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A review by aisforawkward
A Counterfeit Betrothal by Mary Balogh
4.0
<3 <3 <3
I love a good quarreling couple, and a fake-real betrothal is such a fun trope. Both together made this short book hilariously adorable. While there were minor dialogue & descriptive type issues I found anachronistic (which is usual for Balogh), I didn't find them too distracting at all. If it hadn't been for that and a few over the top scenes, this would have been a 5 star for me just because I loved Sophia and Francis so much.
I don't really have a lot more to say about this one except that I loved it and it will be something I will read again in the future.
The premise is that of a fake betrothal used as a pretext to get Sophia's estranged parents to reconcile, after 14 years apart. At the beginning Sophia declares she has no interest in marriage because she has seen what happens in her own parents' failed marriage, and so plans to stay single forever. A chance comment and silly scheming convinces her to try to bring her parents back together with an unsuitable fake relationship and then fake betrothal, Francis agrees to go along with it for the supposed amusement factor.
In private Sophia and Francis do absolutely nothing but bicker, and it is absolutely perfect. There is this hilarious back and forth where she talks both about what they will do to break off the betrothal once her parents are back together, as well as what they can do after the marriage to keep them together. His response is to ask her when she is going back to bedlam, or to simply say "bedlam!" repeatedly. It is hilarious, and the bickering continues all the way through to the wedding and after.
Meanwhile equal time is given to her parents story as her own, which is the story of the seemingly perfect couple destroyed by a single night of infidelity on his part. Despite constant attempts on his part to reconcile she refuses repeatedly, until after 6 months he leaves and they live estranged thereafter. This relationship followed the usual lack of communication/miscommunication plot line which I typically find annoying, but in this case it mostly worked for me given the 14 year estrangement. During the betrothal the two attempt to pretend reconciliation for their daughters sake, even as they circle true reconciliation in private, but never quite make it work because they never communicate beyond accusations and old hurts.
I think it would have been a better book if there had been more time given to the bickering, and less to the estrangement but overall I liked the way the two relationships structured the book, and how the narrative switched back and forth between them.
If you like fluff historical romance, bickering couples, fake betrothals (which lead to real weddings), and reconciliation romances (after cheating) you will likely enjoy this one.
I love a good quarreling couple, and a fake-real betrothal is such a fun trope. Both together made this short book hilariously adorable. While there were minor dialogue & descriptive type issues I found anachronistic (which is usual for Balogh), I didn't find them too distracting at all. If it hadn't been for that and a few over the top scenes, this would have been a 5 star for me just because I loved Sophia and Francis so much.
I don't really have a lot more to say about this one except that I loved it and it will be something I will read again in the future.
The premise is that of a fake betrothal used as a pretext to get Sophia's estranged parents to reconcile, after 14 years apart. At the beginning Sophia declares she has no interest in marriage because she has seen what happens in her own parents' failed marriage, and so plans to stay single forever. A chance comment and silly scheming convinces her to try to bring her parents back together with an unsuitable fake relationship and then fake betrothal, Francis agrees to go along with it for the supposed amusement factor.
In private Sophia and Francis do absolutely nothing but bicker, and it is absolutely perfect. There is this hilarious back and forth where she talks both about what they will do to break off the betrothal once her parents are back together, as well as what they can do after the marriage to keep them together. His response is to ask her when she is going back to bedlam, or to simply say "bedlam!" repeatedly. It is hilarious, and the bickering continues all the way through to the wedding and after.
Meanwhile equal time is given to her parents story as her own, which is the story of the seemingly perfect couple destroyed by a single night of infidelity on his part. Despite constant attempts on his part to reconcile she refuses repeatedly, until after 6 months he leaves and they live estranged thereafter. This relationship followed the usual lack of communication/miscommunication plot line which I typically find annoying, but in this case it mostly worked for me given the 14 year estrangement. During the betrothal the two attempt to pretend reconciliation for their daughters sake, even as they circle true reconciliation in private, but never quite make it work because they never communicate beyond accusations and old hurts.
I think it would have been a better book if there had been more time given to the bickering, and less to the estrangement but overall I liked the way the two relationships structured the book, and how the narrative switched back and forth between them.
If you like fluff historical romance, bickering couples, fake betrothals (which lead to real weddings), and reconciliation romances (after cheating) you will likely enjoy this one.