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A review by hotdogmother
Something in the Heir by Suzanne Enoch
3.0
Something in the Heir is one of those novels that makes you think: "well, truly, is all well that ends well?"
This was a somewhat enjoyable comedy with a bit of romance, certainly not as steamy or romance-y as most historical romances these days. Our hero and heroine are in a marriage of convenience, using it to keep a familial estate in her possession. It turns out that she has gone to great deals to keep it, lying to her family about her two (nonexistent) children, and suddenly needs to procure some for her grandfather's 70th birthday party.
It's a fun premise, and a fun plot to explore, but the first 20% of the book was pretty hard, especially if you are an adoptee. Much of the story focuses on the heroine, Emmeline, and how much she loves the family estate. For someone who had a good childhood and loves a home so dearly, it felt like she truly struggled to see some humans as real people.
Emmeline's handling as she attempts to borrow children in multiple ways, exclusively to secure this estate, just felt particularly wrong. She gets drunk and inappropriately asks some society friends, who say no, then goes to a local farmer, who has a dozen children he can't feed, and tries to borrow them instead. Having not found what she is doing highly inappropriate, she then goes to an orphanage in London and makes a sizeable donation to secure George and Rose. (Keep in mind she had particular ages, hair colors, and eye colors in mind she needed!)
With some polish and a little more thought to the handling of a delicate subject matter, this could really be a truly fun book that highlights foster care and adoption. As-is, I think if you are looking for a comedy with a bit of romance, and okay overlooking some of the questionable adoption/lying issues, this might be a good read for you.
My thanks to St. Martin's Press/St. Martin's Griffin, Suzanne Enoch, and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
This was a somewhat enjoyable comedy with a bit of romance, certainly not as steamy or romance-y as most historical romances these days. Our hero and heroine are in a marriage of convenience, using it to keep a familial estate in her possession. It turns out that she has gone to great deals to keep it, lying to her family about her two (nonexistent) children, and suddenly needs to procure some for her grandfather's 70th birthday party.
It's a fun premise, and a fun plot to explore, but the first 20% of the book was pretty hard, especially if you are an adoptee. Much of the story focuses on the heroine, Emmeline, and how much she loves the family estate. For someone who had a good childhood and loves a home so dearly, it felt like she truly struggled to see some humans as real people.
Emmeline's handling as she attempts to borrow children in multiple ways, exclusively to secure this estate, just felt particularly wrong. She gets drunk and inappropriately asks some society friends, who say no, then goes to a local farmer, who has a dozen children he can't feed, and tries to borrow them instead. Having not found what she is doing highly inappropriate, she then goes to an orphanage in London and makes a sizeable donation to secure George and Rose. (Keep in mind she had particular ages, hair colors, and eye colors in mind she needed!)
With some polish and a little more thought to the handling of a delicate subject matter, this could really be a truly fun book that highlights foster care and adoption. As-is, I think if you are looking for a comedy with a bit of romance, and okay overlooking some of the questionable adoption/lying issues, this might be a good read for you.
My thanks to St. Martin's Press/St. Martin's Griffin, Suzanne Enoch, and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.