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The Four Hundred #3
A Notorious Vow
8 Hours and 49 Minutes
Joanna Shupe returns to New York City’s Gilded Age, where fortunes and reputations are gained and lost with ease—and love can blossom from the most unlikely charade
With the fate of her disgraced family resting on her shoulders, Lady Christina Barclay has arrived in New York City from London to quickly secure a wealthy husband. But when her parents settle on an intolerable suitor, Christina turns to her reclusive neighbor, a darkly handsome and utterly compelling inventor, for help.
Oliver Hawkes reluctantly agrees to a platonic marriage . . . with his own condition: The marriage must end after one year. Not only does Oliver face challenges that are certain to make life as his wife difficult, but more importantly, he refuses to be distracted from his life’s work—the development of a revolutionary device that could transform thousands of lives, including his own.
Much to his surprise, his bride is more beguiling than he imagined. When temptation burns hot between them, they realize they must overcome their own secrets and doubts, and every effort to undermine their marriage, because one year can never be enough.
Joanna Shupe returns to New York City’s Gilded Age, where fortunes and reputations are gained and lost with ease—and love can blossom from the most unlikely charade
With the fate of her disgraced family resting on her shoulders, Lady Christina Barclay has arrived in New York City from London to quickly secure a wealthy husband. But when her parents settle on an intolerable suitor, Christina turns to her reclusive neighbor, a darkly handsome and utterly compelling inventor, for help.
Oliver Hawkes reluctantly agrees to a platonic marriage . . . with his own condition: The marriage must end after one year. Not only does Oliver face challenges that are certain to make life as his wife difficult, but more importantly, he refuses to be distracted from his life’s work—the development of a revolutionary device that could transform thousands of lives, including his own.
Much to his surprise, his bride is more beguiling than he imagined. When temptation burns hot between them, they realize they must overcome their own secrets and doubts, and every effort to undermine their marriage, because one year can never be enough.
Audible Audio
First published September 25, 2018
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About the author
Joanna Shupe
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http://www.joannashupe.com/newsletter/
USA Today bestselling author JOANNA SHUPE has always loved history, ever since she saw her first Schoolhouse Rock cartoon. Since 2015, her books have appeared on numerous yearly “best of” lists, including Publishers Weekly, The Washington Post, Kirkus Reviews, Kobo, and BookPage.
She currently lives in New Jersey with her two spirited daughters and a dashing husband.
http://www.joannashupe.com/newsletter/
USA Today bestselling author JOANNA SHUPE has always loved history, ever since she saw her first Schoolhouse Rock cartoon. Since 2015, her books have appeared on numerous yearly “best of” lists, including Publishers Weekly, The Washington Post, Kirkus Reviews, Kobo, and BookPage.
She currently lives in New Jersey with her two spirited daughters and a dashing husband.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 531 reviews
April 14, 2022
3.5 stars
This is my second book by this author and I’ve come to find that while she’s an excellent writer, I don’t always love her plots. I wanted to read this book very badly because there’s a deaf hero in it and I’ll read anything related to deaf characters/ASL. I really enjoyed this book for the most part, the romance was really sweet and I love how the two main characters really respected one another for the time period. I did think the plot was a tad bit overdramatic with villains that were almost like caricatures. But this was a solid historical romance and I still would be willing to try more by this author in the future.
This is my second book by this author and I’ve come to find that while she’s an excellent writer, I don’t always love her plots. I wanted to read this book very badly because there’s a deaf hero in it and I’ll read anything related to deaf characters/ASL. I really enjoyed this book for the most part, the romance was really sweet and I love how the two main characters really respected one another for the time period. I did think the plot was a tad bit overdramatic with villains that were almost like caricatures. But this was a solid historical romance and I still would be willing to try more by this author in the future.
January 21, 2021
3.5 Stars
When I started this book, I was obsessed. Oliver is a cinnamon roll hero and he is a recluse and deaf. Christina takes walks in his gardens every day and they meet and become friends. Christina's parents are awful and are going to marry her off to an awful old man, so Christina and Oliver decide to get married and stay married for a year so that they can then divorce and Christina will be set up for life. Christina and Oliver start falling for each other, but their marriage is just for show. What do they do???
When this book got to the halfway point, I will say I was tired of the over-the-top villainous characters who carried the conflict through the end. Things became a bit melodramatic and there really wasn't much substance to the villains that all. They were just one-dimensional villains after money. I was 100 pages from the end and was like, "What else is there left??" and it was even more drama with the villains. Also, I really loved how the romance grew, but I did think Christina read very young (I think she's 19) and I grew tired of her naiveté and insecurities. But Oliver was adorable and I loved him and how we had the perspective of a deaf person in this time period. Christina learning to communicate with him was adorable too. And Frank!! So excited to see so much of him. Overall, this had a great beginning but fizzled out in the end for me.
When I started this book, I was obsessed. Oliver is a cinnamon roll hero and he is a recluse and deaf. Christina takes walks in his gardens every day and they meet and become friends. Christina's parents are awful and are going to marry her off to an awful old man, so Christina and Oliver decide to get married and stay married for a year so that they can then divorce and Christina will be set up for life. Christina and Oliver start falling for each other, but their marriage is just for show. What do they do???
When this book got to the halfway point, I will say I was tired of the over-the-top villainous characters who carried the conflict through the end. Things became a bit melodramatic and there really wasn't much substance to the villains that all. They were just one-dimensional villains after money. I was 100 pages from the end and was like, "What else is there left??" and it was even more drama with the villains. Also, I really loved how the romance grew, but I did think Christina read very young (I think she's 19) and I grew tired of her naiveté and insecurities. But Oliver was adorable and I loved him and how we had the perspective of a deaf person in this time period. Christina learning to communicate with him was adorable too. And Frank!! So excited to see so much of him. Overall, this had a great beginning but fizzled out in the end for me.
Read
October 7, 2019Gilded Age story with a deaf hero, and fascinating (quite distressing) historical background around the battle between sign language and those who insisted on lip reading and "integration", plus the gross discrimination faced by deaf people. That sang for me, and the heroine's response of learning and understanding how to communicate was the best thing in their relationship.
Intriguing set up in which the heroine struggles with low self worth and social anxiety while the hero is a self imposed recluse because of how people treat his deafness. You normally only get one recluse in a romance, but here they both are and it takes much external pressure to force them both out of their shells.
Intriguing set up in which the heroine struggles with low self worth and social anxiety while the hero is a self imposed recluse because of how people treat his deafness. You normally only get one recluse in a romance, but here they both are and it takes much external pressure to force them both out of their shells.
July 10, 2021
4.25 stars
I’m so happy I started reading more historical romances lately because I’ve really found some gems! I enjoyed this book so much!
Christina is in New York all the way from England to find a husband. Her family isn’t in the greatest standings overseas so they’re trying to marry her off to someone rich here, they don’t care who he is. When she meets Oliver she becomes friends with him, even though he’s a recluse and a bit grouchy.
When Christina is in a bind being forced to marry an older man, Oliver and Christina enter a marriage of convince. Even though Oliver has no desire to marry anyone, he can’t let Christina enter marriage with someone who could potentially hurt her.
Oliver is deaf and Christina wants to learn his language and goes about trying to learn. I just adored her. Oliver can read lips, but he doesn’t really talk out loud. He feels comfortable enough with Christina to do that and my heart… the romance in this book was so wonderful.
The last maybe 25% or so Oliver gets committed into an asylum and is treated terribly. I wish this part wouldn’t have been as long, and these two would have had more time truly together at the end, but otherwise this one was pretty perfect for me! My first Joanna Shupe and I’m looking forward to reading more by her!
I’m so happy I started reading more historical romances lately because I’ve really found some gems! I enjoyed this book so much!
Christina is in New York all the way from England to find a husband. Her family isn’t in the greatest standings overseas so they’re trying to marry her off to someone rich here, they don’t care who he is. When she meets Oliver she becomes friends with him, even though he’s a recluse and a bit grouchy.
When Christina is in a bind being forced to marry an older man, Oliver and Christina enter a marriage of convince. Even though Oliver has no desire to marry anyone, he can’t let Christina enter marriage with someone who could potentially hurt her.
Oliver is deaf and Christina wants to learn his language and goes about trying to learn. I just adored her. Oliver can read lips, but he doesn’t really talk out loud. He feels comfortable enough with Christina to do that and my heart… the romance in this book was so wonderful.
The last maybe 25% or so Oliver gets committed into an asylum and is treated terribly. I wish this part wouldn’t have been as long, and these two would have had more time truly together at the end, but otherwise this one was pretty perfect for me! My first Joanna Shupe and I’m looking forward to reading more by her!
Audio book source: Libby
Story Rating: 4.25 stars
Narrators: Carmen Rose
Narration Rating: 4 stars
Genre: Historical Romance
Length: 8h 49m
October 4, 2018
DNF 65%
I suspect seasoned romance readers will not enjoy this one. Despite its' very interesting sounding premise, it's cheesy, the villains (family, friends , etc) are way too over the top, and after a couple of very cringe worthy love scenes I gave up.
I suspect seasoned romance readers will not enjoy this one. Despite its' very interesting sounding premise, it's cheesy, the villains (family, friends , etc) are way too over the top, and after a couple of very cringe worthy love scenes I gave up.
