At Christmas, I had the privilege of reading Mimi Matthews’ holiday novella, Holiday by Gaslight, and absolutely adored it. I read it in like one sitting and often thought about what a great story it was.
I wanted desperately to pick up her other books, but that the time I just couldn’t fit them in. Since then she has become a USA Today Best Selling Author, and I continue to see people raving about her books all over my social media.
When this book came up for review, I didn’t have room for it, but I knew I just had to work it in somehow. I remembered reading the holiday book so quickly that I hoped that would be the case for this one. Boy am I glad I made room for this one, even though I had to aggressively read a few of my other books, working this one in was absolutely worth it!
Summary
An Uncommon Beauty…
Hidden away in rural Devonshire, Phyllida Satterthwaite has always been considered more odd than beautiful. But in London, her oddity has made her a sensation. Far worse, it’s caught the eye of the sinister Duke of Moreland–a notorious art collector obsessed with acquiring one-of-a-kind treasures. To escape the duke’s clutches, she’s going to need a little help.
An Unlikely Hero…
Captain Arthur Heywood’s days of heroism are long past. Grievously injured in the Peninsular War, he can no longer walk unaided, let alone shoot a pistol. What use can he possibly be to a damsel in distress? He has nothing left to offer except his good name.
Can a marriage of convenience save Philly from the vengeful duke? Or will life with Arthur put her–and her heart–in more danger than ever? (summary from Goodreads)
Review
This romance was incredibly sweet but also so believable and honest. I was 100% invested in Arthur and Philly’s storyline and romance. I couldn’t get enough of it. I thought Arthur was charming, heroic, and dashing even if he was brooding and broken at times. I thought his weaknesses, both physical and emotional, were lovable and endearing. Philly, though young and innocent, was feisty and yet tender hearted. I loved their chemistry together and could feel their love growing page by page.
The one thing I liked best about these two was their honesty. Sometimes in romances there’s a level of uncertainty between the characters, meaning it’s never clear to one party or the other what the love interests intentions are. In this book Philly and Arthur were honest about their feelings and situations upfront. It wasn’t like Philly was left in the dark about Arthur’s feelings—when she asked he would honestly tell her how he felt about her and vise versa. There was never a time when I was questioning Arthur’s commitment to Philly and I completely appreciated that.
Matthews writes with a practiced hand at romances. This was more of a sweet romance but was full of sexual and romantic tension mixed nicely with the looming threat of disaster. I couldn’t put it down and was constantly picking it up rather than doing things like chores. I didn’t want their story to end. I need every single one of her books now because I love how she writes romances. A friend of mine told me that this book was actually one of the author’s firsts but she put it in a drawer and after a couple of years her mother encouraged her to pick it up and polish it up a bit. Thank god she did because it was fantastic and truly a diamond in need of display!
Be sure to check out the other tour stops for more reviews and a giveaway opportunity!
Book Info and Rating
WHERE TO BUY (AFFILIATE LINKS)
About the Author
USA Today bestselling author Mimi Matthews (A Victorian Lady’s Guide to Fashion and Beauty, The Matrimonial Advertisement) writes both historical non-fiction and traditional historical romances set in Victorian England. Her articles on nineteenth century history have been published on various academic and history sites, including the Victorian Web and the Journal of Victorian Culture, and are also syndicated weekly at BUST Magazine. In her other life, Mimi is an attorney. She resides in California with her family, which includes an Andalusian dressage horse, two Shelties, and two Siamese cats.
For more information, please visit Mimi Matthews’ website and blog. You can also connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, BookBub, Pinterest, Google+, and Goodreads.
Blog Tour Schedule
Tuesday, July 23
Review at Bookish Rantings
Review at View from the Birdhouse
Wednesday, July 24
Review at Courtney Clark
Thursday, July 25
Review at Gwendalyn’s Books
Friday, July 26
Review at Passages to the Past
Monday, July 29
Review at Red Headed Book Lady
Tuesday, July 30
Excerpt at Faery Tales Are Real
Wednesday, July 31
Review at The Lit Bitch
Giveaway
During the Blog Tour, one winner will receive a signed copy of The Work of Art! To enter, please use the Gleam form below.
Giveaway Rules
– Giveaway ends at 11:59 pm EST on July 31st. You must be 18 or older to enter.
– Giveaway is open to the US only.
– Only one entry per household.
– All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspicion of fraud will be decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion.
– The winner has 48 hours to claim prize or a new winner is chosen.
Direct Link: https://gleam.io/competitions/Vww3q-the-work-of-art
The Lit Bitch 
Good review. 🙂 I like romance novels, and this book with it’s heartfelt romance with sexual tension might just be the one I’m looking for to end my reading slump.
I loved this one so much and so happy that you did too! Thank you for hosting Mimi’s blog tour!
Amy
HF Virtual Book Tours
Oh wow! I’m going to have to check this one out. I also got my first taste of Mimi Matthews with a Holiday by Gaslight and thoroughly enjoyed it but haven’t read any of her other books.
I absolutely LOVE her books! Can’t wait for the next one out in Oct!