Beautifully Written

A misunderstood Eleanor falls in love with a rake. Will he break her heart? Tired of his mother's badgering, Monty proposes to her in front of the ton. However, he has no intention of marrying her. The next day, the two agree to continue the sham, but for Eleanor, it is love at first sight. Her heart will break. What Monty does not realize is that he has no control over his heart. Eleanor may not be particularly beautiful on the outside, but as Monty gets to know her, he sees her for the remarkable woman she is. What happens when the two part ways as they originally agreed? What will it take for Monty to realize that breaking his engagement to Eleanor means losing the best thing that happened to him?

This story is beautifully written. Just when I think I am reading the best Emily Royal book, she comes up with a better one. I loved this story and would recommend it to those who enjoy historical romance, where the characters are beautifully flawed.

Grab this book for an emotional journey of one young lady's challenge in a society that does not accept who she is. Eleanor is in her fourth season and has no desire to participate. All she wants is the freedom to draw and paint.
Society doesn't she see her as attractive or acceptable and make unkind remarks. Even from her own mother. Montague Fitzroy, Duke of Whitcomb, has had enough of his mother's nagging to get married. On an impulse he proposes to the most forgettable lady in the room at a ball, Eleanor. What starts as a fake engagement, turns into an unforgettable love story.
Descriptive sex.
I voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this book from NetGalley.

Characters who present as neuro-divergent have suddenly become the micro-trope I’m getting into. In Oddity of the Ton, Eleanor Howard is the perpetually awkward older sister to ton darling Juliette. Eleanor not only has to endure society’s scorn, she also has to deal with the petty Juliette and her overbearing, ambitious mother. Eleanor wants to be loved for herself, the way her father does, but chances are slim in her world where veneer and varnish are valued more than essence.

Eleanor’s luck changes when Montague FitzRoy, the fifth Duke of Whitcombe has finally tired of his mother’s nagging and proposed marriage. Eleanor thinks Montague is being sincere; Montague, immediately sensing her innocence and naivete, gets his conscience pricked and assuages it by suggesting a mutually beneficial arrangement instead. For the course of their supposed engagement, she’ll keep his mother from hovering and he’ll teach her social graces–tips and tricks to survive in society.

There’s something that feels a bit more special and sweet for me when someone who has the power and influence to wield, falls to his knees and calls up everything he has for the benefit of such a neglected, othered person. Eleanor is lovable in her own right, but it isn’t until Montague attaches himself to her that the rest of the world, including Montague himself, gives her the respect she’s always deserved.

As Montague gets to know Eleanor, he starts to first understand, then see her, and finally, falls in love. While he’s intelligent enough to know and recognize his emotions, he’s too set in his ways and put too much stock on their once-agreed parameters to change the trajectory of their denouement.

I am rooting for Montague and Eleanor from the beginning. I wanted to see them come fully alive and happy. It was sigh-worthy, the way they got intimate, and it’s gratifying, always, to see him realize the gift he has in his fake fiancee.

And though Montague gave me a second’s grief towards the ending, and I’m not fully convinced he’s groveled enough (on page, at least), I’m still a sucker for him being a goner for the very special Eleanor.

This review is made voluntarily, honestly, and for free.

I couldn't put this book down and purposely read it slowly to prolong the pleasure of absorbing it. The heroine, Eleanor Howard is withdrawn, socially awkward and considered 'different', with no one noticing her except those who choose to ridicule and berate her (including her mother and sister). The Duke of Whitcombe, Montague Fitzroy, has no patience for the young ladies who wish to become his duchess, or for his mother, who tries her best to match him with one of the latest debutantes. When Whitcombe proposes marriage to Eleanor within minutes of meeting her, he feels that the courtship would be only temporary, long enough to divert the unmarried ladies' attention to someone else. What neither could predict is that the faux couple would actually have feelings for each other.
The writing is superb and the characters well-developed.

I liked this - even as it aggravated me terribly in parts - it was an easy read and during my reading I found myself wondering from time to time if Ms Royal had recently read or watched Pride and Prejudice.

*Eleanor is awesome.

BUT
*Eleanor’s family, however, is seriously awful - her mother is terrible, her sister is a dreadful social climber who seems to enjoy deliberate acts of cruelty toward her sister, and her father annoyed me too.