November 15, 2018
B+ / 4.5 stars
A Notorious Vow is the third book in Joanna Shupe’s The Four Hundred series, and quite possibly my favourite of the three. In it, the daughter of a debt-ridden peer falls for a reclusive inventor who lost his hearing due to illness at the age of thirteen; it’s a bit trope-y, but the central love story is sensual and romantic as we witness the hero trying to talk himself out of love while the heroine tries to escape the self-doubt and insecurities that plague her as a result of her mother’s continual bullying and criticism. I don’t think I’ve read a romance that features a deaf hero before; I can’t speak from experience as I’m not hearing impaired and don’t know anyone who is, but the author’s treatment of Oliver’s deafness and his reactions to the things he experienced as a result feel completely plausible and she pulls no punches when it comes to showing how misunderstood the condition was and the prejudice the deaf had to endure at the time the novel is set.
Lady Christina Barclay is viewed as nothing more than a means to an end by her parents, the Earl and Countess of Pennington. Beautiful, well-mannered and demure, she has been brought up to obey her parents in all things and has been browbeaten by her mother for practically her entire life. The family has fled to New York amid great scandal, and Christina knows her parents are planning to solve their financial worries by selling her off to the highest bidder. To escape her oppressive thoughts and her mother’s bullying, she spends a few hours every morning walking in the large, empty garden of the house next door, enjoying the peace and quiet for a few hours. She is aware she’s trespassing, but nobody has seen hide nor hair of the house’s owner in years, so it stands to reason she’s unlikely to do so. Although she’s reckoned without the large dog, who, on this particular morning, bounds up to her and knocks her down, smacking her head against a bench and knocking her out.
Oliver Hawkes lost his hearing at thirteen and although he tried hard to assimilate into the hearing world, he was so often rejected and ridiculed that he eventually stopped trying.
He’d tried to carry on with what gentlemen considered a “normal” life after school. It had resulted in being called “dumb” and “broken” at every turn. Why should he try to fit into a society that so readily dismissed him?
Now aged twenty-nine, he keeps himself to himself, and is working on a device of his own invention that he hopes will eventually help those with hearing difficulties – not the completely deaf, like him – to hear more clearly. He is very close to applying for a patent, but before he does that, wants to find a way of making certain parts of the device cheaper so its availability will not be limited to the wealthy. He no longer leaves the house and interacts only with his friend – the doctor, who taught him to sign – and his butler, Gill, who has been with Oliver since childhood. But when he finds an unconscious young woman lying in his garden, he has no alternative but to carry her to the house and send for the doctor.
There’s an immediate frisson of attraction between Christina and Oliver despite the awkwardness of their first meeting. And although Oliver tells her he doesn’t want her to visit his gardens again, he finds it impossible to be angry with her when, a few days later, he sees that she’s returned. He starts thinking over some of the things she’d said and realises that perhaps she’s unhappy… and discovers, to his surprise, that he wants to make her smile.
Oliver and Christina start spending a few hours together each day; she watches as he tinkers with his invention, he teaches her some basic sign language, and their mutual attraction deepens. But then the thing Christina has dreaded happens - she’s told she must marry a man old enough to be her grandfather who makes no bones about the fact that he wants a nubile, biddable young wife to hear him children. Miserable, she tells Oliver what her parents have planned for her; he is appalled but tells himself he can’t get involved and merely suggests she should show her prospective bridegroom that she’s not as meek and biddable as he’s been led to suppose. But when, a day or so later, Christina arrives in tears, clearly in acute distress, Oliver is forced to admit to himself that wants to protect her from anyone who would hurt her – and when her parents burst in on them, they accuse him of compromising her and insist he marries her, having (of course) learned he’s incredibly wealthy beforehand.
Oliver resents the idea of being forced into anything. It’s not that he doesn’t care about Christina or want to help her – he does, very much – but to be insulted in his own home and then forced to upend his life in a way that will undoubtedly distract him from his experiments … it’s not what he wants or had planned for himself. But he can’t stand seeing Christina so upset, and he is eventually persuaded (by Christina’s cousin) to agree to the marriage.
The ceremony takes place that very night on the understanding that Christina’s parents are not to contact her afterwards and that as soon as the settlements are drawn up and paid, they will return to England. Christina is almost unable to believe her sudden change in fortune – instead of marriage to an unpleasant, lecherous old man, she’s married to Oliver, a man she likes and is attracted to. But Oliver, adamant he doesn’t want to be distracted from his work or to have his life change in any way decides that they should live separate lives, remain married for a year and then divorce (sigh – the let’s-get-married-and-then-get-it-annulled/divorced plotline has been done to death.).
Christina is disappointed and hurt when Oliver explains this to her, but she tries not to show it and determines to show her gratitude by doing exactly as her new husband wants. Their romance is well-developed, growing out of a friendship that sprang up quickly but which is no less genuine for that. They talk and laugh about many things, and discover that they’re both rather inclined to a quiet life and aren’t all that interested in the social whirl. But after they’re married, Oliver spends a lot of time saying one thing and doing another, confusing Christina by giving off mixed-signals. He tells her they needn’t interact, but then invites her to dine with him. He sends her off to have dinner with a friend and then changes his mind and turns up at the restaurant – and soon he can’t help but admit to himself that wants Christina, as more than a friend. Their romance isn’t all hearts and flowers though, and Oliver and Christina have some adjustments to make as they navigate their fledgling marriage. Christina’s frustration at having her life dictated to her by others is starting to bubble over, and Oliver has to learn to step back and allow her to know what is best for her. But most importantly, they are holding themselves back – not necessarily from each other, but from truly living their lives; they’ve become accustomed to playing it safe, and it takes an unexpected (and shocking) development to shake both of them out of their somewhat complacent attitudes.
One criticism I’ve made about other novels by this author is that she tends to throw in an eleventh hour suspense plot that is resolved rather too quickly and can feel a bit contrived. There’s a similar final act drama enacted here, but because of the way it’s foreshadowed throughout the book, it feels more integral to the story, even though it’s resolved quickly and somewhat improbably. In the grand scheme of things however, it was a minor issue and didn’t spoil my enjoyment of the novel. A Notorious Vow is a gorgeously romantic, character driven love story featuring a pair of quietly appealing protagonists whose HEA is more than well-deserved.
A Notorious Vow is the third book in Joanna Shupe’s The Four Hundred series, and quite possibly my favourite of the three. In it, the daughter of a debt-ridden peer falls for a reclusive inventor who lost his hearing due to illness at the age of thirteen; it’s a bit trope-y, but the central love story is sensual and romantic as we witness the hero trying to talk himself out of love while the heroine tries to escape the self-doubt and insecurities that plague her as a result of her mother’s continual bullying and criticism. I don’t think I’ve read a romance that features a deaf hero before; I can’t speak from experience as I’m not hearing impaired and don’t know anyone who is, but the author’s treatment of Oliver’s deafness and his reactions to the things he experienced as a result feel completely plausible and she pulls no punches when it comes to showing how misunderstood the condition was and the prejudice the deaf had to endure at the time the novel is set.
Lady Christina Barclay is viewed as nothing more than a means to an end by her parents, the Earl and Countess of Pennington. Beautiful, well-mannered and demure, she has been brought up to obey her parents in all things and has been browbeaten by her mother for practically her entire life. The family has fled to New York amid great scandal, and Christina knows her parents are planning to solve their financial worries by selling her off to the highest bidder. To escape her oppressive thoughts and her mother’s bullying, she spends a few hours every morning walking in the large, empty garden of the house next door, enjoying the peace and quiet for a few hours. She is aware she’s trespassing, but nobody has seen hide nor hair of the house’s owner in years, so it stands to reason she’s unlikely to do so. Although she’s reckoned without the large dog, who, on this particular morning, bounds up to her and knocks her down, smacking her head against a bench and knocking her out.
Oliver Hawkes lost his hearing at thirteen and although he tried hard to assimilate into the hearing world, he was so often rejected and ridiculed that he eventually stopped trying.
He’d tried to carry on with what gentlemen considered a “normal” life after school. It had resulted in being called “dumb” and “broken” at every turn. Why should he try to fit into a society that so readily dismissed him?
Now aged twenty-nine, he keeps himself to himself, and is working on a device of his own invention that he hopes will eventually help those with hearing difficulties – not the completely deaf, like him – to hear more clearly. He is very close to applying for a patent, but before he does that, wants to find a way of making certain parts of the device cheaper so its availability will not be limited to the wealthy. He no longer leaves the house and interacts only with his friend – the doctor, who taught him to sign – and his butler, Gill, who has been with Oliver since childhood. But when he finds an unconscious young woman lying in his garden, he has no alternative but to carry her to the house and send for the doctor.
There’s an immediate frisson of attraction between Christina and Oliver despite the awkwardness of their first meeting. And although Oliver tells her he doesn’t want her to visit his gardens again, he finds it impossible to be angry with her when, a few days later, he sees that she’s returned. He starts thinking over some of the things she’d said and realises that perhaps she’s unhappy… and discovers, to his surprise, that he wants to make her smile.
Oliver and Christina start spending a few hours together each day; she watches as he tinkers with his invention, he teaches her some basic sign language, and their mutual attraction deepens. But then the thing Christina has dreaded happens - she’s told she must marry a man old enough to be her grandfather who makes no bones about the fact that he wants a nubile, biddable young wife to hear him children. Miserable, she tells Oliver what her parents have planned for her; he is appalled but tells himself he can’t get involved and merely suggests she should show her prospective bridegroom that she’s not as meek and biddable as he’s been led to suppose. But when, a day or so later, Christina arrives in tears, clearly in acute distress, Oliver is forced to admit to himself that wants to protect her from anyone who would hurt her – and when her parents burst in on them, they accuse him of compromising her and insist he marries her, having (of course) learned he’s incredibly wealthy beforehand.
