Desperate to save her beloved father’s theatre, actress Ruth seeks out famed dramatist Artemis in an attempt to coax her out of her self-imposed exile from the English stage.
This is a delightful and unusual historical romance, following as it does two women who live on the fringes of respectable society in Regency England. The author has worked in theatre herself, and her experience and understanding of stagecraft shines through during the whole story, aided by plenty of research into the changing theatre scene at the time.
Ruth and Artemis are compelling leads, with well-developed backstories and motivations. Both heroines are passionate about theatre, and I enjoyed seeing how they encourage and enable each other to overcome the mental barriers that have prevented them from embracing their full potential. Artemis’s struggles with writer block were well-written, and her attempts to work on the melodrama were laugh out loud funny. I also loved the camaraderie between the theatre company.
However, I did feel like the romance was a little insta-love – the characters are drawn to each other immediately, though they do take a little time to get together. While I enjoyed their relationship, I wish the author had portrayed more of what it was that drew them together and made them certain that this was a true and lasting love, especially as the timeline is quite short. And I would have liked to read the plot of the farce as well as the melodrama!
Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. This is my honest and voluntary review.