*Blaming other people entirely for causing consequences based on the decisions and actions of one character really really irks me.

*I didn’t overly care for how this portrayed women.

*Montague’s actions and words didn’t always make sense to me; it occasionally seemed out of context, but I liked his growth and evolution over the story.


My own issues aside, I read this easily and will check out other titles by the author.



Thank you to Dragonblade Publishing and NetGalley for the DRC

She has never been accepted by anyone except her father. He is looking to get out of his mother’s focus. they can both benefit from each other. I absolutely adored this book. Having Asperger’s is not as easy as maybe a physical disability because it is not obvious. People can not readily see it, so it can be a harder thing to overcome. Especially when those around you are not aware and are not sure how to help alleviate the road blocks. Emily put the issues so succinctly and a precisely. Once the issue was explained to the duke in the story he helped as he could. Wonderful story. I received a complimentary copy of this book. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with guidelines.

There's nothing I love more than a Historical Romance with unique female main characters!

This book is apart of a series but can be read as a stand alone.

I enjoyed this book, the plot was cute and had so many *swoon* moments.

Highly recommend this book and the series to anyone who loves a cute historical romance!

Thank you Netgalley!

This is the fourth book/fifth story in the author’s Misfits of London series, about a group of women in London’s high society’s “marriage mart” who are, to put it mildly, not part of any popular tonnish set; it is also my introduction to the author’s work.

The oldest daughter of a successful silk merchant who has, through hard work and shrewd business sense, earned himself a knighthood, Eleanor is suffering through her third Season. And “suffering” is the precise word here. She would rather stay home to draw and paint whatever catches her eye, from tree stumps to horses, speaking to as few other humans as possible, but her ambitious mama has other ideas.

And so Eleanor is dragged to every social event the family–father, mother, and exquisitely beautiful younger sister–is invited; whereupon she’s prodded, poked, berated, ignored, admonished, scolded, and humiliated by turns by said mother and sister, and most every other member of the ton present. Not all has been unrelenting misery, however; over the past three years, Eleanor made the acquaintance of a few other debutantes who preferred to remain at the edges of the social scene, among them Lavinia, newly Lady Marlow. At home, Eleanor is assured the love and protection of her papa–though the latter is reserved only for the most extreme of her mother’s demands–and the wholehearted devotion and subversive help of her ladies maid, Harriet.

The hero, by contrast, is not only very much at his ease in high Society, he’s also at the pinnacle of same: he’s a wealthy, unencumbered, still-single Duke in his prime, and equipped with an incredibly cynical view of Society in general, and women in particular.

Beware: fatphobia; abusive mothers; period misogyny dialed up; threat of involuntary commitment; explicit sex on page; anachronistic language; some unavoidable spoilage.

Please keep in mind, as you read my review, that I am not autistic.

The British high society the author sets before the reader is pretty much my idea of hell. It’s not just the usual genre romance wallpaper-Regency, with all its artificial social constraints–dancing twice with a man at the same ball is scandalous, using the wrong form of address is a social insult, and so on. Oh, no. In this Regency Britain, all Society women are grasping harpies, all married Society women are bitter grasping harpies, all married Society men suffer their wives’ existence while indulging in affairs, more or less in the open, and active misogyny is how men relate to each other.

Eleanor, who is written as an autistic savant (drawing and painting being her particular skills), has no illusions about her place in the ton:

“No husband wanted a wife unable to conform. Men wanted wives to provide them with cash the day they married, give them an heir within a year of uttering the vows, then associate themselves with the other matriarchs of Society to indulge in idle gossip, embroidery, and tea parties, while they sought pleasure in the arms of another.” (Eleanor’s point of view, chapter 1)

Lest you think Eleanor’s jaundiced view of the ton is an aberration, Montague endures constant henpecking from his mother, another once-beautiful, now-bitter woman, whose only aim is to see her son married to an “appropriate” wife: beautiful and of good breeding, someone who will give him an heir, then accept his inevitable cheating with decorum. He himself is no better:

“She must have been captivating in her youth–no wonder Sir Leonard had been ensnared. But, like all elegant females, age had faded her brilliance to reveal something of her true nature. She couldn’t completely disguise the sharp-nosed sourness, no matter how dazzlingly she smiled.” (Montague about Eleanor’s mother, chapter 1)

Montague is a libertine who has decided that when he finally marries, he’ll be faithful; ergo, he’ll put that unhappy future off for as long as he possibly can. After all, he’s just over thirty, his own father waited much longer. But as his mother constantly manouvers to set him up, almost beyond the bounds of propriety, he decides to “put her in her place” by causing a scene: he publicly proposes to the most unlikely, unsuitable, inappropriate woman present at a grand society ball.

