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Season of the Furies #2
Mrs. Lady
Once there was a notorious trio of young beauties who ruled the salons and ballrooms of London’s Season. They were known as The Furies.
From Society Maven to Maid of all Work….
Lady Katherine Saunders is as well known for her grace and beauty as for her arrogance and her viper-like tongue. Many people predicted arrogance would be her downfall. Many people were right. Forced to wed a wealthy commoner to save her own family from insolvency, Katherine struggles to find her footing in a marriage of convenience to the one man immune to her charms.
Jonas Rutledge, ruggedly handsome and self-made, values character and loyalty above all else. He decides to secure his family’s social position by marrying into the haut ton and chooses the proud and privileged Lady Katherine, after she publicly belittles both him and his family. Jonas doesn’t care what he has to do secure Katherine’s hand. He’ll have her on his arm to give him social prestige and in his bed to give him an heir. Loving, or even liking her shouldn’t enter into it – at least that’s what he thinks.
Protecting those close to her forces Katherine into a dangerous game of deception. When her dishonesty is exposed, an angry and disillusioned Jonas rips away the very foundations of her life. Katherine must find the resources within herself to start over without the man she has come to love. Will Jonas and Katherine rediscover the promise of love, or will pride and anger continue to keep them apart?
From Society Maven to Maid of all Work….
Lady Katherine Saunders is as well known for her grace and beauty as for her arrogance and her viper-like tongue. Many people predicted arrogance would be her downfall. Many people were right. Forced to wed a wealthy commoner to save her own family from insolvency, Katherine struggles to find her footing in a marriage of convenience to the one man immune to her charms.
Jonas Rutledge, ruggedly handsome and self-made, values character and loyalty above all else. He decides to secure his family’s social position by marrying into the haut ton and chooses the proud and privileged Lady Katherine, after she publicly belittles both him and his family. Jonas doesn’t care what he has to do secure Katherine’s hand. He’ll have her on his arm to give him social prestige and in his bed to give him an heir. Loving, or even liking her shouldn’t enter into it – at least that’s what he thinks.
Protecting those close to her forces Katherine into a dangerous game of deception. When her dishonesty is exposed, an angry and disillusioned Jonas rips away the very foundations of her life. Katherine must find the resources within herself to start over without the man she has come to love. Will Jonas and Katherine rediscover the promise of love, or will pride and anger continue to keep them apart?
410 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 1, 2017
About the author
Stephanie Patterson
8 books40 followersI began my writing career at age three by designing my own alphabet using symbols to represent words. Thankfully school got me back on track with mainstream communication and I've has been creating stories ever since. Words are magic to me and writing is my first love. I owe my beginnings in the romance field to the kindness of Katherine Falk and the vision of a new, up and coming publishing house she profiled in “Romantic Times Magazine.” My first romance, "Playing For Keeps," was published by Genesis Press under the pen name, Stephanie Salinas for their Tango 2 line. "The Woman in Question," a contemporary romantic thriller, was published under my own name a couple of years later. My current projects include a new historical romance series entitled, "Season of the Furies." The first book in the series, "A Terrible Beauty," was released March 4, 2016. Book 2 is scheduled for release in late Fall of 2016.
I live in northern Oregon in a town long the banks of the Columbia River. St. Helens is an interesting mix of both pioneer and nautical history. It’s a place steeped in tales of mystery and dark deeds like shanghaiing and murder. Our town has appeared on several ghost investigation shows and it was the filming location for Disney’s original “Halloween Town” and the first movie in the “Twilight” franchise. Every year we hold a month long festival commemorating the Disney film.
I’ve been a legal assistant for a criminal defense attorney for more than fifteen years, working all sorts of criminal cases from petty theft to capital murder and murder for hire. When I'm not writing I practice and teach the ancient divination art of cartomancy - a fancy way of saying I read tarot cards. Every Halloween I read cards at a local restaurant noted for its haunted history. As if that isn't weird enough, I'm also a belly dance hobbyist and perform at various festivals around the Pacific Northwest.
As I write this I’m deep into research for my next book in the “Season of the Furies” series.
EMAIL: stephaniepattersonwriter@yahoo.com
You can follow my FaceBook page dedicated to "Season of the Furies" at https://www.facebook.com/seasonofthef...
and my Pinterest Board for "A Terrible Beauty" at
https://www.pinterest.com/galhal2000/...
I live in northern Oregon in a town long the banks of the Columbia River. St. Helens is an interesting mix of both pioneer and nautical history. It’s a place steeped in tales of mystery and dark deeds like shanghaiing and murder. Our town has appeared on several ghost investigation shows and it was the filming location for Disney’s original “Halloween Town” and the first movie in the “Twilight” franchise. Every year we hold a month long festival commemorating the Disney film.
