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The Belle of Belgrave Square

By: Mimi Matthews
Narrated by: Ell Potter, Sebastian Brown
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Summary

“Shiveringly Gothic.”—New York Times Book Review

A PopSugar and BookBub Best Romance of 2022!

A London heiress rides out to the wilds of the English countryside to honor a marriage of convenience with a mysterious and reclusive stranger.

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. What he requires now is a rich wife to ornament his isolated ruin, and he has his sights set on the enchanting Julia Wychwood.

For Julia, an incurable romantic cursed with a crippling social anxiety, navigating a London ballroom is absolute torture. The only time Julia feels any degree of confidence is when she’s on her horse. 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.

In exchange for her dowry and her hand, Jasper must promise to grant her freedom to do as she pleases. To ride—and to read—as much as she likes without masculine interference. 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. But the more she learns of the beastly former hero, the more intrigued she becomes…

©2022 Mimi Matthews (P)2022 Penguin Audio
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Critic reviews

“Mimi Matthews never disappoints, with richly drawn characters and couples whose individual shortcomings become strengths, when paired together. In this Beauty and the Beast retelling, we get to root for two underdogs who get to rewrite their own stories.”—Jodi Picoult, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Wish You Were Here

“Shiveringly Gothic…Watching Julia blossom away from prying eyes is almost as satisfying as seeing Jasper Blunt pine for her from nearly the first page…For best effect, save this one for a windy night when trees scrape against the windowpanes.”—New York Times Book Review

"The Belle of Belgrave Square is such tremendous good fun: a heroine with a big horse, an even bigger novel-reading habit, and a hidden anxiety; a hero with a crumbling estate, a trio of wary children, and a literary secret—what's not to love? Mimi Matthews paints Victorian England with vivid humor, and her Belles of London is set to go on for at least a few more much-anticipated installments. Julian Fellowes fans will rejoice!"—Kate Quinn, New York Times bestselling author of The Diamond Eye

What listeners say about The Belle of Belgrave Square

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Better the further you went

I did find the heroine rather annoying at the beginning , she didn’t have much backbone but she got better. I nearly cheered when she confronted the shopkeeper. Both her and the hero were so buttoned-up at first, it took a while for them to relax and accept each other. It was a touching story over all and well-read by both narrators.

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A mixed bag

I looked forward to this book and was a tad disappointed. It is so good in the main - I loved the twist at the end - but weak in parts.
The nasty reports of the Captain Blunt's cruelty to his subordinates is ridiculous. An officer having a subordinate officer flogged and deliberately starving and branding his troops is just too unbelievable. That would never happen in the Victorian British army. The commanding officer would have stepped in or the men would have mutinied. Worse - it's not essential to the plot as Captain Blunt could have a blackened reputation for other reasons.
Julia's story is so much better.
I enjoyed the narration.

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enjoyable

very lovely book. sometimes a bit too much self pity by the fairer sex, but I guess that's how these novels. otherwise romantic and enjoyable and nice characters. Personally I think it's easier to hear the book only in one voice, in this case I preferred the woman. the man's reading changed the characters to something else. it's a great use of audible credits, however the original audiobook price is too high for value.

additon 2 days later: you know what, the "negative" aspects are entirely forgotten and all that remains is this lovely warm feeling of spending time very nicely. The character's longing and love and care stays with one and lingers. It's quite lovely, I've been thinking and feeling that now.

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Too gothic.

Very mixed bag. Female narrator was irritating and the beginning of the story was grim. Awful parents, annoying lady's maid. Good plot twists.

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