A marriage they didn’t choose. A child conceived in a lie. Can they overcome their broken dreams and find happiness in a life forced upon them?At her age, Ruby Jeffries knows better than to dream of love, but then, Lucas Ashbrook sweeps into her life with whispered declarations of love and fervent kisses. He’s everything she’s hoped for, and Ruby would risk far more than the scandal of an … scandal of an elopement to be with him. But when she discovers Lucas faked the wedding to win a bet, Ruby is left with more than a broken heart.
Conrad Ashbrook spends his life mending that which his elder brother breaks, and when Lucas abandons the young lady bearing his child, Conrad has no choice but to shoulder that responsibility as well. Marrying a lady he doesn’t love and raising his brother’s child wasn’t what Conrad wanted for his future.
Can a marriage starting with such pain ever bring them happiness?
The Victorian Love Series is a spin-off series of the Regency Love Series, all of which are interconnecting but standalone sweet historical romances. They can be read in any order, and the series is numbered according to publication date. The chronological order is:
Flame and Ember (1811)
The Jack of All Trades (1812)
A True Gentleman (1817)
The Shameless Flirt (1819)
Honor & Redemption (1826
A Tender Soul (1826)
A Passing Fancy (1839)
Hearts Entwined (1844)
A Stolen Kiss (1848)
The Honorable Choice (1853)
more
This is the second book in the Victorian Love series. I really enjoyed the first book and this book did not disappoint either! This story is so much deeper than just a typical romance story. It really shows how love is a choice and a commitment, and not just a feeling. It’s a heartbreaking and touching story of a woman whose reputation is at risk and the man who is willing to sacrifice to save that reputation. There are certainly conflict and struggles and their path to a happy ending is quite a bumpy one. Conrad and Ruby will need to work through these challenges together before they can reach their time of joy and healing. This was a delightful story with amazing characters and the author did an excellent job of bringing them and the story to life. I really enjoyed this book and hope there is more to come in this series!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Monotonous Middle of the First Half
I love a good historical romance, and this book had some good elements, but other ones drove me completely crazy. For instance, I didn’t really feel like a lot happened in the first half after the initial problem until close to the midway point of the book. The setup was dramatic, and anyone who reads much Regency or Victorian romance could see the way things might go from the prologue and first chapters. The author chose a unique route, however, from many historical romances, focusing on how the couple’s childhoods impacted their personalities and marriage. But such a large section of the first half of the book was just the heroine giving the hero the silent treatment or them speaking a little but just having constant misunderstandings on one or both sides. These episodes were so similar. I didn’t feel like there was a growth arc for the characters or romance in this part of the book with this repetition. There should have been a progression of some sort within the first half. Instead, it felt like the same issues were harped on or misunderstood over and over. It got interesting in the middle when the couple interacted more and grew to appreciate each other—growth arcs… finally!—and we learned more about the hero’s mother and saw her develop a relationship with the heroine. SPOILER: I was so disappointed in that mother-in-law because of what happened near the end of the story. I don’t understand why neither the hero nor the heroine would have been more upfront (before the hero’s confrontation with his parents) about what precisely the older son said to both of them. Would the parents have believed the couple or the evil, wayward son? END SPOILER. I did like the hero eventually, though I didn’t like the way he treated the heroine at the beginning of their marriage. Some of those thoughts and actions were disturbing and inappropriate for a romantic hero. But by the end of the book, he became a worthwhile hero. All in all, though, I find myself disappointed in this book.
I received a free copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.
The second book in the Victorian Love series a well written story that held my interest throughout. Ruby Jeffries and Conrad Ashbrook’s story and Lucas Conrad who is a cad and the reason these two meet. I want to read the next book. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.