This is one of the purest Beauty and the Beast retellings I've ever read, and I absolutely loved it. A lonely only daughter to abusive older parents, Julia Wychwood is determined to escape the confines of her home, which has become an increasingly dangerous place for her. Captain Jasper Blunt, returned from The Crimea a feared (and morally bankrupt) war hero, is desperate to find an heiress to sustain his crumbling estate and support his three illegitimate children. While initially it is the convenience of their pairing that brings them together - a fortune in her dowry for him, and an isolated remove to the country, for her - they discover true kinship in each other. Their marriage of convenience quickly becomes complicated, though, and the specter of the captain's past and the machinations of Julia's scheming parents haunt them.

What I love most is how isolated the story feels - this is Gothic and introspective and wholly suited to both its source material and the Victorian-era London it depicts. There are so many wonderful homages to popular Victorian stories - several of which are referenced on page by the characters and in specific plot points by Matthews herself - and the novel feels like the story-within-a-story of a well-told fairy tale. Matthews is known for writing deeply romantic closed-door romances, and the tension and chemistry between these two is palpable all the way through. The central mystery - the captain's backstory - is deftly alluded to, so that the reader can piece together the available clues (including many from captain's inner monologue) before Julia can, increasing the dramatic irony for the reader as we watch Julia circle the truth of her new husband. With threats to never enter his secret tower room, entreaties to ignore his past and demands to ask no questions of him, our captain is a real Beast, soothed and secured by the persistent and trusting Belle of Belgrave Square. 

This is one I will easily recommend to any and all historical romance readers! I particularly enjoyed the audiobook's dual narration by Ell Potter (one of my very favorite narrators) and Sebastian Brown. 

1🌶️ euphemisms

Well, colour me surprised! Mimi Matthews actually got me to like a romance with the

secret identity

trope.

I think it worked for me because the stakes were so much higher than the usual bullshit 'they'll reject me if they knew who I really was!' reasoning. And also because it's not a You've Got Mail retelling, which I seem to dislike across the board. I thought it was executed very well in the text in the way that the clues and foreshadowing make it obvious to the reader, but it isn't explicitly mentioned until the actual reveal.

I adored this Beauty and the Beast-esque romance with a sort of subverted Gothic vibe to it. I loved how Julia came out of her shell and began to thrive when she got away from the crowds of London (and her parents). Even though she's shy, socially anxious, and needs rescuing from her initial situation, she's still portrayed as strong and capable. And I do like a hero who is secretly a gentle cinnamon roll but hides it behind a grouchy exterior. The way he so patiently courted Julia was swoon-worthy. I don't normally enjoy children in romance, but they were a great addition here; not overly precocious or taking over the story. This also felt slightly hotter than the other books I've read from Mimi — it's still fade-to-black, but there is the vaguest description in there, which I'm not mad at. I do wish there'd been a bit more of the haunted house aspect though — I was a bit disappointed that there were no suspected ghosts or spooky happenings (even if they'd later turned out to be pranks from the kids or something). 

Loved all the nods to The Blue Castle too!

This was such a fantastic Victorian romance. The main characters were absolutely delightful. I loved the feminist and progressive undertones. I didn’t realize it was the second in a series and it definitely stood alone. Since I enjoyed it so much, I will probably go back and read the first one! 

Despite my middling rating, I do believe that this series is a really good starter for those looking to foray into historical romance. Both of our main characters are deeply interesting and play off one another very well, and there's the right amount of pining and wit. I wish they weren't closed door, but I understand not all authors feel comfortable writing those scenes. That and the slow pacing to reveal the final conflict (I guessed both twists before the 40% marking which made things quite frustrating) keep this from a higher start ranking for me personally.