I have been being reading all of Mimi Matthews books in the last few weeks. I read her holiday book, A Holiday by Gaslight, last fall/winter and loved it but just didn’t get around to reading her other books.
Flash forward to the spring, I was asked by a longtime blogger friend if I would participate in the book tour for Matthews latest book, The Work of Art. I was so glad to put this book on my calendar and looked forward to reading it.
I burned through it and then was left wanting more Matthews! Since then I have read the two books in her Parish Orphans of Devon series, and decided to read her other two independent books immediately following.
Summary
A WORLD-WEARY RAKE
After years of unbridled debauchery, Tristan Sinclair, Viscount St. Ashton has hit proverbial rock bottom. Seeking to escape his melancholy, he takes refuge at one of Victorian society’s most notorious house parties. As the Christmas season approaches, he prepares to settle in for a month of heavy drinking…until an unexpected encounter changes his plans—and threatens his heart.
A PRIM VICAR’S DAUGHTER
Valentine March is not the drab little spinster she appears to be. When her new job as a lady’s companion lands her smack in the middle of Yorkshire with England’s most infamous rake, she resolves to keep her head down and her eyes fixed firmly on her future—a future which most definitely does not include a sinfully handsome viscount.
A MATCH MADE IN SCANDAL
A friendship is impossible. An affair out of the question. But when one reckless act binds them together, will two star-crossed souls discover there’s more to each other than meets the eye? Or will revelations from the past end their fragile romance before it begins? (summary from Goodreads).
Review
This book is one of her earlier novels and it’s so cool to see how her writing has grown and matured since this book. While this book was a fast read (read it in one sitting as it’s only 200 ish pages) and a fun diversion, I don’t know that I liked the characters as much as I did in her other books, not because of who they were independently, but as how they came together.
I actually thought that the book needed to be longer to redeem Tristan and have him prove his worth to Valentine. I loved Tristan’s character and loved that he was sardonic and kind of a bad boy, but I felt that Valentine was too innocent for him and I was just as unsure of his feelings for her as she was. I think the story needed more time to evolve and the characters grown into each other.
This book was more of a novella length and I think it might have worked better if the characters had a history together in some way. I still find it captivating and well written, but I just think the characters needed more time together to cement the idea of their romance and love.
While I might not have loved the characters or their story as much as I have loved her other books, I still loved the writing quality and the snappy, humorous dialogue. She has truly got a way with words and a wonderful gift for creating steamy scenes while keeping them clean. She does a great ob building chemistry and sexual tension between her characters and I thought that was spot on, but just needed a little more length to cement the love part of their sexual attraction.
Overall this was a good story and I simply love Matthews books! I can’t wait to read more books by her in the future! I have been highly recommending all of her books to everyone I meet! She’s a fantastic romance writer!
Book Info and Rating
WHERE TO BUY (AFFILIATE LINKS)
The Lit Bitch 