A Temporary Betrothal

by Dorothy Mack

A heart-stopping Regency romance! Perfect for fans of Georgette Heyer, Mary Balogh, Jane Aiken Hodge and Jane Austen. Can Belinda shield her cousin from scandal without sacrificing her happiness? Regency England Having spent several years caring for her grandmother, Belinda Melville has hardly ever left her family home. But when her beautiful but selfish cousin – Lady Deirdre Archer – summons her to Archer Hall while her husband is away, Belinda reluctantly agrees to act as her companion. In the whirl of society activity, Belinda crosses paths with the handsome Captain Anthony Wainright, newly returned from the Peninsular war. To her dismay, she discovers that he is nursing an illicit passion for Deirdre that could land them both in scandal. To protect her cousin’s reputation, Belinda agrees to become temporarily betrothed to Anthony. But it soon becomes clear that she is in danger of falling for a man who has already bestowed his heart on another… A Temporary Betrothal by Dorothy Mack is a classic Regency romance full of twists and surprises.

Genres: Historical Romance, Regency, Marriage Of Convenience, Regency Romance, Romance, Historical, Deception

283 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 1, 1995

Reviews

[Preeti ♥︎ Her Bookshelves · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a beautiful piece of writing.
I am so in awe and in pleasure... even though I hated the H for much of the book.
And after that, I just tolerated him.
RTC later...

*Major spoilers*And later...
I love this h. She's a sweet, caring person but is not a rollover really. Though I wish she'd stood up more firmly when she realized what was really going.
The selfish cousin/ow - her bete noire since childhood - has married the year past and has now invited the h for a short visit at her impressive country house while her viscount husband travels to London for parliament etc. The ostensible reason for the London-loving cousin to not travel is that she's 'increasing'. The staid and concerned (but not stupid) husband wanted his stern older sister to act as his wife's companion but the cousin invited her cousin. The h, though surprised at the invite, goes, at her father's behest who thinks it'd be good for her to mix with the neighboring quality. The h had nursed for years, and is now mourning her (and her cousin's) maternal grandmother and so has never 'come-out'. Needless to say, the cousin never visited or mourned the old lady.

Now, the real reason for the cousin not going with her husband is, of course, something else. And she's not pregnant. It's a man who's come to stay with her neighbor. The h is shocked (happily) to see it's the same stranger she'd met 5 years ago, when she was 15 - her secret crush and whom she'd named Apollo. Sadly, he barely glances at her. It takes the h a while to realize what the reader knows by now - the cousin and the H are lovers. Physically or not, is still not clear.

The h tries to make her cousin/ow see sense but of course, she's having none of it. The H, an army captain, is also quite dismissive, even rude to the h. First generally, as he doesn't find her plain, plump and 'dumpy' self worthy of attention and later snubs her when she admonishes him. He's blindly, stupidly, cringingly obsessed with the ow. The H-ow knew each other before her marriage when she'd cleverly accepted the more wealthy man while falsely ruing parental pressure for not marrying the H. Now, she' the one who's renewed the 'affair' by writing to the H and inviting him when her husband would be away. The besotted man wants her to run away with him - which is not what she really wants!
Later, the cousin's stern SIL also comes and adds her weight to the story.

From the moment she’d experienced the first suspicion of the attraction between him and her cousin, the situation had begun to deteriorate, her own faint hopes had crumbled to dust, and an apprehension of danger and disgrace had replaced the mild promise of those early days.

Now, I like how the h stands up what she feel is right but is still too weak to walk away as she keeps promising/ threatening every few pages. But still, I loved reading all her inner rumination and angst on not only at being involved in this tawdry affair but also at finding her idol having feet of clay and so unworthy of her long idolization. Only the most talented authors can make inner monologue seem interesting and absorbing.

The h/H
It's at about 60% that the h/H have to marry to protect the ow's reputation. To his credit, the H immediately distances himself (what about his heart?) from the ow. They marry, the ow leaves for London and the h/H (strangely) stay at the ow's house for their non-wedding night. The H, although stiffly cordial till now, says some (more) cruel things to the h and finally, finally she gives up on him.
A few months long separation happens where the h goes, not to her home but to be with her ex-companion and decides to get an annulment and the H goes off to Belgium for the last legs of the war.

