enters Nate and a long series of awkward but sweet interactions in which one is never sure how how the other feels. And Grace has a knack for being adorable and charming but yet messing up their every interaction all at the same time. He is both confused and intruiged by her. He wants nothing more than to distance himself from her and focus on his railroad company, but she has the tendency to appear in unexpected places.
I loved this book, but the last five to ten pages kind of ruined the ending for me just because they were so cheesy and unrealistic, that it detracted from the rest fo the book for me. It almost felt like the ending of a completely different book. Sure there was humor and things being a bit far-fetched earlier in the book, but it was so over-the-top in the last few pages and felt like it was trying too hard to be amusing. Had the final scene on the street not happened the way it did, I would have had absolutely no critiques.
I hadn't heard of this author before, but after reading A Proper Scandal I think I'll have to check out her other book.
I would recommend this book to someone who is a ran of clean historical mysteries and is looking to something amusing and light to read.
Thank you to Covenant Communications and NetGalley who shared a copy of this book with me, this is my honest review.
kskidmore7's review against another edition
4.0
Ooh I really wish Nate would have hit Uncle Bell so hard he knocked him out.
katie_chandler's review against another edition
2.0
Not sure if this is a first book for the author, but I might try her again after a few books. This one felt too cliche and the stereotypical roles were too much for me. Maybe like chaste version of heaving bosoms.
thestagedstory's review against another edition
Such a cute book! Loved it. Definitely looking forward to reading the rest of the series!!
books_and_more_books_byt's review against another edition
3.0
This was such a fun and light romance to read. Grace and Nate were adorable and perfect for each other. It was a different approach as Grace was so sweet and innocent and was trying to trap Nate but didn’t know how. The approach she took was so funny and he was so nice about trying to get out of each situation. The ending was an unexpected twist and I hope that Georgina and Aunt Bell get their HEA. I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
longneckwillow's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
andreagraves5's review against another edition
3.0
100% not the correct time period for basically the whole story. A decent story. Not my favorite but it was okay.
emromc's review against another edition
3.0
Fun, predictable, terribly cheesy, slightly bad writing...all the elements of your average regency chick lit. I finished it in two days, so apparently despite all the eye-rolling, I enjoyed it!
katiejohn_'s review against another edition
3.0
Cute regency fluff, but I prefer Ester Hatch’s other books