I’ve been a legal assistant for a criminal defense attorney for more than fifteen years, working all sorts of criminal cases from petty theft to capital murder and murder for hire. When I'm not writing I practice and teach the ancient divination art of cartomancy - a fancy way of saying I read tarot cards. Every Halloween I read cards at a local restaurant noted for its haunted history. As if that isn't weird enough, I'm also a belly dance hobbyist and perform at various festivals around the Pacific Northwest.
As I write this I’m deep into research for my next book in the “Season of the Furies” series.
EMAIL: stephaniepattersonwriter@yahoo.com
You can follow my FaceBook page dedicated to "Season of the Furies" at https://www.facebook.com/seasonofthef...
and my Pinterest Board for "A Terrible Beauty" at
https://www.pinterest.com/galhal2000/...
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
January 23, 2023
I was excited to read this book as I very much enjoyed Book 1 (I recommend reading it before reading this one but could be read as a standalone). The Furies were a group of 19-year-old stunningly beautiful women. This is the story of the Ice Queen and the self-made man's marriage that has was built on revenge and deception. The angst level stays high as secrets and being afraid to let people see who you really are plays a huge part of the storyline. Part of the series charm is the bad behavior by the H. makes for a good foil for the very strong women the characters become due to adversity. The book deals with factory conditions, workhouses and child labor. The author has a true talent for weaving the storyline through multiple timelines and great secondary characters. Lady Katherine is written so well, and you understand her actions. I had more difficulty feeling that way about Jonas. He is inflexible and written as a man of his time where a husband owns all this is his wife's. Then why not a 5*...not enough groveling and I thought the end should have been more concise.
March 6, 2026
4 devastating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
So I am actually dehydrated from crying and I need to restore now😭 This is the heartbreaking and unjust story of Katherine.
Katherine was always perfect, beautiful, and floating through ballrooms. Little did we know her mother put needles in her undergarments, and knives on her chairs, to get her just so.😢
She was a commodity and a beauty to be sold to the highest bidder (marriage).
Jonas, a very wealthy, self made man born in poverty and not of the aristocracy, and he has his sights on Katherine. 🖤
This is her story. ❤️
She was bred to be the best of the best, and this book is a tribute to all the women before us, who were stripped of their humanity and handled like commodities.
Jonas ruins her family on purpose to make them indebted to him and agree to his proposal. He wants the best of the best: Katherine. 🙌
He doesn’t regard her as human at all and once married, his only use for her, is an heir and to introduce his sisters into society. That’s why he “bought” her.
He is using her to gain power, just like her mother did. A means to an end.
She tries to make the marriage work and he is clearly affected by her more than he would like. They have amazing chemistry and we can see that she starts falling for him. He, however, starts pulling away.
She has to be perfect for him, and he is despicable. He threatens her if she isn’t perfect with the ton because he has no standing of his own. However the Ton has turned on her, for marrying a commoner. She just can’t win.
His family needs her and yet they treat her with an immense lack of respect while demanding her influence with the ton. No one cares if she has feelings or emotions or is tired, and I cried for her more than once. Think Cinderella. ❤️🩹 She is bought and paid for and completely dehumanized.
The forever regal Katherine is lonely in their marriage and he only concerns himself with himself and his sisters. She is not really human to them because they despise her class, and yet they want her to make them acceptable to the ton! 🤮
At one point she is accused of betraying him. He doesn’t listen or try to understand, and he callously sends her as a “serf” to an older couple to work off her sentence for them, with nothing but her name. He completely erases her.
She sleeps in the kitchen and her wages are sent to him. She has no clothes and no rights.
The villagers hate her, they hate her class, and they call her “Mrs. Lady” as a derogatory term.
Katherine, however, is dignified and she does what she needs to coexist and eventually she actually wins them over.
This is where she experiences kindness for the first time in her life ❤️ Without the ton she is finally being treated as a human being. ❤️
So why not 5 ⭐️? Because Katherine was only bothered by the big betrayals by Jonas, whereas I feel all the small things he did were much worse, and she could not realistically trust him again without much more repair to the relationship, even through the lens of 1850.
Katherine went through too much for too long and honestly at one point I felt I couldn’t handle it.
I don’t fully understand why she loved him, if I met the author, I would be curious about that. Personally I would have killed him and not looked back. But for such a long book it felt a little rushed at the end.
