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c4nd1e's review
4.0
Pretty sweet.
This book deals a lot with depression, which is something that I don't usually like to read about. But I think that it was handled pretty well, considering how varied people's personal experiences can be.
This book deals a lot with depression, which is something that I don't usually like to read about. But I think that it was handled pretty well, considering how varied people's personal experiences can be.
zerp's review
4.0
Pretty sweet.
This book deals a lot with depression, which is something that I don't usually like to read about. But I think that it was handled pretty well, considering how varied people's personal experiences can be.
This book deals a lot with depression, which is something that I don't usually like to read about. But I think that it was handled pretty well, considering how varied people's personal experiences can be.
wilybooklover's review
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
3.5
I wish this had been just a bit longer and more fleshed out, but what a lovely, poignant story about choosing love over duty and allowing yourself to be loved.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Violence, Blood, and Grief
Minor: Terminal illness, War, Suicide attempt, Alcoholism, Misogyny, Death, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, and Injury/Injury detail
amelia990's review
4.0
This is a short novella where the main character is engaged to boy, but it is a marriage of practicality. Girl and Boy's Brother fall in love. I did realize Girl's secret very early and before the reveal, but I was surprised that a historical romance went there. On that note, one of the characters suffers from clinical depression and that is something you should know if you read this story. I thought that, for the most part, the topic was handled well. (There's one thing about the stone in the ring that was a bridge too far for me in an eye rolling way, but YMMV). I also appreciated that the author was aware of that love does not cure depression and this point was clearly made.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
I don't consider mental illness as "graphic," but it is a major theme of this book.raadelma's review
4.0
This was very sweet and tender regency romance. I was pleasantly surprised how it handled the main character's depression, and that such topic was portrayed in book like this.
sandlynn's review
4.0
Fair as a Star is a short novel, published in 2020, by Mimi Matthews. It’s under 200 pages in length and may be the first in a series since it’s, subtitled “Victorian Romantics: Book One.” I just have no evidence that there’s a second book yet.
Unlike many historical romances I’ve read recently, this book is actually more of a slice of life in a English village and a character study. It’s set in Somerset in 1864. Beryl Burnham, who is the elder daughter of a local gentlewoman, of limited means, has returned to the village with her wealthy aunt after a year's long trip to Paris. The fact of her sudden departure, a year ago, after having agreed to marry the most eligible man in the area set tongues wagging. Sir Henry Rivenhall is a baron and landowner. He’s a single-minded, no nonsense young man, who has been steadfastly digging his property and tenants out of a bad financial situation left by his father. His younger brother, Mark Rivenhall, is a curate, who is expected to take charge of the local church from its elderly vicar as long as his brother awards him the living.
The two brothers greet Beryl’s return differently. Henry is impatient for he and Beryl to marry and is annoyed that she left the country so unexpectedly, inviting gossip and scandal. Mark, who has long held feelings for Beryl, is trying to remain friends without revealing anything. However, this becomes difficult when Beryl comes to Mark for comfort, confessing to him the real reason she left England so suddenly, bringing them closer together.
I really enjoyed this short novel. It focused on issues that we don’t often see in romantic historicals that you might also find in a modern setting, such as mental illness, which was not understood as well in the 1800s. The characters felt real, and although Sir Henry verged on a villain at times, he ultimately comes off as a decent man who is ill-matched with Beryl. There’s a number of subplots that bring the supporting characters to life involving the elderly vicar, an ill congregant’s dog, an abusive, alcoholic husband, Beryl’s horse loving younger sister, and the new doctor who brings more modern medical knowledge to the village. In fact, I wouldn’t have minded if the book was longer so that we saw more of the relationship between the sister and the doctor, but maybe that’s for a future book. Ultimately, I loved how Beryl took charge of her situation, after appearing to be so passive. I honestly was surprised by some of what she did. And I loved how supportive Mark was and how their problems were not all tied up in a neat bow. I would give this book a B+, possibly an A-.
Oh, and the book’s cover really suggests the mood of the book and is lovely.
Unlike many historical romances I’ve read recently, this book is actually more of a slice of life in a English village and a character study. It’s set in Somerset in 1864. Beryl Burnham, who is the elder daughter of a local gentlewoman, of limited means, has returned to the village with her wealthy aunt after a year's long trip to Paris. The fact of her sudden departure, a year ago, after having agreed to marry the most eligible man in the area set tongues wagging. Sir Henry Rivenhall is a baron and landowner. He’s a single-minded, no nonsense young man, who has been steadfastly digging his property and tenants out of a bad financial situation left by his father. His younger brother, Mark Rivenhall, is a curate, who is expected to take charge of the local church from its elderly vicar as long as his brother awards him the living.
The two brothers greet Beryl’s return differently. Henry is impatient for he and Beryl to marry and is annoyed that she left the country so unexpectedly, inviting gossip and scandal. Mark, who has long held feelings for Beryl, is trying to remain friends without revealing anything. However, this becomes difficult when Beryl comes to Mark for comfort, confessing to him the real reason she left England so suddenly, bringing them closer together.
I really enjoyed this short novel. It focused on issues that we don’t often see in romantic historicals that you might also find in a modern setting, such as mental illness, which was not understood as well in the 1800s. The characters felt real, and although Sir Henry verged on a villain at times, he ultimately comes off as a decent man who is ill-matched with Beryl. There’s a number of subplots that bring the supporting characters to life involving the elderly vicar, an ill congregant’s dog, an abusive, alcoholic husband, Beryl’s horse loving younger sister, and the new doctor who brings more modern medical knowledge to the village. In fact, I wouldn’t have minded if the book was longer so that we saw more of the relationship between the sister and the doctor, but maybe that’s for a future book. Ultimately, I loved how Beryl took charge of her situation, after appearing to be so passive. I honestly was surprised by some of what she did. And I loved how supportive Mark was and how their problems were not all tied up in a neat bow. I would give this book a B+, possibly an A-.
