Helen of Castleford: Have Yourself a Marriage of Convenience

by Blue Huxley, Jade Behr

Take one surly duke and a resourceful heiress, throw them together in an inconvenient marriage, and add a hearty dash of Yuletide magic...

Prepare to be swept away by a charming holiday tale of unexpected love and the power of Christmas! Helen Paxton is a clever young woman who must marry in order to save her birthright from her father. Enter Piers de Roquefort, a surly duke with his own agenda, who proposes a marriage of convenience. As they learn how to navigate their new relationship, Helen is also trying to keep a secret—one that could unlock an old scandal. Can a winter storm, a kissing bough, and all twelve days of Christmastide convince these guarded newlyweds that they already have the ingredients for a perfect, life-changing holiday season?

If you enjoy the witty dialogue of Georgette Heyer and Jane Austen, you'll love this closed-door Regency Romance full of swoony moments and unexpected twists.

Genres: Christmas, Historical Fiction, Historical, Marriage Of Convenience, Romance

286 pages, ebook

Published December 4, 2023

About the author

Blue Huxley is the cheesier (yet personally dairy-free) half of Blue Jade Books, a writing collaboration with Jade Behr. They write contemporary AND historical romances. (Their books are clean/closed door: they don't contain swearing or explicit sexual details.)

Follow them on Instagram: @bluejadebooks; Facebook: www.facebook.com/bluejadebooks;
Amazon: www.amazon.com/author/bluehuxley/

Join Blue Jade News to keep in touch with Blue + Jade and receive new release notifications: https://bluejadebooks.com/newsletter/

Reviews

[N · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another trope-chasing KU win! Overenthusiastic fan triggered, now I just want to shove this in any marriage of convenience/grumpy-sunshine fan’s face. Said shoving out of bookish friend duty to share because this is so absolutely, trope-bell-ringingly good! I’m serious, literally shoved this in my mom’s face, and now she’s happy she read it too.

And, I’ll be honest, this is my first read from these authors, and the cute, simple cover had me thinking it would be just a nice, superficially historical little marry-her-for-her-land jaunt. I did not expect to be spoiled with favorite tropes and microtropes left and right, straight-forward, effortless, clever writing, very resoundingly, transportingly set during Regency holidays with a fabulous, competent heroine bantering and poking at the no-nonsense, sardonic duke. Land-coveting trumps shackling one’s self to a plain bride, but she was purported to be a biddable mouse, bahaha. It just made my new year so happy to read a brilliantly done grump progression: true grumps don’t shift overnight into smooth flirts/happy-go-lucky companions. The bumbling as he’s attempting to prove himself not an ogre and the fear at the impending emotional devastation keeping him keenly annoyed are just what I want to see. Make his love language gift-giving and written words of affirmation? Great reveals? Double HEA? Spoiled, I tell you.

Strongly suggest you don’t wait until next Christmas. Also the newsletter bonus content is some bantery goodness too. You’re welcome.

Content notes: Kissing Only, extremely brief and vague discussion of marriage consummation. On page toxic parent. Mentions of alcoholism, infidelity, illegitimate children. Terminal illness of family member.

[Alisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

If marriage of convenience is one of your top tropes, this book is for you! It's a fun escape into a Regency world with an intelligent and kind heroine. It made for pleasant, cozy reading, and I would say it brings together some of the things I enjoy most about the genre -- likable characters with understandable motives, and well-done tropes without an overabundance of miscommunication. Very sweet, clean read. I will be checking out more of these authors' books!

[Tami Willard · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first book by Blue & Jade and I am so glad I found them. Easy, fun read with lots of twists. Strong heroine with a sarcastic humor and a hero whose not quite sure how to handle her but is definitely not willing to let her go.
I received an ARC from the author. Review voluntarily given.

[Amanda Marlowe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pierre is out riding when he sees some prime farmland. He decides to purchase it but finds that he could marry to obtain it. Helen isn't considered pretty and doesn't really want to marry but wants to pass on her house and grounds to her daughter and to save it from her drunken gambling father.
Pierre thinks she'll be easy to manage, until he meets her and she asks him some pertinent questions!