And who can be more the opposite of his mother’s requirements for his Duchess, than the eldest daughter of a newly-knighted tradesman; a young woman who hides in corners and is rumored to be “soft in the head”?

Apparently–it’s not written clearly–he expects Eleanor to make an even bigger scene by rejecting him on the spot; after all, they haven’t even been introduced. When instead she accepts his proposal–which is clearly witnessed by everyone in earshot–he’s nonplussed: he’ll simply pay her a call in the morning, explain the ‘joke’, and move on.

It is worth noting here that the “hero” of the story gives zero thought to both Eleanor’s feelings and the social consequences–for her–of this.

When he shows up at the Howard’s townhouse, however, Montague has a change of heart after he overhears Eleanor’s younger sister abusing her and Eleanor “retreats into herself” (from the writing, an autistic shutdown in response to adverse stimuli). By being engaged to him for the rest of the social season, his reasoning goes, she will be seen as someone desirable as a wife, so that when he publicly ‘strays’, she can end the engagement without damaging her reputation, and even retain that social desirability. And, for the duration at least, neither her sister nor her mother will have cause to berate her.

Of course, Montague himself benefits most, as he’ll be safe from grasping debutantes and their ambitious mamas, and his own mother can’t hound him to pursue someone else while he’s already engaged.

“He would have laughed at the astonishment in her voice had he not recognized the tragedy. The poor creature clearly couldn’t comprehend the notion of anyone wanting to spend time in her company.” (Montague’s point of view, about Elanor, chapter 14)

After a rather contrived scene that involves her lady’s maid, Eleanor agrees to the temporary engagement, on the condition that Montague teach her how to move about in society, make small talk, and so forth.

Aside: please note that I refuse to keep calling it “a fake engagement”: Montague makes a production of giving Eleanor a ring, and even talks with her father about all the usual engagement things (financial settlements, etc); so while it has an expiration date, it is very much an official engagement.

So far, this is relatively standard genre-romance historical romance fare; the heroine’s autism is really the only major difference from other books with very similar setups (including Julia Quinn’s The Duke and I). I have enjoyed stories like this before; contrivance is often a requirement of fiction, after all. However, it’s the job of the author to make them plausible, and while reality often doesn’t make sense, fiction is; plot threads are expected to be resolved, no left dangling, never to be addressed again.

Neither of these are the case here.

Harriet the lady’s maid is one of those oh-so-loyal servants so prevalent in historical genre romance; she’s so devoted to Eleanor that she constantly risks her position by going against Lady Howard’s express orders. In that scene with the hero mentioned above, *the maid scolds the Duke*, without compunction and without even a second’s hesitation to consider that, should he complain to the mistress of the house, she would be sacked on the spot.

Montague’s turn from cynical libertine to Eleanor’s champion takes place over two encounters–including that first visit to her family’s home. His falling “desperately in love” with her is equally sudden, and just as equally unbelievable; especially because his misogyny is never addressed.

One of Eleanor’s difficulties with the ton, is that for her language is very literal, with one notable exception (more on that below); when she can’t avoid others in social situations, she rarely listens to them. As a result, expressions such as “natural child” or “lifted her skirts” have no meaning beyond the literal for her, which leads to any number of social faux pas, which in turn have earned her a reputation as someone “without understanding”.

However, all it takes is a half hour carriage ride with Montague for Eleanor to master the art of verbal sparring with her most usual tormentors–except her mother and sister, who are perfectly horrid. Juliette hates Eleanor, no reason given, and endeavors to ruin Eleanor’s reputation out of spite. Their mother wanted to send Eleanor to an asylum, and was only stopped from doing so when their father put his foot down–which was also the only time he had ever interfered on her behalf until near the end of the novel.

Because we are told that Sir Leonard “loves” Eleanor, yet he let her mother and sister abuse her constantly, literally all her life because…reasons.