Of course, the H's honor or absence thereof is the crux of the matter. And it'd be a big leap to make for redemption. He's an army captain and he decides to take a long leave to dally with his old flame and even plan eloping to the Americas with a married woman?
For most of the story, I found him a figure worthy of scorn not only for the above-mentioned reasons but also he seems like a sponge who's living at a friend's place and abusing his hospitality in a way by dallying with his neighbor's wife. As I said, they marry from the same man's house whom he's dishonored (?almost cuckolded) and stays the night there too. His 'moral turpitude' and lack of self-respect stand out. And he also did not seem to have a house or estate to offer either the ow or his new wife! But the author takes care of that later.

The reconciliation after he returns is slow and sedate. No fireworks and you just try to go with the flow and believe that he's really into his wife now - physically, a plainer, watered down version of the stunning ow. I wish this resemblance had not been shown. Will the h ever be sure that he's not thinking of the ow?

The last chapter with the ow visiting them is perhaps essential.
One point in the H's favor is that unlike most such Hs in this situation, he spares a thought about the ow's husband too and feels 'like a worm' on hurting a good man. Better late than never.
I always roll my eyes when the author neatly ties up things for such adulterous ow and they settle down happily with their now stern but doting husbands but here, the author keeps things more realistic by hinting that the ow will carry on with her selfish ways.
I really pitied her husband at this point. Though brief, he had an impressive and intelligent showing in the book. In fact, the h and him suit better - personality wise - than the h/H.
As also, Sir John, the neighbor, is another man better suited to the h. And why did he not intervene at some stage and try to stop the affair?

Also, I thought the ow's maid, an intriguing character and only second in beauty to her mistress, would have a bigger role and would strike out at some point but no.

[Cheesecake · Rating 3 out of 5]

.
A good angsty little story with interesting characters and excellent writing.
The story falls into three parts. The first quarter is a little slow as it sets up the stage for later. On her 15th birthday Belinda falls in love with a stranger she meets on a path who kisses her before he leaves to join the cavalry.
When they finally meet again 5 years later at her selfish cousin's house. Not only does he not remember her, but he is infatuated with her MARRIED despicable cousin, Dierdre. By this point, I'm getting a little tired of Belinda always getting she shit end of the stick. She's a compassionate, kind woman who never comes first or even second with even her own father. Now she's in love with a turd who would try to run off with a married woman? Damn.

SOooo after a couple uncomfortable weeks of watching them flirt and hoping nobody else notices, Deirdre's sister-in-law arrives. She is a ruthless woman who misses nothing.
Next thing you know, Belinda is marrying the Captain (Anthony). The wedding doesn't go well and their wedding night is full of vitriol. He leaves again for war and she leaves to stay with her old governess in northern England.
Now I was getting a little pissed because there's absolutely no hinting at softer feelings on the Captain's part. No hint that he's realized what an ass he is and how he's overlooking the true gem for the cheap paste that is her cousin.

In the last third of the book, Anthony returns 5 months later a man wounded in spirit. He has had time to think about his behavior and after talking to his friend Jack/John and Belinda's father, he is fully cognizant of what an idiot he made of himself over Dierdre, and how she played him. But that he was also at fault.
I loved that Belinda had written him off on the wedding night. She never replied to his letters (which kinda sucked anyways). Even when he does show up out of the blue, her heart doesn't go pitter patter. But he wants to make their marriage work and together they travel to his great uncle's who is unwell. They make peace and even become friends. Cause Belinda doesn't hold grudges.

I got a little impatient with this part. I wanted to savour it, but it was more telling then showing unlike the earlier parts of the book. So it wasn't really satisfying. He also never showed any inclination that he desired her... like ever! And she is fine with that at first. I wanted him to prove that he cared and desired her more than Dierdre. Especially as Belinda and her cousin look so much alike.
Eventually they do get busy but it seemed so out of the blue. He told her he burned for her and was waiting for her to make the decision, but where was the evidence? This is a guy she saw flirting with her cousin day after day for weeks. She caught them in an embrace, kissing. He couldn't keep his hands off Dierdre. So pardon me for not being convinced by his change in affections...

At the end we get the return of Dierdre, which I loved. I hate when OWs just fade into night never to get their just desserts. I do wish Anthony had been more vehement in his pushing her away though. Maybe had some disgust on his face or something?
I felt really bad for Dierdre's husband.

So there was lots to love about the writing and the characters, but I wasn't blown away by their love when all was said and done. They felt more like friends than lovers.