Am I reading the next one? YES RIGHT NOW 😂 These books are so action packed that it feels you don’t have time to put them down! Never a dull moment.
Should you read it? Yes, absolutely.
It’s not a standalone, read them in order. There is so much meat on these bones.
So I am actually dehydrated from crying and I need to restore now😭 This is the heartbreaking and unjust story of Katherine.
Katherine was always perfect, beautiful, and floating through ballrooms. Little did we know her mother put needles in her undergarments, and knives on her chairs, to get her just so.😢
She was a commodity and a beauty to be sold to the highest bidder (marriage).
Jonas, a very wealthy, self made man born in poverty and not of the aristocracy, and he has his sights on Katherine. 🖤
This is her story. ❤️
She was bred to be the best of the best, and this book is a tribute to all the women before us, who were stripped of their humanity and handled like commodities.
Jonas ruins her family on purpose to make them indebted to him and agree to his proposal. He wants the best of the best: Katherine. 🙌
He doesn’t regard her as human at all and once married, his only use for her, is an heir and to introduce his sisters into society. That’s why he “bought” her.
He is using her to gain power, just like her mother did. A means to an end.
She tries to make the marriage work and he is clearly affected by her more than he would like. They have amazing chemistry and we can see that she starts falling for him. He, however, starts pulling away.
She has to be perfect for him, and he is despicable. He threatens her if she isn’t perfect with the ton because he has no standing of his own. However the Ton has turned on her, for marrying a commoner. She just can’t win.
His family needs her and yet they treat her with an immense lack of respect while demanding her influence with the ton. No one cares if she has feelings or emotions or is tired, and I cried for her more than once. Think Cinderella. ❤️🩹 She is bought and paid for and completely dehumanized.
The forever regal Katherine is lonely in their marriage and he only concerns himself with himself and his sisters. She is not really human to them because they despise her class, and yet they want her to make them acceptable to the ton! 🤮
At one point she is accused of betraying him. He doesn’t listen or try to understand, and he callously sends her as a “serf” to an older couple to work off her sentence for them, with nothing but her name. He completely erases her.
She sleeps in the kitchen and her wages are sent to him. She has no clothes and no rights.
The villagers hate her, they hate her class, and they call her “Mrs. Lady” as a derogatory term.
Katherine, however, is dignified and she does what she needs to coexist and eventually she actually wins them over.
This is where she experiences kindness for the first time in her life ❤️ Without the ton she is finally being treated as a human being. ❤️
So why not 5 ⭐️? Because Katherine was only bothered by the big betrayals by Jonas, whereas I feel all the small things he did were much worse, and she could not realistically trust him again without much more repair to the relationship, even through the lens of 1850.
Katherine went through too much for too long and honestly at one point I felt I couldn’t handle it.
I don’t fully understand why she loved him, if I met the author, I would be curious about that. Personally I would have killed him and not looked back. But for such a long book it felt a little rushed at the end.
Am I reading the next one? YES RIGHT NOW 😂 These books are so action packed that it feels you don’t have time to put them down! Never a dull moment.
Should you read it? Yes, absolutely.
It’s not a standalone, read them in order. There is so much meat on these bones.
March 29, 2026
All this book is a women so love starved that she will jump at whatever scraps offered her despite how many times she gets kicked and there's nothing more hateful than that in a book disguised as a romance.
I don't ever write a review, but I'm making an exception for this one, what started out as a spoiled girl's path to redemption which is an interesting concept to say the least and was so very well done in book 1, quickly turned into a blaming the victim, act of unnecessary cruelty(despite her having done him no harm or his family apart from a few careless words when she was 19 which no-one heard apart from her friend), unbearable pettiness in the name of justice and the worst part of it is even in the end no one seems to care enough about all that H put her through and all the misery she suffered(not even her best friends who she had done so much for, they instantly forgave him and no one even tried to defend her). I like an antihero as much as anyone else but Jonas was no hero even before her banishment he subjected her to the death of a thousand cuts and not once stood up for her despite her doing everything in her power to do right by him and giving him every chance not to mention countless forgivenesses (he wanted her, ruined her family to get her, married her used her for his lust and to launch his sisters into society and to advance his business interests and then tossed her out like so much garbage). The cruelty in this book is astounding, and the concept of "because she loves him everything is alright" is bull****, why does she love him anyway apart from him being good in bed he has no redeeming quality, since the beginning of their engagement up until he suddenly loves her, he's been nothing but nasty to her not to mention all the insults and demeaning acts done by his family and she forgives him and takes him back in like 2 days and forgives his family right away without any reparation or even contrition on their part.
