This is a fast-paced, quick-witted romp through a Regency-era social season that is anything but stiff and stodgy. Drusilla Clare is a crusader for progressive social causes, a feminist before feminists were cool, and resolutely anti-marriage. Gabriel Marlington is handsome, popular with the ladies, and gives Drusilla the perfect foil for verbal jousting anytime their paths cross. The sparks fly between them until they find themselves in a predicament that leads the two commitment-phobes to a hasty engagement and marriage. This sets up the real story--the internal conflict each feels when trying to reconcile the head with the heart, and the struggle to learn to trust each other in order to save their marriage and their future in the face of a common enemy.
As this is a romance, there is also a slow-burn seduction taking place throughout the book. Drusilla is the inexperienced lover, but she has a lot to teach Gabriel about loving an independent woman, and the ups and downs of this hot-and-cold pair provide romantic tension throughout. I enjoyed the thrill of discovery between the newlyweds--there was plenty of passion to uncover within this marriage of convenience. I did find myself frustrated at times with the couple's inability to communicate, when both were having similar feelings but refused to just put it out there and say what they felt to each other, leading to hurt feelings and misunderstandings--but isn't that typical of marriage sometimes? There is a mystery going on underneath this romance story, which helps drive the story forward and into the next book in the series, but I was mostly drawn in and held captive by the relationship between Dru and Gabriel, and the way each has to try to resolve long-held beliefs and cultural norms with growing emotions in order to grow as individuals and as partners.
Not to be forgotten is a colorful cast of supporting characters, some of whom seem to have interesting stories of their own waiting to be told. Since this is the first book of the Rebels of the Ton series, I expect that Minerva Spencer will have more to share about these characters, and I can't wait to see what happens next!
I really enjoyed this book and couldn't put it down. Thank you to Kensington Publishing and Bookish First for the advance copy!
As this is a romance, there is also a slow-burn seduction taking place throughout the book. Drusilla is the inexperienced lover, but she has a lot to teach Gabriel about loving an independent woman, and the ups and downs of this hot-and-cold pair provide romantic tension throughout. I enjoyed the thrill of discovery between the newlyweds--there was plenty of passion to uncover within this marriage of convenience. I did find myself frustrated at times with the couple's inability to communicate, when both were having similar feelings but refused to just put it out there and say what they felt to each other, leading to hurt feelings and misunderstandings--but isn't that typical of marriage sometimes? There is a mystery going on underneath this romance story, which helps drive the story forward and into the next book in the series, but I was mostly drawn in and held captive by the relationship between Dru and Gabriel, and the way each has to try to resolve long-held beliefs and cultural norms with growing emotions in order to grow as individuals and as partners.
Not to be forgotten is a colorful cast of supporting characters, some of whom seem to have interesting stories of their own waiting to be told. Since this is the first book of the Rebels of the Ton series, I expect that Minerva Spencer will have more to share about these characters, and I can't wait to see what happens next!
I really enjoyed this book and couldn't put it down. Thank you to Kensington Publishing and Bookish First for the advance copy!