Oliver resents the idea of being forced into anything. It’s not that he doesn’t care about Christina or want to help her – he does, very much – but to be insulted in his own home and then forced to upend his life in a way that will undoubtedly distract him from his experiments … it’s not what he wants or had planned for himself. But he can’t stand seeing Christina so upset, and he is eventually persuaded (by Christina’s cousin) to agree to the marriage.
The ceremony takes place that very night on the understanding that Christina’s parents are not to contact her afterwards and that as soon as the settlements are drawn up and paid, they will return to England. Christina is almost unable to believe her sudden change in fortune – instead of marriage to an unpleasant, lecherous old man, she’s married to Oliver, a man she likes and is attracted to. But Oliver, adamant he doesn’t want to be distracted from his work or to have his life change in any way decides that they should live separate lives, remain married for a year and then divorce (sigh – the let’s-get-married-and-then-get-it-annulled/divorced plotline has been done to death.).
Christina is disappointed and hurt when Oliver explains this to her, but she tries not to show it and determines to show her gratitude by doing exactly as her new husband wants. Their romance is well-developed, growing out of a friendship that sprang up quickly but which is no less genuine for that. They talk and laugh about many things, and discover that they’re both rather inclined to a quiet life and aren’t all that interested in the social whirl. But after they’re married, Oliver spends a lot of time saying one thing and doing another, confusing Christina by giving off mixed-signals. He tells her they needn’t interact, but then invites her to dine with him. He sends her off to have dinner with a friend and then changes his mind and turns up at the restaurant – and soon he can’t help but admit to himself that wants Christina, as more than a friend. Their romance isn’t all hearts and flowers though, and Oliver and Christina have some adjustments to make as they navigate their fledgling marriage. Christina’s frustration at having her life dictated to her by others is starting to bubble over, and Oliver has to learn to step back and allow her to know what is best for her. But most importantly, they are holding themselves back – not necessarily from each other, but from truly living their lives; they’ve become accustomed to playing it safe, and it takes an unexpected (and shocking) development to shake both of them out of their somewhat complacent attitudes.
One criticism I’ve made about other novels by this author is that she tends to throw in an eleventh hour suspense plot that is resolved rather too quickly and can feel a bit contrived. There’s a similar final act drama enacted here, but because of the way it’s foreshadowed throughout the book, it feels more integral to the story, even though it’s resolved quickly and somewhat improbably. In the grand scheme of things however, it was a minor issue and didn’t spoil my enjoyment of the novel. A Notorious Vow is a gorgeously romantic, character driven love story featuring a pair of quietly appealing protagonists whose HEA is more than well-deserved.
March 20, 2019
This was my least favorite Joanna Shupe so far. I give like 2 1/2 stars.
So many people liked it. So please just try it and come back and tell me you loved it, 😆.
I loved that the hero was deaf. It’s nice seeing it represented and learning some of the trials our hero, Oliver, went through.
The characters just didn’t do enough for me. I find I don’t like when heroes run hot and cold. He wants her *hand to forehead* but he mustn’t, he must set her free, but no, he cannot stop! Oh he stopped. Wait, now he’s 100% changed his mind and is confused why heroine is confused. Just no.
The heroine I liked through most of the book. I tried. I really did. But when the horse made her cry I was done with this ninny. She came through in the end and that’s all that mattered I guess. However, I’m positive her lips are gone. What? Yes, lipless. Here’s how it happened.
She bit her lip.
She nibbled on her bottom lip.
...her bottom lip disappearing between her teeth again.
Christina licked her dry lips...
...he noticed her biting her lip...
She bit her lip, looked away...
...nibbling her lip as she stared at the floor.
The words hung there and she bit her lip.
Biting her bottom lip,...
Christina bit her lip...
...she met his gaze and bit her lip...
And I’ll stop at HALFWAY through the book. I’m going to twitch at the word lip now forever.
Also I’m a bit too bloodthirsty to be satisfied with this ending. What happened to all the horrible people in this book?
So many people liked it. So please just try it and come back and tell me you loved it, 😆.
I loved that the hero was deaf. It’s nice seeing it represented and learning some of the trials our hero, Oliver, went through.
The characters just didn’t do enough for me. I find I don’t like when heroes run hot and cold. He wants her *hand to forehead* but he mustn’t, he must set her free, but no, he cannot stop! Oh he stopped. Wait, now he’s 100% changed his mind and is confused why heroine is confused. Just no.
The heroine I liked through most of the book. I tried. I really did. But when the horse made her cry I was done with this ninny. She came through in the end and that’s all that mattered I guess. However, I’m positive her lips are gone. What? Yes, lipless. Here’s how it happened.
She bit her lip.
She nibbled on her bottom lip.
...her bottom lip disappearing between her teeth again.
Christina licked her dry lips...
...he noticed her biting her lip...
She bit her lip, looked away...
...nibbling her lip as she stared at the floor.
The words hung there and she bit her lip.
Biting her bottom lip,...
Christina bit her lip...
...she met his gaze and bit her lip...
And I’ll stop at HALFWAY through the book. I’m going to twitch at the word lip now forever.
Also I’m a bit too bloodthirsty to be satisfied with this ending. What happened to all the horrible people in this book?
April 9, 2021
Reseña completa: https://masromance.blogspot.com/2021/...
He disfrutado mucho de esta lectura. Sin entrar demasiado en profundizar la condición de Oliver, la autora ha conseguido conquistarme con un protagonista encantador. Tiene sus defectos pero su relación y su comunicación con Christina me ha gustado. Una relación paulatina en una historia tan usual como un matrimonio «forzoso» pero que consiguen conectar y, sobre todo, conocerse pese a sus mutuas limitaciones.
Unos personajes con problemas de sociabilidad, ambos consiguen amoldarse, luchar contra sus miedos y superarse. Me gustan cuando los personajes crecen.
con malos malotes y una subtrama algo previsible de la que esperaba un poco más de desarrollo, no me quedo, porque resulta una historia bonita con un protagonista original en una ciudad que, en esta ocasión, cobra menos protagonismo que en las dos anteriores entregas.
No es que sea un novelón como alguna que otra novela que he leído con protagonistas similares, pero lo importante es disfrutar el momento y con esta novela lo he hecho
He disfrutado mucho de esta lectura. Sin entrar demasiado en profundizar la condición de Oliver, la autora ha conseguido conquistarme con un protagonista encantador. Tiene sus defectos pero su relación y su comunicación con Christina me ha gustado. Una relación paulatina en una historia tan usual como un matrimonio «forzoso» pero que consiguen conectar y, sobre todo, conocerse pese a sus mutuas limitaciones.
Unos personajes con problemas de sociabilidad, ambos consiguen amoldarse, luchar contra sus miedos y superarse. Me gustan cuando los personajes crecen.
con malos malotes y una subtrama algo previsible de la que esperaba un poco más de desarrollo, no me quedo, porque resulta una historia bonita con un protagonista original en una ciudad que, en esta ocasión, cobra menos protagonismo que en las dos anteriores entregas.
No es que sea un novelón como alguna que otra novela que he leído con protagonistas similares, pero lo importante es disfrutar el momento y con esta novela lo he hecho
April 2, 2020
Translation widget on The blog!!!
Mi s-a părut cea mai emoționantă poveste din serie.
O adevărată lecție de viață nu doar o poveste de dragoste emoționantă.
Recenzia mea completă o găsiți aici:
https://justreadingmybooks.wordpress....
Mi s-a părut cea mai emoționantă poveste din serie.
O adevărată lecție de viață nu doar o poveste de dragoste emoționantă.
Recenzia mea completă o găsiți aici:
https://justreadingmybooks.wordpress....
January 23, 2021
Read for HHR (historical romance readathon 2021). This was my first Joanna Shupe book and while it wasn't my favorite I thought it was okay.
A Notorious Vow is the third book in the The Four Hundred series; however, it read like a standalone. It focuses on Christina who enters into a marriage of convivence with Oliver Hawkes who is a recluse because he is deaf. Taking into consideration the time in which this book takes place definitely makes it easier to understand while Oliver didn't want to interact with the rest of society. Although he doesn't see himself ever being married (he wants officially end the marriage after a year), he decides to help Christina and save her from the clutches of another man. After spending some time with Christina and really getting to know her, Oliver finds it hard to justify why their marriage should end in a year.
This novel did some things well and other things fell horribly flat. I thought that Shupe did a wonderful job developing Oliver's character. He was truly a kind, caring, and compassionate man who was forced into isolation by society's misguided understanding of the deaf community. It's clear that Shupe did research for this book; however, I am neither hard of hearing nor deaf so my perception of the representation may be skewed. I have read one review from a reviewer who identifies as hard of hearing and there seems to be some slight issues with Christina considering Oliver's use of his voice as victories when the overall message of some parts of the book is to push back against how misguided oralism was during that time period. That review can be found here. Oliver is definitely a cinnamon role and he tries his hardest to care for Christina who I wasn't my favorite character. While I know that Christina was a bit younger protagonist I wasn't invested in her naivety. It was overdone and in some parts unbelievable. Part of this I believe comes from the overly characterized villians of the book. Compared to them Christina was so perfect that it became too stark of a contrast. While I know that people do wild things for money, there were aspects of this book that felt a little too far fetched and made characterizations feel unbelievable. They were so bad (the antagonists) that they fell completely flat with no redeemable qualities. This wouldn't have been so bad if they were interesting, but because they were so one-dimensional it didn't work well.