I don't ever write a review, but I'm making an exception for this one, what started out as a spoiled girl's path to redemption which is an interesting concept to say the least and was so very well done in book 1, quickly turned into a blaming the victim, act of unnecessary cruelty(despite her having done him no harm or his family apart from a few careless words when she was 19 which no-one heard apart from her friend), unbearable pettiness in the name of justice and the worst part of it is even in the end no one seems to care enough about all that H put her through and all the misery she suffered(not even her best friends who she had done so much for, they instantly forgave him and no one even tried to defend her). I like an antihero as much as anyone else but Jonas was no hero even before her banishment he subjected her to the death of a thousand cuts and not once stood up for her despite her doing everything in her power to do right by him and giving him every chance not to mention countless forgivenesses (he wanted her, ruined her family to get her, married her used her for his lust and to launch his sisters into society and to advance his business interests and then tossed her out like so much garbage). The cruelty in this book is astounding, and the concept of "because she loves him everything is alright" is bull****, why does she love him anyway apart from him being good in bed he has no redeeming quality, since the beginning of their engagement up until he suddenly loves her, he's been nothing but nasty to her not to mention all the insults and demeaning acts done by his family and she forgives him and takes him back in like 2 days and forgives his family right away without any reparation or even contrition on their part.
March 19, 2026
Rating 3.5
This held my attention, not as engaging as the first book in the series, but still kept me reading.
The hero in this story was not likable at any point, but towards the end his character made a attempt for redemption but sadly it didn't work for me. The heroine had good character development and I was rooting for her the entire time.
Will read book three. Hopefully both characters are engaging in that story.
Synopsis pretty much gives you a good description of the story line.
This held my attention, not as engaging as the first book in the series, but still kept me reading.
The hero in this story was not likable at any point, but towards the end his character made a attempt for redemption but sadly it didn't work for me. The heroine had good character development and I was rooting for her the entire time.
Will read book three. Hopefully both characters are engaging in that story.
Synopsis pretty much gives you a good description of the story line.
January 22, 2023
damn, i will never be this forgiving. my eyes are still wet with the tears I shed for dear kathy. jonas is absolutely undeserving of her and very rotten.
January 10, 2025
An absolutely terrible H in contrast to a strong and capable heroine. She truly deserved better. There is no grovel to be found and is truly a shame because the writer is really good at her prose.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 4, 2024
This is the second book of the Season of the Furies saga. I usually don’t care reading books out of order or as standalone, and while you can get away with this as standalone, the books have overlapping timelines and crossover with each other, so I recommend reading the first. Plus I looooooved A Terrible Beauty.
Here, Katherine was hands down one of my favorite heroines I have read in a long time. The author wrote a beautiful a character arc of a spiteful snooty “mean girl” ton debutante who makes a transformation through adversity and obscene amount of cruelty from the hero. Her transformation is gradual so it’s realistic that by the time you realize you love her, you forgot why she had to learn so many lessons to begin with.
I disliked the hero as much as I loved the heroine. Yeah she messed up and he had his justifications blah blah and I get that the book was illustrating the historical reality of women’s powerlessness in a marriage but his inner monologues were tedious as well. I could have even understood his treatment if the grovel was enough but it was not worthy for Katherine.
Last critique - that cover is unfortunate 😬
All in all, the book was a page-turner though and I would still recommend it because it’s just a great part of the overall Furies drama. Can’t wait for Rafa and Sarah’s book next!
Here, Katherine was hands down one of my favorite heroines I have read in a long time. The author wrote a beautiful a character arc of a spiteful snooty “mean girl” ton debutante who makes a transformation through adversity and obscene amount of cruelty from the hero. Her transformation is gradual so it’s realistic that by the time you realize you love her, you forgot why she had to learn so many lessons to begin with.
I disliked the hero as much as I loved the heroine. Yeah she messed up and he had his justifications blah blah and I get that the book was illustrating the historical reality of women’s powerlessness in a marriage but his inner monologues were tedious as well. I could have even understood his treatment if the grovel was enough but it was not worthy for Katherine.
Last critique - that cover is unfortunate 😬
All in all, the book was a page-turner though and I would still recommend it because it’s just a great part of the overall Furies drama. Can’t wait for Rafa and Sarah’s book next!
May 27, 2023
This was an angst-fest... and all the stars are for how awfully the hero treated the heroine. The author does an excellent job in showing how few (none) rights women had in that era, and it's pretty horrible.
Maybe the heroine gets a star too, because holy cow did she overcome diversity and flourish. There definitely wasn't enough groveling, but again, she had no rights so in theory she's lucky he felt guilt at all - she had to jump if he told her to jump.
