A lifetime of duty.
Widowed at just seven-and-twenty from her marriage of convenience, Eliza, now Countess of Somerset, is bequethed a fortune, hers to keep – provided she can steer clear of scandal.
The promise of love.
The last thing she expects is to be torn between two very different men – a face from the past, whose loss she’s always mourned, and a rougish poet, who scorns convention.
A taste of freedom.
But a lady’s reputation is fragile and with jealous eyes on Eliza’s fortune, it will take only one whisper of gossip for her to lose it all….
I went to Waterstones last week with the absolute intention of picking up a book for a friends birthday, and absolutely nothing else. I had a list of books to choose from that she’d rather helpfully written and even went straight to a helpful assistant to find them rather than risk browsing the bookshelves unsupervised to find them myself. That way danger lies, and I was determined not to buy myself any new books until I’d read what I already had at home.
So I bought this great new book.
I ran myself a steaming hot bubble bath with a big chunky candle – the sort with multiple wicks that smells really good, with a nice cold drink on the side and settled in to read all about Eliza and her new-found freedom.
I really enjoyed this book, particularly because of the character development of Eliza and how it reflects lessons that many women have to learn as they get more experience. There are many points during the book where Eliza has the choice between something that she wants to do, and what is deemed proper/ polite/ customary, and throughout the story Eliza makes decisions that fall on both sides of this divide. The fascinating thing for me was watching her grow into someone who actually thinks about when this matters, when it doesn’t, and when to live life for yourself or for others. On the one hand she is a rich, independent woman who can, to a degree, do as she chooses. However she is also a young woman whose family have been accustomed to making her choices for her (more enthusiastically than ever since she became rich), and she is accustomed to doing what they tell her to.
This is complicated for her personally because of the ‘morality clause’ attached to her new-found fortune. The continuation of her status as a rich woman is dependent on her ‘bringing no dishonour on the Somerset family name’, with the new Earl being the one to decide whether this has happened or not. In an age when women’s independence was viewed as scandalous, who is to say what dishonour means? When gossip can ruin a womens reputation, whether it be founded or not, how can a woman walk the line between being true to herself and not being the object of gossip? This was a large part of what I found engaging about this book, and watching Eliza grow into a woman who walks that line (or not) in the company of Bath’s most fine and fabulous.
The frivolous side of me was thrilled by the more material aspects of the book – after all, what woman with a new, near unlimited, fortune doesn’t splash out a bit on the good things in life? If I’m honest with myself, and you, I enjoyed this part of the book just as much as I enjoyed the character development. Eliza has good taste, and her responses to the people around her in the book only become more satisfying as things progress. I have to confess to not being totally on board with all of choices near the very end, but while I may not have gone quite as far I find myself unable to disagree completely.
It is advertised as being something that bridges between Austen and Bridgerton, which I think has its fair points. There is plenty of observation on the characters of others, plenty of interpersonal conflict and a plucky enough heroine to satisfy the Austen fans while being frivolous and borderline scandelous enough to satisfy the Bridgerton fans (not smucky enough to be a perfect fit). I would argue that it would appeal to both audiences, but calling it a perfect bridge between the two would not be a fair statement.
Overall I have a new book to add to the favourites pile, and have gleefully recommended this book to my Sister In Law immediately upon completion. For those who love a little frivolous escapism, please do enjoy.
If you like this you may also enjoy;
Book Review: Lessons In Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
Becky's Book Blog 