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A review by plottrysts
Roses in Red Wax by Louise Mayberry
4.0
This is a debut historical romance by indie author Louise Mayberry. Set in Scotland in the 1820s, this is the love story between Jane and Percy. Jane is the illegitimate daughter of a Scottish nobleman who is now living in relative poverty with her brother while he trains to be a doctor. Jane's recent past is full of tragedy: after her fiance died, her parents were in a fatal carriage accident. Since she and her brother are illegitimate, the new earl has them evicted from their childhood home. She lives in seclusion, almost relishing the solitude that gives her time to dwell on her sadness.
Percy is the son of a rich factory owner. For years he's lived as only a profligate son can: trips to Italy with his friend, where he lives in genteel bohemian debauchery: his friend paints, Percy plays the guitar, and they both engage the services of willing courtesans throughout their stay. But now, Percy is back in Scotland as the unhappy heir of his father's business interests while his father recovers from a fall from horseback.
The book has a melancholy feeling throughout: Jane is almost determined never to feel happiness again, since she knows it can all be taken away. Similarly, Percy is discovering that his carefree lifestyle was funded by factories that rely on child labor and other unsafe practices. While the romantic relationship develops into something both poignant and lasting, it begins as a true instalust situation. Percy sees Jane and he must have her! This leads to some inept wooing on his part, which Jane vows to resist. OK, sure - but we're not sure why Jane sees anything in Percy from this inauspicious beginning. (Well, he does play the guitar for her and apparently that's enough 🎸)
We did love the evolution of the relationship, and ended up on the Percy+Jane train. The ending verged on fairy tale territory, but you know what? We're in it for a universal HEA.
This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.
Percy is the son of a rich factory owner. For years he's lived as only a profligate son can: trips to Italy with his friend, where he lives in genteel bohemian debauchery: his friend paints, Percy plays the guitar, and they both engage the services of willing courtesans throughout their stay. But now, Percy is back in Scotland as the unhappy heir of his father's business interests while his father recovers from a fall from horseback.
The book has a melancholy feeling throughout: Jane is almost determined never to feel happiness again, since she knows it can all be taken away. Similarly, Percy is discovering that his carefree lifestyle was funded by factories that rely on child labor and other unsafe practices. While the romantic relationship develops into something both poignant and lasting, it begins as a true instalust situation. Percy sees Jane and he must have her! This leads to some inept wooing on his part, which Jane vows to resist. OK, sure - but we're not sure why Jane sees anything in Percy from this inauspicious beginning. (Well, he does play the guitar for her and apparently that's enough 🎸)
We did love the evolution of the relationship, and ended up on the Percy+Jane train. The ending verged on fairy tale territory, but you know what? We're in it for a universal HEA.
This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.