I'm enjoying this author's works, she seems to do a lot of research to keep things as historically accurate as possible, no matter how depressing it was.
Maybe the heroine gets a star too, because holy cow did she overcome diversity and flourish. There definitely wasn't enough groveling, but again, she had no rights so in theory she's lucky he felt guilt at all - she had to jump if he told her to jump.
I'm enjoying this author's works, she seems to do a lot of research to keep things as historically accurate as possible, no matter how depressing it was.
February 2, 2023
Liked the idea but the story moved between current and past, I found it tedious. I struggled to believe that the H really loved her, and not sure how she could love him when he was so cruel? Yet there were good elements too, so 3-5 to 4 stars.
September 22, 2022
Angst, betrayal and a relatable FMC
I recently discovered this author and I have to say I'm hooked. While I enjoyed the first book, A Terrible Beauty more, this one still goes on my favorites list for its superior female lead and her character growth.
This book made me laugh and cry and made my heart ache, not an easy thing to do normally, and would have been a 5 star read if only Jonas had grovelled more. I personally haven't forgiven his shoddy treatment of Kathy and since unlike her I'm not in love with him, I needed him to suffer more. At least as much as Kathy herself did.
Still a wonderful historical romance with lovable side characters to boot.
I recently discovered this author and I have to say I'm hooked. While I enjoyed the first book, A Terrible Beauty more, this one still goes on my favorites list for its superior female lead and her character growth.
This book made me laugh and cry and made my heart ache, not an easy thing to do normally, and would have been a 5 star read if only Jonas had grovelled more. I personally haven't forgiven his shoddy treatment of Kathy and since unlike her I'm not in love with him, I needed him to suffer more. At least as much as Kathy herself did.
Still a wonderful historical romance with lovable side characters to boot.
May 21, 2022
Loved this, couldn’t put it down and stayed up all night.
This is the second book in a series of three mean girls, even more angst than in the first book, again very good story and interesting setting (mills with horrible labor conditions in rural England) and again a despicably cruel hero who doesn’t listen or understands his heroine and mistrusts and mistreats her ALL THE TIME. Heartbreaking angst fest!
My only complaint is not enough groveling, disappointing to have her forgive him and move one after five minutes, he needed to suffer as she did.
This is the second book in a series of three mean girls, even more angst than in the first book, again very good story and interesting setting (mills with horrible labor conditions in rural England) and again a despicably cruel hero who doesn’t listen or understands his heroine and mistrusts and mistreats her ALL THE TIME. Heartbreaking angst fest!
My only complaint is not enough groveling, disappointing to have her forgive him and move one after five minutes, he needed to suffer as she did.
June 27, 2022
This second instalment of the season of the furies did not deceived me. I could not put it down!
The final scene where the villain’s plans are destroyed was a bit too “action moviesque” for me but for sure I would detract a star just for this.
There was angst, fun, intrigue, characters’ development, enchanting secondary characters (livestock included!).
A story of an arranged (forced ) marriage, revenge, estrangement, soul searching blinking an eye to a reversed Pride and Prejudice couple making and North and South context.
A sure re-read
The final scene where the villain’s plans are destroyed was a bit too “action moviesque” for me but for sure I would detract a star just for this.
There was angst, fun, intrigue, characters’ development, enchanting secondary characters (livestock included!).
A story of an arranged (forced ) marriage, revenge, estrangement, soul searching blinking an eye to a reversed Pride and Prejudice couple making and North and South context.
A sure re-read
March 2, 2022
Wow!!!
It was midnight and I was crying with Kathy.
She’s strong, so strong! She didn’t deserve what happened to her 😞
But she got some lemons, so why not make a lemonade?
Jonas
“I can assure you I will be fair and promise to listen to you from this day forward. I want you to come home with me.”
Kathy studied him for a moment, then rose gracefully from the table. She looked steadily into his eyes. “I am home, Jonas,” she said, then turned and walked away.
“You wanted me to struggle and rest assured I did, but I also learned. I became a part of something and I won’t have you belittle it. For the first time in my life the best I could do was good enough for everyone.” She swiped at tears that had forced their way from her eyes regardless of her valiant struggles to contain them. “I didn’t have to be perfect, I only had to give it my best efforts.”
This book is heartbreaking and beautiful 😍
It was midnight and I was crying with Kathy.
She’s strong, so strong! She didn’t deserve what happened to her 😞
But she got some lemons, so why not make a lemonade?
