***I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.***
A BookBub Best Romance of 2022
A London heiress rides out to the wilds of the English countryside to honor a marriage of convenience with a mysterious and reclusive stranger.
Tall, dark, and dour, the notorious Captain Jasper Blunt was once hailed a military hero, but tales abound of his bastard children and his haunted estate in Yorkshire. What he requires now is a rich wife to ornament his isolated ruin, and he has his sights set on the enchanting Julia Wychwood.
For Julia, an incurable romantic cursed with a crippling social anxiety, navigating a London ballroom is absolute torture. The only time Julia feels any degree of confidence is when she's on her horse. Unfortunately, a young lady can't spend the whole of her life in the saddle, so Julia makes an impetuous decision to take her future by the reins--she proposes to Captain Blunt.
In exchange for her dowry and her hand, Jasper must promise to grant her freedom to do as she pleases. To ride--and to read--as much as she likes without masculine interference. He readily agrees to her conditions, with one provision of his own: Julia is forbidden from going into the tower rooms of his estate and snooping around his affairs. But the more she learns of the beastly former hero, the more intrigued she becomes...
The Belle of Belgrave Square by Mimi Matthews is the second book in her popular Belles of London series but can be easily read as a stand-alone. I really enjoyed this marriage of convenience story, with a lot of heart and emotion.
Story Recap:
Julia is the daughter of two sickly parents, who want her to marry and stay close to them. She has a handsome dowry, but she hasn’t had any proposals. The fact that nobody has asked for her hand in marriage could be due to her severe social anxiety. She’s happier to stay home with a book than go to balls with all of London Society.
Captain Jasper Blunt has quite a reputation. He’s known as a war hero and a bit of a mystery. His Yorkshire home has several of his illegitimate children, a scandal that they live with him in his stately home. When he returned from the war, his family home was left needing many repairs, and Jasper needs to find a woman with a hefty dowry in order to fix up his home. When Jasper proposes a marriage of convenience, the only condition that Julia adds is that she must be allowed to live as she pleases and read and ride whenever she wants.
My Thoughts:
I love a good marriage of convenience story, and this is one of the better ones I’ve read. I loved both these characters very much. I felt so bad for Julia and her social anxiety. Her sickly parents only needed her around to fetch and carry for them as they spent most of their time in their sickbeds. She hates going to balls and social events, but her parents make her go anyway. I really empathized with her issues. All she wants to do is lead a quiet life with her horse.
Jasper has a lot of secrets and I was surprised when one of his big secrets was revealed. He has a tough reputation as a philander and a bit of a brute, but, his tenderness toward Julia belies his reputation.
The scenes set in his home in Yorkshire are a lot of fun. Jasper’s children are not too fond of him, or his new bride and their antics are delightful. And this is where Jasper and Julia start to fall in love. They are perfect together and complement each other perfectly.
Recommendation:
I highly recommend The Belle of Belgrave Square to anyone who enjoys historical romance. I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
About Mimi Matthews
USA Today bestselling author Mimi Matthews writes both historical nonfiction and award-winning proper Victorian romances. Her novels have received starred reviews in Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, Booklist, and Kirkus, and her articles have been featured on the Victorian Web, the Journal of Victorian Culture, and in syndication at BUST Magazine. In her other life, Mimi is an attorney. She resides in California with her family, which includes a retired Andalusian dressage horse, a Sheltie, and two Siamese cats.
Mimi has generously offered a fabulous giveaway that book tour participants can add to their post and on social media. Here are the details:
Giveaway period: October 3 – October 30
Terms & Conditions:
Giveaway hosted by Mimi Matthews. No Purchase Necessary. Entrants must be 18 years or older. Open to US residents only. All information will remain confidential and will not be sold or otherwise used, except to notify the winner and to facilitate postage of the book to the winner. Void where prohibited.
Giveaway Details:
1 winner (selected at random by Rafflecopter) receives a paperback copy of The Belle of Belgrave Square, signed and annotated by the author with personal comments, underlining of her favorite lines, and other highlights by Mimi Matthews.
Giveaway is open from 12:01 am Pacific time 10/03/22 until 11:59pm Pacific time on 10/30/22.
The winner will be announced on Mimi’s blog on 10/31/22.
I just went and put this on hold at my library! I love a marriage of convenience and this sounds amazing. Also being able to read as much as I want without interference (though for me it’s in general and mostly consists of responsibilities) sounds amazing!
I just went and put this on hold at my library! I love a marriage of convenience and this sounds amazing. Also being able to read as much as I want without interference (though for me it’s in general and mostly consists of responsibilities) sounds amazing!
This sounds like a lovely book. I will have to add it to my Goodreads list!
Have a great week!
Emily @ Budget Tales Book Blog
I loved it too. My stop on the tour is not til Sunday but it’s a five star read for me too. One of my top reads of the year.
I love that there are books and horses in this one. Julia sounds rather like me🙂 Glad this turned out a good read Wendy!
I just finished this one and loved it! It was a 5 star read for me too! What a wonderful giveaway! I’ll definitely be entering.
I really loved this one, too. I loved how they became friends over books and horses before they did the marriage of convenience.
Lovely review! I read the first book in this series and was curious what Julia’s story would be. 🙂
This one sounds like a real treat! A marriage of convenience plus a heroine with social anxiety… I love it! So glad this was such a hit for you.
Excellent review,Wendy! I also loved how different Jasper was with Julia.
I really want to read this one! I have read one of her novellas in the past and enjoyed her writing.
I always find it interesting reading historical fiction how times have changed especially for women, great review 😊
Interesting story. I think I would like Julia!
She’s such a good character, just lovely.
Wonderful review Wendy. I haven’t read a marriage of convenience for a while.
This is a good one. Thanks, Jodie!
Excellent review, Wendy! Sounds like it has quite a bit of depth – I love to learn more about characters as plots progress.
Thank you, Sara!
Awesome review Wendy! I think I have this one to read as well!📚🤗☔💜
I hope you enjoy it, Susan!
I loved this story even though I suspected his secret early in the story. It was fun to see it unfold.
Yes, it’s all about writing and romance in this one. I’m glad you enjoyed it too!
It was complex and complicated! 🙌💖
This is one that I do hope to read! Great review, Wendy!
It’s a really good one. Slightly better than the first book in the series. I think you’ll enjoy it, Cindy
I haven’t read any of these but this one does sound good.
Thank you, Janette!
Marriage of convience is one of my favorite, if not top favorite, tropes so this sounds so good to me! 😀
It’s a really good one, Stephanie!
Book 1 in this series didn’t work for me, but I really want to read this one because I liked Julia.
This one is a bit better than the first one. I liked both these characters much better.
This sounds good. I’m glad you liked it!
Thank you, Kristi!