Safety is not great of course, but better than I hoped Although Anthony had been pursuing Deirdre for months (since before her marriage... she spun lies), he never did more than kiss her passionately. He leads Belinda to believe it had been more, when he was being cruel. But anyways, Belinda is a virgin and he is the only asshole man that she's kissed. Dierdre is mad at the end but unrepentant. There is some sexy times near the end. Not terribly explicit but not PG either.

[Debbie DiFiore · Rating 3 out of 5]

Marry in haste...

Very different kind of marriage of convenience story. I truly hated the hero for over 50% of the book and could see no way this would end in an HEA. The cousin is a terrible vile deceitful person who didn't deserve her kind husband. The heroine was sweet but she had a spine of steel and would not let the hero get away with his cruelty to her. Deidre is attempting to have an affair with the hero who is clearly besotted. They get caught but the heroine who looks a little like the h says no it was me. And then everything goes haywire. She end up marrying the wannabe adulterous slime and he is very mean to her. She leaves him and he goes back to war. Five months later he comes for her and after that it is a wonderful story. I love how he had changed and the ending was very sweet. He definitely redeemed himself. Deidre did not. And fortunately her husband has seen the light. I hope she suffers. Bloodthirsty reader aren't I?

[Vintage · Rating 3 out of 5]

Slow burn romance that is memorable for the heroine NOT accepting the hero's apology, scorning him and his behavior and making him work for it.

Her incredibly selfish cousin puts her in a bad situation where she lies to protect the family name more than anything. Idiot hero thinks he is love with the married cousin and loses his honor as he confesses to the heroine later.

The evil OW cousin gets an off page comeuppance that I think might actually be worthy as her husband hears her complaining that the hero loves the heroine rather than her.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I gave it 3 stars instead of 4 for the following reason: At the beginning of the 4th quarter the hero thinks to himself that he is not in love with the heroine. On the last pages the hero still doesn't say that he loves the heroine only that he is lucky to have her.

[S · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book started with a promising setup: a childhood connection, a lost memory, a second chance. But it quickly went off the rails.

We have our hero, who apparently suffers from selective amnesia". He met the heroine as a child, shared a first kiss, but years later? Nada. I understand she had changed perhaps in appearance ... He doesn't remember a thing. Meanwhile, the heroine has spent her life devoted to her grandmother, a picture of quiet devotion.

Then there's the Other Woman, the heroine's cousin. Now, here's where things get… interesting. Apparently, these cousins are identical twins' daughters. But, and this is a big but, in the beginning, everyone raves about the OW's beauty while dismissing the heroine as dowdy. Make it make sense! Suddenly, they're identical? Suspicious.

And then, the hero falls head over heels for the married OW. Instantly. Despite knowing she's married. From that moment, he lost all credibility for me. His later excuse, about coming back from war and being confused, didn't cut it. He was infatuated with a married woman. End of story. The whole thing felt contrived and frankly, a bit ridiculous.

[☽ Rhiannon ✭ Mistwalker ☾ · Rating 2 out of 5]

The language is a bit overly flowery for my tastes, but I was willing to overlook it for what I was convinced was the perfect set-up for some quality angst. Despite the overwhelming need for groveling on the part of the hero, all we get is one brief verbal apology from him, and then nothing else. Even the "repair the relationship" period happens off the page, with the book skipping from their stilted reunification in October to their renewed friendship and love in December. No groveling, no earning of trust, no confessing feelings, the whole integral conflict of the story just seemed to evaporate, which is very dissatisfying considering what a pathetic and shallow ass the hero is for more than half the book! And whatever happened to her insistence that they get an annulment?! I guess she just capitulated because... he would lose his inheritance? That's not romantic at all! Overall, it's not that it is badly written, I was just disappointed, as I was hoping for a plain, insecure heroine, or at least some angst, and a good grovel from the hero, and that is just not this story.

[Veronica WordsAreMyDrinkOfChoice · Rating 2 out of 5]

This die Elle rotten and I am enjoying it. However, I did not believe there is anyway of redeeming Anthony for me. When he met Belinda and was so taken with her I saw he was going to be a great character. But years later he does not even remember her (does not seem plausible), he be socially calls when fat and plain behind her back (a Darcy moment), and seems obsessed with Deidre, who is shallow and horrid. So his character is shitty, if he cannot see beyond Deidre’s plain face then he is shallow, if he actually likes her personality which is all giggles and insults, then he is beyond saving. Belinda deserves better.

Just finished rtc.