In terms of plot, I will say that Shupe did a great job developing the romance between Christina and Oliver. It was charming and endearing and I was rooting for them. Their romance and Oliver's overall characterization made this book a three star read. Christina was extremely willing to learn to communicate with Oliver and had respect and compassion for him as he did for her. They had a sweet chemistry that really worked well. The last portion of the book was a little strange in my opinion. I wasn't sure whether Shupe was trying to throw in a little history and illustrate some ways in which the deaf community was treated by society as whole, but it almost didn't fit into the book. Don't get me wrong I appreciated what she was attempting to do, but it was came across a little awkwardly.
Overall, this was a decent historical. I enjoyed Shupe's writing and do plan to check out more of her books. I'm hoping that she develops her characters a little differently especially those that are considered villains/antagonists.
A Notorious Vow is the third book in the The Four Hundred series; however, it read like a standalone. It focuses on Christina who enters into a marriage of convivence with Oliver Hawkes who is a recluse because he is deaf. Taking into consideration the time in which this book takes place definitely makes it easier to understand while Oliver didn't want to interact with the rest of society. Although he doesn't see himself ever being married (he wants officially end the marriage after a year), he decides to help Christina and save her from the clutches of another man. After spending some time with Christina and really getting to know her, Oliver finds it hard to justify why their marriage should end in a year.
This novel did some things well and other things fell horribly flat. I thought that Shupe did a wonderful job developing Oliver's character. He was truly a kind, caring, and compassionate man who was forced into isolation by society's misguided understanding of the deaf community. It's clear that Shupe did research for this book; however, I am neither hard of hearing nor deaf so my perception of the representation may be skewed. I have read one review from a reviewer who identifies as hard of hearing and there seems to be some slight issues with Christina considering Oliver's use of his voice as victories when the overall message of some parts of the book is to push back against how misguided oralism was during that time period. That review can be found here. Oliver is definitely a cinnamon role and he tries his hardest to care for Christina who I wasn't my favorite character. While I know that Christina was a bit younger protagonist I wasn't invested in her naivety. It was overdone and in some parts unbelievable. Part of this I believe comes from the overly characterized villians of the book. Compared to them Christina was so perfect that it became too stark of a contrast. While I know that people do wild things for money, there were aspects of this book that felt a little too far fetched and made characterizations feel unbelievable. They were so bad (the antagonists) that they fell completely flat with no redeemable qualities. This wouldn't have been so bad if they were interesting, but because they were so one-dimensional it didn't work well.
In terms of plot, I will say that Shupe did a great job developing the romance between Christina and Oliver. It was charming and endearing and I was rooting for them. Their romance and Oliver's overall characterization made this book a three star read. Christina was extremely willing to learn to communicate with Oliver and had respect and compassion for him as he did for her. They had a sweet chemistry that really worked well. The last portion of the book was a little strange in my opinion. I wasn't sure whether Shupe was trying to throw in a little history and illustrate some ways in which the deaf community was treated by society as whole, but it almost didn't fit into the book. Don't get me wrong I appreciated what she was attempting to do, but it was came across a little awkwardly.
Overall, this was a decent historical. I enjoyed Shupe's writing and do plan to check out more of her books. I'm hoping that she develops her characters a little differently especially those that are considered villains/antagonists.
September 29, 2018
This review was originally posted on Addicted To RomanceI received this book for free from Avon in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
A Notorious Vow is the third book in the Four Hundred series and whew....what a BOOK this turned out to be. I couldn't put it DOWN...I stayed up late reading it because it was so dang good. The writing was incredible and I was hooked into the romance between Christina and Oliver and you know how I just love and adore all the marriage of convenience, the hero being deaf and the gilded age setting. I am falling in love with the Gilded Age, the more I read it the more I adore it. Its so refreshing from all the regency romances out there and I just gobble these up and Joanna Shupe is fantastic in writing them.
A Notorious Vow begins with Christina, who has come to America with her parents, who are destititue. They may be members of high society in Londond with all the titles, but her father's gambling problem is a huge issue and they have brought Christina to catch a rich husband so that they may go back to their life in England. The husband that they set their sights on though is four times her age, rich and despicable and Christina has no idea how she will be able to marry such a man as him. Her only peace and comfort comes from her walks in her next door neighbor's garden, the first friend she has made. She finds Oliver intriguing and intelligent and a man who is a bit of a hermit due to his loss of hearing. They become fast friends but when Christina is found at Oliver's home by her parents and cousin, they are forced to marry. At first Oliver only wants to marry Christina to help her out and he can't stand the though of her marrying such a man as her parents have planned for her.
Their marriage starts off slow though, Oliver only wants to be married for a year and then to give Christina a big sum of money and start a new life. He wants friendship, but he craves his privacy. Christina, is expecting more from the marriage than Oliver does. She is slowly falling hard for Oliver but soon it becomes apparent that she will need to find her own way in their relationship. Oliver is new to the social scene, he is a brooding quiet man who is content to work on his inventions and books. But he soon realizes that he wants more from this marriage than he had first planned. Oliver and Christina begin to start fresh in their marriage, learning each other intimately and intellectually and love starts to blossom. But there is a man who wants Oliver's wealth and will do anything to get it.
I simply had a fun time with A Notorious Vow and I think that this book just might be my favorite of the series so far. I have such a weakness for marriage of conveniences and this one really worked for me. From the very beginning you become hooked on these characters and Christina and Oliver were so fascinating together.
I really was endeared to Oliver, you see how he deals with being deaf and the backlash from society and how he is treated. But Christina...she treats his like a equal and only sees the positive of Oliver and even though he tends to hurt her feelings at times, she understands Oliver in a way that no one else does. I love how accepting and eager she is learn his sign language and learn about his inventions.
The romance that blossoms between Christina and Oliver starts with friendship...they get on so well together. They can laugh together and talk about science and books together. We see how they learn and grow together. And then their relationship takes a new turn when Oliver realizes how much he wants Christina and not just as a friend and he starts courting her in sweet ways that makes you melt. I really was intrigued by the dynamics in this story from the sweet romance, to the villain of a cousin of Oliver's, to the selfish desires of Christina's parents.
From beginning to end this story wrapped me up like a warm blanket...full of laughter and charm, history and endearing characters that tug at those heart strings....DELECTABLE AND SWEET!!
[foogallery id="58366"]
A Notorious Vow is the third book in the Four Hundred series and whew....what a BOOK this turned out to be. I couldn't put it DOWN...I stayed up late reading it because it was so dang good. The writing was incredible and I was hooked into the romance between Christina and Oliver and you know how I just love and adore all the marriage of convenience, the hero being deaf and the gilded age setting. I am falling in love with the Gilded Age, the more I read it the more I adore it. Its so refreshing from all the regency romances out there and I just gobble these up and Joanna Shupe is fantastic in writing them.
A Notorious Vow begins with Christina, who has come to America with her parents, who are destititue. They may be members of high society in Londond with all the titles, but her father's gambling problem is a huge issue and they have brought Christina to catch a rich husband so that they may go back to their life in England. The husband that they set their sights on though is four times her age, rich and despicable and Christina has no idea how she will be able to marry such a man as him. Her only peace and comfort comes from her walks in her next door neighbor's garden, the first friend she has made. She finds Oliver intriguing and intelligent and a man who is a bit of a hermit due to his loss of hearing. They become fast friends but when Christina is found at Oliver's home by her parents and cousin, they are forced to marry. At first Oliver only wants to marry Christina to help her out and he can't stand the though of her marrying such a man as her parents have planned for her.
Their marriage starts off slow though, Oliver only wants to be married for a year and then to give Christina a big sum of money and start a new life. He wants friendship, but he craves his privacy. Christina, is expecting more from the marriage than Oliver does. She is slowly falling hard for Oliver but soon it becomes apparent that she will need to find her own way in their relationship. Oliver is new to the social scene, he is a brooding quiet man who is content to work on his inventions and books. But he soon realizes that he wants more from this marriage than he had first planned. Oliver and Christina begin to start fresh in their marriage, learning each other intimately and intellectually and love starts to blossom. But there is a man who wants Oliver's wealth and will do anything to get it.
I simply had a fun time with A Notorious Vow and I think that this book just might be my favorite of the series so far. I have such a weakness for marriage of conveniences and this one really worked for me. From the very beginning you become hooked on these characters and Christina and Oliver were so fascinating together.
If I had my pick of all the women on earth, you would remain my choice
I really was endeared to Oliver, you see how he deals with being deaf and the backlash from society and how he is treated. But Christina...she treats his like a equal and only sees the positive of Oliver and even though he tends to hurt her feelings at times, she understands Oliver in a way that no one else does. I love how accepting and eager she is learn his sign language and learn about his inventions.
The romance that blossoms between Christina and Oliver starts with friendship...they get on so well together. They can laugh together and talk about science and books together. We see how they learn and grow together. And then their relationship takes a new turn when Oliver realizes how much he wants Christina and not just as a friend and he starts courting her in sweet ways that makes you melt. I really was intrigued by the dynamics in this story from the sweet romance, to the villain of a cousin of Oliver's, to the selfish desires of Christina's parents.
From beginning to end this story wrapped me up like a warm blanket...full of laughter and charm, history and endearing characters that tug at those heart strings....DELECTABLE AND SWEET!!
[foogallery id="58366"]
January 15, 2021
This was fun and delightful.
Loves the grumpy deaf hero, and the anxiety ridden Wallflower. Making their way together in New York. It was a fun time.
Loves the grumpy deaf hero, and the anxiety ridden Wallflower. Making their way together in New York. It was a fun time.
November 26, 2018
3.75 stars
My first try with Joanna Shupe and I enjoyed it overall. The characters were fully developed with personal battles and a sweet endearing romance that even with it's flaws is too pure and charming to resist.
