The Belle of Belgrave Square by Mimi Matthews

The Belle of Belgrave Square
by Mimi Matthews

ISBN-13: 9780593337158
Paperback: 432 pages
Publisher: Berkley
Released: October 11th 2022

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Tall, dark, and dour, the notorious Captain Jasper Blunt is hailed a military hero, but tales abound of his bastard children and his haunted estate in Yorkshire. What he requires now is a rich wife to help finance the repairs to his isolated ruin, and he has his sights set on the enchanting Julia Wychwood.

For Julia, an incurable romantic cursed with a crippling social anxiety, navigating a London ballroom is absolute torture. The only time Julia feels any degree of confidence is when she’s on her horse. Unfortunately, a young lady can’t spend the whole of her life in the saddle. Her parents' choice for her future husband is much worse than Jasper, so Julia makes an impetuous decision to take her future by the reins—she proposes to Captain Blunt.

In exchange for her dowry and her hand, Jasper must promise to grant her freedom to do as she pleases. To ride—and to read—as much as she likes without masculine interference. He readily agrees to her conditions, with one provision of his own: Julia is forbidden from going into the tower rooms of his estate and snooping around his affairs. But the more she learns of her thoughtful husband, the more she realizes the many secrets that he's been hiding.


My Review:
The Belle of Belgrave Square is a romance set in 1862. This is the second book in a series, but it can be read as a standalone. Since we get both Julia's and Jasper's viewpoints, we have hints about Jasper's secrets but they come as a shock to Julia. She actually handled them quite well, disappointed at his lack of trust in her but willing to listen to why he acted as he did and not just reject him out of anger. Jasper was very supportive of her, valuing her and willing to sacrifice on her behalf. His support built her up so that she had the courage to stand up to those who had belittled her in the past.

The characters were complex and reacted realistically to events. I cared about what happened to them. The author deeply researched the time period and wove this information into the story, creating a distinct sense of time and place without slowing the pacing. There was a brief (married) sex scene, but the focus was on her emtoions rather than graphicly describing the physical part. There were some uses of bad language. Overall, I'd highly recommend this story, especially if you enjoy accurate historical aspects in your fiction.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.