A gentleman‘s impulsive wager to marry a stranger. A young woman’s determination not to marry the man she wants. When Isabel Cosgrove is informed by her father that he lost her hand in marriage while playing cards with Charles Galbraith—the gentleman she’s been admiring from a distance for years—she is filled with dismay. How can she agree to wed a man whose reason for marriage is part-revenge, … for marriage is part-revenge, part-indifference? Intent on avoiding a painful union where her regard cannot be returned, she concocts a plan.
Charles Galbraith didn’t intend to become engaged as a result of a drunken wager at cards, but after the woman he loves spurns him, what does it matter whom he marries? But even Miss Cosgrove, the fiancée he won by wager, seems intent not to marry him—a fact that both relieves and piques him. She instead suggests a plan that has the potential to temporarily appease her father’s demand of marriage while also winning back the love of the woman Charles truly wants.
But when Charles and Isabel are thrown into the midst of a brewing scandal and another man’s potential disinheritance, their plan begins to unravel thread by thread, challenging what Galbraith thinks he wants—and just how much more time with him Isabel’s heart can stand.
more
Another great story by this author! I enjoyed the premise, as well as the heroine’s rational disbelief. She was definitely relatable. I could identify with her certainty that her intelligence held no real value and that, without beauty, no man would voluntarily choose her. I admired her levelheadedness and was annoyed by her stubborn insistence that her plan was the best plan…perhaps because I recognize the same trait in myself! The dialogue between the hero and heroine was delightful. It was fun to be the fly on the wall, so to speak, witnessing the evolution of their friendship and mutual admiration. The villains, and the main characters’ reactions to them, were suitably shocking and aggravating. I do feel as though a few pieces of storyline were left unresolved a bit more than I’d prefer, although my imagination can fill in the gaps, and my hope tells me maybe I’ll hear more about these characters in the next book. The flashback scene near the beginning of the story was so creative, I was greatly anticipating the moment that memory would be confessed. Overall, another well-crafted, suspenseful tale!
**I received a free copy of this book, and this review is my honest opinion.**
Martha Keyes has written a story that kept me up reading. Yes, I knew it was a happily ever after story but it was so funny with Isabel being so determined to make Charles happy even at the expense of her own happiness. Isabel is a delightfully unconventional miss who has been shoved aside by everyone for her younger beautiful sister. It was so good to see her come into her own. I totally recommend this book.
I enjoyed this book and the main characters. Isabel is stable, mature, and at peace especially for someone that is treated so unfairly by her family. Charles was a fun hero. A little dense at figuring out his feelings but I liked him all the same. I thought I might not like Mary as much since she was so into gossip but I found her to be a true friend to Isabel. And I loved Hetty and was sad when she went away.
I can only think of two things I didn’t like. 1) I should have liked to hear the conversation between Charles and Isabel talking about their first meeting as children. Did he remember it at all? Does he ever realize how much it meant to Isabel over the years? It was so sweet and hearing the story was what made me love Charles from the beginning. And 2) I would like to have learned what happens with Cecy and Miss Darling but perhaps that is for future books in the series?
Sex: some innuendo, a young woman carrying a child out of wedlock but no sex on the page
Language: just a little -mild
Violence: rector is hit over the head, attempted murder
*I received a complimentary advanced copy of this book and voluntarily choose to review it.
This delightful story kept me engaged from start to finish. I loved the hero and heroine and wanted to see if and how they could arrive at a happily ever after. There was a layer of suspense to the novel which increased my interest and made the book hard to put down. There were also a couple of times the characters caused me to laugh out loud. I felt this was a well balanced story.
I was very impressed with the way the author fleshed out Isabel. As the plainer, less popular sister, she could have easily been reduced to a cliché, but by having her take measures to cope with her jealousy and then being so understanding toward her sister, Isabel both became more interesting and endearing. She wasn’t perfect though as she had a stubborn streak. The extent of her stubbornness was my one frustration. Once she made up her mind to follow a certain path, she closed her mind to reason and advice, and determined to be a martyr, she made some unreasonable, foolish decisions.
Though I hadn’t read the first book in the series, I was never lost. This could definitely be read as a stand alone. I will probably go back and read the first one just because I enjoyed this one so much.
I am happy that this book was recommended to me, and I am also thankful for the ARC giving me the opportunity to try out this author. I am sure I will be reading more of her work.
Regency Tale of Honor and Manners…Sigh!
This is the second Regency romance that I have read by this author, and I really like her style. She has a way of writing historical language that feels somewhat elevated but is still accessible and in no way stilted. From my vast reading in Regency, I think this is a hard balance to strike, but this author does it with flair. At first, the premise for this particular book seemed a little silly, until the day after the setup when you realize that the hero has regrets. The author has created an elaborate plot that focuses on honor and self-respect, mirroring some of the best of Regency in its play on manners. I absolutely adored both the hero and the heroine. The hero appears sometimes at war with himself; what is the meaning of honor and true love, and how does that mark him as a man when he acts on those principles? The heroine is sweet, so kind and compassionate despite being treated like a second-class citizen by just about everybody because she isn’t as beautiful as her younger sister. This hit all the right spots for a good Regency novel, and I ended up staying up way too late reading this book.
This is the first book I have read by this author. I really enjoyed getting to know the characters of Isabel and Charles. The story was good and it kept me enthralled with what is going to happen next. I never thought I lacked intelligence, but let’s just say it’s a good thing there is a one touch dictionary included in this e-book! Not to say that it’s not good to learn new words, but it was a little irritating having to look up so many words. That said; I really enjoyed Isabell and I’m looking forward to reading more of Martha Keyes books. Definitely would like to know what happens to Cecelia. I was received a free copy of this book for an honest review!
I do enjoy this author very much. I appreciate since it’s a regency romance sticking close to the time period. My only caveat was at the end of the story. There was a situation where a character was brought a bachelor’s home & no mention of the family being notified or propiety being kept. That threw me off. I don’t want to be a total spoiler so that’s all I’ll say. This was a nice swoon worthy romance where I come to really like the h & H. I really liked the h’s friend Mary & Hetty. I’m curious who the next book will be about & I can’t wait. It’ll be a nice read if it’s like the last two books.