My biggest complaint/holdup about this would have to be the heroine's insecurity and anxiety issues. It's not that I didn't like it per say. In fact I appreciated how accurately the author portrayed it. The heroine Christina suffers from extreme low self-esteem and crippling social anxiety to the point she has panic attacks in public and needs to be alone in her room for a day to calm down. As someone who deals with social anxiety myself I found this very realistic and accurately portrayed. I don't think I've read a HR that tackles this subject (to this extent) so deftly like Shupe does here. So it started out fine. My hang up was over the fact that I felt the author didn't let Christina actually *grow* to her full potential and conquer her fears and anxiety. At least the big ones. She kept doing the same things with the same results and having meltdowns and beating herself up over it.
For the most part it's understandable given how she was raised but after awhile it started to wear. Especially when her husband's fate relies in her hands near the very end and she's trying to get out of doing it and begging someone else do it because she can't speak in front of an audience. I found this a little too childish and juvenile, anxiety issues or not. She kept telling herself she was going to fight for Oliver and work on her fears but I didn't really see her fighting any of them to be quite honest. Everything had to be easy for her or "she'd rather not do it" and get out of it. The horse incident is another example of that. It bugged me because it was something very baseless and she wasn't willing to do anything about it and was just completely relieved that Oliver was dropping the issue and not pushing her to conquer her (irrational) fear. I mean...really? There's respecting your wishes and then there's plain old coddling. And the fact that she never actually stood up to her manipulative grasping parents didn't sit well with me either. I was waiting for her to have her Hallelujuah! heroic moment and it never came. I usually don't mind passive/meek heroines but Christina toed that line of aggravating a few times with how easily she kept giving up and quick to thinking the absolute worst. You definitely need patience for a heroine like this, she's not for everyone.
What I liked about this was this touched on a lot of real social issues that at the time were much more difficult to tackle in society. The hero . The heroine's despicable awful abusive mother who uses her as a pawn to get money and continuously belittling her is another difficult hurdle to bear through. This usually tends to get annoying because it's a trope used and reused much too often in HR and romance books but I found Christina's toxic mother realistically portrayed. Her being vile to her daughter in private but in public putting on a kind doting face was quite cunning and realistic IMO. Also the fact that the hero actually uses sign language and a notebook to communicate I found really refreshing and brilliant. He lost his hearing at 13 so he does know how to talk but very rarely uses his voice and prefers to use ASL and the fact that his close friends, the staff at his home and even his doctor use sign language was great to see. Very true to life.
So yeah, overall there was quite a few things I ended up enjoying. I just wish the evolution of the heroine and her struggles was handled better. She definitely found her happiness and comfort with Oliver, who is a complete lovable sweetheart Beta hero by the way. Such a doll. ❤️ I'm just not really convinced Christina grew all that much. I mean the hero --which is exactly what she did-- and she's all "uh I don't believe you but if you say so". Oy.
My first try with Joanna Shupe and I enjoyed it overall. The characters were fully developed with personal battles and a sweet endearing romance that even with it's flaws is too pure and charming to resist.
My biggest complaint/holdup about this would have to be the heroine's insecurity and anxiety issues. It's not that I didn't like it per say. In fact I appreciated how accurately the author portrayed it. The heroine Christina suffers from extreme low self-esteem and crippling social anxiety to the point she has panic attacks in public and needs to be alone in her room for a day to calm down. As someone who deals with social anxiety myself I found this very realistic and accurately portrayed. I don't think I've read a HR that tackles this subject (to this extent) so deftly like Shupe does here. So it started out fine. My hang up was over the fact that I felt the author didn't let Christina actually *grow* to her full potential and conquer her fears and anxiety. At least the big ones. She kept doing the same things with the same results and having meltdowns and beating herself up over it.
For the most part it's understandable given how she was raised but after awhile it started to wear. Especially when her husband's fate relies in her hands near the very end and she's trying to get out of doing it and begging someone else do it because she can't speak in front of an audience. I found this a little too childish and juvenile, anxiety issues or not. She kept telling herself she was going to fight for Oliver and work on her fears but I didn't really see her fighting any of them to be quite honest. Everything had to be easy for her or "she'd rather not do it" and get out of it. The horse incident is another example of that. It bugged me because it was something very baseless and she wasn't willing to do anything about it and was just completely relieved that Oliver was dropping the issue and not pushing her to conquer her (irrational) fear. I mean...really? There's respecting your wishes and then there's plain old coddling. And the fact that she never actually stood up to her manipulative grasping parents didn't sit well with me either. I was waiting for her to have her Hallelujuah! heroic moment and it never came. I usually don't mind passive/meek heroines but Christina toed that line of aggravating a few times with how easily she kept giving up and quick to thinking the absolute worst. You definitely need patience for a heroine like this, she's not for everyone.
What I liked about this was this touched on a lot of real social issues that at the time were much more difficult to tackle in society. The hero . The heroine's despicable awful abusive mother who uses her as a pawn to get money and continuously belittling her is another difficult hurdle to bear through. This usually tends to get annoying because it's a trope used and reused much too often in HR and romance books but I found Christina's toxic mother realistically portrayed. Her being vile to her daughter in private but in public putting on a kind doting face was quite cunning and realistic IMO. Also the fact that the hero actually uses sign language and a notebook to communicate I found really refreshing and brilliant. He lost his hearing at 13 so he does know how to talk but very rarely uses his voice and prefers to use ASL and the fact that his close friends, the staff at his home and even his doctor use sign language was great to see. Very true to life.
So yeah, overall there was quite a few things I ended up enjoying. I just wish the evolution of the heroine and her struggles was handled better. She definitely found her happiness and comfort with Oliver, who is a complete lovable sweetheart Beta hero by the way. Such a doll. ❤️ I'm just not really convinced Christina grew all that much. I mean the hero --which is exactly what she did-- and she's all "uh I don't believe you but if you say so". Oy.
December 31, 2020
Lady Christina Barclay befriends her reclusive deaf neighbor, Oliver Hawkes. When she needs a husband, he eventually offers to step into the role before making up a bunch of arbitrary rules that go away the moment his boner enters the chat. Then every villain in a ten-block radius descends upon Oliver and Christina and the Very Real Issue of Asylums is introduced.
1. For the most part, I enjoyed this. I liked Christina and Oliver coming to understand one another and learning to communicate; I liked how Oliver's use of pen & paper even helped Christina speak up about her wants and needs; I liked how she strove to communicate with Oliver in the ways he needed / appreciated. I thought that was all well done.
2. HOWEVER, the romance was very messy and underbaked. Having Oliver set up stupid rules only to break them within like 24 hours just seemed ridiculous and a ploy for more romantic drama. It was unnecessary and made him appear super indecisive.
3. HOWEVER TWO, Christina's desire to become braver was undercut by how late in the book it showed up, and how quickly it unraveled during the final chapter. Also the crying about horses. And ice cream. Etc. If her revelations had happened earlier and STUCK, it wouldn't have bothered me at all.
4. Dude, am I supposed to be cool with all the villains getting away without punishment?? CAUSE I AM NOT.
5. The epilogue just resolves all the outstanding plot threads that the book dropped along the way, and I did not appreciate it.
1. For the most part, I enjoyed this. I liked Christina and Oliver coming to understand one another and learning to communicate; I liked how Oliver's use of pen & paper even helped Christina speak up about her wants and needs; I liked how she strove to communicate with Oliver in the ways he needed / appreciated. I thought that was all well done.
2. HOWEVER, the romance was very messy and underbaked. Having Oliver set up stupid rules only to break them within like 24 hours just seemed ridiculous and a ploy for more romantic drama. It was unnecessary and made him appear super indecisive.
3. HOWEVER TWO, Christina's desire to become braver was undercut by how late in the book it showed up, and how quickly it unraveled during the final chapter. Also the crying about horses. And ice cream. Etc. If her revelations had happened earlier and STUCK, it wouldn't have bothered me at all.
4. Dude, am I supposed to be cool with all the villains getting away without punishment?? CAUSE I AM NOT.
5. The epilogue just resolves all the outstanding plot threads that the book dropped along the way, and I did not appreciate it.
January 26, 2021
3.5 stars. My first Joanna Shupe read (and it’s definitely not going to be my last)! I was utterly charmed by this romance (and some of the more refreshing aspects to it), and really enjoyed both Oliver and Christina.
April 7, 2025
Deaf secret cinnamon roll hero and a young damsel in distress with fake marriage trope, this hit so good and there was some informative content around deafness in this time period as well (fuck you alexander graham bell).
this was a quick read and i enjoyed the narrator, my only main complaint is the major conflict in the last 10% could've started sooner to work thru it more but overall 'twas an enjoyable hisrom read.
this was a quick read and i enjoyed the narrator, my only main complaint is the major conflict in the last 10% could've started sooner to work thru it more but overall 'twas an enjoyable hisrom read.
April 12, 2024
Hey! A JS book I did not hate! I enjoyed this. Oliver was a marshmallow and Cristina finally grew a spine!
July 14, 2021
A Notorious Vow has the basic historical storyline of parents who are trying to marry off their daughter to gain some financial profit. The thing that adds a unique dynamic to this storyline is that the hero is deaf. His deafness adds a deeper layer to their story.
The hero became a recluse once he became deaf due to a childhood illness. People assume he's incompetent because of his inability to hear. Certain people want to have committed out of ignorance of not understanding his hearing loss.
