Series: The Enchantresses #5
Published by Paullett Golden on March 12, 2021
Genres: Fiction, Romance, General, Historical Romance
Pages: 378
Format: eBook
Source: ARC
Goodreads
Some love matches begin with marriage.Hazel Trethow is infatuated with a notorious rake despite her father's plans to betroth her to the heir of a wealthy barony. Her scheming to find a love match for her dearest friend and herself turns into a scandal that could ruin them both.Harold Hobbs returns home from business in India with a plan to save his family from ruin. He does not anticipate his father's plot to wed him to Miss Trethow. When he meets his intended, sparks fly.This is the love story of Hazel and Harold as they find love in the most unlikely of places.
I’ve been in love with Hazel since The Earl and the Enchantress and I was so excited to finally delve into her story. Its important to note that this is more of a prologue to the Enchantresses as it details Hazel’s marriage to Harold, Walter’s father. Hazel is a bright eyed, young, and very naïve 17 year old dreaming of love-matches and enticing a kiss from the beau she has set her mind on.
I ADORE Walter so it doesn’t surprise me that I love Harold. His special blend of rigid responsibility and gooey cinnamon-y, inner-romantic was just… *chef’s kiss*. Add in a secret hobby? I love it. He hasn’t reached his majority, I believe he is 20, so he is stuck in this impossible position of having to obey his father’s greedy financial machinations that are ruining the estate. I found myself so incredibly stressed by that story device as I am fiercely protective of Hazel and the threat of not having a HEA (even though logically I knew it had to happen) had me baring my teeth.
Harold and Hazel are tooth-achingly sweet together once they settled in and understood each other more. I loved how palpable and relatable the early times were. Those early days in a relationship where you are completely smitten and desperate to spend every minute with each other.
I am a greedy reader and wish we had seen more of the small moments that led to both falling head over heels in love. After all, they were essentially strangers when they married! In particular, I would have loved to see Hazel meeting tenants and seeing her try on the typical responsibilities that Nana was attempting to teach her. Even with that complaint, the romance felt authentic even as a whirlwind.
I have spent the last 2.5 years waiting for this book and I am so pleased that Golden gave Hazel her time to shine. She is such a fantastic character and she absolutely deserved this sweet, swoon-worthy romance. This was completely different from how I expected Golden to approach this particular HEA but I am so pleased with the end result! This is the one book I can say out of the story stands-alone but I do recommend continuing on with the rest of the series as well!
**I voluntarily read and reviewed a review copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Giveaway
March 13-19
Prizes: autographed book of choice from any of Golden’s books; autographed Heir paperback; free Kindle/ebook download of any of Golden’s books including Heir; swag (magnet, bookmark, autographed bookplate)
About Paullett Golden
Paullett Golden is a Houston, Texas native who now divides her time between Northumberland, England and her hometown. She has been a university professor for over 20 years. When an oncologist told her she had three months to live, she decided it was time to fulfill her dream of being a novelist. After defying the odds, she now focuses her attention on her writing. Her debut novel has hit the Amazon bestseller list multiple times and has won a Reader Views Literary Award.
She loves historical fiction of all kinds as a way to transport us to a different time and place. All research comes from authentic resources of the time and from scholarly and peer-reviewed articles from researchers specializing in the time. Though she may take liberties with the fictional aspects, she does aim for the fiction to reflect the mores, culture, laws, and environment of the time. When not writing, she can be found in her butterfly garden or on a race track.
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