Which are never addressed–we don’t even learn that Lady Howard was herself the daughter of an Earl until very late in the story.

In our reality, the percentage of autistic people with savant syndrome is quite small; yet on her very first venture beyond the confines of her family, Eleanor encounters a clearly autistic boy who shares her savant skill, whose family accepts him without question, and he’s conveniently a pupil at the tenants’ school Montague established in his estate–which he did so that his own half-sister, the bastard who makes his mother see red, can teach there.

During Eleanor’s visit to Rosecombe, Montague’s estate, her very presence and lack of sophistication/subterfuge transform everyone from the butler to the Duchess; both may be well aware that Eleanor is unsuitable as the wife of a peer, but they like her nonetheless because…well, because it serves the plot.

And of course, Montague comes to realize that he loves her before their first day at Rosecombe is done–which means that there’s absolutely no reason for them to end their engagement. Especially after he beds her on her last night there–the risk of pregnancy alone should have made him reassess his decision.

That scene, by the way, was where I almost DNFed the book; both the language and the sensibilities are entirely too modern–I very much doubt that an aristocrat in1815, especially a man who sees women the way Montague does, would use “lovemaking” to refer to sexual intercourse; at the time, the term was used to mean flirtation generally. (In fact, there were so many anachronisms, the author lost me well before that)

Similarly, I really didn’t care for Eleanor suddenly using “loving” for both the emotional and physical meanings; it doesn’t track with how we have been told that she processes language. I believe that she’s articulate when discussing her areas of interest–drawing, painting, the oeuvre of George Stubbs (historical figure)–but I could not suspend my disbelief that she could share her innermost feelings and desires with Montague that easily, particularly on such short acquaintance, when she’s not able to do so with, say, her friend Lavinia, or even the loyal Harriet.

At any rate, the third act breakup and separation really make no sense; Juliette’s fate is never addressed and neither is her hatred of Eleanor; Sir Leonard’s health condition is alluded to near then end, then never addressed again; there’s a secondary character, introduced late in the story simply to be Montague’s foil, who then exits stage left, never to be mentioned again.

In sum, the characterizations were inconsistent, the plot threadbare, the anachronisms plenty, and the “magical autistic person” trope too blatantly deployed.

I am saddened, because I wanted to like this novel; it would have meant four more already published stories about exceptional women and a new historical author to follow. Alas, it was not to be.

Oddity of the Ton gets a 6.00 out of 10

A fake engagement, a neuro-divergent heroine, and a sweet love story. What more can you want?

This starts out with a duke proposing to the least desirable woman he knows to spite his mother. When Eleanor agrees to help Montague with a fake engagement, they start spending a lot of time together, and Montague learns that Eleanor is significantly more desirable than he thought.

I really enjoyed watching these two fall in love. Monty shows such tenderness towards Eleanor. He learns to understand the way she sees the world.

My one complaint is that the third-act breakup lasts too long for me. Chapters of time where they are apart... not my ideal situation.

This was my first time reading this author. I would definitely read her again. This book is part of a series but reads fine on its own.

The book started out slow but finally was a can’t stop reading story.
It is a story that shows how you can be belittled by family and then your hero comes in and shows you your worth.

A wonderful story. At first I wasn’t fond of the main character either of them actually but I kept reading and the way the family aside from the dad treated her was just awful! I really wish they mentioned more what happened with the sister at the end. Overall good story.

Our heroine in this historical romance is a very special lady. She has been looked down upon most of her life, even by members of her own family. The Ton is not kind to anyone who is different, or dares to express an honest opinion. She has found refuge in her art, but even that can get her into trouble.
Our hero is a typically arrogant Duke who has a very poor opinion about the grasping debutantes his mother is always trying to push at him.
All of our characters learn not to judge on first impressions. There is scandal and heartbreak ahead. Pleasure and mental pain are also there. The most unlikely people can teach us Important lessons.
I loved it.

A Wonderful Love Story

I really enjoyed this beautiful, heartwarming love story! The plot is very good and the characters are very well developed and very endearing. It doesn't take long to realise that Eleanor is autistic. She has an open, honest nature that really gets to your heart and makes the reader smile. Montague is a great character too. I particularly liked the way he responded to Eleanor's needs and protected her. It was heartwarming to see how Eleanor developed under his guidance and in turn how he started to look at the world through her eyes.

