3.75 stars
Disclaimer: This was an ARC from NetGalley. It hasn’t affected my opinions in any way
Spoiler warning – this review will contain some discussion of plot points I found difficult, so you may want to skip some parts of it until you’ve read the book
Alexandra Bellamy has been taking care of her father and her siblings since her mother died. She has no dowry to speak of and knows her father has massive gambling debts. So when her father announces that the impressive and formidable war hero, Colonel Magnus Brightwall, will not only clear his debts, but pay an addition five thousand pounds for her hand in marriage, she doesn’t really have any choice but to accept the offer. Unfortunately, only hours after the ceremony, Magnus witnesses something that makes him convince his wife has betrayed him, and instead of taking Alexandra with him on his diplomatic posting to Spain, he leaves her in his town house in London, with barely any communication between them.
Their reunion five years later takes place in Newgate prison, where Alexandra has unfortunately found herself imprisoned after being involved in hijinks involving her impulsive cousin, an angry duke and possibly a stolen carriage. Magnus shows up to fetch her, but instead of taking her to the house she’s lived in alone for the past five years, he takes her to The Grand Palace of the Thames, where they will stay while he’s preparing to sell the town house. There are already all sort of rumours swirling because of Magnus and Alexandra’s long separation, and now, with this new scandal, Magnus is worried about his reputation. So he’s made a plan (without at any point consulting his wife about her thoughts on the matter).
So Alexandra is basically told that they will appear together in public for enough social events to convince the public that their marriage is strong and loving and clearly gossiping about them is wrong and uncouth. Then Magnus will sell the town house, and ship Alexandra off to America, where as long as she agrees to this scheme, she will have a house of her own and a generous allowance. If she says no, he’ll cut her off entirely, and she’ll be forced to live with one of her siblings, entirely dependent on their charity.
One of my friends put this book down halfway because she was so annoyed at Magnus and the completely outragous way he treats Alexandra in the beginning, because of his pride and insecurities. She needed me to finish the book and convince me that it was worth finishing, and reassure her that she wasn’t going to have a rage aneurysm because of Magnus’ continued mistreatment of his lovely wife. I question the opinions of readers who feel that Magnus’ early behaviour is entirely within reason, and he’s correct in treating Alexandra the way he does. I’m a member of Julie Anne Long’s fan group on Facebook, and amusingly, on release day (this Tuesday), someone posted a very well-written AITA from Magnus’ point of view. Unsurprisingly, most people agreed that he was an A.
Full review on my blog.
