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A Wife for the Blacksmith

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He has no intention of letting his greatest desire slip through his fingers…

Grace had almost given up hope, resigning herself to a life of misery with her wastrel husband John, until one day he gets himself so deep in trouble he has to flee the village to escape his debts. Grace can’t bear the thought of life on the run, so she makes a daring suggestion… Auction her off in the town square and use the blunt to fund his escape. And Grace is more than willing to flip the coin of fate for a life free of John’s cruelty.

Gerald, the silent, grouchy Blacksmith, never imagined he would have a chance to win a wife. But, when his secret obsession is put on the auction block in the middle of the village market, he knows he will pay any cost to have her… He has been watching the lovely Grace for years, as she suffered under the vicious hand of her good-for-nothing husband. Although it nearly killed him, Gerald held himself back, waiting for his chance.

He might be more brawn and muscle than brains, but now that Grace is his, Gerald intends to show her just how a real man should treat his woman. Preferably by filling her all night long, over and over again… until she has no doubt she is the queen of his heart.

63 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 2, 2022

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Viola Grey

27 books107 followers

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5 stars
285 (34%)
4 stars
296 (35%)
3 stars
197 (23%)
2 stars
42 (5%)
1 star
18 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 104 reviews
Profile Image for Isabella. R.
1,007 reviews2,253 followers
July 5, 2023
4 You Take Me So Well Stars ⭐

I generally do not give historical romances a second glance. But Vikings, cavemen, blacksmiths, I can't resist. And let me tell you, for a novella this was really good! Sweet and steamy, low drama and just lovely to read; it was the perfect combination.

It anyone in this village could protect her, keep her safe, it might just be this man.

Married to a man that abuses her, it's her suggestion to be sold to pay his debts. However when Gareth the blacksmith buys her, Grace doesn't know what to do with herself.

With kindness and gentleness, Gareth shows Grace how wives should be treated. And now that he has the women he has coveted for years, he can't wait to claim her as a husband should! 🔥🔥
Profile Image for Rain.
2,703 reviews21 followers
June 29, 2023
*3.5* A fun little novella about a blacksmith and his purchased bride.

“I want to do such wicked things to you. I’m not fit to be your husband.”
Profile Image for MG *Bury Me with My Kindle.. & a REALLY Long Charger*.
588 reviews785 followers
May 28, 2023
3 - 3.5 stars

This was a quick and very steamy story about a woman so desperate to escape an abusive marriage that she suggests her husband sell her so he can have enough money to get away from the people he owes money to (which is a perpetual situation). It was a little inconsistent here bc she is the one that suggested and even wanted to be sold, but she kind of acts like it is another degrading thing her husband is doing to her. Anyway, the man that buys her is the local blacksmith that has secretly always wanted her. From there, it gets hot and heavy pretty quickly and there is less story and more sexy times, but the parts of the story that were there were very sweet, and the steam was hot.

Overall, a VERY steamy quick and enjoyable read.
Profile Image for Gloria.
1,231 reviews141 followers
August 8, 2024
Raunchy sex scenes tied together with a thin storyline that had the potential to be touching if the author had put as much effort into writing a story as she did writing who licked who where.
Profile Image for emtee .
241 reviews124 followers
January 25, 2024
Smokin hot *and* feels… the very best combination!

Loved Gerald, the big, braw blacksmith who treated Grace with such amazing tenderness.

Gerald was determined to go slowly, not frighten her with the force of his need for her. Especially in light of her reactions to his lovemaking. It was clear the woman had never experienced real pleasure at the hands of another before, and the thought made his heart ache in a way that made him want to lavish her with tender affection, make up for every bad thing that had ever happened in her life. Show her all the ways he could make her fall apart in his arms as he pumped her full of his seed. But, slowly, Grace had started to open up and Gerald sensed her trust in him growing with each passing day. It made him realise that there was nothing he would not do to catch the glimpse of a smile on her delicate face. He sighed again, nuzzling his face into the soft silk of her hair as he acknowledged just how little he had to offer her, compared to what she deserved. He would do his best though, he decided. Starting tomorrow, he vowed to make her smile for him every day for the rest of their life together.
Profile Image for RLbooks (in and out).
1,048 reviews528 followers
February 22, 2023
3.5 stars

This was a very steamy and actually pretty sweet historical novella. Grace (h) has been abused by her husband and in a last awful moment, she convinces him to auction her in town. Gerald (H) is the blacksmith who's secretly mooned over her and he bids on her. Gerald was so quiet with a tender side, but also, uh, very hands on. Written in third person, dual POV. No ow drama, some om drama from the deadbeat husband, and neither were virgins (although H's history isn't given and there is a part that almost made it sound like he hadn't been with anyone else, it just didn't seem likely).