[C · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25⭐️

[Louie Halfacre · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ability

Here we have the heroine who has a cousin who is a conceited slut. The heroine has hated her cousin all her life but does not have the common sense to stand up and look out for her own interests. She has a small instant in her 15 yr old life where she has a handsome man give her a little kiss and she believes she is in love and will never consider another man. 5 yrs later she thinks she still loves this same man who loves her married cousin. She then takes the blame after finding the two in cousin's bedroom in an embrace and saves her cousin. She then lets everyone rush her into marriage with a degenerate for a husband. At the 75% mark in the book I decided I'd had enough and quit reading because I had punished myself sufficiently. There is nothing I love more than a strong female character, sadly I didn't find it in this book. Therefore I can not recommend this book to any other reader of Regency novels.

[Sumi38 · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’m going to rant. Get ready. This is the story of a woman who at 15 years old is able to feel unhappiness at this father’s neglect and somewhere growing up loses her self worth. She becomes the caretaker of her dying grandmother, the unpaid nanny and housekeeper of her stepmother (yes Cinderella move over, you have competition).
At her grandmothers death she agrees to go and stay as unpaid companion of a cousin that she can’t stand. Once there she not only suffers her cousin neglect and rudeness, she covers for her when she starts an “affair” and helps her carry out her miscarriage deception. All the time feeling guilty about it.
Oh but it’s not all she goes and wed’s her cousin lover to save her when found in a compromising situation. A marriage organized and carry out by 3 persons that don’t care a fig about her and I agree with them when they tell her that she did out of self interest and not to save her cousin.

How can this attitude be explained as loyalty, selflessness or a “forgiving nature”? I rather think she’s a rollover, spineless, lacking moral compass character and not what I expect as a romance heroine. Ok. Nobody is perfect but I think this is laying it a bit too thick.

0 stars

[Sharyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written in 1995, Mack writes in a style not seen much anymore. The heroine is a lovely women with a terrible cousin, they are daughters of twin sisters, so look somewhat alike. On her 15th birthday Belinda meets "Apollo" on the road near her home and idolizes him for the next 5 years as he is off fighting Napoleon.
She meets him 5 years later, but he does not remember her. He is infatuated with her married cousin, and he loses respect in her eyes. Because of misunderstandings, they end up married. What happens next is the rest of a lovely story.

[Ashlyn · Rating 1 out of 5]

I started this book when I was very tired, and probably should not have done that. But I was determined to finish it, and I did. Although, I was honestly completely bored most of the time reading this. There were too many long paragraphs and too little dialogue. I feel like if there was more dialogue with shorter paragraphs, I would have been able to get into it more, but I just couldn't. Unfortunately, I probably should have just DNF this one or come back to it later when I had more interest in reading it.

[Francisca Bahamondes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read 1 story by this author before and I found it very good, so I found this one as recommended and I gave it a go (even with all the other pending stories I'm still reading and taking forever to finish). It was very good so I finished it very soon.

The story is about Belinda and Anthony, and her cousin Dreadful Diedre. Belinda is the daughter of a country squire from Gloucestershire, she lost her mum when she was 13 or 14 and on her 15th birthday her father gifted her with an unexpected (if gentle) stepmother, having left her under the care of her grandmother about 1 year before, haunted by grief of having lost his wife. On that fateful day she was kicking stones on a lane near her house, complaining about her luck, when a young man appeared on the lane so suddenly she twisted her ankle when turning to answer him. He asked for directions, she gave them and he helped her onto his horse to see if she needed assistance, she declined. Anyway, he was going to war and got caught up in her gaze, and kissed her, then got on his horse and sped away. So Belinda (aka Flower face) was marked by that moment, wondering who her "Apollo" was and where was he.
For the next 5 years that memory haunted her dreams, and sustained her through grief, her own illness and the last farewell to her dear grandmother. When her grandma passed and she was able to concentrate on other things and keep on helping with her little brothers, her father Sir Walter decided to send her away as per her cousin's request (Dreadful Deidre) to enjoy a bit of other society. Her cousin had written to him requesting Belinda's companionship due to her being pregnant and not wanting to follow her older husband to London for Parliament ... little did he know that all was a plot of Deidre to have an affair with an admirer from her season in London while her "boring" husband was away. Lord Archer, her husband, was a very nice sort of man, even quite passionate under the quiet, thoughtful exterior, so I felt sorry for him because he was besotted with Deidre and didn't see her true self until later.