Jonas
“I can assure you I will be fair and promise to listen to you from this day forward. I want you to come home with me.”
Kathy studied him for a moment, then rose gracefully from the table. She looked steadily into his eyes. “I am home, Jonas,” she said, then turned and walked away.
“You wanted me to struggle and rest assured I did, but I also learned. I became a part of something and I won’t have you belittle it. For the first time in my life the best I could do was good enough for everyone.” She swiped at tears that had forced their way from her eyes regardless of her valiant struggles to contain them. “I didn’t have to be perfect, I only had to give it my best efforts.”
This book is heartbreaking and beautiful 😍
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 18, 2017
I so loved this book that I actually read it twice. I read a lot of regency romance and many feel like I've already read it before, but not this book or the first book in the series, The Furies. There is something different in Stephanie's writing style that makes her books stand out. You have to read this book, but make sure to read The Furies first so that you have the back story of Katherine. I will be desperately awaiting the next book to see where life has taken Sarah and to see how far Rafe is willing to go to right a wrong.
May 8, 2026
Rural Stockholm Syndrome
King Thrushbrard retellings, intentional or not, are always hard to pull off because they are about humbling women for not deferring to men. Mrs. Lady seems self aware it's hero is a monster, but it's tendency is to lean a bit too hard on him saying "but I had a hard life" and her realizing the world outside is bigger and meaner than she realized.
The problem is that our heroine has seen about as much trauma as the hero, and a lot more of it intentional. While he eventually comes to realize this, it can make some frustrating reading with all the characters telling Katherine she is too proud and her demonstrated behavior is that she is capable of backhanded compliments and incredibly submissive deference to pretty much everyone and everything.
The good news is that the heroine is remarkably good at making lemons out of lemonade. The bad news is that when the hero comes to realize he has messed up, the book's ever present insistence on sexual chemistry beating overt and prolonged abuse makes the selling point (her finally telling Jonas to pound sand) is immediately undermined.
The fact that this book is happening simultaneously to several other books leads to very choppy reading at times. It also means that the heroine long since did her self redemption work, and much of the "punishment" meted out at her is reacting to things she didn't do, driven by the stunning misogyny of the hero.
Misogyny is a constant presence, as is out of proportion revenge. After being objectively rude to the heroine for not being warm and bubbly enough to him on their first meeting, hero overheard her lightly trash talking him privately to friends. The following result is him deciding that he will ruin her family to force him to marry her. He then embarks on an incredibly emotionally abusive and demeaning relationship to emphasize she is an ornament that he thinks less of than dirt, and when this still doesn't her submissive and bubbly, doubles down.
There's definitely an audience for terrible husbands so I can't say the book is delivering too far out if left field, but it never pulls off the "surprise you misunderstood he wasn't that bad, he had his reasons."
Every time the hero reveals "ah, but you didn't have all the facts" his tale if woe and manly effort to actually protect her still come through a filter of absolute disrespect and expectations for deference. Thus the vibe is someone who punches a hole in your wall and then makes you confort them because their mom died when they were nine.
The most frustrating part was probably her slow conversion to deciding being caprice in the countryside was her idea of paradise. Despite her jailers being her husband's biggest fans and everyone bullying the heroine she concludes abuse from rural randoms is still better because they stop bullying her sometimes when she does exactly what they want, unlike her family.
King Thrushbrard retellings, intentional or not, are always hard to pull off because they are about humbling women for not deferring to men. Mrs. Lady seems self aware it's hero is a monster, but it's tendency is to lean a bit too hard on him saying "but I had a hard life" and her realizing the world outside is bigger and meaner than she realized.
The problem is that our heroine has seen about as much trauma as the hero, and a lot more of it intentional. While he eventually comes to realize this, it can make some frustrating reading with all the characters telling Katherine she is too proud and her demonstrated behavior is that she is capable of backhanded compliments and incredibly submissive deference to pretty much everyone and everything.
The good news is that the heroine is remarkably good at making lemons out of lemonade. The bad news is that when the hero comes to realize he has messed up, the book's ever present insistence on sexual chemistry beating overt and prolonged abuse makes the selling point (her finally telling Jonas to pound sand) is immediately undermined.
The fact that this book is happening simultaneously to several other books leads to very choppy reading at times. It also means that the heroine long since did her self redemption work, and much of the "punishment" meted out at her is reacting to things she didn't do, driven by the stunning misogyny of the hero.