An interesting read from Blue Jade

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this novel. It’s a very engaging marriage of convenience story set in Regency England. The story is set near Christmas and has many endearing historical holiday touches. Helen wanted to marry a man powerful enough to protect her estate from her wastrel father, and Piers…well, he just wanted her farm land. Neither went into the marriage with much hope for more, but over time more grew anyways. (In spite of his determination that it wouldn’t. The best laid plans…) It was a gradual and slow developing burn, built one interaction on top of the other. Even under those circumstances, there was a lovely romantic intensity, and some excellent payouts, in keeping with the style and tone of the book. The characters were lovely and the narrative was interesting. Both main characters had a lot of painful history to slowly unpack throughout the book. There was a sweet secondary romance and some unexpected surprises to the story. The writing was well done and overall the historical details were good. I will look forward to more historical romances from these authors. This is a closed door romance with no harsh language.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The grumpy Duke of Bellême wishes to acquire the lush and beautiful acreage of Castleford, but the property can only be acquired through the marriage of the lady of the estate, Helen of Castleford. Kind Helen must wed in order to protect her estate from her rakish and disgraced father. Thus the Duke and Helen find themselves agreeing to a marriage of convenience, but is there a chance for this marriage to become true?

I loved and enjoyed this book so much. I appreciate stories where the FMCs and MMCs are not the most beautiful creatures on earth, and their personalities are a little flawed - Helen and the Duke are definitely both. This had me rooting for their love to blossom. Their banter was humorous and their letters so sweet. Both characters became so endearing and stole my heart, as they stole each other’s.

I also really appreciated how the supporting characters were well developed and interesting. Devon might be my favorite.

Additionally, I thought the reveals in this book were really good. I didn’t see them coming in the best way. Moreover, I appreciated how the characters reacted in ways true to their characters.

Overall, I loved this book so much and look forward to reading it again during future Christmases with a glass of wassail. Blue Huxley and Jade Behr really outdid themselves with this one!

[Sarah Nolan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a lovely, festive, fun, joyful, and beautifully inspiring story!

Helen of Castleford needs to keep her inheritance away from her selfish, greedy, and rotten father. The Duke of Belleme sets out to purchase the bountiful land of Castleford at any cost and he offers a different kind of a mutually beneficial agreement: a marriage de convenience. The Duke would own all of the land, and she would be able to keep her father away from her inheritance. But Helen has one major stipulation. The Duke must promise to truly forsake all others and be faithful to her. The Duke agrees. 😁

What ensues is many aggravated and misunderstood conversations that turn into moments of tenderness and understanding. However, the new Duchess has a secret close to her heart, and the Duke so desperately wants his new wife to trust him, but once the secret is out, can their love for each other triumph? ❤️

I was so captivated by Helen and Piers from the start, even though they weren’t necessarily captivated by each other. I think intrigued, amused, and annoyed with each other better describes how their love story begins. But over the course of time as Christmas comes closer and closer, they find themselves conveniently falling in love, despite their original plans and intentions for their marriage de convenience.

With so many special moments filled with Christmas cheer, festive decorations, laughter, sorrow, and in the end, joy, the story of Helen of Castleford: Have Yourself a Marriage of Convenience has instantly become my favorite regency romance I have read this year. Helen’s love for spreading Christmas cheer may have slightly encouraged me to add even more greenery to the already spruced up mantle and bookshelves in my house…As she says, add a little more when you think you are already over the top, and there is where you find the perfect amount of Christmas cheer. 🎄❄️❤️

All of the decadent trimmings and festive cheer in this story left me wishing that I too could celebrate the Christmas season in true regency style.

This regency Christmas romance was the perfect start to a wonderful, festive December! 🥰

I received a complimentary ARC of this book but I am leaving my thoughts and review voluntarily and happily.

——
“A dimple flashed in her alabaster cheek and he had the fleeting fancy that a devilishly pretty girl could be masquerading under that dowdy ensemble.”

“Standing with unfashionably powerful legs slightly apart and hands clasped behind his back-with that strong jaw set on stubborn lines-Piers de Roquefort looked like an immovable rock, sitting against the grey stone backdrop of the place she held most dear.”

[Taylor M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a sweet Christmas romance!

