The Belle of Belgrave Square [Book Review] #BlogTour @AustenProse #bookblogger #NetGalley #HistoricalRomance @BerkleyRomance

The Belle of Belgrave Square is a page-turning Victorian Romance with Beauty and the Beast vibes.

The Belle of Belgrave Square by Mimi Matthews

Genre/Categories/Setting: Historical Romance Fiction, Victorian Romance, Women’s Fiction, Family Drama, England

*This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

My Summary:

Welcome to my stop on the Blog Tour for The Belle of Belgrave Square by @MimiMatthewsEsq. Thank you #NetGalley @BerkleyRomance @AustenProse #AustenProsePR for a complimentary e ARC of #TheBelleOfBelgraveSquare upon my request. All opinions are my own.

***As part of the Blog Tour, enter a fabulous giveaway on Mimi’s blog here.***

Julia is beautiful, socially awkward, loves reading and horses, and has a sizeable dowry, Her medically fragile parents desire to make a match for her but they are controlling and want her to live near them because she is their primary caregiver. Julia dislikes the older gentleman her parents have selected as suitable. While riding her horse, she “happens” to meet Captain Jasper Blunt, a notorious military hero.

My Thoughts:

Do you love an independent woman who takes a risk to determine her own life?

An Agreement and A Secret

Julia and Jasper are desperate for different reasons. Julia faces an undesirable marriage and Jasper needs Julia’s dowry. Their desperation is further complicated because an attraction between them simmers. Because of Jasper’s reputation as a ruthless military captain, Julia has serious doubts about him. However, they decide on a marriage of convenience…..with RULES. Julia negotiates for reading and riding horses anytime she wants with no interference from him. Jasper needs her money and a mother for his three illegitimate children and insists that his personal library/office is strictly off limits to her. She is never to enter and never ask questions about his work in there. Yes, Julia will avoid an unpleasant marriage (and Jasper is attractive) and Jasper will provide a mother for his children and gain a dowry, but can this marriage survive his secret life? What about his reputation? It certainly doesn’t jive with the person she has come to know. What is really going on with him? Does this marriage of convenience have a chance for a HEA?

Likable Characters and The Mysterious Jasper

I always adore likable characters, and I love the idea of Julia and Jasper. But who is Jasper and what is he up to? This mystery drives the action in a page-turning story. Can we trust him? Should Julia trust him?

Recommending The Belle of Belgrave Square

Beauty and the Beast meets Marriage of Convenience meets Victorian Romance meets Bridgerton without the steam meets a side of Mystery. I’m recommending this heartfelt story for fans of historical (closed door) romance fiction. I predict that you’ll be invested in the romance and the mystery. An engaging weekend escapist read and a great selection for book clubs.

My Rating: 5 Stars

The Belle of BElgrave Square by Mimi Matthews (cover) Image: a graphic picture of a woman in a long blue gown sitting on a blue bench reading a book....a black horse stands behind the bench and with its head turned toward the woman

More Information Here

Meet the Author of The Belle of Belgrave Square, Mimi Matthews

USA Today bestselling author Mimi Matthews writes both historical nonfiction and award-winning Victorian romances, including The Siren of Sussex, a 2023 RUSA Reading List shortlist pick for Best Romance; Fair as a Star, a Library Journal Best Romance of 2020; Gentleman Jim, a Kirkus Best Book of 2020; and The Work of Art, winner of the 2020 HOLT Medallion and a 2021 Daphne du Maurier Award nominee. Mimi’s novels have received starred reviews in Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, Booklist, Kirkus, and Shelf Awareness, and her articles have been featured on the Victorian Web, the Journal of Victorian Culture, and in syndication at BUST Magazine.

In her other life, Mimi is an attorney. She resides in California with her family, which includes a retired Andalusian dressage horse, a Sheltie, and two Siamese cats. To learn more, please visit http://www.MimiMatthews.com

QOTD:

Do you love Victorian historical romance?

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