It started as a marriage of convenience, but falling in love has made it anything but convenient.
Fresh from the humiliating annulment of the love match she always wanted, Lady Anne Vincent meekly agrees to the marriage of convenience her father has arranged. She feels hopeful that this marriage can be one of cordial indifference, protecting her from the hurt she knows so well.
Tobias Cosgrove … knows so well.
Tobias Cosgrove isn’t meant for marriage, free spirit that he is. And yet, as the only son, marry he must. He is thus relieved when his father reveals his future wife to be the calm, collected Lady Anne Vincent, for he is confident she won’t plague him with neediness or hysterics like so many of the other young women in society.
But when Lady Anne’s past reappears on their doorstep, she and Tobias are forced to confront whether a marriage of convenience is the type of marriage they wish for after all.
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It has taken me far too long to get to this book on my TBR list. I LOVE a good marriage of convenience story – and this one was BEYOND good. I immediately fell in love with Anne and Tobias. Sweet Anne, duped by a miserable scoundrel, and wonderful Tobias, making the world a better place for those around him!
This book is devoid of scandalous scenes, though a scandal necessitates the heroine marry a man she barely knows. While they first agree to have a marriage wherein they operate independent of one another, Anne’s gentleness attracts Tobias, while his charm and ability to make her laugh makes Anne yearn for his company.
The hero and heroine are trying so hard to protect themselves from heartbreak that they made MY heart hurt a bit while reading. If you love happily ever afters and characters who are sincerely GOOD, you will adore this romance. I didn’t want to put it down until the very last page.
I must say that of all the books written by Martha Keyes this one has been the most fun. The lighthearted playful Tobias and the teasing Anne worked very well together. And together they were able to help the less fortunate women of the community to earn their own wages by providing much needed services of those around them. Excellent Ms Keyes!
I totally loved this story! It was sweet and emotional!
I think it was because of the characters and the way their plights felt so real. I was truly moved by Anne’s situation, after being deceived in her non existent first marriage. She was subject to criticism and less likely to make a good marriage match, so her father offered her at the first decent opportunity, which turned out to be Tobias Cosgrove, the brother of a childhood friend, who seemed so lighthearted and superficial, that he seemed the best prospect to marry without her heart being in risk of breaking again. So she and Tobias (who has also being forced to marry and also thinks Anne is the perfect match who will never fawn over him and want to keep him beside her) agree that their marriage will be in name only and they will both mantain their independence and freedom, while a friendly camraderie.
But is it truly possible to live together and keep their relationship just friendly? It seems like it for Anne, as Tobias spends his day hunting on a neighboring estate. And Tobias thinks things are going well. Until he starts to see that Anne is lonely and needs a bit of companion, that’s when they truly start to get to know each other. And like what they discover…
But it’s not until Anne’s deceiving ex unexpectedly appears that Tobias starts to wonder… and feel jealous and excessively protective. Is Anne’s heart at risk of deceiveing once more? Can she still harbor feelings for the man who used her?
You’ll have to read it to find out! I’ll just say that I really got immersed in this story. The characters touched me and I loved how their feelings changed and how they discover things about themselves along the way.
It was a heartwarming story with an inspiring message about forgiveness, trusting God and one another.
I really couldn’t put it down. I love arranged marriage stories and this was a truly good one.
I definitely recommend it!
While the characters were sweet and I enjoy this trope, I think I wanted more meat to the story. I have no issue with the way Anne and Tobias’s story and romance developed. I liked the Gillian role and how Martha used his path of destruction as a way for Tobias and Anne to rescue other women. It was sweet. However, I’m left with a lot of questions about Anne’s experience in her relationship with Anthony and how others view her. I think her character could have used a bit more definition and angst.
It’s nearly 2:00 AM and once again I am just finishing the latest addition to Martha Keyes’ Families of Dorset series. I was truly excited to discover that this one would tell the story of Anne, a favorite character from the first book of the series. And then to have her matched with Tobias, the rather charming brother of Isabel and Cecelia, was just icing on the cake! This was a marriage of convenience story but was altogether delightful and had a rather remarkable side story included. I also enjoyed getting to know more background of both of these families who were a big part of this Families of Dorset series… and I do love that Ms. Keyes usually seems to include an epilogue!
I highly recommend this book and I look forward (with hope) to the possibility of this also being released in audio version.
This is the second book I’ve read by Martha Keyes and I enjoyed it very much. I will read more by her.
I think this is my first Martha Keyes book. I enjoyed it, it is also one of my favorite types of books. Regency arraigned marriage story’s. If it were not for this I would probably give it 3 stars because the leading man was hard for me. He was just such a fop. He does get better but I keep picturing him as such a dandy. The writing was well done. The story was very good. The love story was built piece by piece and you got to watch it all unfold. This is a series but you can read each book without reading the others. Chaste romance with a couple kisses and no mention of sex. No religious references.
In a marriage of convenience, beware of falling in love with your spouse. Lady Anne wants to protect her heart and Tobias just wants to continue with life as is. Neither wants to find love or be married for that matter. They just want to be free from the strictures of society.