Belinda didn't take too much time to discover her selfish cousin's duplicity and, to her appalled surprise, cha cha chan! Her cousin's clandestine Beau was none other than.... Belinda's Apollo from the lane. She quickly realised he didn't remember her and through interaction and unwanted eavesdropping she was more and more disappointed and appalled at his blind devotion to her dreadful cousin, his rudeness to herself and his dismissal of any moral rule to pursue a woman that was already married...

Oh well, I won't spoil it too much, but the story is full of emotion, I felt very sorry for Belinda at some point, but she had a strong core so she could overcome anything and take matters into her own hands. She was not the defenceless 15 year old from the lane anymore.
Anthony does mend his ways and there is a HEA in the end but not without misunderstandings and suffering, and a lot of effort from both. I like that Belinda makes him work for it and doesn't just accept him straight away after, when his "fever in the blood" for Deidre has cooled and he's seen through her plots and nice appearance. I like the ending and that Deidre was uncovered for all to see, her awful selfish character.
Nicely done, very sweet in the end. Uncle Tad was a nice addition as well.
4 stars, recommended! I will keep reading this author.

[BURMA · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting

[Amzareads · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was an okay read. I like the premise of it. At certain parts it seemed like the author used thesaurus to find the most multi-syllable words to come off as the dialect people spoke in the regency era. It just made most of the characters seem rather pompous instead but I get what the author was trying to do. There could’ve been more angst and I think the Hero’s switch up was too quick. We should’ve go to see his thought process changing gradually. Other than that it was enjoyable not my favorite but enjoyable. I might explore other books written by this author.

Edit:

I had to come back and change the review from a 3 to a 2 but it should really be 1 stars. I’m shocked the way the book ended abruptly. I gave this review when I’m as almost done I didn’t realize it was going to end so randomly. First of all I don’t feel the chemistry between Anthony and Belinda it’s so dry. Second why do we not get to see the aftermath of The last scene like wth why end it there. Third WTHHH WHY END IT THERE WHEN WE BARELY GO TO SEE THE MAIN COUPLE ACTUALLY IN LOVE.

Yeah I’m good on reading the authors other work if this is what their writing looks like. We are good you’re safe. I’m honestly mad I wasted time writing a positive review smh.

[Deko Aden · Rating 1 out of 5]

A truly deplorable story, I am not sure who the audience is for this book but it isn’t me. The so called “hero” is pathetic and delusional; when wonders how he survived a soldering. The heroine is so starved of love and attention and she attached so much hope to the undeserving zero; this story ends up reading like a slow and painful tragedy. This is not a story with “happy” ending. The only happy ending is the heroine staying her course and learning to love herself enough to kick the zero the curb. But alas, psychotherapy had yet to be invented in the time frame of this sorry tale.

[Beebs · Rating 1 out of 5]

Okay, I was with this one pretty much, until ~ 1/2 way through when the h did something entirely out of character, idiotic, and so against her self-interests that it makes no sense.

Summary up to this point:

First, 15 yo heroine (h) meets ~20 yo H (Captain Hero) the day of her 15th birthday. She's having a very bad no good day, he startles her into spraining her ankle by asking her for directions, he sort of jollies her into a better mood while carrying her back to her house, then gives her a full blown actual kiss on the lips, thus beginning a relatively harmless obsession where he's her ideal wannabe future husband, who every subsequent possible beau fails to live up to. No biggie really.

She then has 5 more years in which she's not abused or anything, but a bit neglected and taken for granted by her family. After her beloved grandmother dies following a long illness, her father decides she needs a change of pace/scenery and whatnot, and sends her to her look-a-like cousin who's just been married (Deirdre) for a visit while Deirdre's husband is in London. Deirdre is increasing (preggers) so "can't" travel to town.

Turns out, Deirdre was lying because she's trying to carry on an affair with the H(Captain Hero) & wanted someone with her who wouldn't get in her way. Captain Hero doesn't remember h, takes an immediate dislike to her for no good reason, is entirely unattracted to her, and even insults her looks in her hearing a la Darcy, but with even less charm somehow.

Now, h at this point shows intelligence, reasonableness, and a healthy sense of self preservation- her first instinct is to leave entirely, to be angry with her cousin, and leave her to her own devices. Deirdre talks her into staying a couple more weeks and promises not to see Captain Hero again, but of course she is lying. Heroine tries to keep Deirdre from H because family (I mean probably also bc look he was her former crush and who wants to see their gorgeous already married cousin cheat on said husband with her own former crush?!), but does not succeed, and finally after catching H in a compromising position with cousin Deirdre in her bedroom, is like that's it I'm leaving NOW.

