If You'll Have Me - Review

If You'll Have Me

By: Esther Hatch

Expected Publication: February 3, 2026 by Shadow Mountain Publishing

320 pages

Genre: Adult, Historical Fiction

Source: Publisher via NetGalley (Thank you!!)

( Goodreads | Amazon )

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Goodreads description--A lady desperately seeking freedom. A prosperous younger man. An unexpected connection.

Anna Atwood returns to Breckenridge, where she spent one blissful summer as a young woman. This time, though, she comes to the quaint town as a penniless spinster with a single hope: to build a life free from the constraints her father’s death put on her and free from the persistent suitor Mr. Green, whose plans for marriage are Anna’s worst nightmare. When she runs into David Tate, the boy she knew from that memorable summer, she finds he has grown into a confident and striking man. As they rekindle their friendship, David offers her warmth and protection in the moment she needs it most—when Mr. Green appears in town and threatens to destroy Anna’s carefully laid plans.

David Tate remembers Anna as the spirited woman who once brought light into his dark childhood. Now a man of means, he has a promising future, if he can withstand the powerful Lord Murphy—a man whose menacing hold on the town he owns is surpassed only by his relentless hold on David’s life. When David meets Anna again, he realizes he has a chance to save her from Mr. Green’s schemes, even if it means putting David in danger of Lord Murphy’s wrath and revealing David’s deepest secrets.

In a moment of desperation, David and Anna agree to a proposal of convenience to provide the safety they both need. But as their attraction ignites, the looming dangers from Lord Murphy and Mr. Green threaten to destroy their budding happiness.

Esther Hatch is an auto-read author for me. I have loved every book I've read by her. And this one was no different.

Anna and her mother are in trouble. Her father passed and her relations have decided that they will no longer support Anna and her mother. But they just need a little over a year for Anna to be able to access her inheritance. Anna convinces her mother to return to Breckenridge where they spent one summer when Anna was seventeen. Some friends they made have a cottage that Anna and her mother can stay at, but only for two weeks because they have already rented it. Anna's only other option is to marry a man who is twice her age and as sleazy as they come.

However, their first day back, Anna runs into David who used to follow Anna around that summer. David is three years younger than Anna which isn't typical in historical fiction. David kept his family a secret from Anna back then. His father is Lord Murphy and is quite abusive. As adults, David and his sister Julia are mostly left alone at the family's country estate due to the sacrifice of their older brother, Griffin. David has been in love with Anna since he was fourteen. He had no idea if he would ever see her again though.

When the awful man pursuing Anna's hand shows up to a dinner, David takes matters into his own hands and declares that Anna can't marry Mr. Green because she is engaged to him. The two intend to call off their engagement in time because David has no plans to ever marry. This was a little confusing to me. He was obviously enamored with Anna from the start. So why go through so much trouble to "enjoy their engagement" when that would only leave him with the inevitable broken heart in the end. Yet I suppose he was just so thankful to get to have these moments with Anna that he never dreamed he would actually get.

The aspects involving Lord Murphy felt alittle unrealistic. A little too dramatic. But real life can definitely be stranger than fiction.And I appreciated this book touching on the idea of a member of the peerage being abusive. Obviously, that part could have been real.

Anna and David were such a great couple. And my heart broke for David and his siblings. I am interested to see if Esther Hatch will pursue stories for the side characters, Julia especially, but Griffin also.

Favorite quotes:

-"You see, if I were to fall from this branch right now—” I grabbed her arm. “Please don’t. David would be extremely disappointed in me if I allowed that.” “But if it were to happen—” I tightened my hold. “It won’t.” She narrowed one eye at me as if she simply wanted to finish her sentence. “The point is, I wouldn’t be sad for the climb, even if I fell. Even if I were in pain for days afterward.” ... “Here’s to the climb, then.”

-I’d thought losing my father had been excruciating, but having a father like mine— even if I’d had to lose him— had made my life a paradise compared to David’s.

If You'll Have Me is a semi-marriage of convenience--which is one of my favorite tropes. I rooted for Anna and David. I really liked that Anna was the one to be vulnerable first. As someone who was terrified of that in my life, I can respect it in others. If You'll Have Me gets 4 Stars. Have you read If You'll Have Me? What did you think? Let me know!