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3.46 AVERAGE
3.46 AVERAGE
funny
lighthearted
medium-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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infertility, Death of parent, Abandonment
I received a digital ARC from NetGalley and I’m way overdue.
2.5 stars rounded up to 3. I read the description, and I wasn’t a fan of Virginia Heath’s “Never Fall for Your Fiancee,” so why did I request this? Heath’s book uses the usual “fake relationship” trope, and while I could visualize the book as a funny TV series, I didn’t care for it on the printed page. Here the trope is a fake relationship but with children. That’s touching a third rail to me. Children that Will and Emmeline think it is perfectly fine to then hand back to the horrible orphanage from whence they came, but hey, they’d have comportment skills now! The marriage of convenience that Will and Emmeline have so she could keep her ancestral home and he could have someone organize his life and help him make connections for a strong career made sense and was acceptable, and one could see love and physical attraction grow from that. But then she becomes so desperate that she makes up a family--nevermind the psychological profile one could make about a woman making up the imaginary family she could felt she could never have--and when he finally finds out, he just goes along with it??
Of course Will and Emmeline grow to love the children--and grow a passion with each other, the results which are barely seen-- at the end, but the ends didn’t even remotely justify the means. And I don’t know how they expect the ton to deal with them, anyway, after they’ve both effectively turned their reputation, and those of people in their immediate vicinity, into tatters. It’s a selfish way of attempting a selfless act. The happy ending doesn’t feel as deserving as it should (for the kids maybe; the adults not so much.)
2.5 stars rounded up to 3. I read the description, and I wasn’t a fan of Virginia Heath’s “Never Fall for Your Fiancee,” so why did I request this? Heath’s book uses the usual “fake relationship” trope, and while I could visualize the book as a funny TV series, I didn’t care for it on the printed page. Here the trope is a fake relationship but with children. That’s touching a third rail to me. Children that Will and Emmeline think it is perfectly fine to then hand back to the horrible orphanage from whence they came, but hey, they’d have comportment skills now! The marriage of convenience that Will and Emmeline have so she could keep her ancestral home and he could have someone organize his life and help him make connections for a strong career made sense and was acceptable, and one could see love and physical attraction grow from that. But then she becomes so desperate that she makes up a family--nevermind the psychological profile one could make about a woman making up the imaginary family she could felt she could never have--and when he finally finds out, he just goes along with it??
Of course Will and Emmeline grow to love the children--and grow a passion with each other, the results which are barely seen-- at the end, but the ends didn’t even remotely justify the means. And I don’t know how they expect the ton to deal with them, anyway, after they’ve both effectively turned their reputation, and those of people in their immediate vicinity, into tatters. It’s a selfish way of attempting a selfless act. The happy ending doesn’t feel as deserving as it should (for the kids maybe; the adults not so much.)
This book was a SLOG to get through. The premise is very interesting, but the details were mind numbingly boring. Too much focus on the children and the side characters and not enough of the mains protagonists.
funny
lighthearted
medium-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
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-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
This book is advertising itself as a romance, but it’s primarily about the orphans, and, to a lesser extent, the parents’ relationship with them. The side romance between the two servants gets more page space than the romance between the parents. Were it not for a couple of mildly explicit mentions of the failed wedding night, this would read more like a kids book than a romance novel. If I was expecting a kids book, it wouldn’t be that bad.
Such a cute, sweet, and funny book. No explicit sex but worth the read anyway
It was ok. I was hoping I would like it more. I loved the kids, they were adorable, but I did not like Emmeline (I love that name) and Will. They were pretty darn selfish. I kept having to put it down for a week and then read a few pages. It was rough. The writing was great, just not the story.
Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing this ARC to review. ~I was given this book and made no commitments to leave my opinions, favorable or otherwise. ~
Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing this ARC to review. ~I was given this book and made no commitments to leave my opinions, favorable or otherwise. ~
This was such a fun premise and unique storyline in Regency times. It has marriage of convenience + second chance romance between the married couple + found family + contracts + thievery.