* Many thanks to Rachel's Random Resources for inviting me
on another book tour and for organising for a book to be sent to me in exchange
for an honest review.
He’s a carefree rake who wants a marriage of convenience.
She’s an awkward spinster who doesn’t want to marry at all.
Fate has other plans in store for them both.
Laurence enjoys his dalliances with the married ladies of
society, and thinks marriage is only a matter of convenience. He’s on the
lookout for a practical woman accustomed to society. Frances is an odd and
awkward young woman, more at home gathering shells on the beach than in the
ballrooms of London, hoping to stay a spinster forever.
When the two meet in Margate, will their initial dislike of
one another turn into something important?
While Laurence finds his life growing shallow, Frances
wonders if love might be worth making a bold move for. Can she find her way
into Laurence’s heart, and will he undertake to love her, just the way she is?
A warm-hearted Regency romance, full of historical detail
and emotional discovery, as two opposites find they might just attract. The
Season has begun, the ton is gathered… who knows what the tides will bring for
Laurence and Frances.
My review
When I read that Frances was intended to be autistic, I was
very keen to read The Viscount’s Pearl, as an autistic woman myself I have
often wondered what it must have been like trying to navigate life as a
neurodivergent person in the past. Melissa Addey portrayed Frances perfectly, I
felt so well represented.
Frances’ special interest is collecting and studying
seashells. She finds the ton overwhelming. While her parents are desperate to
find her a husband as she approaches her fourth season, Frances would be happy
to have a residence alone on the coastline collecting shells. Her only escapism
is the visits to her Godfather’s house in Margate. Lord Barrington accepts
Frances for who she is and encourages her special interest.
Lord Barrington also provides an escape from the season for
his nephew, Laurence, who is looking for a marriage of convenience so that he
can continue to pursue other women. His uncle subtly plays matchmaker between the
pair by making sure to keep inviting them both to visit him at the same time.
When Laurence meets Frances, he is not used to a woman being
so blunt and uninterested in the ton, but he finds her behaviour both endearing
and refreshing. He never tries to change her or berate her, which I
appreciated. Frances has an awareness others don’t have or don’t want to
acknowledge, and she points these things out to Laurence, who in turn becomes
more aware.
I wondered how the author would navigate the romance between the pair, and it was perfectly done. I enjoyed how Laurence and Frances became friends first and how Frances was unapologetically herself throughout the story. I also found Lord Barrington’s storyline very moving. There was a lot represented in this book, and the author did it so well. The Viscount’s Pearl was inspired by real locations and people – I highly recommend reading the Author’s Note. I loved my time in Margate with Laurence and Frances and adored their story. I will definitely be reading more books by this author!
You can buy your very own copy of The Viscount’s Peal here.
Author Bio
I grew up and was home educated on an Italian hill farm. I now live in London with my husband, two children and a black and white cat called Holly who enjoys the editing process as there is so much scrap paper involved.
I mainly write historical fiction, inspired by what I call
‘the footnotes of history’: forgotten stories or part-legends about interesting
people and places. I have a PhD in Creative Writing, for which I wrote The
Garden of Perfect Brightness and an academic thesis about balancing fact and
fiction in historical fiction.
I like to move from one historical era to another, finding
stories to share, like a travelling minstrel. So far I’ve been to Ancient Rome,
medieval Morocco, 18th century China and Regency England. Join me on my
travels: browse my books.
If you’d like to know more about me and my books, visit my
website www.MelissaAddey.com where there are free novellas, book trailers,
interviews, videos of research trips, info for book clubs and more.
Catch up with the rest of this book tour
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