I liked how Grace had time to adjust after ending up in a new home and uncertain situation, but she figures out quickly that Gerald's not like her deadbeat of a former husband. He goes out of his way for her and shows her how he cares. There's a bit of breeding kink too. Even knowing this was going to be a short erotica, I still wanted more, but I liked what was here. The ending is HFN but they're in love and it's implied HEA, it's just been a short time.

Trigger warnings: domestic abuse and mention of a miscarriage
Profile Image for Tenley.
409 reviews61 followers
June 23, 2023
So, this is a historical romance novella that I really enjoyed. You blink and the story is over it's so short, but it is well written. And for all the fans of sexy/dirty times (🙋‍♀️), this book does not disappoint.

This is easily an author I would read again. Free on KU!
Profile Image for romancelibrary.
1,405 reviews594 followers
May 31, 2023
Grace refuses to flee the village with her abusive husband to escape his debts. Instead, she convinces her husband to auction her off in the town square, believing that anything is better than being on the run with her terrible husband. In a surprising turn of events, the grumpy blacksmith Gerald buys Grace.

This super sweet and super steamy novella is exactly what I needed. Gerald is sooooo sweet to Grace 🥺 He's exactly the type of man she needed in her life. His unrequited love is the cherry on top 🥺 We've got "my wife" energy and dirty talk in this novella, and I love to see it 🫡
Profile Image for ToriLovesHea’s.
541 reviews93 followers
July 21, 2023
Ugh what an absolutely delightful 66 pages. A woman sold by her garbage can husband in a wife auction to the village blacksmith (who’s been in love with her forever) finally getting the love, care, and attention she deserves?? This squeezed my heart in the best way! I mean. I’m giving 5 stars to a man named Gerald so you know I loved it HA.

Just incredibly sweet. He’s so gentle and so protective and just makes her feel safe. 🥹 He’s like a big, giant teddy bear that would fuck shit up for his wife and literally what more could you want?

Bonus bonus bonus points for the S T E A M Y sex scenes! Yum.

CW: brief mentions of spousal abuse/domestic violence, brief mentions of miscarriage (historic, not detailed, off page), an asshole getting curb stomped as he deserves
Profile Image for Leigh.
1,407 reviews327 followers
July 28, 2023
A Wife For The Blacksmith was a short and sweet read. Grace lives a miserable life with her husband John. Not only is he a gambler, but he's also abusive and treats his wife poorly. One evening John rushes home to collect his wife and leave town because he owes money to some very bad men. Grace exhausted and not too eager to leave with her husband decides to try and talk him into selling her so he can get money and leave town. John agrees and while humiliated in front of their village she prays for this to work. Gerald is the towns Blacksmith and has longed for Grace from the moment he laid eyes on her, so he doesn't hesitate to come forward to buy his new bride. I loved this book and while it's way too short I loved Gerald and Grace together. He was so sweet to her, and I love how he ignited her passion. My only complaint is that I wish there was at least an Epilogue with a baby.
Profile Image for Amanda books_ergo_sum.
677 reviews93 followers
July 20, 2023
A 66 page historical romance set in 1785 with a secretly pining, big-donged, “you take me so well,” breeding kink blacksmith Daddy?

I’m giving it five stars, dammit!
Profile Image for Bluestockings Read.
201 reviews212 followers
October 14, 2024
It was so refreshing to find a historical romance in the sea of KU insta novellas!

Oddly, this reminded me of Gallows Pole - albeit with less angst and more consent. We've got peasants in the 1700's, FMCs being "sold" in marriage, taciturn goliaths with hidden hearts of gold, and "cold start" sex scenes that heat up fast.

A 62-page/~15k story isn't meant to be complex, but this still had good balance between plot, character, and steam. And it should be a 5⭐ for me, except two sentences that nearly made me DNF:



I'll try more from this author, because if not for those two lines this would've been a rave review.
Profile Image for Andria Potter.
Author 2 books97 followers
September 1, 2022
This was an excellent short read. Great characters and steamy romance this receives all the stars!
Profile Image for DancingMarshmallow.
532 reviews
August 22, 2023
Overall: 4.5 stars

You know what? This was delightful. It doesn’t sound like it would be that good, what with the silly title and all, but it is.