The heroine is a pawn in her parents' life. Her dad is a gambler who doesn't provide for his family. His solution to his money issues is to marry off his daughter to whoever will offer him money. Her parents don't care how old the guy is as long as he has money.
The heroine finds herself in the hero's garden when his dog knocks her out. The grumpy, recluse of a hero wasn't having this stranger of a woman walking through his property. Over time she gains his trust especially when she takes an interest in learning sign language to speak him.
A Notorious Vow
● grumpy, recluse hero
● deaf
● inventor
● marriage of convenience
● standalone
The hero became a recluse once he became deaf due to a childhood illness. People assume he's incompetent because of his inability to hear. Certain people want to have committed out of ignorance of not understanding his hearing loss.
The heroine is a pawn in her parents' life. Her dad is a gambler who doesn't provide for his family. His solution to his money issues is to marry off his daughter to whoever will offer him money. Her parents don't care how old the guy is as long as he has money.
The heroine finds herself in the hero's garden when his dog knocks her out. The grumpy, recluse of a hero wasn't having this stranger of a woman walking through his property. Over time she gains his trust especially when she takes an interest in learning sign language to speak him.
A Notorious Vow
● grumpy, recluse hero
● deaf
● inventor
● marriage of convenience
● standalone
Audio book source: Hoopla
Narrator: Carmen Rose
Length: 8H 48M
June 28, 2021
3 stars
I may sound a bit harsh on this one—A Notorious Vow, while enjoyable, it's also annoyingly ordinary. Oliver, the wealthy deaf inventor, is charming and sympathetic. Christina, the frustratingly shy introvert, goes through an earnest character growth, becoming a woman who can speak her mind and fend for her action. It is too bad the plot surrounding the dimensional duo is so average.
Even though A Notorious Vow is set in New York City during the Gilded Age, beyond the occasional name-droppings and relevant technology, the story could've easily been swapped for Regency London. With the character of Oliver essentially a 'wounded duke' archetype dressed in new coat of paint, and a house-bounded plot that keeps the character from venturing into the city, it feels like a big missed opportunity to expand on the story's unique setting.
In contrast to the well-rendered hero/heroine, the remaining cast is woefully two-dimensional, particularly its slew of antagonistic characters (Christina's parents, Oliver's cousin, etc.), who are all portrayed as 'evil for the sake of being evil' comic book villains. The extremity of their malicious act, without a hint of humanity or redeeming quality, undermines the legitimacy of the protagonists' ongoing tolerance and forgiveness.
Lastly, the book feels like it could've used one more round of proofreading and editing: with the same information being regurgitated almost verbatim in spots, loose ends left unresolved (to be continued in the next book?), and a rushed final act jam-packed with sudden conflicts, quick character growth, and a limp conclusion to an ongoing plot line.
Having all the right ingredients, but the cook has taken it off the stove too early. A Notorious Vow has perfected the intimate moments, but lacked a point of view for its overarching story. While adequately binge-worthy, it doesn't contain the spark of cleverness it so desperately needs.
**Historical Romance Readathon 2021 Buddy Read | Bingo Board Prompts: Marriage of Convenience / Damaged Hero / Joanna Shupe / Blue on the Cover**
I may sound a bit harsh on this one—A Notorious Vow, while enjoyable, it's also annoyingly ordinary. Oliver, the wealthy deaf inventor, is charming and sympathetic. Christina, the frustratingly shy introvert, goes through an earnest character growth, becoming a woman who can speak her mind and fend for her action. It is too bad the plot surrounding the dimensional duo is so average.
Even though A Notorious Vow is set in New York City during the Gilded Age, beyond the occasional name-droppings and relevant technology, the story could've easily been swapped for Regency London. With the character of Oliver essentially a 'wounded duke' archetype dressed in new coat of paint, and a house-bounded plot that keeps the character from venturing into the city, it feels like a big missed opportunity to expand on the story's unique setting.
In contrast to the well-rendered hero/heroine, the remaining cast is woefully two-dimensional, particularly its slew of antagonistic characters (Christina's parents, Oliver's cousin, etc.), who are all portrayed as 'evil for the sake of being evil' comic book villains. The extremity of their malicious act, without a hint of humanity or redeeming quality, undermines the legitimacy of the protagonists' ongoing tolerance and forgiveness.
Lastly, the book feels like it could've used one more round of proofreading and editing: with the same information being regurgitated almost verbatim in spots, loose ends left unresolved (to be continued in the next book?), and a rushed final act jam-packed with sudden conflicts, quick character growth, and a limp conclusion to an ongoing plot line.
Having all the right ingredients, but the cook has taken it off the stove too early. A Notorious Vow has perfected the intimate moments, but lacked a point of view for its overarching story. While adequately binge-worthy, it doesn't contain the spark of cleverness it so desperately needs.
**Historical Romance Readathon 2021 Buddy Read | Bingo Board Prompts: Marriage of Convenience / Damaged Hero / Joanna Shupe / Blue on the Cover**
September 10, 2018
I had really enjoyed the other two books in this series and loved the premise of this one, so I was exited to get to it.
I loved Christina and Oliver. They’re both such good people who have dealt with people treating them horribly. She’s sweet and he’s sort of gruff, but together they click and it was fantastic to see them learn to be in a trusting, loving relationship. There are several other characters and most of them needed a junk punch.
Plot wise, there was a lot of push and pull and at times, the hot and cold got to be ridiculous. The outside conflict is constant and I really just wanted more of the two of them getting to know each other.
Overall, it was a quick read with characters I really loved. I can’t wait to read the next one.
**Huge thanks to Avon Books for providing the arc free of charge**
I loved Christina and Oliver. They’re both such good people who have dealt with people treating them horribly. She’s sweet and he’s sort of gruff, but together they click and it was fantastic to see them learn to be in a trusting, loving relationship. There are several other characters and most of them needed a junk punch.
Plot wise, there was a lot of push and pull and at times, the hot and cold got to be ridiculous. The outside conflict is constant and I really just wanted more of the two of them getting to know each other.
Overall, it was a quick read with characters I really loved. I can’t wait to read the next one.
**Huge thanks to Avon Books for providing the arc free of charge**
January 29, 2022
My favorite of the series! A unique set-up with interesting characters and unexpected twists and turns. Also, Frank Tripp's involvement made me want to reread The Rogue of Fifth Avenue 😍.
Overall I would recommend this series for readers new to Historical Romance, or those looking for a unique story set in Gilded Age NYC. As a Joanna Shupe fan, I prefer her Uptown Girls or current Fifth Avenue Rebels series, but I commend her writing abilities and will definitely continue diving into her backlist!
Overall I would recommend this series for readers new to Historical Romance, or those looking for a unique story set in Gilded Age NYC. As a Joanna Shupe fan, I prefer her Uptown Girls or current Fifth Avenue Rebels series, but I commend her writing abilities and will definitely continue diving into her backlist!
dnf
July 15, 2022I've tried reading this book twice and ditched it both times. It has one of my fav tropes, i.e. deaf hero. It has an interesting-sounding premise but ultimately doesn't deliver. It was just dull. I'd DNFed another book of hers as well. I think she's not my kind of author.
September 23, 2018
Read it. READ IT. READ IT!!
Seriously, this book is so tender and beautiful. And now I plan on devouring the author's backlist.
Seriously, this book is so tender and beautiful. And now I plan on devouring the author's backlist.
September 17, 2018
A Notorious Vow is the third book in The Four Hundred series by Joanna Shupe.
In the words of a Kylie Minogue song "Wow Wow Wow Wow". Could I have enjoyed this book more...NO!
Lady Christina Barclay has been forced to flee her London home to New York City, they leave under a cloud when her father owes debts to too many people to ever be able to pay. The move to New York is to find a rich husband for Christina to marry, one that will pay them a settlement to cover all the debts so that they can return home, minus Christina of course.
Oliver Hawkes is a very rich man. He went deaf as a young teenager and although he was forced to fit into a hearing society it wasn't without a lot of ridicule. When he was old enough he removed himself from society and spends his days at home working on an invention to help partially deaf people to hear. He's earned the nickname of a recluse, but he doesn't care. His life is how he wants it.
That all changes when Christina finds herself hurt in his garden. Oliver's dog alerts him to a problem and takes him to where Christina is unconscious and bleeding. From that moment his life would not be the same again.
I don't want to give spoilers but as you will know from the blurb of the book, Christina and Oliver find themselves married. They are very much attracted to each other from the very beginning, but with Oliver's insecurities about not being good enough for Christina, and her not being forceful enough to make him realise that he is, we have to wonder if they will ever be able to give in to their real feelings. Or will the marriage be annulled as Oliver suggests in just a year?
There are the most amazingly evil characters in the story: Christina's parents who keep wanting more and more money from him, and also Oliver's cousin who wants his allowance raised and money to be given to him for investments. Bad investments. He really wants everything that Oliver has and will go to the evilest limits to try to make that happen!!! There is also the evil old man that had wanted to marry Christina, he is on the warpath since Oliver took what he believed was rightfully his. With these people in their lives, it makes forming a true relationship together even more difficult for Oliver and Christina. Can they have a happy ever after? Of course they can, but getting there makes for a fabulous story that I absolutely recommend!