Misogyny is a constant presence, as is out of proportion revenge. After being objectively rude to the heroine for not being warm and bubbly enough to him on their first meeting, hero overheard her lightly trash talking him privately to friends. The following result is him deciding that he will ruin her family to force him to marry her. He then embarks on an incredibly emotionally abusive and demeaning relationship to emphasize she is an ornament that he thinks less of than dirt, and when this still doesn't her submissive and bubbly, doubles down.
There's definitely an audience for terrible husbands so I can't say the book is delivering too far out if left field, but it never pulls off the "surprise you misunderstood he wasn't that bad, he had his reasons."
Every time the hero reveals "ah, but you didn't have all the facts" his tale if woe and manly effort to actually protect her still come through a filter of absolute disrespect and expectations for deference. Thus the vibe is someone who punches a hole in your wall and then makes you confort them because their mom died when they were nine.
The most frustrating part was probably her slow conversion to deciding being caprice in the countryside was her idea of paradise. Despite her jailers being her husband's biggest fans and everyone bullying the heroine she concludes abuse from rural randoms is still better because they stop bullying her sometimes when she does exactly what they want, unlike her family.
January 27, 2022
fantastic
After marrying Katherine, Jonas begins to care for her and this cannot happen. He does not intend for her to hold power over him. There is a constant theme of commoner vs aristocrat that Jonas contends with. The process of resolving their differences and having a real marriage brings the couple thru a heart wrenching process. They don’t trust each other enough to confide in each other. Consequently, the problems magnify.
The author writes similar to Mary Balogh where your emotions are all over the place; happy, sad, mad, tormented, etc. Such a good read. A little long. Some passion and sex.
After marrying Katherine, Jonas begins to care for her and this cannot happen. He does not intend for her to hold power over him. There is a constant theme of commoner vs aristocrat that Jonas contends with. The process of resolving their differences and having a real marriage brings the couple thru a heart wrenching process. They don’t trust each other enough to confide in each other. Consequently, the problems magnify.
The author writes similar to Mary Balogh where your emotions are all over the place; happy, sad, mad, tormented, etc. Such a good read. A little long. Some passion and sex.
April 15, 2026
3.5 stars this review is for me, not really written for general audience. Another reviewer characterized this as an angst fest which is accurate. It is melodramatic, often the plotting has some odd gaps that suggest maybe some editing was done and it could have been more skillful editing. There's some odd little misspellings for example s o l e instead of s o u l. And the action scenes are not particularly well written. Nevertheless, I found it to be very compelling. It's just my angsty cup of tea. The woman unjustly accused by a dominant male and sent away as punishment and thriving despite adversity. There was not sufficient groveling in the end, but I liked the book anyway.
July 16, 2020
Continuation of the interrelated story of three Victorian mean girls. As in the first book, the female protagonist has her life and world views changed by a set of unfortunate experiences, triggered by her husband, who is out for revenge and who is a not very sympathetic character. The real draw here is mid nineteenth century England, and the setting of terrible labor conditions in the mills in the north of England, and the powerlessness of wives. Real historical figures, such as Charles Dickens, make an appearance.
March 7, 2026
I enjoyed reading this story and shed quite a few tears for Kathy. What a phoenix she is! This book completely satisfied my craving for emotional angst, and I really enjoyed the history woven throughout it. Jonas was one lucky Hero as he did not deserve Kathy's forgiveness or understanding. I would have loved to see him 'wooing' his wife more for this to be a 6 star!!
September 5, 2017
Great Book!
This is the sequel to a "A Terrible Beauty" and is an outstanding read. Do yourself a favor and read both. They are both such good books. I'll be on the lookout for more by this author.
This is the sequel to a "A Terrible Beauty" and is an outstanding read. Do yourself a favor and read both. They are both such good books. I'll be on the lookout for more by this author.
December 3, 2017
Sweeping historical melodrama
Excellent book full of angst betrayal and lies. A wonderful way to forget the world and immerse yourself in another!
Excellent book full of angst betrayal and lies. A wonderful way to forget the world and immerse yourself in another!
October 29, 2022
3.5 stars. The last few chapters were so tedious and unnecessary!
February 7, 2023
Katherine (Kathy) and Jonas. Favorite side character was Josie the sheep. Loved this epic story.
December 25, 2025
Hiw can the author understand so little of groveling? How come not one soul told her how awful the ending was?
After all ge did to her she just forgives him so easily
It was pathetic
After all ge did to her she just forgives him so easily
It was pathetic
May 15, 2026
It really feels like Jonas got away too easily. Lady Katherine (or Kate or Kathy) said a snide word about him at a ball, so he decided to send her into involuntary servitude for 2 years? WTF! It just seemed like this calculated man of business flew got overly butthurt. And they think women are overly emotional. I didn't really understand the whole sheep whisperer thing.