I really appreciated getting to know the characters and their motivations before the actual marriage took place.
I loved Helen and how she’s always taking care of everyone around her. She looks out for all of her half siblings, tenants, and all servants under her care. She’s so loving that it’s impossible not to love her! I can’t stand her father but fortunately her uncle is great! Bellamy is really likable even though he’s cranky a lot. Despite being ill tempered, he has a good heart as evidenced by his relationship with his lifelong friend and the thought he puts into building his relationship with Helen.

It’s easy to see why Helen is nervous to reveal her secrets to Bellamy seeing how he reacted in the beginning. Especially since she didn’t know him well and had to keep so much from her father all her life in order to protect her loved ones. I was interested to see how he would react once he found out. I did expect a lot of the revelations but was still interested to see how it would all play out. I do wish that we had a little more information in the end. I have questions that I don’t feel like were completely resolved.

I really enjoyed the book and thought it was a sweet holiday story!

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

I came across this book randomly. I’d never even heard of the authors, but decided to give it a shot! It was witty and heartfelt and full of Christmas joy. It was lovely to see Helen and Bellamy start out in a marriage of convenience and then get to know each other more and more each day. Helen was so strong, but also a bit sassy and Bellamy was a bit grumpy, but also so sweet and sentimental. It was full of witty banter, sweet moments and holiday cheer, but also explored the heartache that can come around the holidays when loved ones are ill or have passed on. I laughed out loud and teared up while reading. I’m so glad I picked this one up and now want to read everything from these authors!

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful Marriage of Convenience story, with a few other great tropes mixed in! There is the occasional miscommunication and secret keeping, but it actually fit the characters and provided opportunity for relationship growth.

[Kirsten Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

helen of castleford
5 ✨

Quod meum est, ego servabo. What is mine, I keep.

overview: this was so perfect that I actually wanted to throw up a couple of times. This book is for the girlies who want a Little Women winter.

characters: Helen is no nonsense, strong, and so kind. I admired her gumption and how she isn’t scared to stand up for herself and do things she’s never done before. Such a sweetheart!
Bellamy is compassionate, a lil grumpy sometimes, dramatic, protective, and generous — and he gets solid character development too! We love a man who admits when they’re wrong 😌
Also I love Devon. No notes, he’s just perfection.
Nora is such a sweetheart and I loved her too!
This little friend group was everything <3

romance: I have to admit it — I swooned a couple of times. The romance was just actual perfection; I literally couldn’t stop highlighting, giggling, and kicking my feet. Their relationship is intimate, teasing, and gentle; gives off that feeling of being each others best friend, the first one they turn to 🥺
Bellamy in love is just about the best thing I’ve ever read. He buys her so many thoughtful gifts and writes such sweet letters and is just so in love with his wife 😭😭😭 plus he calls her “wife” and is endearing and genuine and tender. This man is not afraid to let the world know that he thinks his wife is pretty cool. He literally don’t know what he’s doing but he does his best to be a good husband.
To counteract his adoration, Helen is doing her best to deal with all the attention… at first. Then she purposely loses a game so her husband has to kiss her 🤭 Helen in love is bold and no nonsense and alllllll in.
Also they both are dramatic 😭😭😭 one minute Bellamy is doing his best to guard his heart and the next he’s sitting in his library in front of the fire, sighing, and thinking “where’s my wife? I miss her 😔”. And Helen is literally fighting for her life whenever she looks into his eyes hehe.

✨ marriage of convenience
✨ grumpy x sunshine
✨ tons of “my wife” moments

Bellamy's smile abruptly disappeared. "You may refer to my wife as Her Grace, the Duchess of Bellême."

"I will do my poor best," he offered gallantly. Helen smiled, and he felt amply rewarded for potentially making a fool of himself. There had to be a less embarrassing way to flirt with a woman.

Reflecting on her many facets, he couldn't decide if she was more fascinating when she was cleverly impertinent or adorably shy, and the amount of time he had spent trying to decide was a secret he would take to his grave.

She smiled at Bellamy with her heart in her eyes, and he had to sternly tell his own traitorous vascular organ to take a damper.