We’ve got a big burly blacksmith cinnamon roll man and a strong woman who’s been beaten down by life and just wants to be loved: what more do you want? There’s lots of lovely little historical details and some nice character arcs: on the shorter side, of course, but impressive considering that this is a novella.

Also there’s giving of relevant, emotional gifts as a love language and I LOVE that.

Heck, this is going on my favorites shelf. I’dve loved to have seen a full length novel version of this, but for what this is, it’s glorious
387 reviews7 followers
June 9, 2024
Short and sweetly smutty. Gerald is a gem of a man who saves Grace from an abusive marriage when he buys her from sleaze ball John. Gerald is never snide and always a kind loving protector. 🔥🔥🔥❤️❤️😙Grace is healed in a wonderfully smutty way 😀
Profile Image for carmine.
249 reviews58 followers
July 17, 2023
Just what I needed after having shitty luck with contemporary romances lately. This was short and sweet and definitely filled with instalove but for once, I let that slide because the romance was endearing for a 63-page novella.

Special thanks to Jana for lending me a copy 🩷
Profile Image for Kelly.
655 reviews20 followers
December 5, 2022
4.5/5

Wow, this novella was STEAAAAMY. 🙌🏻 I have another novella (or maybe it’s a full-length novel…?) by this author on my Kindle Unlimited waiting to be read, and I dare say I won’t be waiting long to read it because wow did this deliver.

Would I have loved a bit more character development/personality in general? Sure, but for the length of this novella I think Viola Grey did a fantastic job of setting the scene and delivering some smouldering moments. (And also, the people who are looking to read this are looking for steam, so it’s ok that our three characters were pretty basic and not as nuanced. Viola delivered on her promise in spades. 💁🏼‍♀️😍)
Profile Image for Arenia.
374 reviews26 followers
July 9, 2023
Short, sexy, and sweet

Wow this really hit the spot. Big, gruff, and secretly sweet man pampers a girl who’s had a not-so-great couple of years? Love it. Little bit of breeding kink in the end and definite fast burn
Profile Image for makayla ❀.
202 reviews28 followers
March 18, 2026
the only thing i could think about while reading this is how much they stink
Profile Image for Petra.
410 reviews38 followers
Did Not Finish
June 29, 2023
Gave this short book a try but definitely not for me. It didn’t make sense.
Profile Image for guiltless pleasures.
610 reviews71 followers
September 6, 2023
Plenty of depth to this considering it’s only 66 pages. Sweet, sad and scorching. Lots of sex scenes that manage not to feel egregious considering its length. Gerald is such a gooey-hearted bloke.
Profile Image for Eliza.
712 reviews62 followers
July 26, 2023
Well aren't these spicy little reads...
Profile Image for SheLove2Read.
3,159 reviews212 followers
September 13, 2025
2 stars if I'm being generous. It's not that the writing sucked because in itself it was fine, it's so MANY little things that add up.

- WAY WAY too short for the story/resolution
- domestic violence the MMC witnessed and did nothing about for literal YEARS
- insta-lust and sex scenes that were too graphic and lent nothing to the storytelling

Profile Image for Kate V.
1,904 reviews388 followers
June 28, 2023
3.5 stars!

A Wife for the Blacksmith may have been less than 100 pages but it didn't lack in plot or steam. It almost felt like I read a longer story. It was a low angst, sweet and steamy story about a woman that is desperately trying to get away from an abusive marriage and a blacksmith that has longed for her since the day he set his eyes on her.

When Grace's low life husband sells her to pay off his debts, Gareth eagerly steps in to make the woman of his dreams his. Grace is unsure of what is expected of her in this new marriage but Gareth has no problem showing and showering her with all the love and affection she deserves.

"It was clear the woman had never experienced real pleasure at the hands of another before, and the thought made his heart ache in a way that made him want to lavish her with tender affection, make up for every bad thing that had ever happened in her life. Show her all the ways he could make her fall apart in his arms as he pumped her full of his seed."


I really enjoyed this little novella and will definitely read more from this author. Thanks for the recommendation Isabella!
Profile Image for kat.
624 reviews242 followers
January 8, 2025
4 stars | a wife for the blacksmith 💌
If we had been given a full length novel instead of a novella, this would have been an easy five stars. I just needed more. more of grace and gerald building a life together, more of gerald caring for grace with such tenderness. dear viola, please come back and give us more of their story.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 104 reviews