The Matrimonial Advertisement

De: Mimi Matthews

Narrado por: Justine Eyre

"Matthews has a knack for creating slow-building chemistry and an intriguing plot with a social history twist." -Library Journal

She wanted sanctuary...

Helena Reynolds will do anything to escape her life in London, even if that means traveling to a remote cliffside estate on the North Devon coast and marrying a complete stranger. But Greyfriar's Abbey isn't the sort of refuge she imagined. And ex-army captain Justin Thornhill - though he may be tall, dark, and devastatingly handsome - is anything but a romantic hero.

He needed redemption...

Justin has spent the last two decades making his fortune, settling scores, and suffering a prolonged period of torture in an Indian prison. Now, he needs someone to smooth the way for him with the villagers. Someone to manage his household - and warm his bed on occasion. What he needs, in short, is a wife and a matrimonial advertisement seems the perfect way to acquire one. Their marriage was meant to be a business arrangement and nothing more. A dispassionate union free from the entanglements of love and affection. But when Helena's past threatens, will Justin's burgeoning feelings for his new bride compel him to come to her rescue? Or will dark secrets of his own force him to let her go?

©2018 Mimi Matthews (P)2018 Audible, Inc.

I kept waiting for some big reveal.... climax....nothing

The book was just meh. I kept waiting for some big reveal.... climax....nothing!! I am a fan of Lisa Kleypas and for some reason I thought this author’s writing would be similar but um NOPE. It wasn’t bad but I was bored and the only reason I finished was because I really thought there was going to be some action/fighting/hero antics.
FYI I’m no fan of steamy ❤️ scenes but this has like absolutely nothing except for two episodes of kisses, really that’s it. One in the beginning and the next in the epilogue. It was a big laugh. I dunno, just wasn’t my cup of tea. So much for trying something different while waiting for my usual author to put out her next book!!

Another excellent Mimi Matthews story

Ms. Matthews simply amazes me with her characters and their historical time frame and the historical/social issues involved in the plot. A woman fleeing to safety and a scarred man looking for a wife make for an intriguing story as both characters so very carefully become friends while facing a good number of demons and challenges along the way. I know I am caught in the story when the author captures my emotions and I care enough to cheer on the good characters and boo the bad ones. Great listen with Justine Eyre doing a sterling job with male and female roles.

sweet romance and heart-wrenching storytelling

The first book I read from Mimi Matthews was A Holiday By Gaslight, which I adored. It’s a lot more clean than I usually read, but it was a charming and heartwarming read – perfect for the holiday season.

Because I loved that one so much, I decided to try out The Matrimonial Advertisement. Again, like with before, it’s much cleaner than I’d like but very well written. Matthews creates complex characters with intriguing and mysterious backgrounds. I would have liked more details about Greyfriar’s Abbey because it sounded like such a beautifully haunting setting, but the character development made up for it.

Justin was my favorite of the couple. He was strong, vulnerable, selfless, and loyal. He was raised in an orphanage and joined the army shortly after coming of age, and he bears the scars of both. He has a secret he’s hiding from Helena, which made me wary of him because there were hints to it being quite shameful, but I ended up loving him, even more, when it was revealed.

At the very beginning of the book, Helena’s privileged background is hinted at, but you don’t find out the details until about 1/3 of the way. However, privilege didn’t protect her hardships, such as severe abuse (TRIGGER WARNING WITH DETAILS BELOW), grief, and loneliness. I wavered between not particularly liking her and adoring her. She could sometimes be a little too frail than I like my heroines but finds her backbone when it counts. I think the portrayal of her is honest, raw, and not surprising considering the abuses she’s endured.

The main side characters are the focus of the next book, and Matthews perfectly integrated them into the story, revealing just enough about them to make you want to know more. I can’t wait to read more about Jenny and Tom, especially because Jenny is my favorite type of heroine: sassy, strong, and independent.

Audio:
Justine Eyre is cream of the crop as far as narrators go. She has narrated almost 500 books on Audible, and I’ve listened to her narrations before, so I knew I would love her. As expected, she was fantastic. The cadence of her voice is smooth and pleasant to listen to, and she creates clearly distinct voices for each character. She narrates the descriptions of abuse carefully and with empathy. I won’t hesitate to pick up another of hers to listen to.
Overall, if you’re looking for a sweet romance, heart-wrenching storytelling, and quality writing, I highly recommend this book.

Overall, if you’re looking for a sweet romance, heart-wrenching storytelling, and quality writing, I highly recommend this book.

TRIGGER WARNING DETAILS: physical abuse: choking, electric shock, physical assault, torture

Enjoyable story and characters

A unique problem is hard to create given the gazillions of Regency books. Surprised someone hadn’t already thought of it in fact! This story had enough plausibility and historical fact behind it, that it was easy to accept that a highly bred young heiress would be willing to answer a matrimonial advertisement as a last resort to save herself from her dastardly uncle.
I liked the characters a great deal. I would have like perhaps more interchange or something, particularly from the hero. He’s fascinating character but we don’t get enough. And maybe a little more romantic moments. Such as the waltzing scene. The ending confused me a bit but I got it straight eventually. Definitely a romance but the heat rating is low- you can recommend to your mom! About that of the original Regencies by Georgette Heyer. Is it called “sweet” now?
This story was dramatic at times, since the heroine was in danger, but not wild or edge-of-your-seat threatening.
Just shows you have to be in the right mood for any book. I was tired of my past few reads being so dangerous and bloody they were wearing me out! Sometimes that’s fun and sometimes not. This book was well-written enough it flowed along and held my attention and was just right.

Light and easy

If you crave a safe and fluffy listen, this is it. It's gentle and hopeful and the anachronisms can be overlooked.
It is not one I will re-visit, but it served a purpose. Good narration helped.