Teasing her with the mistletoe in the stables, pretending to help her make the wassail, knowing he had given her the pearls that danced on her earlobes, witnessing her delight at her first Christmas tree and the way the candles reflected in her shining eyes...holding her in his arms and being the one that she turned to for comfort when her heart was breaking.
These first eight days of Christmas had all had their magical moments; some even miraculous, as his butler had pointed out…. there was also the warming of a cold heart, and the turning of a sombre, cheerless house into a home.
He sighed. He hadn't seen his wife all day, and he missed her.

It was at that moment that Piers realised he loved his wife. He almost laughed at the sheer stupidity of his faulty brain.

"I love you," she said to her duke. "You are mine, and I'm keeping you."
His arms tightened around her waist. "I've come to the same conclusion."
"How lucky for us," she squeaked.

writing: slower paced, easy to read, descriptive without being wordy, and so casually hilarious without trying too hard — honestly obsessed with it.

atmosphere: a grand, cozy castle, mistletoe literally everywhere, a golden gaze, so many homey, intimate moments.

Books had been jammed (somewhat haphazardly) on the shelves built into the walls. An old cream damask covered the overstuffed couches and chairs, which were arranged cosily next to a cheerful fire. Six narrow windows on the outer wall provided a view of the garden. The windows were antique; their diamond-shaped panes were leaded together, but the old glass was not so wavy that you couldn't see the grey day outside.

The beloved gables and tracery of Castleford's roofline were visible from her spot, above the various shades of orange, red, and gold leafing trees that grew in this wooded area. The haze of predawn was giving way to pinks and golds and blues. Leaves rustled in the nippy breeze, the brook babbled, grasses waved, and the rabbits darted to and fro.

The footmen's breath appeared around them like short-lived clouds in the courtyard, echoing the wispy blankets of fog that were slowly retreating from the landscape and rolling over the ornamental lake. Birds had been singing for the last half hour, and weak beams of sunlight began to pierce the yard, dawn triumphant in the age-old struggle against the night—at least for now. Mist swirled into nothingness in the path of the light, and a blackbird that must have been very close to Helen gave a sweet trill.

The path she trod was spick and span, with not a pebble out of bounds. The dormant plants she passed sparkled in their wintry diamond coats. Only the holly was lush and healthy, and full of pretty red berries.

season: autumn — winter.

———

content: language (n/a). sexual (touches and kisses, NO SPICE). other (mentions of affairs, and a very unsavory man; a woman dying after childbirth, off page, no details).

———

💌PS (I LOVE YOU)
— Kirsten <3

[Priscila · Rating 5 out of 5]

Helen of Castleford was such a lovely read! I loved everything about it, and I positively enjoyed every second of it. Seriously, these authors are the best at witty banter, humourous descriptions, and swoony romantic moments between the MCs, so what's not to love? I can't believe it's their first Regency romance, but it's so good I think Jane Austen would approve. :) Of course, it didn't hurt that this story features one of my favorite tropes. Add in a serious duke (Bellamy to his friends, Piers to his wife), an intelligent and caring young woman (Miss Helen of Castleford), a marriage of convenience, some forced proximity, and a couple of plot twists that I didn't see coming, and I was hooked! My heart went out to both of them and their hard pasts, but it made it all the sweeter to see them slowly open up to and learn to trust each other. The pacing was perfect and the descriptions were just the right amount to bring the story to life. The side characters rounded up the experience, bringing some levity (Devon, Nora) as well as bittersweet moments (Lord Richard). I loved that this story happened at Christmas time, and I thoroughly enjoyed all the sweet notes, letters, and gifts from the duke to his wife during the twelve days of Christmas.

Seriously, another hit by the fabulous duo of Blue Huxley and Jade Behr. So, if you love Regency romance, grab a blanket and your favorite drink and cozy up by the fire, because you won't want to put it down until you've reached that satisfyingly sweet HEA. ~ 5 stars!

[Jeanine Reed · Rating 5 out of 5]

“I have good news. I’ve counted, and you still have all your teeth.” He shifted his body towards her. “Just how old do you think I am?” “Probably better not to know,” she murmured. He was overcome by a sudden desire to tickle her, but he just managed to repress it. What she said next didn’t help. “Tell me about Christmas when you were a boy, Grandfather.”

He finally spoke. “I didn’t particularly want a pretty wife.” “I’m…sorry?” “As you should be,” he said. Then, with exasperating slowness, he closed the distance between them and kissed her.

