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angelreads's review
4.0
I received an earc of A Widow's Guide to Scandal by Hallie Alexander from the author in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way influenced my thoughts and feelings about books.
I didn't know what to expect when I started reading A Widow's Guide to Scandal. there weren't any reviews about it, and I hadn't heard about the book or author before. However, the synopsis grabbed me from the start. I was intrigued and I can never say no to a historical romance. But let me tell you I was pleasantly surprised. I enjoyed the characters, the romance and the story and I can't wait to read more.
After the loss of her husband, Henrietta Smith is struggling in a world run by men. But she doesn't want that to stop her. Life at the moment isn't easy, but Henrietta will get through it. When she requires some help to fix a leaking roof, Marcus Hardwicke is too the rescue. But then he needs some assistance himself when he falls through her roof and breaks his leg. Now Henrietta must deal with a British soldier's threats, new and old friends and Marcus Hardwicke.
Henrietta was such a delight of a protagonist in A Widow's Guide to Scandal. From the start, she was easy to get along with. I loved how strong Henrietta was and that was presented throughout the whole book. But we also get to see the horrors that she also had to go through. I liked how Hallie Alexandra dealt with it in the book. It didn't take over the plot. And it also made Henrietta who she was. And while Henrietta does have a more serious side, Marus, his friends and even her reading group, bring out a different side to her and I love that. She is funny and witty and that just makes the reading the book such a good experience.
Marcus was also such an interesting male protagonist. He was funny and was able to ease the tension throughout the novel. Like Henrietta, Marcus was easy to get along with. I liked that he had to depend on Henrietta after breaking his leg. It just made everything that much better. Marcus was also quite funny and that made for some fantastic conversations. Another thing that made me enjoy Marcus as a protagonist was that the reader can see from the start how much he cares for Henrietta and that was just fantastic to see.
The romance in A Widow's Guide to Scandal was absolutely adorable and I can't wait to see more of this from Hallie Alexander. It was slow-burning but very sweet and made me smile - a lot. Marcus and Henrietta both tried to stay away from each other, but they were both able to connect with one another in different ways. At times Henrietta struggled with her feelings with Marcus. She has a hard past and she didn't want to let herself fall for me. But the connection between them was too strong. It was a second chance, friends to lovers and I adored that.
I have said this before but I haven't read many historical romances set during, before or even after the American Revelation. I've only ever read a few historical romance books set in the states and this has to be one of my favourites. It was really interesting and I can't wait to see more of it in the next books in the series.
The writing style of A Widow's Guide to Scandal was something that I enjoyed a lot. I did struggle with the first few chapters, but as soon as I got into the story it was totally fine. I do find that sometimes it takes me a few chapters to get into historical romance, especially if I don't know the world I'm jumping into. Hallie Alexander is great at creating emotions and character arcs.
Overall, I loved reading A Widow's Guide to Scandal by Hallie Alexander. It includes not only a fantastic romance but also great characters. Henrietta was such a pleasure of a protagonist. I loved knowing about her life and I loved getting to know her more. Marcus was a character and he added another dimension to the novel that lifted it. This is a fantastic debut and I can't wait to read more from Hallie Alexander.
I didn't know what to expect when I started reading A Widow's Guide to Scandal. there weren't any reviews about it, and I hadn't heard about the book or author before. However, the synopsis grabbed me from the start. I was intrigued and I can never say no to a historical romance. But let me tell you I was pleasantly surprised. I enjoyed the characters, the romance and the story and I can't wait to read more.
After the loss of her husband, Henrietta Smith is struggling in a world run by men. But she doesn't want that to stop her. Life at the moment isn't easy, but Henrietta will get through it. When she requires some help to fix a leaking roof, Marcus Hardwicke is too the rescue. But then he needs some assistance himself when he falls through her roof and breaks his leg. Now Henrietta must deal with a British soldier's threats, new and old friends and Marcus Hardwicke.
Henrietta was such a delight of a protagonist in A Widow's Guide to Scandal. From the start, she was easy to get along with. I loved how strong Henrietta was and that was presented throughout the whole book. But we also get to see the horrors that she also had to go through. I liked how Hallie Alexandra dealt with it in the book. It didn't take over the plot. And it also made Henrietta who she was. And while Henrietta does have a more serious side, Marus, his friends and even her reading group, bring out a different side to her and I love that. She is funny and witty and that just makes the reading the book such a good experience.
