M. A. Nichols

Oh wow, there was SO MUCH for me to love in this book! Not the least of which is making me more at ease with the Christian inspiration behind a chaste romance author. I always prefer there to be at least SOME steam,but I’ve been able to overlook a lack if a book caters to my favored tropes. However, I am already not keen on a lot of the messages in the romance genre, and end to steer clear of the Christian sub genre as it is generally doubling down on messages I dislike. This one, show more though… this fulfills more of the message of Jesus than the Christian inspiration romances that beat one over the head with preachy judgment. This books even touches on the tension between Christian (Catholic) charity that has compassion for the poor, and fundamentalist (conservative Protestant) belief that the poor and oppressed deserve suffering and bring it upon themselves.

Not to mention, I deeply enjoyed this heroine!!!! Her passing description as plain did help make her relatable, but I was floored by her monologue about her personality and opinions being Too Much for people to tolerate. I have never identified with a character more. I’m plump, plain, and old (by romance standards), and while I’m forever on the search of heroines I can identify with, this is the first time I have ever felt kinship with a heroine based on force of personality! Which is a hugely overlooked and important aspect, as I suspect there are other women who have been told they’re too opinionated and principled, as those these are character flaws. This is immediately going on the recurring reads shelf! show less

Such delicious angst!!! Poor Mary, her awful family and “friends” just cold murdered her self esteem. I am so glad to see her get her HEA, and I love Ambrose as well. I always wish for some steam in my romances, but the angst made up for the lack. Only one complaint: I really wanted Mary’s family and especially Henry and Bess to get their comeuppance. I wanted a scene where Mary rubbed her handsome, wealthy beau in their faces, but it was just all disapproval to the end. No closure, show more when they’re just such awful people (4.5 stars) show less

Yessssssss I love the angst! Regency Meal Girls! Chubby heroine! Groveling! Right up my alley! I liked this enough to forgive it being squeaky freakin clean.

Stands up to reread, though really I think Simon needed to work a little harder, he was pretty awful to Mina even if it was largely unintentional. Also, I was a bit confused that Mina could be so insecure yet also so certain that Simon would come to love here. Still, a great read for my tropes!

For once, I did not resent the children taking up significant page count! Maybe because they are an important factor in the protagonists’ relationship. Or maybe cuz the heroine’s insecurity is bound up in her being solely perceived as the role she plays? I dunno, either way, I wasn’t annoyed that the kids are a big part of the plot, even if I’m not really interested in them. Random observation: there are a LOT of dead moms in this book! Be prepared with tissues. I would have liked an show more epilogue, and I would have liked for her cousin’s husband to have to contend with how he treated her. I don’t care if he didn’t mean to hurt her, he viewed her as sexless and that’s shitty. I would have liked an epilogue and also some sex, but Nichols is squeaky clean and I knew that going in. Also, hooray for an ACTUALLY spinster-aged heroine! He’s 43 I think, she’s 40. show less