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A review by bookmadjo
The Scoundrel's Bartered Bride: A Regency Historical Romance by Virginia Heath
5.0
This was my first book by Virginia Heath, but based on this, it definitely won’t be my last! I believe that this combination of marriage of convenience, and enemies to lovers was requested by fans of Virginia Heath and I have to say it really was a winning combination.
The characters of Lydia and Owen were instantly likeable, and although it was clear that Owen had gone through a lot, having been a stable boy, being transported to Australia for a crime against Lydia’s family, and making his own fortune, his moral compass was completely fixed and he was a good, honest man. It was clear to the reader from the outset that although Lydia believed he was guilty of the crime against her family, he had been wrongly accused and gone through so much. The chemistry between Lydia and Owen leapt off the page from the start.
When Owen discovers that Lydia is being sold to the lecherous Kelvedon, he found himself unable to stand back and do nothing to stop it. Both Lydia and Owen are connected by their past, but both of them try to keep their feelings back in the past. He makes a counter-offer to Lydia’s family, which is too good to refuse.
I loved the way in which their uncertainty and frustration comes to the fore when they marry, and it’s clear that it will only be a matter of time before they are both forced to confront one another and admit how they feel. Added into their pent-up emotions, Owen feels that he needs to prove his innocence, if only to prove it to Lydia. I loved the way their story developed, and I particularly loved the way they rallied together to help Owen’s business partner Randolph and his wife Gertie in their time of need.
This book was such a rollercoaster of emotions, but everything comes together in the most perfect way at the end.
The characters of Lydia and Owen were instantly likeable, and although it was clear that Owen had gone through a lot, having been a stable boy, being transported to Australia for a crime against Lydia’s family, and making his own fortune, his moral compass was completely fixed and he was a good, honest man. It was clear to the reader from the outset that although Lydia believed he was guilty of the crime against her family, he had been wrongly accused and gone through so much. The chemistry between Lydia and Owen leapt off the page from the start.
When Owen discovers that Lydia is being sold to the lecherous Kelvedon, he found himself unable to stand back and do nothing to stop it. Both Lydia and Owen are connected by their past, but both of them try to keep their feelings back in the past. He makes a counter-offer to Lydia’s family, which is too good to refuse.
I loved the way in which their uncertainty and frustration comes to the fore when they marry, and it’s clear that it will only be a matter of time before they are both forced to confront one another and admit how they feel. Added into their pent-up emotions, Owen feels that he needs to prove his innocence, if only to prove it to Lydia. I loved the way their story developed, and I particularly loved the way they rallied together to help Owen’s business partner Randolph and his wife Gertie in their time of need.
This book was such a rollercoaster of emotions, but everything comes together in the most perfect way at the end.