Scan barcode
sandlynn's review against another edition
3.0
Eliza Redgold’s The Scandalous Suffragette, published in 2019, is a Harlequin Historical, so it’s on the shorter side, just under 300 pages.
This book has many of the elements I enjoy in a historical romance. The heroine is Violet Coombes, a chocolate heiress in early 1900s England, who is also a bluestocking interested in joining the suffragettes and fighting for votes for women. Her father — a self-made man, not a member of the aristocracy — and her mother are interested in seeing Violet well married and is very much opposed to her political activities. In fact, Violet risks scandal with her attempts to support the cause, especially as her father is trying to receive a lucrative endorsement of his chocolates from the King himself. Enter Adam Beaufort, Esquire, a member of the gentry whose father has squandered away the money that would’ve saved his family’s estate. Adam catches Violet trying to hang a suffragette banner not once, but on two occasions. During the second attempt, Violet is found out and her father is enraged. In order to cover the potential scandal, Adam steps up and offers Violet an arranged marriage. In exchange for her substantial dowry, he will turn a blind eye to her suffragette activities. She will be freer to pursue her interests as a married woman. Although they unaware of the bargain, Violet’s parents are thrilled at the proposal. Adam’s family is less thrilled, seeing the Coombes family as nouveau riche upstarts with no class. That being said, Violet’s impact on Adam’s family, especially his two sisters, is more than he expected. Furthermore, his acquiescence to his wife’s activities is tested when Violet’s actions become more radical and the stakes involving their family are raised ever higher.
As I mentioned, this type of story is like catnip to me. I enjoy historical romances involving bluestocking heroines, especially those pursuing a cause, a career, or both. I also enjoy those stories involving heiresses who bail out the relatively impoverished aristocrat — mostly because many of these situations involve a better power balance between the couple. Not always, but in the ones that I enjoy. In fact, I was a little surprised how open Adam initially was to Violet’s planned activities — until he wasn’t. There are parts of this book that I didn’t enjoy as much or wanted to know more about. For instance, there are a couple of times when I felt that Violet never faced the consequences, while other women in the book did. She seemingly skated along in life. I wanted to know more about her sisters-in-law and her mother-in-law, who vanishes almost immediately after the marriage. There was a part involving Violet’s father, his health and the possibility of Violet helping with the family company, despite her father’s sentiments against it. I definitely wanted to know more about that. In a sense, being a Harlequin Historical, put the kibosh on exploring these very interesting elements because of page limitations. A mass market historical with a hundred more pages could’ve fleshed out so much and made for a richer story. Nonetheless, I’d give this a B for the parts that I like and a B- for the parts that are … minus or missing.
This book has many of the elements I enjoy in a historical romance. The heroine is Violet Coombes, a chocolate heiress in early 1900s England, who is also a bluestocking interested in joining the suffragettes and fighting for votes for women. Her father — a self-made man, not a member of the aristocracy — and her mother are interested in seeing Violet well married and is very much opposed to her political activities. In fact, Violet risks scandal with her attempts to support the cause, especially as her father is trying to receive a lucrative endorsement of his chocolates from the King himself. Enter Adam Beaufort, Esquire, a member of the gentry whose father has squandered away the money that would’ve saved his family’s estate. Adam catches Violet trying to hang a suffragette banner not once, but on two occasions. During the second attempt, Violet is found out and her father is enraged. In order to cover the potential scandal, Adam steps up and offers Violet an arranged marriage. In exchange for her substantial dowry, he will turn a blind eye to her suffragette activities. She will be freer to pursue her interests as a married woman. Although they unaware of the bargain, Violet’s parents are thrilled at the proposal. Adam’s family is less thrilled, seeing the Coombes family as nouveau riche upstarts with no class. That being said, Violet’s impact on Adam’s family, especially his two sisters, is more than he expected. Furthermore, his acquiescence to his wife’s activities is tested when Violet’s actions become more radical and the stakes involving their family are raised ever higher.
As I mentioned, this type of story is like catnip to me. I enjoy historical romances involving bluestocking heroines, especially those pursuing a cause, a career, or both. I also enjoy those stories involving heiresses who bail out the relatively impoverished aristocrat — mostly because many of these situations involve a better power balance between the couple. Not always, but in the ones that I enjoy. In fact, I was a little surprised how open Adam initially was to Violet’s planned activities — until he wasn’t. There are parts of this book that I didn’t enjoy as much or wanted to know more about. For instance, there are a couple of times when I felt that Violet never faced the consequences, while other women in the book did. She seemingly skated along in life. I wanted to know more about her sisters-in-law and her mother-in-law, who vanishes almost immediately after the marriage. There was a part involving Violet’s father, his health and the possibility of Violet helping with the family company, despite her father’s sentiments against it. I definitely wanted to know more about that. In a sense, being a Harlequin Historical, put the kibosh on exploring these very interesting elements because of page limitations. A mass market historical with a hundred more pages could’ve fleshed out so much and made for a richer story. Nonetheless, I’d give this a B for the parts that I like and a B- for the parts that are … minus or missing.
stegan's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Just okay. Very slow in moving the plot forward.
robinwalter's review against another edition
emotional
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
An enjoyable romance and an interesting story, especially the historical information bout Mills & Boon's links to the suffrage movement
More...