I enjoyed every part of this story and loved our hero and heroine, but one thing that definitely affected my feelings for this book is that the hero is deaf. My daughter was born deaf and I am well aware of the hearing and deaf cultures. I am sad to say that even in this day, at least in the UK, deaf children are still being pushed to learn to speak and lip-read as a way of communication, even if it is virtually impossible for them. I think there is nothing as stupid as schools for the deaf that don't allow sign language to be taught. It made me quite emotional to think that right from the days this story is set until modern day deaf people are still being ridiculed, still being made to not use sign language in some instances, and in some cases, they are still called deaf and dumb! I am at least thankful that deaf people are no longer sent to asylums! But time to get off my soapbox. I just want to finish off with a thank you to the author for a wonderful book which also highlighted life for a deaf person in that era, and for the wonderful information about the invention of the first hearing aid. I loved this book and it has to be one of my very favourites from this author.
In the words of a Kylie Minogue song "Wow Wow Wow Wow". Could I have enjoyed this book more...NO!
Lady Christina Barclay has been forced to flee her London home to New York City, they leave under a cloud when her father owes debts to too many people to ever be able to pay. The move to New York is to find a rich husband for Christina to marry, one that will pay them a settlement to cover all the debts so that they can return home, minus Christina of course.
Oliver Hawkes is a very rich man. He went deaf as a young teenager and although he was forced to fit into a hearing society it wasn't without a lot of ridicule. When he was old enough he removed himself from society and spends his days at home working on an invention to help partially deaf people to hear. He's earned the nickname of a recluse, but he doesn't care. His life is how he wants it.
That all changes when Christina finds herself hurt in his garden. Oliver's dog alerts him to a problem and takes him to where Christina is unconscious and bleeding. From that moment his life would not be the same again.
I don't want to give spoilers but as you will know from the blurb of the book, Christina and Oliver find themselves married. They are very much attracted to each other from the very beginning, but with Oliver's insecurities about not being good enough for Christina, and her not being forceful enough to make him realise that he is, we have to wonder if they will ever be able to give in to their real feelings. Or will the marriage be annulled as Oliver suggests in just a year?
There are the most amazingly evil characters in the story: Christina's parents who keep wanting more and more money from him, and also Oliver's cousin who wants his allowance raised and money to be given to him for investments. Bad investments. He really wants everything that Oliver has and will go to the evilest limits to try to make that happen!!! There is also the evil old man that had wanted to marry Christina, he is on the warpath since Oliver took what he believed was rightfully his. With these people in their lives, it makes forming a true relationship together even more difficult for Oliver and Christina. Can they have a happy ever after? Of course they can, but getting there makes for a fabulous story that I absolutely recommend!
I enjoyed every part of this story and loved our hero and heroine, but one thing that definitely affected my feelings for this book is that the hero is deaf. My daughter was born deaf and I am well aware of the hearing and deaf cultures. I am sad to say that even in this day, at least in the UK, deaf children are still being pushed to learn to speak and lip-read as a way of communication, even if it is virtually impossible for them. I think there is nothing as stupid as schools for the deaf that don't allow sign language to be taught. It made me quite emotional to think that right from the days this story is set until modern day deaf people are still being ridiculed, still being made to not use sign language in some instances, and in some cases, they are still called deaf and dumb! I am at least thankful that deaf people are no longer sent to asylums! But time to get off my soapbox. I just want to finish off with a thank you to the author for a wonderful book which also highlighted life for a deaf person in that era, and for the wonderful information about the invention of the first hearing aid. I loved this book and it has to be one of my very favourites from this author.
October 5, 2018
2.5/5
Honestly, i liked the concept of a deaf hero inventing hearing devices and falling in love with an impoverished aristocrat more than its execution. i've heard great things about this book from dearauthor or smartbitches (can't remember for sure).
but where was the characterisation? the layers? why was i bored with the female lead? christina has social anxiety and is more on the reserved side which is totally fine, not everyone can be a mary sue and i honestly can relate more to her because of it. but somehow she still just seemed so ... bland.
all of the characters were caricatures to me, actually. i couldn't connect to any of them the way i wanted to. they seemed so inherently good or evil that it seemed more dickensian than not.
Honestly, i liked the concept of a deaf hero inventing hearing devices and falling in love with an impoverished aristocrat more than its execution. i've heard great things about this book from dearauthor or smartbitches (can't remember for sure).
but where was the characterisation? the layers? why was i bored with the female lead? christina has social anxiety and is more on the reserved side which is totally fine, not everyone can be a mary sue and i honestly can relate more to her because of it. but somehow she still just seemed so ... bland.
all of the characters were caricatures to me, actually. i couldn't connect to any of them the way i wanted to. they seemed so inherently good or evil that it seemed more dickensian than not.
January 6, 2021
1 Star
I had tried to read this book last year and I could only reach chapter six before I DNFed it bc of how much I hated it. I saw someone mention it on YouTube so I wanted to pick it up again, once I picked it up I remembered how much I loathed the heroine. I hate weak women who cannot stand for themselves, I don't care if it is historical and women are supposed to obey their parents no matter what they do to them. Also, I disliked Oliver because of how many times he changed his wants and needs from Christina so I just skimmed most of the book to know the ending and be done with this book.
I had tried to read this book last year and I could only reach chapter six before I DNFed it bc of how much I hated it. I saw someone mention it on YouTube so I wanted to pick it up again, once I picked it up I remembered how much I loathed the heroine. I hate weak women who cannot stand for themselves, I don't care if it is historical and women are supposed to obey their parents no matter what they do to them. Also, I disliked Oliver because of how many times he changed his wants and needs from Christina so I just skimmed most of the book to know the ending and be done with this book.
December 7, 2018
A flat-out one sitting read. I picked up my hold at the library and soon found myself eating a sandwich one-handed and trying to pour a glass of milk with only half an eye. The care and work Shupe has taken with her Deaf hero is outstanding. The plot is first-rate (fake-marriage trope, yes!) and the secondary characters are excellent: Christina’s parents are the actual WORST, Oliver’s cousin is appropriately greedy, and Oliver’s little sister is endearingly spunky. The best of The Four Hundred Series thus far.
September 28, 2018
I received a copy of this title to read and review for Wicked Reads
3 Stars.
A Notorious Vow is the third novel in The Four Hundred series, and can easily be read as a standalone. I read the previous book but not the first in the series, but I found no confusion.
What I find refreshing, for this time period, the novel and series is set in America instead of England. Christina is an English lady transplant, her family broke from the father's gambling debts and the mother's excess spending.
Oliver is a deaf recluse, working on a hearing device, who keeps himself apart from society to not be bullied by his peers. Warning, many deaf slurs are used, making me wince each time. After one use, the impact was lessened. What I mean by that, the impact is deadened as a story device, so I was unsure why it was continually leveled at Oliver by the same characters, other than to show ignorance by characters we already knew were both ignorant and annoying.
Christina and Oliver are both introverts, intellectuals, who want nothing to do with society, which I found refreshing and resonating at the start of the novel.
The pair are thrust into an unwanted marriage by underhanded parents, where the story shifts to a slow-burn, will-they, won't-they romance, filled with high tension. The romance turns sweet, and the juxtaposition of the heat was jarring. Their connection felt innocent, with Oliver's dirty talk not fitting, completely out of place.
As the story progressed, Christina was buried by the story, to the point she had no personality- completely overshadowed by in-your-face forced dramatic situations. The woman whom I thought had a backbone at the start of the novel, acted helpless, indecisive, and insecure, which does not a heroine make. She devolved as the story progressed, not evolved, until the very end, which I found too late to salvage my view of her.
While I enjoyed the story on a whole, it hit two of my pet-peeves, which lowered the entertainment value for me.
The parents were so over-the-top, with how obvious it was they were scamming any man who would buy their daughter. This was America, not England. Oliver could have easily married Christina and gave no money for her after the fact, as women were not horses for sale. Christina could have easily ran away- her loyalty to her abusers was bizarre. Her cousins would have taken her side, now living in America with a different mentality and mindset, not sided with the shady mother. After all, they were the ones bankrolling the shady parents and their abused daughter, who was the same age as their daughter.
While I know the parents were just a plot point to thrust Christina into Oliver's path, taking both of their autonomy away, it was too frustrating, in a turn me off from reading sort of way. Too over-the-top and forceful. Some subtlety would have saved this for me. Each act by the parents was more atrocious than the last, until it was unbelievable and not taken seriously by me.
The other issue was the miscommunication. I don't mean Christina misreading Oliver's ASL signing. Oliver would speak, write, or sign the most innocuous thing, and Christina would take it as an insult, a rejection- this was no doubt to add angst or a gut-wrenching sensation. Yet again, it felt forced. The mixed signals wouldn't have been mixed if Christina hadn't read into everything, over-analyzed, made it about her, or took Oliver at face-value and at his word. The deaf man communicated better than Christina, unable to hear or read lips if the person was turned away from him.
The mentality of Christina grated on me, seeming emotionally stunted, not ready for marriage, relationships, or even friendship, as she was so quick to misunderstand with purpose to fuel her insecurities. This made Christina and Oliver not a good fit.
The previous novel in the series was one of my favorite Historical Romances, one I didn't hesitate to mention to anyone who reads the genre. I found it fresh, the plot innovated and refreshing, and the writing clear and concise. This novel didn't feel the same to me. While I will most certainly read more by this author, A Notorious Vow won't be on my reread or favorite shelf. I'll chalk this up to a novel that wasn't my cup of tea- every book by the same author can't be a favorite.
With all that being said, I do recommend to fans of the author and the series. My issues are just that- my issues. If it hadn't been for two of my pet-peeves, I may have enjoyed the novel. My pet-peeves are just that- mine.
3 Stars.
A Notorious Vow is the third novel in The Four Hundred series, and can easily be read as a standalone. I read the previous book but not the first in the series, but I found no confusion.
What I find refreshing, for this time period, the novel and series is set in America instead of England. Christina is an English lady transplant, her family broke from the father's gambling debts and the mother's excess spending.
