The Temporary Betrothal

Brides of Waterloo #2

by Lily George

Sophie Handley is a charming flirt—just like the fiancée who jilted Lieutenant Charles Cantrill after he was wounded at Waterloo. Yet her assistance in helping veterans is proving invaluable. And when she offers to feign a courtship to appease his family, he finds their arrangement curiously appealing….

Sophie has been groomed from birth for a life of easy comfort. Then financial ruin obliges her to reevaluate all her plans and dreams. Helping veterans and their wives helps her see what's truly important—and gives her the chance to enjoy the lieutenant's very appealing company. Somehow Sophie must help his embittered heart to see she's found her permanent place—by his side, and in his arms.

Genres: Love Inspired, Regency, Romance, Love Inspired Historical, Christian Fiction, Historical Fiction, Historical

288 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2012

Reviews

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Surprisingly pleasant! The god stuff did not turn me off and it never got preachy. There was inconsistent characterization throughout, but the plot was one I hadn’t read before, so I had no idea where it was going. So that was fun! I would read the others in the series.

Also pretty compassionate discussion of sex work that cleared a lot of “spicy” historical romance by a mile.

[Lindsey (Books for Christian Girls) · Rating 3 out of 5]

About this book:

“Sophie Handley is a charming flirt—just like the fiancée who jilted Lieutenant Charles Cantrill after he was wounded at Waterloo. Yet her assistance in helping veterans is proving invaluable. And when she offers to feign a courtship to appease his family, he finds their arrangement curiously appealing….Sophie has been groomed from birth for a life of easy comfort. Then financial ruin obliges her to reevaluate all her plans and dreams. Helping veterans and their wives helps her see what's truly important—and gives her the chance to enjoy the lieutenant's very appealing company. Somehow Sophie must help his embittered heart to see she's found her permanent place—by his side, and in his arms.”


Series: Part of the ‘Love Inspired Historical’ line; Book #2 in the mini-series “Brides of Waterloo”.


Spiritual Content- Colossians 3:13-15 at the beginning; Scriptures are quoted, mentioned & read; Church going & mention of sermons and hymns; Talks about God, His plans for us & forgiving; Most ‘H’s are capital when referring to God; Charles has a faith; Sophie hasn’t considered what the Lord thought before, but learns in this book; Mentions of prayers; Mentions of churches & church going; Mentions of being blessed; A couple mentions of Bible reading.


Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘bloody’, an ‘idiot’, two ‘stupid’s, three forms of ‘blast’, four forms of ‘dash it all’, and seven ‘botheration’s; Many mentions of the war, veterans & almost dying (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of alcohol & drinking; A couple mentions of gambling & “the gambling hell”; A couple mentions of drugs; A couple mentions of cigars & smoking.


Sexual Content- two hand kisses, two forehead kisses, 1 (semi-detailed) cheek kiss, and a semi-detailed kiss; Remembering a cheek kiss (semi-detailed); Touches, Nearness & Embraces (up to semi-detailed); Noticing & Smelling; Flirting & Blushes; A man asks Sophie to be his mistresses (not the main guy, she says no) & mention of it; Mentions of a man watching & looking over Sophie’s figure; A few mentions of jealousy; A couple mentions of women considering to sell themselves; Love, falling in love & the emotions.

-Sophie Handley
-Charles Cantrill
P.O.V. switches between them
Set in 1818
280 pages

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Pre Teens- One Star
New Teens- One Star
Early High School Teens- Two Stars
Older High School Teens- Three Stars
My personal Rating- Three Stars
This was sweet…honestly better than I was expecting it would be. The back-cover doesn’t exactly give Sophie a glowing review, I didn’t find her as bad as she was made out to be. I did not like Bradbury and honestly could have done without him or his (suggestive) parts, though.


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Link to review:
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*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.

[Caity · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a quick and fluffy read. Enjoyable, but quite shallow- both in regards to the spiritual content as well as character development. There were a few times that suddenly a character would be more mature or changed in some way and I would think to myself "when did that happen?". Also, in the beginning, I was of the impression that Sophie was an unbeliever, and then about a third of the way through (after attending church once for the first time since she was little) suddenly it seemed that she was saved...at least...that's what I gathered. The cliche misunderstanding/anti-communication plot twist was a bit illogical and I didn't understand what the big deal was.
My favorite characters were Harriet and Brookes, and Lucy - I would like to read her story and find out how things went with ensign Rowland. :)
Overall I don't regret reading this clean and quick regency, but I enjoyed A Rumored Engagement by the same author more.

[nancy Lanham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Soldiers and families need support

Sophie and Cantrill are doing. The very necessary work of healing men and their families in aftermath of war. This is the same need we have right now with a century of wars and thousands of injured solders returning home needing healing

[Gail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice little story. Hero is a veteran who lost an arm at Waterloo and now wants to devote his life to looking after other war veterans and their widows and orphaned children. The heroine is the sister of his best friend's new wife, and a bit of a flirt, but when she gets lost on the streets of Bath and literally crashes into him, it's only courtesy to see her home. When she gets involved in his work with the veterans, he realizes she might not be the useless fribble he thought. She IS however a bit naive and perhaps willfully dim. About a lot of things. I never did get what exactly she did for the war widows, and while the series is called "Brides of Waterloo," the story didn't have much to do with the battle or the war and barely seemed to have much to do with the veterans. The hero's missing arm seemed to be glossed over by everyone, including the hero. It was rarely even referred to. A lot of conflicts and angst-causing elements were raised in the story, and then mostly ignored. So I really can't say what the main conflict really was for either hero or heroine. Almost like George threw a bunch of stuff at the story to see what stuck. Despite all that, I thought it was interesting and enjoyed reading it. A nice look at the "ordinary folks" (upper middle class ones, anyway) of the era, and a nice love story.

