When Jasper proposes a marriage of convenience, the only condition that Julia adds is that she must be allowed to live as she pleases and read and ride whenever she wants. When he returned from the war, his family home was left needing many repairs, and Jasper needs to find a woman with a hefty dowry in order to fix up his home. His Yorkshire home has several of his illegitimate children, a scandal that they live with him in his stately home. He’s known as a war hero and a bit of a mystery. She’s happier to stay home with a book than go to balls with all of London Society.Ĭaptain Jasper Blunt has quite a reputation. The fact that nobody has asked for her hand in marriage could be due to her severe social anxiety. She has a handsome dowry, but she hasn’t had any proposals. Julia is the daughter of two sickly parents, who want her to marry and stay close to them. I really enjoyed this marriage of convenience story, with a lot of heart and emotion. The Belle of Belgrave Square by Mimi Matthews is the second book in her popular Belles of London series but can be easily read as a stand-alone.

But the more she learns of the beastly former hero, the more intrigued she becomes. He readily agrees to her conditions, with one provision of his own: Julia is forbidden from going into the tower rooms of his estate and snooping around his affairs. To ride-and to read-as much as she likes without masculine interference. In exchange for her dowry and her hand, Jasper must promise to grant her freedom to do as she pleases. Unfortunately, a young lady can't spend the whole of her life in the saddle, so Julia makes an impetuous decision to take her future by the reins-she proposes to Captain Blunt. The only time Julia feels any degree of confidence is when she's on her horse. What he requires now is a rich wife to ornament his isolated ruin, and he has his sights set on the enchanting Julia Wychwood.įor Julia, an incurable romantic cursed with a crippling social anxiety, navigating a London ballroom is absolute torture.

Tall, dark, and dour, the notorious Captain Jasper Blunt was once hailed a military hero, but tales abound of his bastard children and his haunted estate in Yorkshire. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.***Ī London heiress rides out to the wilds of the English countryside to honor a marriage of convenience with a mysterious and reclusive stranger. ***I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. Genres: Fiction / Romance / Historical / Victorian Purchase Here Buy on Amazon US - Buy on Apple - Buy on Kobo - Buy on Google - Buy at Barnes and Noble - Buy on Waterstones - Buy on Audible - Buy on Amazon UK

The belle of belgrave square