Oliver is a deaf recluse, working on a hearing device, who keeps himself apart from society to not be bullied by his peers. Warning, many deaf slurs are used, making me wince each time. After one use, the impact was lessened. What I mean by that, the impact is deadened as a story device, so I was unsure why it was continually leveled at Oliver by the same characters, other than to show ignorance by characters we already knew were both ignorant and annoying.
Christina and Oliver are both introverts, intellectuals, who want nothing to do with society, which I found refreshing and resonating at the start of the novel.
The pair are thrust into an unwanted marriage by underhanded parents, where the story shifts to a slow-burn, will-they, won't-they romance, filled with high tension. The romance turns sweet, and the juxtaposition of the heat was jarring. Their connection felt innocent, with Oliver's dirty talk not fitting, completely out of place.
As the story progressed, Christina was buried by the story, to the point she had no personality- completely overshadowed by in-your-face forced dramatic situations. The woman whom I thought had a backbone at the start of the novel, acted helpless, indecisive, and insecure, which does not a heroine make. She devolved as the story progressed, not evolved, until the very end, which I found too late to salvage my view of her.
While I enjoyed the story on a whole, it hit two of my pet-peeves, which lowered the entertainment value for me.
The parents were so over-the-top, with how obvious it was they were scamming any man who would buy their daughter. This was America, not England. Oliver could have easily married Christina and gave no money for her after the fact, as women were not horses for sale. Christina could have easily ran away- her loyalty to her abusers was bizarre. Her cousins would have taken her side, now living in America with a different mentality and mindset, not sided with the shady mother. After all, they were the ones bankrolling the shady parents and their abused daughter, who was the same age as their daughter.
While I know the parents were just a plot point to thrust Christina into Oliver's path, taking both of their autonomy away, it was too frustrating, in a turn me off from reading sort of way. Too over-the-top and forceful. Some subtlety would have saved this for me. Each act by the parents was more atrocious than the last, until it was unbelievable and not taken seriously by me.
The other issue was the miscommunication. I don't mean Christina misreading Oliver's ASL signing. Oliver would speak, write, or sign the most innocuous thing, and Christina would take it as an insult, a rejection- this was no doubt to add angst or a gut-wrenching sensation. Yet again, it felt forced. The mixed signals wouldn't have been mixed if Christina hadn't read into everything, over-analyzed, made it about her, or took Oliver at face-value and at his word. The deaf man communicated better than Christina, unable to hear or read lips if the person was turned away from him.
The mentality of Christina grated on me, seeming emotionally stunted, not ready for marriage, relationships, or even friendship, as she was so quick to misunderstand with purpose to fuel her insecurities. This made Christina and Oliver not a good fit.
The previous novel in the series was one of my favorite Historical Romances, one I didn't hesitate to mention to anyone who reads the genre. I found it fresh, the plot innovated and refreshing, and the writing clear and concise. This novel didn't feel the same to me. While I will most certainly read more by this author, A Notorious Vow won't be on my reread or favorite shelf. I'll chalk this up to a novel that wasn't my cup of tea- every book by the same author can't be a favorite.
With all that being said, I do recommend to fans of the author and the series. My issues are just that- my issues. If it hadn't been for two of my pet-peeves, I may have enjoyed the novel. My pet-peeves are just that- mine.
June 7, 2022
2020 April: 5 stars
2020 November: 4.5 stars
2022 June: 3.5 stars
2020 review:
I enjoyed this one. I have always had a thing for disabled heroes and this is only one of the handful number of books that I’ve read with disabled heroes (less than 5) and I love to see them overcome their disabilities.
In this book, because Oliver have already lost his hearing at a young age, he has already mastered the sign language when we meet him. Which is fine to me honestly, as I’m not only here to see him overcome his trials but also for the romance.
Oliver is a really great guy, deciding to rescue Christina by marrying her & goes to great lengths to make her happy (at the end when he asks to draw up divorce papers). Christina is okay..I thought she was a little spineless regarding her behavior to her parents but it got better when she grew a spine after being with Oliver who constantly gave her encouragements.
The writing and pacing was good. 2 issues I had: (1) it would have been good to see what happened with Christina’s parents, seeing as they did try to help Oliver in the end. Would be nice if we saw them getting along etc. (2) it was a little vague sometimes when Christina & Oliver communicated as I couldn’t tell if they were signing or actually speaking.
2022 review:
I liked their slow and quiet romance. They started off as friends, before marrying in a convenient marriage. They were very similar in behaviours, preferring to stay at home than going out.
I could tell Oliver was a kind man. From the start of their friendship, he was always thinking about Christina. Allowing her to roam his gardens, giving her tips on how to protect herself from a man, helping her find a solution to prevent being married to Van peet, limiting their marriage to one year because he wished for her to be free, not bound to him. Giving her an allowance, getting Frank Tripp to bring her out because Oliver himself was unable to, but did not want to deprive her of a fun night out. He really was the sweetest, always putting Christina above himself. He can be a bit self sacrificial though.
It was nice seeing Christina becoming braver through Oliver’s encouragement and confidence in her.
I had a few issues with this book.
Firstly, it was Christina not standing up from herself enough. despite Oliver’s encouragements, she still let her parents walk all over her, which disappointed me. She was like a doormat whenever her mother came to her for money after she married Oliver, allowing her mother to insult her and make demands of her. Yet she did not speak up against her mother.
Secondly, their romance was a bit unbelievable in terms of Oliver immediately thinking he doesn’t want an end to their marriage, that he can’t live without her, after he and Christina went to bed together. It was a sudden realisation on his part, which was abrupt.
Thirdly, as I mentioned in my previous review in 2020, it was vague sometimes when they were communication, whether Oliver used sign language or spoke to Christina. I found myself disliking Christina at times because she had a bad habit of thinking and keeping her worries to herself, not communicating them to Oliver. This bad habit of hers caused miscommunication, which is something I hate in books.
2020 November: 4.5 stars
2022 June: 3.5 stars
2020 review:
I enjoyed this one. I have always had a thing for disabled heroes and this is only one of the handful number of books that I’ve read with disabled heroes (less than 5) and I love to see them overcome their disabilities.
In this book, because Oliver have already lost his hearing at a young age, he has already mastered the sign language when we meet him. Which is fine to me honestly, as I’m not only here to see him overcome his trials but also for the romance.
Oliver is a really great guy, deciding to rescue Christina by marrying her & goes to great lengths to make her happy (at the end when he asks to draw up divorce papers). Christina is okay..I thought she was a little spineless regarding her behavior to her parents but it got better when she grew a spine after being with Oliver who constantly gave her encouragements.
The writing and pacing was good. 2 issues I had: (1) it would have been good to see what happened with Christina’s parents, seeing as they did try to help Oliver in the end. Would be nice if we saw them getting along etc. (2) it was a little vague sometimes when Christina & Oliver communicated as I couldn’t tell if they were signing or actually speaking.
2022 review:
I liked their slow and quiet romance. They started off as friends, before marrying in a convenient marriage. They were very similar in behaviours, preferring to stay at home than going out.
I could tell Oliver was a kind man. From the start of their friendship, he was always thinking about Christina. Allowing her to roam his gardens, giving her tips on how to protect herself from a man, helping her find a solution to prevent being married to Van peet, limiting their marriage to one year because he wished for her to be free, not bound to him. Giving her an allowance, getting Frank Tripp to bring her out because Oliver himself was unable to, but did not want to deprive her of a fun night out. He really was the sweetest, always putting Christina above himself. He can be a bit self sacrificial though.
It was nice seeing Christina becoming braver through Oliver’s encouragement and confidence in her.
I had a few issues with this book.
Firstly, it was Christina not standing up from herself enough. despite Oliver’s encouragements, she still let her parents walk all over her, which disappointed me. She was like a doormat whenever her mother came to her for money after she married Oliver, allowing her mother to insult her and make demands of her. Yet she did not speak up against her mother.
Secondly, their romance was a bit unbelievable in terms of Oliver immediately thinking he doesn’t want an end to their marriage, that he can’t live without her, after he and Christina went to bed together. It was a sudden realisation on his part, which was abrupt.
Thirdly, as I mentioned in my previous review in 2020, it was vague sometimes when they were communication, whether Oliver used sign language or spoke to Christina. I found myself disliking Christina at times because she had a bad habit of thinking and keeping her worries to herself, not communicating them to Oliver. This bad habit of hers caused miscommunication, which is something I hate in books.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 25, 2018
I love, love, love the character growth of Christina and Oliver. Christina started as this meek uber-obedient girl, but by the end of the book she found the courage to face society in order to save Oliver. Same with Oliver realizing his reclusiveness and arrogance led to his downfall.
I also loved the slow burn of their attraction to each other. From an act of kindness on Oliver's part to real soulful connection.
What I didn't like is that there are too many villains. My heart hurts every time the hero and heroine suffered because of other people's selfishness and greed.
Wish there’s more connection among the characters in the series. Nice to see Nora and Julius again. Would have loved to have seen Eva and Phillip as well.
Thanks to Avon for providing me with an advance copy to review through Edelweiss.
I also loved the slow burn of their attraction to each other. From an act of kindness on Oliver's part to real soulful connection.
What I didn't like is that there are too many villains. My heart hurts every time the hero and heroine suffered because of other people's selfishness and greed.
Wish there’s more connection among the characters in the series. Nice to see Nora and Julius again. Would have loved to have seen Eva and Phillip as well.
Thanks to Avon for providing me with an advance copy to review through Edelweiss.
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