If these book quotes don’t convince you to pick this one up immediately then I’m not sure what will!

Lucky for me I watched the recent reel from @the.hea.review on four Christmas reads that even the grinchiest reader would enjoy. Given that I had read three of the four recommendations, I knew I must complete the challenge and read Helen of Castleford. And what a scrumptiously, delicious delight it was.

Marriage of convenience, grumpy/sunshine, loyal and loving best friend supporting characters for both MCs, family secrets and a wicked, nefarious paterfamilias, then add in Helen’s quick wittedness, her heart of gold and Bellamy’s gruffness and panache for gift giving you have a marvelous page turner.

I highly, highly recommend this gem! If you love Seeking Persephone, then you will enjoy this one. Bellamy isn’t as grumpy as Adam, but the relationship between Bellamy and Devon is a lot like Adam and Harry.

[Rod · Rating 4 out of 5]

A clean story. A duke desires an estate which is held by a lady so there is a marriage of convenience. I was initially unsure as I read this book. I think when you have a duke riding through a wood and coming out the other side and the fields are description make it sound a totally different almost magical estate it did make me wonder whether this was a book for me. However, it did improve and ultimately I liked it. I was not sure about how Helen’s father was described appearance wise, always in scruffy clothing and sporting injuries. I am surprised he had survived that long. The duke character also was inconsistent. Initially it was purely a marriage of convenience and he’s focussed on her estate. Later he is warming to her and they are growing closer and then he goes all distant again. However I did like the story and there was an interesting twist.

[Shelby Harbour · Rating 5 out of 5]

Blue Huxley and Jade Behr are QUEENS when it comes to writing fantastic banter! Helen and Piers are both stubborn and opinionated, which made for delightful reading when they were going back and forth. It also created some fantastic “will they/won’t they” tension that kept me up past my bedtime! There was a bit of regency language to get through, but otherwise, this book is a great way to get into the cozy, Christmas spirit!

[Teresa Power · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Perfect Christmas Story

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. What an excellent writer! I learned a great deal about the English tradition of the Twelve Days of Christmas. The story was engaging and fun. The characters were well written and believable. I loved this heartwarming story. I want to read more from this author!

[BlueJeansAndTeacups · Rating 5 out of 5]

ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC

This is so well-written and I am so pleased to have read the second book for me, albeit out of order.
There is plenty of sass, romance and a few mysteries as well. THESE AUTHORS ARE VERY CLEVER!
I am greatly looking forward to reading about the rest of "The Dishonorable Paxtons"
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I purchased this eBook. All opinions are mine alone.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this story.

Content: clean - innuendo

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

rather charming but also a little predictable and cringy; marriage of convenience at its best.

[Cassandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute little cozy Duke & Duchess Christmas book.

[Karie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Captivating. I was highly intrigued and loved the little plot twists.

[Regency_Fan_ Michelle RegencyFanMichelleAndMore · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book! It captured the essence of the holidays beautifully and left me feeling warm and joyful.

[Joelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Give me all the marriage of convenience romances, especially if they are by Huxley and Behr! The writing and storytelling of this author duo is so smooth and effortless for the reader to enjoy. And oh how I enjoyed this one.

Huxley and Behr capture that regency romance magic that so many readers love and the marriage of convenience trope aspects that I adore in this one. Plus, they give us so much
more with Helen and Pierre’s. There is emotional depth with these two, wit, grumpy/sunshine vibes and a slow burn romance to make the romantic heart swoon.

Could not put down, will read again. Don’t put this one off till next Christmas, it makes for a delightful read any time of year!

*I received an advanced ecopy from the publisher/author and all opinions are my own.

[Meredith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Piers is a good guy, a little gruff but good. Helen is tender hearted and strong. Plus, we've got this semi- romance thing going on between some side characters that is fun.

If you like regency romances, Twelvetide, marriages of convenience, horses and tricky family dynamics, you should read this one!

[Celebrilomiel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was exactly what I wanted out of a marriage of convenience story. Brilliantly done.

3.5 stars rounded up for enjoyment, historical accuracy, and deliciously handled sub-tropes. I read this on Kindle Unlimited and I want to own it now for re-reading.