Only... D's sis in law shows up at the same time, having found out D was "entertaining" Captain Hero in her room by making out with him (& probs having sex). D insists she's innocent somehow and wasn't cheating on her husband. Really. Somehow.

So, and here's where it's lost me entirely, Heroine girl blurts out the stupidest most uncharacteristic thing she could have said: "He was in here with me, not Deirdre! We were totally making out in her room, for some reason! Seriously we have the same color dress!"

Whaaaaaaaaaaaa???! Nope missy. Just, nope.

IDK what's going to happen now, but I'm not even on team heroine/Sir James (Captain Hero's nice buddy who I was shipping with h, hopelessly) now. Captain Hero's a shallow jerk-bastard, and h is a self-sabotaging masochistic idiot. Blegh.

I'm going to keep reading because the author does write well, just infuriatingly, but it's more of a trainwreck-watching read than an emotionally invested read.

TL:DR Infuriating, self-sabotaging characters are infuriating and self-sabotaging.


************************************

EDIT after finishing: It got worse somehow. There is no end to the h's being dumped on for no good reason by everyone around her. Then, when she's finally found a couple months' peace from all the bs with her cousin Deirdre, Captain Hero, and crazy SIL from H who forced the whole marriage thing, Captain Hero comes traipsing back from War after having finally realized Deirdre's a manipulative, empty-headed, conniving B not worth anyone's time, and decides to manipulate h into staying married instead of annulling the marriage. She does, and eventually they consummate their marriage, they kinda sorta fall into resignation I mean love with each other and live contentedly ever after.

Blegh. She deserved better, Lord Niceface and Sir Johnface deserved better, and everyone else sucked.

[RomeoJuliet · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hero and heroine had a random meet on the road when she was fifteen and he 21 I think. He even kissed her. That was a cute scene. He goes to the war after that.

Our story starts five years later when he comes back. She is summoned to her evil cousins house under the pretense of giving her company while she is pregnant. There she meets our hero again but to her dismay he does not remember her whereas she has loved/ fallen into infactuation with him for the past five years.

Hero in love with a married woman and carelessly tried to continue having affair with her. The married woman is our heroine's evil cousin. They get caught in a compromising situation (hero kissing the evil ow), heroine trying to save her evil cousin's marriage says that it was her he was kissing and not the ow since they look quite alike. OW convinces hero to go with it to save her marriage. he is still so in love with her that he agrees. One thing transpires to another and an interfering sister-in-law of evil OW in trying to save her brother from scandal being created by his wife pushes things and gets our hero and heroine married. OW is really conniving in this book. She lies about the pregnancy, stages a miscarriage, blames the heroine for the affair, rude and derogatory to her, tries to make a pass at the hero in his home. She never repents.

When heroine tries to tell hero that the evil cousin was manipulating him, he gets nasty with her and leaves her on their wedding night. Before he comes back, she leaves him and goes to live with a friend. Hero has already decided that he will be joining his previous post in army since he is a captain so he leaves for the war without going after the heroine thinking that some distance would do them good. He has time to think about his attitude during the next five month and realizes what a callous attitude he had towards someone's honor (ow noble husband). He was willing to have an affair with a married women. He questions all of his wrongs. He goes to meet heroine's father since he thinks that heroine is living with him but finds out that she doesnt. I really liked her father wisdom and hero's confession. The hero goes to find the heroine at the friend's house. They patch up after open talk and some discussion. There is a side plot of him inheriting his uncle's estate.

Evil OW does come back and tries to make a pass at the hero at his house but is turned away but both of them are heard by the heroine and OW husband who already suspecting something happening. THis makes me wonder if she was having other affairs too which was hinted by the heroine's father. The line of thought is really thought provoking in this novel. I really liked them.

I wish we had gotten to see the ending of OW. Will he continue to live with her after he has found her nature?

There was a lot of monologue and long paragraphs so the tendency to skip read was very tempting. It is easier to miss the introspect and the resolve of the feelings if you are getting bored of reading long paragraphs.

