A Proper Facade - Review

A Proper Facade (Proper Scandal, # 4)

By: Esther Hatch

Expected Publication: August 20, 2024 by Covenant Communications

248 pages

Genre: Adult, Historical Fiction

Source: Publisher via NetGalley (Thank you!!)

( Goodreads | Amazon )

*Note: The above link to Amazon is an affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Mercy Rothschild has always been granted an unusually long tether by her parents, who have never pushed her to marry until she’s ready. She assumes that when the right man comes along, she will marry for love. However, even her long-suffering parents have their limits. As she embarks on her third Season, they begin to pressure her to find a match. And the Duke of Harrington is the perfect candidate.

Nicholas Kendrick, Duke of Harrington, follows the rules of the ton meticulously. When he determines that Mercy is the ideal candidate for a wife, he marches dutifully toward her along the courtship path. Desperate to extricate herself from Harrington’s advances, Mercy concludes that there is only one course of action: she must push her intended into the arms of another woman. But when Mercy becomes acquainted with the man behind the proper facade, her plans come crashing down as she realizes that stiff and proper Harrington might be the very man she’s been waiting for. If only she hadn’t been so successful in her plot to thwart her chances with him.

I have been awaiting another Esther Hatch book for what feels like years. In truth back in September, I read a novella she released in 2023. So it hasn't been that long. But for this series, Proper Scandals, the last release was back in 2021. And I wasn't sure there would be any other books in the series. I never saw anywhere that stated how many books were expected. She did seem to indicate in her author's note that A Proper Facade would be the last book in this series.

Mercy has witnessed love. Her parents were a love match. Her elder sister had a love match even to the point of marrying slightly below her rank. And she has always expected to have a love match. Her parents always gave her the impression that she could take as long as she wanted to find her match. But for some reason, this season her parents have begun to push her towards marriage. She is resistant, to say the least.

Nicholas's family has a history of philandering. His grandfather and great-grandfather were known to be philanderers. But Nicholas's father worked extra hard to turn the family name around. Nicholas once disappointed his father before he died, and now he works extra hard to remain above reproach to make up for it. 

I kept wondering if I'd read Mercy's sister's story in a previous book. Mercy talked about her sister and her love match in a way that made me feel like I should remember reading about it. At first, I thought I was misremembering A Proper Scandal, but then I thought I might have been getting confused with Promised by Leah Garriott. But then I realized that Rosiland's story hasn't been written that I'm aware of. 

Mercy always imagined when her time came that the man of her dreams would sneak her into some hidden alcoves to steal a few kisses because he couldn't help himself. She imagined passion. She basically romanticized her expectations to the point of being a little unrealistic. Sure those things could have happened, but she could just as easily be taken advantage of. Nicholas once acted outside the bounds of society in the name of love, and he only ended up with shame and regret over the experience. He is determined to treat Mercy and her reputation with the utmost respect. And thus he can come off as unfeeling or uninterested in her as a person. These two had a little bit to work out.

A few years ago, I felt like I could not read a book with a romance without one partner sacrificing themselves to the point of hurting both parties in the name of saving or helping their loved one. I got so annoyed with this trend. Self-sacrificing is good when it isn't misguided or easily overcome with a simple conversation. I felt A Proper Facade heading down that path for a bit and worried this course of action would reduce my overall enjoyment of the book that I had been appreciating. Thankfully, I wasn't forced to endure this for too long. 

Favorite quotes:

-"There is no room for enjoyment in perfection."

-"Am I certain I love you? No, but I'm certain you are the only woman I'm going to love for the rest of my life."

That quote continues for quite a while, but I felt like the rest was spoilers so I decided not to include it.

-"I'll play your game today. And then, when you are ready, I hope you will join me in being serious."

A Proper Facade was a good ending to this series. Although, I'm sad to see it go and could easily find a few side characters that I wouldn't mind having a story about. A Proper Facade gets 4 Stars. Mercy and Nicholas didn't have a typical romance, and I liked that they didn't rush into the "I love yous". Have you read A Proper Facade? What did you think? Let me know!

Promised - Review

Promised

By: Leah Garriott

Expected Publication: February 18th 2020 by Shadow Mountain

368 pages

Genre: Adult, Historical Fiction

Source: Publisher via Edelweiss (Thank you!!)

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Margaret Brinton keeps her promises, and the one she is most determined to keep is the promise to protect her heart.

Warwickshire, England, 1812

Fooled by love once before, Margaret vows never to be played the fool again. To keep her vow, she attends a notorious matchmaking party intent on securing the perfect marital match: a union of convenience to someone who could never affect her heart. She discovers a man who exceeds all her hopes in the handsome and obliging rake Mr. Northam.

There’s only one problem. His meddling cousin, Lord Williams, won’t leave Margaret alone. Condescending and high-handed, Lord Williams lectures and insults her. When she refuses to give heed to his counsel, he single-handedly ruins Margaret’s chances for making a good match—to his cousin or anyone else. With no reason to remain at the party, Margaret returns home to discover her father has promised her hand in marriage—to Lord Williams.

Under no condition will Margaret consent to marrying such an odious man. Yet as Lord Williams inserts himself into her everyday life, interrupting her family games and following her on morning walks, winning the good opinion of her siblings and proving himself intelligent and even kind, Margaret is forced to realize that Lord Williams is exactly the type of man she’d hoped to marry before she’d learned how much love hurt. When paths diverge and her time with Lord Williams ends, Margaret is faced with her ultimate choice: keep the promises that protect her or break free of them for one more chance at love. Either way, she fears her heart will lose.

Promised is absolutely everything I need in a book. I mean I'm not sure this book could have been much better for me.

I could relate to Margaret deeply. I've been burned in my past and I had to question if opening my heart again was worth it. I found her choice of men to focus on a bit confusing. I mean her previous fiance Edward had a mistress which was the cause of her breaking their engagement. So she sets her sights on someone else who will certainly have a mistress as well simply because she knows to expect it from him and therefore won't be caught off guard by his betrayal? I find that a little hard to believe. But I didn't want to question it too deeply because I was enjoying the rest of the story so much.

Margaret is honest to a fault. She rarely hides what she is feeling for the sake of decorum when she can speak plainly and ensure she is not misunderstood. Despite her frank manner, she seems to be regularly pursued by not one but at least two men who ignore her adamant refusal.

I loved how each piece of the story between Margaret and Gregory played out. From the way Margaret immediately dismisses Gregory due to her initial twinge upon meeting him. I want to mention each individual little thing that I appreciated connecting each piece of the puzzle together, but those pieces are spoilers.

I have to give Gregory props for his continued pursuit of Margaret after being repeatedly turned down in often a very harsh manner. He could, as Margaret criticized, at times be arrogant. But I didn't mind it so much.

The banter between these two was perfect. Readers who particularly enjoy hate-to-love relationships will eat Promised up. I know I did.

Promised was so good I stayed up late reading which I just don't do anymore since having kids. That's one of my top signs of showing how much I'm enjoying a book. Margaret was so easy to like and her journey is not easy. The side characters all pop off the page no matter how short of a role they may have had to play in the overall story. And the hate-to-love banter and flirting was so good. Promised gets 4.5 Stars. Have you read Promised? What did you think? Let me know!