ABOUT THE BOOK
He’s a carefree rake who wants a marriage of convenience.
She’s an awkward spinster who doesn’t want to marry at all.
Fate has other plans in store for them both.
Laurence enjoys his dalliances with the married ladies of society, and thinks marriage is only a matter of convenience. He’s on the lookout for a practical woman accustomed to society. Frances is an odd and awkward young woman, more at home gathering shells on the beach than in the ballrooms of London, hoping to stay a spinster forever.
When the two meet in Margate, will their initial dislike of one another turn into something important?
While Laurence finds his life growing shallow, Frances wonders if love might be worth making a bold move for. Can she find her way into Laurence’s heart, and will he undertake to love her, just the way she is?
A warm-hearted Regency romance, full of historical detail and emotional discovery, as two opposites find they might just attract. The Season has begun, the ton is gathered… who knows what the tides will bring for Laurence and Frances.
MY REVIEW
I love Ms. Addey’s stories because she doesn’t shy away from tough topics in a rigid historical setting. Pairing a neurodivergent woman with a rake is brilliant and eye-opening.
Frances is a gem. She appears to be on the autism spectrum exhibiting traits such as overstimulation to smells and patterns, crowds, and silly societal rules. Whether or not that’s the case, she’s portrayed as a blunt and determined young woman who loves to collect seashells. Contrary to her mother’s wishes, Frances plans to become a spinster and live on her own but her parents have other plans for her. It’s impossible not to wish her the best, given all the challenges she faces.
Laurence is a rake who prefers dalliances with married women, but he’s not getting any younger and he needs to produce an heir. Little did he know meeting his uncle’s odd goddaughter would change his world forever. My feelings for Laurence were mixed. One minute he was incredibly understanding and the next he was completely insensitive and clueless.
With the help of Lord Barrington’s sly matchmaking skills, Frances and Laurence go from a tolerable relationship, to friends, to a “one-sided” marriage of convenience, but tragedy strikes and plans are postponed. Laurence is suddenly a Viscount who sends Frances home and just ghosts her. WTF? He just professed his love to her and now he can’t write her a letter? With that being said, I was impressed with Laurence’s very thoughtful grand gestures to win Frances over. He actually got her.
While the ending definitely left me hanging (heavy sigh), the heartwarming moments sprinkled throughout the story really captured my attention. And don’t even get me started on the unusual characters. They’re refreshingly quirky and add a delightful flair to the story.
Grab a cup of tea, snuggle into your favorite reading nook, and immerse yourself into this whirlwind of love, miscommunication, and surprise. Trust me, it’s a journey worth taking!
Thank you to Ms. Addey for giving me the opportunity to read this book with no expectation of a positive review.
Regency Outsiders Series
1 Lady for a Season (2024) – My review
2 The Viscount’s Pearl (2025)
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
I grew up and was home educated on an Italian hill farm. I now live in London with my husband, two children and a black and white cat called Holly who enjoys the editing process as there is so much scrap paper involved.
I mainly write historical fiction, inspired by what I call ‘the footnotes of history’: forgotten stories or part-legends about interesting people and places. I have a PhD in Creative Writing, for which I wrote The Garden of Perfect Brightness and an academic thesis about balancing fact and fiction in historical fiction.
I like to move from one historical era to another, finding stories to share, like a travelling minstrel. So far I’ve been to Ancient Rome, medieval Morocco, 18th century China and Regency England. Join me on my travels: browse my books.
If you’d like to know more about me and my books, visit my website www.MelissaAddey.com where there are free novellas, book trailers, interviews, videos of research trips, info for book clubs and more.
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