[Arllie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Loved the plot of the book. The execution? Terrible. I hated her father. I always hate when books try to justify remarriage (or at least glorify and romanticise it) when it’s clear that they’re literally selfish? They don’t think about their children, but only their own happiness. His wife died less than a year ago and instead of trying to grieve and pay more attention to your child who’s also grieving and doesn’t have the luxury of replacing her mum like he did as a wife, he forgets her birthday and brings back another woman ON her birthday. I know what grief is like and it’s different for everyone but don’t give me that crap of ‘they’d want me to be happy’ because no, you can derive happiness by moving on through different ways, not by trying to find a new sex buddy. Anyway, the FL constantly playing her father’s neglectful behaviour off as normal annoyed me. I think it’s also because in my culture, we believe in soul mates and how marriage is a union between two people and if that person dies then you try and move on with your family not just replace them. So my cultural perspective on this book did not help the start of it and I was so ready to put it down, but decided to pull through since I hadn’t gotten to the romance yet and I was soooo excited for it.

Yeah, about that. There is none.

Poor Lord Archer. He’s a victim in all this, so kind but being played like a fiddle by literally everyone—no one has a moral compass in this book, especially not the FL. For a heroine you think she would but she literally helps her awful bitch of a cousin (whom she hates so makes less sense) in covering up her affair with no thought of Lord Archer who was insanely kind to her and welcomed her into his home. The least she could have done was refused to play a puppet and told him—instead she just lets it all happen and then has the gall to ‘think’ guilty. She’s just as bad as her cousin, and even describes her cheating on her husband as a ‘temporary lapse’ like no, she’s been doing this for a while, and she admitted it, too. The FL was awful and just let the ML walk all over her—and good thing he does, cos she’s an idiot.

Oh, and she had the perfect opportunity to call her cousin out for the horrible wife she is (she seriously wanted to get away with everything with no consequence + her husband’s money, absolutely disgusting if she did. I wouldn’t know cos I DNF’d this god awful book right after this scene) when his older sister found about the tryst, and instead TAKES THE BLOODY FUCKING FALL.

Make it make sense.

I hated everyone except Sir John and Lord Archer. The ML is also what every other 1 star review describes. Not worth my time.

Not bothering to read another Dorothy Mack book ever again.

[Carmen Du Toit · Rating 4 out of 5]

So...you know those books where you read the last page and just go "huh?"

That was me, for well, most of the book actually.

It's a beautifully written love triangle with beautifully written characters that I loved to hate and hated to love. I giggled, I cried and more than once I wanted to physically assault perfect little cousin Deidre until she was a bloody, pulpy mess. I'll probably have a strong dislike for any person with that name that I come across now.

Now, onto my opinions (that you probably didn't ask for):

The MC is shy and emotionally reserved on the outside as she does her best to hide the turbulence of her emotions under the surface (can't we all relate to that fun little scene where she sees "Apollo" for the first time in 5 years?) It's a bit sad how her vivacious energy as a 15 year old is curbed into a genteel lady that rarely shows anything even resembling a spine for the first portion of the story. Later on, one starts to glimpse a little of her old spunk, but it mostly withers in response to her cousins animosity and the antipathy of her childhood love.
Her character arc is a bit two dimensional, as I feel that they could have had her exploring her feelings for "Apollo" a bit more, especially at the end, but I'm glad she "got the guy", so to speak (Up yours, Deidre.)

"Apollo" was a treat, and I don't know of it's the toxicity of modern romance, but the whole enemies-to-lovers trope has always had a way of wrenching on my emotions. I was crushing really hard... until I really wasn't. To be fair, it's difficult to write a character's change-of-heart in such a way that holds true to their original personality while still satisfying all of our romantic sensibilities, but the last 60 pages or so just felt so flat. At least I could have some fun with my little fantasies of an Achilles-like being traipsing about the English countryside on his dashing steed, wishing I could have been in Belinda's enviable position.

I would definitely read this again (for the upteenth time), but with each re-read I'm afraid that my own infatuation with "Apollo and Flower Face's" love story will lose its luster. The story is quaint and enjoyable, but it really couldn't hold a candle against the Regency greats.

