March 15, 2021
A woman destined to be a duchess finds herself at the bottom of the ton. Lady Amelia Crofton, diamond of the ton, is finally getting married, but not to the man she's been engaged to since childhood. No, rather than becoming Lady Wildeforde, she's being rushed to the altar with Benedict Asterly, son of a footman and noblewoman--"a mere mister." Benedict thought he was doing a good deed by rescuing Amelia from her overturned carriage in the middle of a snowstorm, but instead, it appears she has been compromised, and both find themselves trapped in a marriage they do not want, far from London. Benedict does have a grand house, courtesy of his mother, who never recovered from her hasty marriage below her station, so he eschews society in favor of his beloved business building steam engines. Amelia, having been raised to be the wife of a duke, can't do anything practical, like start a fire or cook. She quickly makes friends with Benedict's little sister and tries to make herself useful. Indeed, before long, Benedict and Amelia do uncover a shared attraction, bolstered by each discovering the other is more complex and intriguing than they had assumed. And they are each grappling with class tensions: The society Amelia was raised for may no longer want her in their ranks, and the community Benedict tries to support may no longer want him, or any relation of the aristocracy, either. Parish's cleareyed examination of what life was like outside the Regency beau monde makes this debut romance a welcome addition to the genre, allowing readers the usual glimpse into the fashion and gossip of the time while also exploring how many people worked behind the scenes to make those dinners and hunting parties seem so effortless as well as the combined grievance and gratitude they might feel toward their employers. Amelia and Benedict's story is a classic marriage-of-convenience tale told well, with a handful of intimate scenes, but the couple's relationship primarily blooms through their growing respect for each other's abilities. Several charming supporting characters are introduced, and readers will look forward to seeing if Parish is able to use future entries in the series to continue her study of the Regency world across class boundaries. An intriguing romance debut that centers class struggles along with the love story.
COPYRIGHT(2021) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Starred review from April 15, 2021
It doesn't matter one whit that Lady Amelia Crofton has a perfectly reasonable explanation as to why she is dishabille and in the arms of a disheveled Benedict Asterly. But after her father, her aristocratic fianc�, and a gossipy neighboring nobleman discover the two of them, word of the incident is bound to get out. Now, with no other option but to accept Benedict's begrudging proposal, Amelia sets aside her dreams of being the next duchess of Wildeforde and accepts her future as plain old Mrs. Benedict Asterly. In this dazzling debut, Parish gives historical romance readers everything they could ever desire in a novel, beginning with the brilliantly conceived hero and heroine, who, while not initially matched in terms of social class, prove to be the perfect pair in every way that truly matters. Add in a captivating cast of secondary characters, a fine-tuned plot that ditches the often-used ton setting in favor of exploring the world of business, and an infusion of delectably wry wit, and you have an extraordinary romance that succeeds on every level.
COPYRIGHT(2021) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.