Frances Fowlkes - The Earl's New Bride

England, 1819
The Earl of Amhurst has returned to his estate in search of a wife and, more importantly, an heir. Simon Devere isn't interested in some comely, simpering creature. A beautiful woman only brings heartbreak and ruin, and Simon's disfigured visage is proof enough of that. No, he wants a wife who is unattractive and undesirable-and the homelier, the better.
But nothing about Lady Henrietta Beauchamp is homely. She is lovely and sweet... and struggles to mix with polite society when she would so much rather have plants for company. And yet Simon is her only hope for keeping Plumburn Castle in her family's possession. Even if it means marrying a man she doesn't love.
It's an impossible and unlikely match... unless this awkward beauty can bring hope back into a solitary beast's life.

Comment: One more book I don't remember why I've added to the TBR...likely because it was a sort of beauty and the beast trope.

Lady Henrietta is an unusual lady for she prefers plants and herbs to the typical interests ladies have and the fact she has a stutter makes her feel self conscious. Her father has died and now her fate and of her twin sisters and mother depends on the new heir, who is looking for a wife, and she would be the perfect choice so they could keep the estate they love so much in their family, but will the earl of Amhurst see that?

Simon, the earl, has become disfigured and he plans on choosing a humble bride so that he can have an heir and, thus, keep the money from his greedy brother's hands. He is taken by Henrietta, however, even though he believes she would end up being as all other ladies, but will she? The more they meet one another, the more he likes who he sees... can they become who they need before others ruin their chances?

This isn't a long story, it has a novella size in fact, but I think the important things were addressed as well as they could. I'd say the issue I had was with the organization of the plot...there were times I feel the author tried to use too many elements and the end result was cute but rather convoluted.

The story is quite predictable in its development because it does follow a traditional expectation of what the reader could expect, and the beauty and the beast trope is very familiar, so readers can take the clues to follow what is happening with that in mind. For instance, of course Henrietta would see past the earl's scars and the author even added the fun detail of her being good with herbs and even going as far as to suggest a healing mixture to help with his scaring.

The earl has an eye patch and has scars over his face due to an accident with another woman, which ended badly. Now he has a reputation that puts some people off, but he has money and that makes many overlook the physical or try to dismiss it. He is actually a good enough man but I feel we didn't really got to know him well, except in how he interacts with the heroine and a few other characters. I got the impression the author wanted to limit things to the basic but in terms of character development, the execution was, perhaps, a bit too economical.

Henrietta is, of course, misunderstood, sweet, loved her father, wants to honor his memories and the connection he had with the estate and, to make it even better, she is special, always interested in herbs and such. This is the element that makes her stand out to Simon, especially after a scene in which she helps him with a headache. I liked Henrietta and her characterization, including the stutter but, again, it felt as if the author planned on writing her as being too unique.. still, I was rooting for her.

In the sequence the first moment alone, they find ways to still speak with one another and share things, which I liked because it made it simpler to see they were developing an affection. The romance itself wasn't very significant in the big scheme of things but I think the author did enough to convince m they suited. The intimacy between them felt exaggerated, though, this story didn't have enough pages - or the execution was such - that them in bed together was really unnecessary.

At some point, closer to the end of course, things speed up and the interactions with secondary characters become rushed. This is a real pity because the base of the story, although not that original, was going on at a steady and believable pace for me. Several characters suddenly deciding on things, some out of nowhere it seemed, and the conversations on top of one another and then misunderstandings on purpose made for a very confusing end, which didn't have to be so. This means the very end, when the HEA is achieved, is also rushed.

I think the end result isn't as great as it could, and the author seemed to have started quite well. Some choices weren't the best, in my opinion, and the details I feel should have been given more attention were a little overlooked in detriment of pointless ones. Not all was bad, after all I felt like reading and seeing which scene would play next. I' still doubting, however, if I will want to read the stories of Henrietta's sisters... not right now, though.

Grade: 6/10