A review by yourbookishbff
The Lily of Ludgate Hill by Mimi Matthews

emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Mimi Matthews excels in writing familial dynamics that make the reader feel almost claustrophobic. Her insight into parent-child relationships, grief, and the conflict between duty and desire, makes each installment in this series feel like a slow unburdening for our main characters. Our female main character in The Lily of Ludgate Hill, Lady Anne Deveril, is in her seventh year of mourning her father and has become the primary support for her still-grieving mother, a role that has kept her largely in the shadows of her own life - much to the frustration of our ever-pining male main character, Felix Hartford. This is a beautifully executed second-chance romance between two people who were simply too young and too over-burdened to sustain their relationship seven years ago and must now determine how vulnerable they are willing to be as they recommit to one another and themselves. I loved the slow-and-steady approach Matthews took to their rekindled trust and renewed courtship, and my only complaint is that our secondary conflicts weighed down the third act a bit much for me - this felt like it could have been shorter. Otherwise, I really loved this, and I cannot wait to read the fourth and final installment after the excellent preview we get of our two main characters.
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