Although part of a series, this installment can be read as standalone.

Eleanor Howard is an oddity and the laughingstock of the ton, a woman who doesn’t fit in the superficial world of society. She is too awkward, too forward, too naïve, too honest, unable to deceive, which makes her unsuitable in the eyes of those who value flattery and conformity. Eleanor is afraid of big societal events that overwhelm her senses. Only painting gives her peace of mind, and she admires the Duke of Whitcombe from afar.

Lord Montague FitzRoy, the Duke of Whitcombe, is aloof and a confirmed bachelor pursued by debutantes and their matchmaking mamas. When his own mother plans to set him up with a beautiful but detestable woman, he offers for fun for Eleanor in order to distress his mother but soon realises that she is much more than society sees in her…

Overall, a very enjoyable read that I am happy to recommend!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I came to the end of this novel with a damp tissue in one hand and my emotions all over the place. In a selfish act, the Duke of Whitcombe proposes publically to Eleanor Howard to spite his demanding mother, never realizing the depths of Eleanor's feelings for him. Even in this present age when we have a better understanding of disorders, people who are different are hardly even seen as being special in their own right. Having put his foot in it, Montague is forced to go through with the motions of being betrothed to Eleanor, even though he has no intention of actually marrying her. Spending time with her, Montague is more perspective than he at first demonstrates and he begins to see beyond her fumbling and awkward manner when in public. Discovering her giftedness, Montague makes a deal with Eleanor to help her overcome some of her fears, little realizing the effect she will have on him. Ultimately Montague comes to the conclusion that he gained far more from their relationship than she ever received from him but unfortunately, it is already too late. Although she has very few friends, Montague discovers that they are intensely loyal to her, and tracking Eleanor down becomes a mammoth task. Montague is not the only person to be affected by the oddity of the ton and the novel comes to a beautiful conclusion with a number of hearts being healed and the mending of broken relationships. I received a copy of this well-written and heartwarming romance as a gift through Dragonblade Publishing and NetGalley and this is my honest and voluntary review.

Montague FitzRoy, fifth Duke of Whitcombe.Is an arrogant, selfish rake, who does this mostly to irritate his mother. But he also does it out of boredom. To him the world is there for his pleasure and he takes full advantage. At his wits end with his mother nagging him to marry, one from this season's crop of spoiled means spirited harppies. Whitcombe picks the quietest, plainest, unpretentious woman at the ball and asks her to marry him.

Eleanor Howard the daughter of a silk merchant has watched and been infatuated with Whitcombe for a few years. She can draw him by memory, describe him in detail, but never talk with him. She believes the proposal is real. Elated that she will get him forever, agrees to his marriage proposal.

When he arrives the next day to explain, sees the distress he is causing her, then overheads the sister, Whitcombe makes a gesture that will help Eleanor, he hopes. He finds that the more time he spends with her the more he sees the world through her eyes and the wrongs he has committed.

When the end of the engagement is announced, Eleanor is released to a point as well as saddened. Her sister does an unspeakable cruel act, and her father finally understands that he has to let her go and live the quiet life she craves.

Whitcombe on the other hand berates himself, gets justly slapped, and ends up confessing to the one person he believes will give him the help to locate his heart. Lady Lavinia Marlow, his friends wife and Eleanor's best friend. Armed with locations where she might be, Whitcombe scours the country looking for Eleanor. When he happens to finally find her, she is distrot. Knowing the only thing that can calm her, he slips her bracket off her wrist and places it in her hand to which she starts to twirl it and looks him in the eyes now knowing he really did see the true her.

While reading the end of the book, have tissues at hand, you will need them. I was so thrilled, enthralled, and engaged throughout this book. I believe it is one of the best thought out, heartfelt, and beautifully told stories I have ever read.

The characters may be flawed, but they are so engaging, compelling, and lifelike that you can just imagine and interact with them. So come hold Eleanor's hand, slap Whitcombe, cry with Sir Leonard and Lady Lavinia as you flow through this story to its end.