4/5 ☆☆☆☆

[Boadicea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kind of an odd book, it's like a romance with no romance.
So Belinda gets kissed at 15 by a soldier who goes off to war. 5 years later they meet again, unfortunately he remembers her not at all, and is her married cousin's lover. He's rude, obnoxious ad sneery, the cousin is cruel and spiteful and Belinda more or less takes it.
Cousin and hero get caught in a compromising position, Belinda pretends it was her to save her cousin and is practically forced into marrying hero.
They spilt up, she goes off to ex governess, he goes back to war, remembers that he met heroine, falls out of love with cousin, heroine and cousin's husband hear him reject cousin, everyone lives happily ever after (except presumably cousin and husband).
It was nice, I liked the heroine, but would you marry someone to save your despised cousin? Especially someone with no principles, who seems to hate you.
And what of the cousin's poor husband? He deserved so much better than Deidre who seems to have no redeeming qualities whatsoever.
It's an ok book, but there's precious little in the way of a story, and of a romance and the author seems to use the most pretentious, flowery language possible to say in 100 words what she could have said in 10. It's just not very memorable.

[Martha B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

What can I say? It checked many boxes. The heroine was infatuated with the H’s good looks. In her defense she was fifteen when she met him and built teenage dreams around him. When she met him again five years later the H was infatuated with heroine’s spoiled beautiful cousin and the heroine soon was disenchanted. I still didn’t understand why she let herself be manipulated by the evil cousin instead to let her crash and burn🔥
The H was resentful and cruel to the her for the large part of the story. She heard his unflattering comments about herself. He didn’t even remember at first that he met her before.
The writing was good but dragging a little in the end. The book was hard to put down. I liked that the heroine didn’t take H’s crap. In the end they grew into loving each other but it took time.

[Andy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this book up at my local used bookstore because I thought it sounded like it would be right up my alley and it was for the most part. I loved Belinda and eventually liked Anthony. The reason for them being forced to become betrothed felt a little farcical but that's regency romance for you. One of my critiques though was that the setup took a really long time and them actually having to deal with being man and wife was only in the last 25% of the book. I would much rather it be at least 50-50. Because I love that part of these types of books. Once they got there, I really loved Belinda and Anthony's relationship and how they strove to get to know each other and then grew to love one another. I quite enjoyed Dorothy Mack's writing and hope to read more by her.

[JANET SMITH · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely story

Another wonderful , well written book by Dorothy Mack.
What a sweet young lady Belinda was, who at the age of 15years met and fell in love with Anthony Wainwright, only to find that 5 years later he hadn't remembered her and was intent on having a liaison with her spiteful wretch of a cousin Dierdre who was married to an older unassuming Viscount Archer. As the story evolved things didn't turn out as planned by the couple and Belinda was left covering for her unfaithful cousin, in not a too happy marriage with Wainwright. The ending was sweet but perhaps not for Lord Archer.
I would thoroughly recommend this book.

[Swati Pant · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved the prologue of this book, it reminded me of the opening of The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever (which I love)! I thought this would be an interesting read based on the pluckiness and feistiness of the teenage heroine. Alas, the heroine had a personality transplant from the first chapter onwards and became one of the most helpless, idiotic, and pushover heroines of all times. It was sheer torture to finish this book!

[Darien · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book to be just what I was looking for at the time - more of an exploration of the period social structure and relationships. Low conflict, only a small amount of melodrama, and the heroine had a strong sense of self worth and was smart and empathetic. The initially unlikable hero was suitably redeemed and I felt the establishment of their relationship was realistic and relatable.

This regency, like the others I have read by Dorothy Mack, heavily emphasize character development and interactions. Most of the drama results from conflicts between societal values and expectations for people of different socio-economic strata, and repression of personal expression considered necessary for proper relationships.

[Inés · Rating 4 out of 5]

An entertaining traditional regency. There's a marriage of convenience, but not from the beginning and not in the usual way, so quite original there. The male protagonist is really disagreeable for half of the book which, even if I didn't quite buy the reason/excuse for his temporary transformation into a despicable person, shows the ability of the author. And I really mean it, because despite all this, in the end I was happy when everything turned out well, with him completely redeemed and the couple happily in love.

[Golden Time · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tho it was a nice story and ending I am really annoyed at how Tony treated Belinda at the beginning until their wedding. I hate him a lot for a fool he was. He's still besotted yo Belinda's cousin until the day they wed.

I wanted Diedbrgebej (whatever her name is) to suffer because I don't think her husband deserve her repeatedly cuckolding him in the future.

[Tmstprc · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very nice heroine, a less than honorable hero and a despicable cousin makes this traditionally styled Regency very readable.

The heroine has a backbone, the hero returns from war a more honorable man and the cousin’s husband knows she can’t be trusted. The only thing that could have improved it would have been seeing the cousin’s comeuppance.