Oh, and the book’s cover really suggests the mood of the book and is lovely.
kathleenmcg's review
emotional
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? Yes
4.25
meezcarrie's review
5.0
Mimi Matthews has quickly become one of my very favorite authors! Her stories grab you from the very first page, her words pitch perfect as is her sense of time and place. The characters are readily relatable and engaging, despite the centuries that separate us, and you will easily long to spend more time with them when your reading is complete.
Fair as a Star is no exception, and I’m thrilled that it’s the start of a new series of Victorian romance novellas from Matthews. (I also already have strong opinions on which supporting characters in this 1st novella should get their own stories in future installments of the series, too. haha!)
Though by definition, Fair as a Star may be a novella, it will leave your reader sensibilities just as satisfied as if you’d read a longer novel. Beryl & Mark are smartly drawn and well-layered, their longstanding friendship heartwarming, their romance breathtaking. I loved their shared love of Dickens’ and the way that manifested in some of the more tender moments in their relationship. Mark’s integrity, compassion, faith, and honor make him an excellent clergyman, brother, friend, and romantic hero – in fact, setting him a cut above most depictions of all of the above for that era. (He’s super swoony, too! That first kiss! I still haven’t recovered.) Beryl is a quietly courageous heroine with an inner strong will that many don’t notice but that, in fact, has saved both her life and her own compassionate heart.
Speaking of Beryl’s bravery, the focus on what we now know as clinical depression (‘melancholia’) & the stigma associated with it in Victorian times (and sadly still today, in many ways) hits a spot in my soul that many books do not. Beryl is a character I understand on a personal level, and her fight to overcome the melancholia that seemingly overtakes her without rhyme or reason – and to rise above the pain of others’ lack of understanding & sometimes harmful opinions on the matter – is written with great compassion & insight. Mark’s instinctive decision to not try to ‘fix her’ (“He gave her a brief, lopsided smile. “Of course not,” he said. “You’re not broken.”) but instead educating himself on her condition, supporting her as needed, and loving her no matter what endeared him even further to me. And oh please say that Dr. Black has a story coming up soon!
Bottom Line: Fair as a Star is another winner from author Mimi Matthews! Beautiful writing, vivid & engaging characters, and swoony romance share the pages with wit, compassion, and authenticity. The look at depression, living with it as well as loving someone who suffers from it, is done with great sensitivity and empathy, and yet the book still avoids becoming either too heavy or too trite. You will smile, you will swoon, and you will even probably laugh a little. If you haven’t yet read a Mimi Matthews book, this is the perfect one to start with!
(I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book which I purchased for my own collection.)
first seen at Reading Is My SuperPower
Fair as a Star is no exception, and I’m thrilled that it’s the start of a new series of Victorian romance novellas from Matthews. (I also already have strong opinions on which supporting characters in this 1st novella should get their own stories in future installments of the series, too. haha!)
Though by definition, Fair as a Star may be a novella, it will leave your reader sensibilities just as satisfied as if you’d read a longer novel. Beryl & Mark are smartly drawn and well-layered, their longstanding friendship heartwarming, their romance breathtaking. I loved their shared love of Dickens’ and the way that manifested in some of the more tender moments in their relationship. Mark’s integrity, compassion, faith, and honor make him an excellent clergyman, brother, friend, and romantic hero – in fact, setting him a cut above most depictions of all of the above for that era. (He’s super swoony, too! That first kiss! I still haven’t recovered.) Beryl is a quietly courageous heroine with an inner strong will that many don’t notice but that, in fact, has saved both her life and her own compassionate heart.
Speaking of Beryl’s bravery, the focus on what we now know as clinical depression (‘melancholia’) & the stigma associated with it in Victorian times (and sadly still today, in many ways) hits a spot in my soul that many books do not. Beryl is a character I understand on a personal level, and her fight to overcome the melancholia that seemingly overtakes her without rhyme or reason – and to rise above the pain of others’ lack of understanding & sometimes harmful opinions on the matter – is written with great compassion & insight. Mark’s instinctive decision to not try to ‘fix her’ (“He gave her a brief, lopsided smile. “Of course not,” he said. “You’re not broken.”) but instead educating himself on her condition, supporting her as needed, and loving her no matter what endeared him even further to me. And oh please say that Dr. Black has a story coming up soon!
Bottom Line: Fair as a Star is another winner from author Mimi Matthews! Beautiful writing, vivid & engaging characters, and swoony romance share the pages with wit, compassion, and authenticity. The look at depression, living with it as well as loving someone who suffers from it, is done with great sensitivity and empathy, and yet the book still avoids becoming either too heavy or too trite. You will smile, you will swoon, and you will even probably laugh a little. If you haven’t yet read a Mimi Matthews book, this is the perfect one to start with!
(I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book which I purchased for my own collection.)
first seen at Reading Is My SuperPower
ufcasey's review
4.0
This is one of the better historical romances I have read in quite some time, and yes it's a 'clean' romance so I am as shocked as anyone by how much I really liked this. It has realistic characters, a strong plot, and pulled my emotional heart strings. And maybe most importantly of all, it even relates to an important topic that applies even today. Recommended!