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A review by emeraldgarnet
The Belle of Belgrave Square by Mimi Matthews
4.0
The Belles of London series returns with 'The Belle of Belgrave Square'. As ever, Mimi Matthews creates a believable world of Victorian manners and social mores.
Readers of Matthew's 'The Siren of Sussex' will have already met Julia Wychwood and Captain Jasper Blunt and the tension continues to crackle in this second installment from the get-go.
"'Do you often run off during introductions?'
'Not generally, no. Not unless I fear I’m going to swoon.' Her mouth ticked up at one corner in a rueful smile. 'You wouldn’t have appreciated having to catch me.'
Something flickered behind his icy gaze. An emotion impossible to read. 'You don’t know me very well, ma’am.'
Were it any other gentleman, Julia might have suspected him of flirting with her. But not Captain Blunt. His scarred countenance was as coldly serious as his tone."
"'My purpose hasn’t changed,' he informed her.
'I’m aware,' she said. 'But you’ve been nothing but kind to me. It’s one of the reasons I wanted to see you this morning. I never got a chance to properly thank you for rescuing me last night.'
'That wasn’t a rescue. That was naught but a minor service.' Jasper’s eyes held hers, his voice dark with promise. 'When I rescue you, Miss Wychwood, you’ll know it.'"
All her life, Julia has been stifled by her parents and it is through marriage to Jasper that she hopes to find freedom.
"Jasper’s isolated estate would be a sanctuary for her. A place where she could finally breathe."
Running throughout the novel is the theme of justice. What does it mean? Who gets it? When? And how?
“Laws are made by men and, therefore, fallible. Justice is something greater. Most of us—the poorest and the weakest—won’t see it on this side of the grave. But sometimes, on rare occasions, someone manages to balance the scales. It can be difficult to reconcile it with the law. That doesn’t negate the rightness of it.”
I recommend this book to all fans of closed-door Victorian historical romance.
Readers of Matthew's 'The Siren of Sussex' will have already met Julia Wychwood and Captain Jasper Blunt and the tension continues to crackle in this second installment from the get-go.
"'Do you often run off during introductions?'
'Not generally, no. Not unless I fear I’m going to swoon.' Her mouth ticked up at one corner in a rueful smile. 'You wouldn’t have appreciated having to catch me.'
Something flickered behind his icy gaze. An emotion impossible to read. 'You don’t know me very well, ma’am.'
Were it any other gentleman, Julia might have suspected him of flirting with her. But not Captain Blunt. His scarred countenance was as coldly serious as his tone."
"'My purpose hasn’t changed,' he informed her.
'I’m aware,' she said. 'But you’ve been nothing but kind to me. It’s one of the reasons I wanted to see you this morning. I never got a chance to properly thank you for rescuing me last night.'
'That wasn’t a rescue. That was naught but a minor service.' Jasper’s eyes held hers, his voice dark with promise. 'When I rescue you, Miss Wychwood, you’ll know it.'"
All her life, Julia has been stifled by her parents and it is through marriage to Jasper that she hopes to find freedom.
"Jasper’s isolated estate would be a sanctuary for her. A place where she could finally breathe."
Running throughout the novel is the theme of justice. What does it mean? Who gets it? When? And how?
“Laws are made by men and, therefore, fallible. Justice is something greater. Most of us—the poorest and the weakest—won’t see it on this side of the grave. But sometimes, on rare occasions, someone manages to balance the scales. It can be difficult to reconcile it with the law. That doesn’t negate the rightness of it.”
I recommend this book to all fans of closed-door Victorian historical romance.