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erinarkin20's review against another edition
4.0
I love Anne Gracie’s books. I came across her books when a friend posted about how much she loved her stories so I immediately grabbed one and couldn’t stop reading. Marry in Secret is the third book in the Marriage of Convenience series, and it focuses on Rose.
Rose is looking for some freedom and has come to a decision that the only way she will get it is if she marries. Just as she is walking down the aisle to wed one of the most eligible bachelors in London, someone she never expected walks back into her life and stops everything…her husband! We find out that Rose secretly married Thomas, a naval officer, just before he headed out to sea and for the last four years has thought he was dead. Of course, his turning up not only stops the wedding but also puts these two in a situation they never thought they would be in. As they determine what is the best course of action for their marriage, they also have to overcome the danger because Thomas was clearly betrayed, and someone is still trying to get rid of him.
I loved Rose. Despite the initial shock of seeing Thomas return, she knew immediately what she wanted and wasn’t afraid to push Thomas to acknowledge they should still be together no matter how much he tried to push her away. I thought Thomas was a great character as well. He has had a rough time since he was thought lost at sea but his motivation to find out why he was betrayed and to get back to Rose are what drove him to find his way back. I loved that once he was back, he never gave up on trying to find the men that survived with him. His desire to bring them home no matter what showed his true character.
If you have read the other two books in this series, you know the typical cast of characters. I loved that we got to see how their relationships were progressing and I’m looking forward to the next book in this series so we can see what happens next for George.
As always, another great historical romance by Anne Gracie. Consider checking her books out if you haven’t already. I love how she develops her characters, builds out the story, and keeps me turning the pages so I can get to the HEA.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the early copy in exchange for an honest review.
Rose is looking for some freedom and has come to a decision that the only way she will get it is if she marries. Just as she is walking down the aisle to wed one of the most eligible bachelors in London, someone she never expected walks back into her life and stops everything…her husband! We find out that Rose secretly married Thomas, a naval officer, just before he headed out to sea and for the last four years has thought he was dead. Of course, his turning up not only stops the wedding but also puts these two in a situation they never thought they would be in. As they determine what is the best course of action for their marriage, they also have to overcome the danger because Thomas was clearly betrayed, and someone is still trying to get rid of him.
I loved Rose. Despite the initial shock of seeing Thomas return, she knew immediately what she wanted and wasn’t afraid to push Thomas to acknowledge they should still be together no matter how much he tried to push her away. I thought Thomas was a great character as well. He has had a rough time since he was thought lost at sea but his motivation to find out why he was betrayed and to get back to Rose are what drove him to find his way back. I loved that once he was back, he never gave up on trying to find the men that survived with him. His desire to bring them home no matter what showed his true character.
If you have read the other two books in this series, you know the typical cast of characters. I loved that we got to see how their relationships were progressing and I’m looking forward to the next book in this series so we can see what happens next for George.
As always, another great historical romance by Anne Gracie. Consider checking her books out if you haven’t already. I love how she develops her characters, builds out the story, and keeps me turning the pages so I can get to the HEA.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the early copy in exchange for an honest review.
ironskin's review
3.0
I have no idea how this ended up on my Tbr except maybe because it’s a second chance romance? But it was an easy read, and sweet although it the anti slavery angle was a bit awkwardly handled, I’m not sure there’s a good way to do that though.
helenkat's review
5.0
There’s nothing better than reading a book by an author you love to read. Anne Gracie is such an author for me. Each story is like meeting up with an old friend and I’m in a state of complete bliss as I read the words. And what words. I’m transported to the story of loss, reunion, painful memories, distrust as well as desire, love, and sweetness.
Rose and Thomas have a second chance at love and a marriage they had conducted years ago. Believed to have been lost at sea, Rose had kept her grief and marriage a secret. But Thomas had been trying to get back to her all the missing four years. The shock, guilt, grief and pain pull at your heart strings. Learning about each other again and finding desire and feelings is sweet despite the walls Thomas puts up.
I’ve always loved Rose’s spunk and she has always loved with her whole heart but learning her history and what she went through endears her to me even more. She’s exactly what Thomas needs to heal.
Learning more about the history of time and slavery of British sailors was interesting and I thought made the character of Thomas a damaged character but one who is still a good man and strong. He survived horrible conditions and it’s made him more understanding of others and their circumstances.
Totally enjoyed reading this book and looking forward to George’s story.
Disclaimer: while I know the author personally, this doesn’t affect the star rating.
Rose and Thomas have a second chance at love and a marriage they had conducted years ago. Believed to have been lost at sea, Rose had kept her grief and marriage a secret. But Thomas had been trying to get back to her all the missing four years. The shock, guilt, grief and pain pull at your heart strings. Learning about each other again and finding desire and feelings is sweet despite the walls Thomas puts up.
I’ve always loved Rose’s spunk and she has always loved with her whole heart but learning her history and what she went through endears her to me even more. She’s exactly what Thomas needs to heal.
Learning more about the history of time and slavery of British sailors was interesting and I thought made the character of Thomas a damaged character but one who is still a good man and strong. He survived horrible conditions and it’s made him more understanding of others and their circumstances.