This is a pleasant Regency romance with a neurodivergant heroine. Eleanor is easily overcome by too much stimulation, hyperfocused on her interests, and akward in social circumstances. It’s interesting to see in the early chapters how she misreads people — interpreting a smile for a sneer, a disinterested look for a disdainful one — much colored by her raising at the hands of a strong-willed mother who expects her daughter to behave in a ‘proper’ way. Society is a challenge Eleanor isn’t often up to, but she’s no shrinking violet. For all that she’s quiet and meek, she’s not *weak*.

I enjoy reading about a heroine who isn’t necessarily sassy or snarky, plucky or assertive, who is constrained by societal expectations — and shaped by them — while still being herself. She reminds me of the heroine from Jane Austen’s Persuasion with her quiet grace and kind heart. That’s not to say she’s not without flaws, but those flaws feel genuine to the character, such as her naivety, her innate need to please even when she’s not fond of the person she’s with.

Montague, the love interest, is less developed. He makes cruel sport of Eleanor because she’s plain, awkward and everything his mother would hate to see him marry, and ends up with a more sincere offer of a fake engagement only because he dislikes Eleanor’s sister being a jealous brat. Personally, I felt like he fell in love too quickly, and the third act breakup was abrupt and clumsily done. It felt like it was done because the author decided to write it, not because the characters made that choice.

Still, I had fun reading this, and did so in one sitting. The writing is good, Eleanor is a charming character, and the world around her felt grounded and well realized. I want to thank Net Galley and Dragonblade Publishing for granting me acces to an advanced reader copy

First, let me say that, any story which highlights a form of mental illness automatically has my attention and admiration. When the story leads to a happy ending, it gains all of my stars plus more. Why, you might ask? Because I have children who all fall into the spectrum of mental health issues and life is so hard for them to find a place in it. These stories give me hope that they will each find their own hea, that joy will fill their lives as adults and that acceptance is possible.
Monty is overly spoiled and I didn't like him at first, but throughout the story, the author does a great job showing his growth and maturity. Eleanor, I loved from the first moment and cried buckets with every hardship she faced. As a mother with children like her, you can't be seen crying as your strength helps them to be strong, so all my tears reading this story are those that I have held on to for years. Please read this amazing story.

She's autistic, he's a duke...

Eleanor is autistic (on the spectrum, she uses her bracelet as a fidget spinner). She's painfully awkward and plump and plain. She tolerates the ton because she's supposed to. Her father is great, but her sister and mother are pieces of work. Eleanor would like to be left alone to paint. She also has a cringeworthy crush on Monty.

Monty, an entitled duke, is too busy enjoying his many mistresses and doxies to settle down and wed. He's pretty and pretty catered to. He feels superior to all the less pretty people around him. Ironically, both their mothers seem to enjoy hitting them with their fans. They both don't like the ton.

Eleanor and Monty actually spend a lot of time apart in this book. They enjoy steamy times and that leads to them being separated.
I did like the growth both characters had, especially Monty's development.
Recommend.

As usual with this author, I was not able to put the book down. I really enjoyed the heroine Eleanor. I think that any person who has ever struggled to fit in will find her relatable. She has a tough time dealing with the harpies of the ton. This is compounded by the fact that two of the biggest harpies are right there in her own family. Her mother and sister treated her disgracefully. Her father was a good man but he was not always around. So, when the handsome Duke of Whitcombe proposed marriage, Eleanor couldn't believe her good fortune. As ridiculous as his proposal was, she just had to accept. Other members of the ton were convinced that the proposal was a ruse. Why would a duke settle for awkward Eleanor when he could have any woman he desired? When Monty confesses that he proposed to her in a fit of pique to upset his matchmaking mother, Eleanor is shattered. Not being an utter cad, Monty backtracks a bit and makes her a deal. He offers a temporary courtship which should be beneficial to the both of them. Poor lovesick Eleanor agrees.
The plot of this story is rather obvious but the road to the happy ending is a good one. The author offers quite a bit of information about painting which is Eleanor's great passion. She also shows the reader some of the features of autism. I found it very interesting. Monty and Eleanor both grew a lot during the course of the story. I had to break out the tissues as I neared the end.
I received a free ARC from the author and NetGalley. This is my honest review.

A beautiful and richly woven romance caught my attention from the first pages. I enjoyed the story, Eleanor and Monty make an unlikely match, a false betrothal that becomes altogether endearing and perfect. Wonderful from start to finish.