February 5, 2025
Ok this book kinda sucked and it’s mainly due to the H and his most of his family. One multiple occasions he places the h in horrible/ difficult positions, treats her like scum and expects full loyalty from her. On multiple occasions, he’s admitted what’s he’s doing is wrong and that he can’t just expect loyalty.
They treated her like an object, snubbed her constantly, isolated her, threatened her only friends, still felt the need to look down on her. Im genuinely shocked how he could be surprised that she could betray him. And this comes after her discovering how he ruined her family so that he could marry her.
When she was finally finding peace and a sense of family (which all she wanted), he finds out the truth and tries to win her back. Apparently, both sisters were still in communication with her (despite being told not to). This doesn’t make sense, because the horrible sister continued to laugh and mock her banishment.
I think he said sorry once or twice and all was forgiven. I’m honestly not sure how he fell in love with her, or even if feelings are genuine. And this also happens with the family, besides the one sister, what have they done to earn her forgiveness?
So why the 4 stars? I really enjoyed the angst and overall the h is an amazing character. She was complex, showing us the layers of vulnerability and desires she has that’s hidden by this popular face. I enjoyed seeing her character grow and find herself without the help of others. But I hate that everyone was so easily forgiven.
They treated her like an object, snubbed her constantly, isolated her, threatened her only friends, still felt the need to look down on her. Im genuinely shocked how he could be surprised that she could betray him. And this comes after her discovering how he ruined her family so that he could marry her.
When she was finally finding peace and a sense of family (which all she wanted), he finds out the truth and tries to win her back. Apparently, both sisters were still in communication with her (despite being told not to). This doesn’t make sense, because the horrible sister continued to laugh and mock her banishment.
I think he said sorry once or twice and all was forgiven. I’m honestly not sure how he fell in love with her, or even if feelings are genuine. And this also happens with the family, besides the one sister, what have they done to earn her forgiveness?
So why the 4 stars? I really enjoyed the angst and overall the h is an amazing character. She was complex, showing us the layers of vulnerability and desires she has that’s hidden by this popular face. I enjoyed seeing her character grow and find herself without the help of others. But I hate that everyone was so easily forgiven.
historical
January 28, 2019Once there was a notorious trio of young beauties who ruled the salons and ballrooms of London’s Season. They were known as The Furies.
From Society Maven to Maid of all Work….
Lady Katherine Saunders is as well known for her grace and beauty as for her arrogance and her viper-like tongue. Many people predicted arrogance would be her downfall. Many people were right. Forced to wed a wealthy commoner to save her own family from insolvency, Katherine struggles to find her footing in a marriage of convenience to the one man immune to her charms.
Jonas Rutledge, ruggedly handsome and self-made, values character and loyalty above all else. He decides to secure his family’s social position by marrying into the haut ton and chooses the proud and privileged Lady Katherine, after she publicly belittles both him and his family. Jonas doesn’t care what he has to do secure Katherine’s hand. He’ll have her on his arm to give him social prestige and in his bed to give him an heir. Loving, or even liking her shouldn’t enter into it – at least that’s what he thinks.
Protecting those close to her forces Katherine into a dangerous game of deception. When her dishonesty is exposed, an angry and disillusioned Jonas rips away the very foundations of her life. Katherine must find the resources within herself to start over without the man she has come to love. Will Jonas and Katherine rediscover the promise of love, or will pride and anger continue to keep them apart?
From Society Maven to Maid of all Work….
Lady Katherine Saunders is as well known for her grace and beauty as for her arrogance and her viper-like tongue. Many people predicted arrogance would be her downfall. Many people were right. Forced to wed a wealthy commoner to save her own family from insolvency, Katherine struggles to find her footing in a marriage of convenience to the one man immune to her charms.
Jonas Rutledge, ruggedly handsome and self-made, values character and loyalty above all else. He decides to secure his family’s social position by marrying into the haut ton and chooses the proud and privileged Lady Katherine, after she publicly belittles both him and his family. Jonas doesn’t care what he has to do secure Katherine’s hand. He’ll have her on his arm to give him social prestige and in his bed to give him an heir. Loving, or even liking her shouldn’t enter into it – at least that’s what he thinks.
Protecting those close to her forces Katherine into a dangerous game of deception. When her dishonesty is exposed, an angry and disillusioned Jonas rips away the very foundations of her life. Katherine must find the resources within herself to start over without the man she has come to love. Will Jonas and Katherine rediscover the promise of love, or will pride and anger continue to keep them apart?
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews