Published By: Bellows Press
Released On: 15/10/2023
Louisa Silverton is the daughter of a wealthy American businessman, brought up to believe a healthy profit is the only route to happiness. With the family company over-leveraged and in need of a capital injection, she travels to England to find a rich husband. The Honourable Miss Sarah Davenport has no time for romance. The family estate of Kenilborough is mired in debt and only she can save it. Unconventional and outspoken, Sarah is dismayed that somebody as intelligent and attractive as Louisa is willing to sacrifice herself for financial gain. As Louisa pursues her campaign, Sarah realises her objections to the project run deeper than mere principles. At the same time, Louisa finds herself captivated by Sarah’s independent spirit. Yet to indulge their unexpected passion would surely mean the ruin of both their families. Bound by duty, will they ever be free to follow their hearts?
*****
Thanks to Marianne for sending me an advanced copy of her new book in return for an honest review.
Marianne kindly gifted me her first book, The Secret of Matterdale Hall, and I really enjoyed that one, so was thrilled when she sent me a copy of her new book.
Once again, Marianne has created a story full of strong-willed women living in a time when they would have been encouraged to lie low and be subservient. I love that the main protagonists are all women. From different backgrounds, with different ailments, different finances, different likes and dislikes and wants and dreams. But the thing they all have in common is that they all love each other, and that is stronger than anything that could push them apart. They stand up for themselves and they help each other. They don’t bow down to female and societal pressures of the time which is refreshing to read.
This is set roughly 200 years ago, and it’s fascinating to read about how they lived. I know it’s fiction and shouldn’t be taken as factual, but it reads so real, you can really read Marianne’s passion for the time, and there are times I wonder what it would have been like to be a woman in those times.
Marianne has given us a plethora of very interesting characters, some nice, some not. She’s given enough time to everyone, regardless of their billing, with the same thought gone into the main protagonist as to the background characters, they all have a part to play.
I love Marianne’s exploration into sexuality, love and marriage. At a time where relationships were often carried out due to expectation, duty or money – which we do see in this book – she also explores the wants and desires that the heart have, at a time where many women were meant to marry someone who would prosper their financial or social situation.
It isn’t a book heavy on plot. There is plot, obviously, but it’s a genteel plot. More emphasis is given on the characters and their development throughout the book, which I for one am glad of. I love really juicy characters, and can often do away with a complex plot.
Obviously, whether self-published, indie published, or traditionally published, doesn’t count for your talent as an author. She may not be published by one of the big mainstream publishers, but in my opinion, Marianne writes and creates characters as well as some of the more well-known authors, and I feel her books should be put as equal to other famous historical dramas, as they are equally as scrumptious.
Her stories are interesting, endearing, entertaining, humorous, shocking, and fascinating. The pacing is perfect, never feeling too slow or too rushed. I don’t know how people spoke in those days but the dialogue feels natural and not stilted. The research she must have done to authentically describe the clothing and furnishings etc at that time is impressive.
I’m so glad that Marianne sought me out and trusted me with her book. They have really been quite fabulous and I sure hope there is more to come.
Books By Your Bedside 