Matthews, Mimi. The Matrimonial Advertisement. [California]: Perfectly Proper Press, 2018.
ISBN-13: 978-0999036440 | $4.99 USD | 391 pages | Victorian Romance
Blurb
She Wanted Sanctuary…
Helena Reynolds will do anything to escape her life in London, even if that means traveling to a remote cliffside estate on the North Devon coast and marrying a complete stranger. But Greyfriar’s Abbey isn’t the sort of refuge she imagined. And ex-army captain Justin Thornhill—though he may be tall, dark, and devastatingly handsome—is anything but a romantic hero.
He Needed Redemption…
Justin has spent the last two decades making his fortune, settling scores, and suffering a prolonged period of torture in an Indian prison. Now, he needs someone to smooth the way for him with the villagers. Someone to manage his household—and warm his bed on occasion. What he needs, in short, is a wife and a matrimonial advertisement seems the perfect way to acquire one.
Their marriage was meant to be a business arrangement and nothing more. A dispassionate union free from the entanglements of love and affection. But when Helena’s past threatens, will Justin’s burgeoning feelings for his new bride compel him to come to her rescue? Or will dark secrets of his own force him to let her go?
Review
4 stars
While looking for books with water on the cover to fill the latest prompt for The Amazing Readathon, I realized I had a lot of options I had completely forgotten about, one of them being The Matrimonial Advertisement by Mimi Matthews, which also would feed my current resurging historical romance obsession. I’ve long wanted to read this series, as I’ve enjoyed her more recent stuff. I mostly enjoyed this book overall, with any issues I have coming from the execution of certain tropes.
The characters are absolutely the book’s greatest strength. Helena and Justin both have trauma in their pasts when they meet each other courtesy of a “matrimonial advertisement” in the paper. And while Justin’s trauma does make him sometimes feel he’s not worthy of love, he was conveyed in such a compassionate way, I could not help but sympathize with him, just as I did with Helena. Their bond grows over the story gradually, and the trust they build with each other is beautiful and genuine.
I enjoyed the subtle Victorian Gothic vibes…it’s not as pronounced as in some of her other books, but I appreciated the commentary on some of the tropes, like confinement in asylums and the romanticism of the tortured, Beast-like hero. The more “quiet” nature of the romance, without much in the way of stakes, does make for an odd fit, and bogs down the pacing at times. But there are some issues that Helena and Justin need to work through, and some big revelations that do shake up the narrative, particularly where Justin is concerned.
This was a solid first-in-series, and I look forward to continuing at some point in the near future. I’d recommend this book to readers interested in a low-stakes, closed door historical romance.
Author Bio
USA Today bestselling author Mimi Matthews writes both historical nonfiction and award-winning Victorian romances. Her novels have received starred reviews in Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, Booklist, Kirkus, and Shelf Awareness, 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 an Andalusian dressage horse, a miniature poodle, a Sheltie, and two Siamese cats.
Buy links
Courtney Reads Romance 