[Mitch · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok, when it comes to Harlequin I am usually satisfied. I enjoy the quick reads and fun little upbeat stories. I can admit it, I love corny little romances. But I understand they are mass produced like magazines, so it is only natural that I am going to find one once in a while that I am not fond of. And sadly, Lily George's "The Temporary Betrothal" wound up in my dud pile.

I usually enjoy the snappy romances, but this historical story about a once-rich woman now a servant who is interested in a wounded war veteran was just a bit dull for me. I do like the fact that they fake a relationship to appease his mother, but I feel like the story just fell short with me.

It kind of felt all over the place and the characters never jumped off the page. It seemed the author tried TOO hard for the reader to like the characters, and they felt flat and one dimensional.

I would like to try Lily George again if I ever come across one of her books. It just felt like maybe her heart just wasn't in this one. Just my opinion.

[Debbie West · Rating 5 out of 5]

I lived this book from the very first page to the last! I didn't even realize it was the 2nd book in a series until closer to the end. My best adjectives for this story are "enchanting" and "inspirational". The love that Sophie shows for her family & for the soldiers' wives, plus the dedication Charlie shows for his fellow soldiers & to our Lord are so inspiring..they make me wish that I could do more for others. The romance itself was fantastic.. written creatively! I cried when things looked their bleakest for these 2 lovers, which means I really became absorbed in these 2 characters. I fell in love with Sophie's laughter & gay spirit & with Charlie's tenderness & championship of his fellow mankind. If all books were written like this one, the world would be a better place! Love Inspired books are my favorites, clean of pornography, yet poignant & uplifting. They show that romance novels don't need vulgar language or X rated sex scenes to be good stories. With the love of God in them & in the authors, they can't go wrong. Keep 'em coming, Ms Lily George!¡!

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this novel. Set in the early 1800's in England, the story is very intriguing. Charles Cantrell was wounded in war, so he is devoting his life to helping other soldiers and their families, which his own family views as beneath him. I loved the fact that he had such compassion for others and valued people over material possessions. When he meets Sophie Handley, they have much in common. I enjoyed the vivacious spirit of her character. Flirty and fun, but with great values, she gets some very impulsive ideas on how to help charge. At the beginning of the book there were times I felt the dialogue seemed slightly stilted, but it either didn't stay that way or I got used to the author's writing style. The ending was wonderful, and I recommend this book to anyone who likes Christian historical romance.

[June · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this story about Sophie and Charlie. The results of Waterloo left Charlie with a mangled arm and a great desire to help the other veterans make something of their lives. When he runs into Sophie one day he gets her to agree to help him with this mission. Sophie is in Bath trying to be independent and have the life she has always dreamed of. Helping Charlie opens her eyes to how frivolous her life has been and she goes about making changes that will help others.

The point was made that when her brother-in-law John (who she was previously engaged to) came home missing a leg it affected her because she knew him before and saw all the changes the war had made in him. Whereas with Charlie, she did not know him before so she wasn't bothered by his arm or the changes that had come to him.

I enjoy Lily George's writing!

[Olivia · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was okay. I just could't get into the story. Too many WTF moments and mediocre writing. Sophie is a seamstress in the household of Lord Bradbury who has become friends with his daughters and the governess. Now why would Bradbury offer to make Sophie his mistress knowing Sophie would be shunned and his daughters could not be friends with Sophie anymore? If Sophie did become his mistress, it would look bad for everyone invloved. I just shook my head with disbelief.

The whole veterens and wives/widows in the church thing was so badly done. It seemed all they did was meet to talk. Really? How about some action. If Charlie was truly into his work with the vets, why didn't he do anything? They met once a week to ~talk~? WTF?

AT the end, it was the usual misunderstandings-gone-bad that carried the black moment. {insert rolling eyes here} Ho hum.

[Victoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had read the third book in the series first, so the events in this book were told through Lucy's eyes. This means I had a hint of what was happening in advance, but it matters much more to see Sophie and Charles' true courtship.

I enjoyed the story, with the exception of a few turns of phrase. There was a lot of "'twas" and a "girl" were always referred to as "gel". I'm not sure if that's a typo in the kindle version because I looked up "gel" to see if it was antiquated slang, but couldn't find mention of it. Apparently the word showed up in 1899.

[Bethany Swafford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sophie, determined to be independent, becomes a seamstress in a nobleman's home in Bath. Lt. Charles Cantrill is determined that he will continue is work to help the veterans and defy his family's wishes that he return home for a life of leisure.

This was a well written story, and even though it was a 'love inspired' book, the religious aspects remain in the background, not bogging down the story. The characters were enjoyable.

The only thing I did not particularly like was certain characters sudden change of attitude at the end of the story.

[Carrie Olguin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pleasant inspirational/Christian romance (not the overly preachy kind, than heavens).

The H/h work together to solve problems and fall in love in the process.

Of course, as a Christian book, there is a moral to the story. In this one it's learning to forgive.

[Melody · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! Hero and heroine both earned a place in my heart! Loved seeing the character growth, and the love story unfold. It was paced just perfectly!
I am not sure if I read the first one, but I am most excited to read the next one.

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

[Marcella · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a good sweet story mainly about choices

[Janis Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really liked this story>< They make a wonderful match like their predecessors:)

Read the 1st one afterward and want to see Aunt Katherine again....>< I love that sweetheart^o^

[Jamie Raupp · Rating 2 out of 5]

too much religion

[Sherri · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is definitely a cotton candy read. But it was clean and fun. And now I can say I have officially read my first Harlequin Romance. Ha!