Marcus was also such an interesting male protagonist. He was funny and was able to ease the tension throughout the novel. Like Henrietta, Marcus was easy to get along with. I liked that he had to depend on Henrietta after breaking his leg. It just made everything that much better. Marcus was also quite funny and that made for some fantastic conversations. Another thing that made me enjoy Marcus as a protagonist was that the reader can see from the start how much he cares for Henrietta and that was just fantastic to see.
The romance in A Widow's Guide to Scandal was absolutely adorable and I can't wait to see more of this from Hallie Alexander. It was slow-burning but very sweet and made me smile - a lot. Marcus and Henrietta both tried to stay away from each other, but they were both able to connect with one another in different ways. At times Henrietta struggled with her feelings with Marcus. She has a hard past and she didn't want to let herself fall for me. But the connection between them was too strong. It was a second chance, friends to lovers and I adored that.
I have said this before but I haven't read many historical romances set during, before or even after the American Revelation. I've only ever read a few historical romance books set in the states and this has to be one of my favourites. It was really interesting and I can't wait to see more of it in the next books in the series.
The writing style of A Widow's Guide to Scandal was something that I enjoyed a lot. I did struggle with the first few chapters, but as soon as I got into the story it was totally fine. I do find that sometimes it takes me a few chapters to get into historical romance, especially if I don't know the world I'm jumping into. Hallie Alexander is great at creating emotions and character arcs.
Overall, I loved reading A Widow's Guide to Scandal by Hallie Alexander. It includes not only a fantastic romance but also great characters. Henrietta was such a pleasure of a protagonist. I loved knowing about her life and I loved getting to know her more. Marcus was a character and he added another dimension to the novel that lifted it. This is a fantastic debut and I can't wait to read more from Hallie Alexander.
allyonlyreadsheas's review
4.0
A Widow's Guide to Scandal was a delightful childhood friends to lovers romance with a bit of Revolutionary War intrigue on the side! I believe this was my first US Revolutionary War romance, which made for a very interesting setting to Henrietta and Marcus's story. Actually, to be honest the war (which hasn't actually been officially declared as a war in A Widow's Guide) plays a pretty big role throughout the story. And by pretty big I mean it's almost equal in importance to the relationship between Henrietta and Marcus. But, I surprisingly didn't mind.
Henrietta is a widow that is stuck between rock hard abs and a hard place. As a widow with no capital and no real marketable skills, she is forced to live on her Tory uncle-in-law's charity, of which there is very little. When Marcus, the boy she kissed when she was 15 who didn't kiss her back - even though he kissed everyone, happens back into her life and on her roof and then OFF her roof, her life gets that much more complicated. Suddenly she's housing an invalid she can't decide if she wants to slap or kiss, a domineering British soldier on her uncle's command, and letters containing sensitive information she must encode or lose the roof over her head.
Marcus is a proud member of the Sons of Liberty and the last thing he needs is 1.) to be incapacitated for weeks with a broken ankle while 2.) being forced to share a living space with a British soldier who's more likely to shoot him than anything. At least Hen's there to make his days a little brighter. And if he can make up for his mistake all those years ago when she shocked him by gifting him with her kiss? He'll take that and then some. But when danger comes for him and his own, will he be able to turn to Hen for assistance or will she be the instrument of their destruction?
In her debut novel, Hallie Alexander explores second chances, loyalty, grief and what it means to be free.
I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Henrietta is a widow that is stuck between rock hard abs and a hard place. As a widow with no capital and no real marketable skills, she is forced to live on her Tory uncle-in-law's charity, of which there is very little. When Marcus, the boy she kissed when she was 15 who didn't kiss her back - even though he kissed everyone, happens back into her life and on her roof and then OFF her roof, her life gets that much more complicated. Suddenly she's housing an invalid she can't decide if she wants to slap or kiss, a domineering British soldier on her uncle's command, and letters containing sensitive information she must encode or lose the roof over her head.
Marcus is a proud member of the Sons of Liberty and the last thing he needs is 1.) to be incapacitated for weeks with a broken ankle while 2.) being forced to share a living space with a British soldier who's more likely to shoot him than anything. At least Hen's there to make his days a little brighter. And if he can make up for his mistake all those years ago when she shocked him by gifting him with her kiss? He'll take that and then some. But when danger comes for him and his own, will he be able to turn to Hen for assistance or will she be the instrument of their destruction?
In her debut novel, Hallie Alexander explores second chances, loyalty, grief and what it means to be free.
I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
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