Stevie‘s review of The Bittersweet Bride (Advertisements for Love, Book 1) by Vanessa Riley
Historical Romance published by Entangled: Amara 29 Jan 18
I’m always pleased to see new historical romance series featuring heroes and/or heroines of colour, especially those that acknowledge that Britain has always been less exclusively white than the standard textbooks would have us believe. Fiction and non-fiction have come a long way the past few years when it comes to representation, of course, which also makes it easier for reviewers to judge books purely on their own merits and not give them an automatic pass just because they feature a previously ignored facet of life’s rich tapestry. That being said, this book had a bunch of other features to recommend it to me, beyond those of the heroine: scenes set in an historic shopping arcade that I know well, a romance carried out partially by post, and a group of female friends who support each other’s ambitions and ventures by means of their various talents. So how did it measure up to my expectations?
Wealthy widow Theodosia Cecil has come a long way from the London flower seller who fell in love with the son of one of her suppliers. When his father caught the pair together, they were forced to part: Ewan left to go to war and Theo found herself alone and pregnant after her business ran into difficulties. After Ewan was falsely reported to have been killed, Theo threw herself on mercies of the new owner of an estate adjoining that of Ewan’s family – the estate Ewan had been expected to inherit – and later married him to give her child a name and security. Now Theo is running the estate, but is in dispute with both Ewan’s father, the Earl of Crisdon, and her late husband’s steward – guardian to Theo’s son. Once again, her only chance of security seems to be an advantageous marriage, although this time she has both money and land and so only needs a man to give his name to her enterprises. A newspaper advertisement seems the ideal way to find a husband.
Visiting London – and the Burlington Arcade – to collect replies to her ad and see how her estate’s flowers are being used, Theo is astonished to bump into Ewan: fully recovered from injuries sustained early in his army career and now living back in town while he makes a second attempt to earn a living as a playwright; the sale of his first play had been sabotaged by his father. Unbeknown to Theo, Ewan has also penned replies to her ad, on behalf of his widowed brother, and using one of their father’s minor titles.
Theo and Ewan’s reunion does not go well. Frankly he’s a complete arse and failed to gain my sympathy at any point in the story. However, he sets out to woo her all over again, while she continues to search for any husband who fits her needs and isn’t Ewan. I wasn’t best pleased at how Theo kept her son a secret from Ewan, although I was even more aggravated at him for consistently failing to consider that Theo might have become pregnant as a result of their one night together. Equally cross-making were the various plot threads relating to the feud between the two estates, when no one seemed to realise that messages getting passed between two obnoxious men (Theo’s steward and Ewan’s father) might not be quite what Theo was hearing in the reports of their dealings she received from her steward.
Sadly, while I quite liked what little we saw of Theo’s two friends, also women of colour, this story had too many issues, including a number of clichés in Theo’s backstory (particularly annoying since the author has obviously done some research into the lives of black and mixed-race Londoners in Regency times), on top of all the highly unlikable men, for me to want to continue with the series.
Grade: D
Summary:
Widow Theodosia Cecil needs a husband to help protect her son. The former flower seller turned estate owner posts an ad in the newspaper, and no one is more surprised than she when her first love, the man she thought dead, reappears.
Ewan Fitzwilliam has been at war for six years. Now, the second son of a powerful earl is back but his beloved Theo needs a husband and will not consider him. She believes Ewan left her—in desperate straits—so she denies the feelings she still harbors for the handsome, scarred soldier. Theo and playwright Ewan must overcome bitter lies and vengeful actions that ruined their youthful affair. Theo must reveal her deepest secret in order to reclaim the love that has long been denied.
Read an excerpt.