This story is one of healing and finding trust again. Anne needs to not only learn to trust her husband, but her family, and herself. Slowly they trust each other and work to be friends. This story is heartwarming, touching, and is definitely worth the read.
4 1/2 stars
Hazelhurst by Martha Keyes
I love Anne and Tobias’s story. We have been hearing about Tobias for quite some time, (the other books of the series-Families of Dorset). Lady Anne is a sweet caring girl, who has been wronged by a man that deceived her. Her father has made an arrangement for marriage to preserve their family name.
Tobias he’s a good man but has always been a bit self absorbed and never wanted to give up his independence.
So the two decided to marry and honor each other‘s independence. Does love prevail?
This is a wonderful story of two people growing and caring for each other and those who are in need around them. I love how the author interweaves her stories with people that are struggling and in need of love and support. This is a clean regency romance, and is well worth your time to read. The characters are wonderful as is the story. It is part of a series, Families of Dorset, but does not need to be read in order and can be read as a standalone. I have read books 2 and 3, but I realized that I somehow missed book 1, so now I’d like to go back and read that one. Happy Reading!
It was a nice read. It reminded me some of “love comes softly”.
It is the story of two people coming together in marriage not because of love but due to necessity.
We are blessed to not have to marry to a person are fathers pick out. Some of prearanged marriages can be a dream come true others a nightmare you only pray to make from.
This is a great story of this couples dream/nightmare.
I think this may be my new favorite book by this author, and that is saying something because I have enjoyed every single one of her books! Anne agrees to a marriage of convenience to Tobias after she is abandoned by the man she loved. Tobias agrees to marry Anne because he knows he has to marry someday and is certain Anne will not expect a love match.
However, as they get to know each other, feelings develop and they are forced to find their way through Anne’s tangled past that threatens their future. It was so fun to see a couple laugh and joke so much together as they fell in love but didn’t know how to let the other know. “Perhaps it was time to let him know that this marriage of convenience had become terribly inconvenient.” This will definitely be one I read over and over again.
A wonderful, clean, and engaging novel. There were amazing, strong characters. The storyline was unique. It was a relaxing and enjoyable read.
I received a copy of this book for free and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
Anne, having found out her husband of a few months is a bigamist, must face the public ridicule of the Ton. Her father, wanting to put the scandal behind them, arranges a marriage to a neighbor, Tobias, whom Anne has known since childhood. Both go into this marriage of convenience with their eyes wide open. Neither expecting much from the other. Although they come to care for each other, in my opinion, it took way too long to get there. I found Anne too intense and Tobias not intense enough. It seemed amazing that they came to care for each other considering the lack of time spent together for most of the story. Even taking this into account, I did enjoy reading this story.
Thank you Martha Keyes for allowing me this advance copy in exchange for my honest feedback.
This was my favorite so far of the Families of Dorset Series! I loved the beautiful story and wonderful characters. The ending perfect, the love story sweet and clean. I recommend this author and this book!
I received a complimentary copy of the book. All opinions are my own and are expressed voluntarily.
Misunderstandings abound and creates such tension!
Hazelhurst was yet another enjoyable installment in the Families of Dorset series. I appreciate getting to know secondary characters from other books I’ve read, so I was pleased to see that Anne (the hero’s sister in Wyndcross, Book 1 in the series) and Tobias (the brother of Isabel and Cecilia, who each have their stories told in Books 2 and 3) were the main characters in Hazelhurst. There was a mystery and some exciting action involving a wicked and manipulative villain, and I found myself caught up in the story, reading it far more quickly than my usual pace and staying up far too late to do so. I am fond of marriage of convenience stories as well, so it was delightful to witness the evolution of their relationship, even through the agitating tension caused by miscommunication and misunderstanding. My only challenge was that I found the romance slightly difficult to believe, given the limited interaction between the main characters. From the conversations and events, I could easily accept growing affection and admiration, but love and devotion required an extra leap of faith for me. Otherwise, this was a well-written story with pleasant characters and the epilogue was quite satisfying for fans of this series.
*I received an ARC of this book, and this voluntary review is my honest opinion.*
4.5 stars I really enjoyed this book, great story and characters. I have enjoyed this whole series. Clean regency romance
You cannot help but laugh at the attempts by Anne and Tobias to not fall in love with their spouse. This was supposed to be a marriage of convenience where they both get their freedom from their parents, primarily their fathers. Martha Keyes has written a delightful story of that attempt. Those attempts make them both turn out to be pretty nice individuals. I found this to be a fun read and recommend it.
Delightful nuggets of wisdom tucked inside this well crafted story. A gripping climax, well developed characters, good plot movement, and clear writing that flows naturally make this a delightful book to read.
I’ve read all the Dorset books, but it took a little bit for me to place Anne and Tobias. I think this story could be read as a stand alone, but I did enjoy appearances of previous characters I’d come to love. Anne and Tobias both have a great sense of humor. Expect to laugh, but also maybe to cry during this story. I enjoyed both of their characters, although I wanted to knock some sense into them a little as well. They get along very well and it isn’t hard to see them falling in love.