Oh Mimi Matthews, you have my heart when it comes to historical romances. I absolutely love all of her books and I can’t rave about them enough.
I have been eager to read this latest installment of her Parish Orphans of Devon series for the last few weeks and finally cracked it open and as predicted, I read it in like one sitting.
I was most eager to read Alex’s story and see how his romance evolved. In the other books he is the most mysterious and I love a mysterious rogue. So yes to say this book was high on my most anticipated list is an absolute understatement.
Summary
She Needed a Husband…
It’s been three years since Laura Hayes’s father died, leaving her and her invalid brother to subsist on the income from the family’s failing perfume business. But time is swiftly running out. What she needs is a husband, and fast. A noble gentleman who can rescue them all from penury. When a mysterious stranger arrives in the village, he seems a perfect candidate. But Alex Archer is no hero. In fact, he just might be the opposite.
He Wanted a Fortune…
Alex has no tolerance for sentiment. He’s returned to England for one reason only: to find a wealthy wife. A country-bred heiress in Surrey seems the perfect target. But somewhere between the village railway station and the manor house his mercenary plan begins to unravel. And it’s all the fault of Laura Hayes—a lady as unsuitable as she is enchanting.
From the beaches of Margate to the lavender fields of Provence, a grudging friendship slowly blossoms into something more. But when scandal threatens, can a man who has spent his entire life playing the villain, finally become a hero? Or will the lure of easy riches once again outweigh the demands of his heart? (summary from Goodreads)
Review
First of all, I absolutely loved that Matthews made Alex into a fortune hunter in this book. It totally highlighted the man he had become and highlighted the villainous hints about his character in previous books. Watching him shed the layers he buried himself under for so many years was exciting to watch unfold. While I didn’t care for the way Laura and Alex met at first, I was drawn into the sparks that flew between then and I devoured the novel quickly.
This is a series you don’t have to read in order. There are other characters from previous books that pop up here and there but nothing about the other books is really given away so if you wanted to pick up this one before reading the others, you would have no problem.
Matthews does sweet romance incredibly well. There is a sweet clean-ness about the romance but there is also unmistakable heat and chemistry between the hero and heroine that is both erotic and enticing. I love how well she writes romance that isn’t erotic lit but clearly creates intense heat between her characters—that to me is talent. Anyone can write about sex, but it takes a truly talented author to bring out the intimacy and desire felt by each character without filling pages of just sex. I love how well she writes romances, I just can’t say it enough!
Her characters are well matched, likable and the hero is dashing and roguish with tremendous development throughout the book. One of the things that I find uniquely interesting about her books is that she writes alternating between the hero and heroines perspective about things and I think that really adds to the intimacy for the reader and the reader gains a better understanding of each character.
I loved this one and I can’t wait to read Nevill’s story next. Matthews is an author with incredible stories you will want to come back to again and again!
Book Info and Rating
WHERE TO BUY (AFFILIATE LINKS)
Praise for the Parish Orphans of Devon series
“For this impressive Victorian romance, Matthews crafts a tale that sparkles with chemistry and impresses with strong character development… an excellent series launch that will appeal to fans of Loretta Chase and Stephanie Laurens.” -Publishers Weekly (The Matrimonial Advertisement)
“Matthews has a knack for creating slow-building chemistry and an intriguing plot with a social history twist.” -Library Journal (The Matrimonial Advertisement)
“As always, Matthews’ attention to historical accuracy is impeccable.” -Kirkus Reviews (A Modest Independence)
“Mimi Matthews is an exceptional story-teller.” -Passages to the Past (The Matrimonial Advertisement)
“Matthews is a bright, shining star in historical romance…” -Austenprose (A Modest Independence)
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, October 22
Review at Courtney Clark
Wednesday, October 23
Review at The Lit Bitch
Thursday, October 24
Review at Gwendalyn’s Books
Friday, October 25
Review at Bookish Rantings
Monday, October 28
Review at Amy’s Booket List
Friday, November 1
Feature at View from the Birdhouse
Monday, November 4
Review at Austenprose
Wednesday, November 6
Review at Passages to the Past
Saturday, November 9
Review at Robin Loves Reading
Monday, November 11
Review at Lost_in_a_book_reviewer
Wednesday, November 13
Review at For the Sake of Good Taste
Friday, November 15
Review at Coffee and Ink
Giveaway
During the Blog Tour, we are giving away a signed paperback copy of A Convenient Fiction by Mimi Matthews! To enter, please use the Gleam form below.
Giveaway Rules
– Giveaway ends at 11:59 pm EST on November 15th. You must be 18 or older to enter.
– Paperback 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.
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The Lit Bitch 
What a wonderful review! I absolutely agree with your comments in this paragraph:
Matthews does sweet romance incredibly well. There is a sweet clean-ness about the romance but there is also unmistakable heat and chemistry between the hero and heroine that is both erotic and enticing. I love how well she writes romance that isn’t erotic lit but clearly creates intense heat between her characters—that to me is talent. Anyone can write about sex, but it takes a truly talented author to bring out the intimacy and desire felt by each character without filling pages of just sex. I love how well she writes romances, I just can’t say it enough!
I am definitely looking forward to learning more about Alex!