Totally enjoyed reading this book and looking forward to George’s story.
Disclaimer: while I know the author personally, this doesn’t affect the star rating.
melamtz's review
3.5
2nd read: I did not like it as much as the first time. It was enjoyable though especially as an audio book.
1st read: I can't believe I was going to skip this book, smh.
This books was intense, Thomas story and his crew were terribly sad but portrayed very well.
I liked this book so much. The protagonists tale, the hint to the next book and the whole family (including Aunt Agatha.) Oh, but nobody beats Aunt Dottie. Super curious about her tale.
1st read: I can't believe I was going to skip this book, smh.
This books was intense, Thomas story and his crew were terribly sad but portrayed very well.
I liked this book so much. The protagonists tale, the hint to the next book and the whole family (including Aunt Agatha.) Oh, but nobody beats Aunt Dottie. Super curious about her tale.
ezichinny's review against another edition
2.0
This story was dreadfully boring. The first couple of chapters was intriguing as I am not used to HRs where the heroine was very adamant that she didn't want a love match. She wanted an arrangement where she gets a stipend but doesnt need to bother with the silly notion of love. Then her secret love interrupts the wedding and guess what?
What we really have is a woman in love trying to convince her husband to forgo revenge plots and his quest to find out who set him to be a slave. It didn't hold my attention at all
What we really have is a woman in love trying to convince her husband to forgo revenge plots and his quest to find out who set him to be a slave. It didn't hold my attention at all
writer595's review against another edition
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
slimikin's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
Since Rose has always been my least favorite of the Rutherford women, my hopes for her story weren't all that high, even given the mystique of a secret marriage. I didn't expect to find this so utterly disappointing, though. Other reviewers are correct when they mention how thinly drawn the women are in this book, and the plot requires epic levels of willful blindness and stupidity on the hero's part, but the final straw, for me, was the confrontation between Thomas and the villain.
I certainly understand that Thomas' situation has taught him how powerless other people can feel, but in no way has the villain experienced anything approaching slavery. Almost all people from this time and place in history had very few choices in their lives. Even the very wealthy, if they cared at all about the people on their land, weren't free to leave the country to do whatever they wanted. But they still weren't slaves.
They weren't bought and sold. They weren't forbidden from leaving a patch of land or whipped if they tried. They didn't have masters. Or shackles. Or the daily awareness that no one thought of them as anything more than useful animals. Did they live in an inequitable society? Yes. Was changing their lot or improving the lives of their family extremely difficult? Yes. But they were not slaves.
And this villain? This privileged person who had more choices than 90% of the people of the time, even if those choices weren't perfect? This person is absolutely not a slave. And furthermore, clearly doesn't care about all the less fortunate people they trampled on the way to achieving their goals.
Thomas isn't portrayed as any kind of intellectual giant, but the allowance he makes for the villain because he sees his own experience as a slave inside them is patently absurd. Perhaps you should think of all the women in your life, Thomas, who have no legal standing. Or your fellow sailors, impressed and then enslaved alongside you because the villain spurned your request for aid. Or the boy supporting his family, whose proximity to you put him in danger. These people deserve your consideration, and instead you're offering clemency to someone who will go on to hurt more people whenever it's convenient for them.
Had Thomas seen beyond his own experiences into the wider world, beyond his surface similarities with the villain to the deeper ones in every other person around him, the book could've redeemed at least some of the bad characterization and lazy plotting. Obviously, it did not. I may have found Rose tiresome and frequently selfish in the previous books, but she deserved a better story than this.
I certainly understand that Thomas' situation has taught him how powerless other people can feel, but in no way has the villain experienced anything approaching slavery. Almost all people from this time and place in history had very few choices in their lives. Even the very wealthy, if they cared at all about the people on their land, weren't free to leave the country to do whatever they wanted. But they still weren't slaves.
They weren't bought and sold. They weren't forbidden from leaving a patch of land or whipped if they tried. They didn't have masters. Or shackles. Or the daily awareness that no one thought of them as anything more than useful animals. Did they live in an inequitable society? Yes. Was changing their lot or improving the lives of their family extremely difficult? Yes. But they were not slaves.
And this villain? This privileged person who had more choices than 90% of the people of the time, even if those choices weren't perfect? This person is absolutely not a slave. And furthermore, clearly doesn't care about all the less fortunate people they trampled on the way to achieving their goals.
Thomas isn't portrayed as any kind of intellectual giant, but the allowance he makes for the villain because he sees his own experience as a slave inside them is patently absurd. Perhaps you should think of all the women in your life, Thomas, who have no legal standing. Or your fellow sailors, impressed and then enslaved alongside you because the villain spurned your request for aid. Or the boy supporting his family, whose proximity to you put him in danger. These people deserve your consideration, and instead you're offering clemency to someone who will go on to hurt more people whenever it's convenient for them.
Had Thomas seen beyond his own experiences into the wider world, beyond his surface similarities with the villain to the deeper ones in every other person around him, the book could've redeemed at least some of the bad characterization and lazy plotting. Obviously, it did not. I may have found Rose tiresome and frequently selfish in the previous books, but she deserved a better story than this.