On the surface it’s a riveting melodrama about an heiress eloping with a famous actor. These two theater nerds geek out about Shakespeare all the way to Scotland; she blushes a lot, it’s cute :) But once you consider he is involved in the abolition movement, she is navigating societal expectations of what does it mean to be a black woman, class differences and family secrets… things get complicated.

Ever since their first meeting at an inn where our hero is recruiting people to join a political rally, the dynamic between the characters was electric and the emotional descriptions had a sweet flow to them. Ester admires his art and Bex pampers her by preparing baths since it’s important to her. This novel is a pure delight that put Vanessa on my ever expanding list of auto-buy authors and I am thankful.

A sweet, tender romance fulled with wonderful characters and suspenseful moments. Ester Croome is set to marry a man her father has picked out when she has her 21st birthday. The man is a known rake and Ester holds little interest for the marriage. She has held a crush for Auther Bex, a well known actor who has many secrets and problems of his own. When she sees an advertisement in a newspaper, they meet and as one thing leads to another marry! But there is so much more to this story. Both had so many insecurities and Bex especially had trust issues. Can they find their happy ever after based off their short acquaintance and secrets each holds? This story contains a lot of history not touched upon that often and I really enjoyed that aspect of the story. It made me do more research. This was the first book I have read by this author and I look forward to many more!

I did find the first half to be at quite a slow pace but I was glad I continued to read on as once they had almost reached Gretna Green the story proceeded at a good pace with plenty of activity. It became a captivating read. I did like the character of Arthur Bex, he had such strong convictions and stuck to them, regardless of his own reputation. I fluctuated between liking Ester for her strength of character in certain situations and then being frustrated with her, for her stubbornness and dithering as to whether she wanted to marry or return home. Her mother was a brave, strong woman, much to be admired. This book highlighted the prejudice of the day towards those of a different race. I received a copy and have voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Yet another Vanessa Riley book that I love, The Bashful Bride! How can't you fall in love with a storyline with Bex and Ester in it?!
What a guy! Bex was the kind of guy that could have truly been mean and terrible, but he chose to live above what could have made him a lesser man. Ester, Ester, Ester! She's a strong woman who knew she didn't want to be forced to marry someone she didn't love so she took it into her own hands. Not a typical storyline so I'm sure you'll enjoy it!
If you like abolition reads, 18th century, historical romance, not the run-of-the-mill kind of romance read for sure, but guaranteed to keep you turning the pages!
I received a copy of the book from the publisher. All thoughts and comments are my own!

Miss Ester Croome's friend has advertised in the paper for a husband. Tonight is when she will meet him for the first time, so she needs Ester to be her chaperone and support. Ester is unfortunately a little distracted by events at home, and her fascination for a famous actor.
Mr Arthur Bex is an avid abolitionist, because of his past. He uses his famous voice to persuade others to take up the cause. He needs to feel there is someone in his life who will believe in him when the truth comes out.
This is a story about a mixed race romance in a difficult time .
Secrets have a way of coming to light no matter how hard you try to bury them. There is some danger for our characters to face and a lot of prejudice .
You can quite easily read this as a stand alone, but it is part of a series so you will meet characters from the other books.
A sweet clean romance.

It's a great story and id beautifully interwoven. All the characters are great and I think the author has given them very interesting pasts, which has given them more depth. I really liked the characters in this novel.
Ester Croome is a sheltered young girl who judges her parents harshly based on what she knows. When her father decided to arrange a marriage for her she rebels. In her rebellion she eloped with someone she admires a lot, but he is not someone she knows well. There is very little that she actually knows about Bex, but to her it doesn't matter. She just wants to marry someone of her choosing rather than her father's. Soon she is going to realise that not everything she knows is true, and there is a lot that she doesn't even know....
Bex's past haunts him. However, he is determined to do better in the present as well as the future. He has secrets that he wants to keep well-hidden. But there are people who are becoming more and more interested in his past. So, he decides to find a bride. Someone who trusts him and vouches for him when the time comes. He is willing to settle with any level-headed woman, who believes in the cause he fights for. When he finds Ester he think that his prayers have been answered. She seems like the person he could build a happy life with... but he doesn't realise that sometimes things get complicated and logic becomes overrated...
They both are in over their heads, but will they survive in this world without losing their sanity is a different story entirely.
I really enjoyed it and would recommend to anyone who loves historical romance. However, it's not usual story about the ton. It shows an entirely different side on London in early 1800s.

A unique and lovely new voice (to me) in historical fiction romance. Definitely recommend for those seeking to add diverse stories to their library's collection. Sweet, with Christian themes.

This is the second book in the Advertisements for Love series, though it can be read as a standalone. I loved Theodosia’s book, so I was excited to ready about her friend, Ester, a young black woman whose father made his wealth in textiles. While I didn’t like this book as much, it still had a lot of the moments and themes that make me love Ms. Riley’s books. Like her previous book, while it’s not overtly Christian, there are Christian themes in the book. The main thread running through this book is one of forgiveness: of learning to forgive others for supposed or actual hurts, and of learning to forgive yourself.

She closed her eyes, forgetting the noisy inn and even Bex’s honey voice and said, “‘The very instant that I saw you did my heart fly to your service, there it resides to make me a slave to it.’”
“No. No one is a slave, or they shouldn’t be. No, you have choices. I want to be your choice, Miss Croome.”


When Ester finds out her father has arranged a marriage for her – to a man known to be a womanizer – she’s frantic to get out of it. So, when the suitor who’s answered her best friend’s marriage ad turns out to be Arthur Bex, the Shakespearean actor she’s had a crush on for years, she jumps at the chance to elope with him to Gretna Green that very night. Bex is taken with the young woman, and has reasons of his own for wanting a wife. But between family opposition, Bex’s role in the dangerous abolition movement, and family secrets, can their chance at love survive?

There’s a bit of a fairytale vibe to Ester’s story. Ester remembers living over her father’s warehouse when his business was just getting started, but now lives in a mansion complete with servants, so there’s a definite rags-to-riches air. There’s also a few continued references to 5 minutes after midnight. Ester tells her friend that fairy tales end at midnight, but anything that goes on after is real – a silly fancy that encapsulates Ester’s character.

I have mixed feelings about this book. The main issue was that I was just horrifically frustrated with Ester. She is young (nearly 21) and about as sheltered as a young black woman could be in 1820s London. Halfway through the book, Ester and Arthur were still rehashing the “should we marry/ shouldn’t we marry” thing, and it just felt so repetitive. I’m not saying it was unreasonable for Ester or Arthur to have doubts – they did decide to get married after two cups of tea! – but it gave a very negative spin to the relationship with all they reasons they shouldn’t get married – and even some why they should – being negative. Every time it seemed like they were making forward progress, something would come up that would send both of them back to the “let’s not get married!” conversation again.

“Why did you marry me? Do you love me?”
He didn’t know how to describe what he felt—part gratitude, part hope, part glad to be chosen—that she cared so much for him. He stood up, pulling her to her feet. “I care for you more than myself. Perhaps that is love. I know what it cost for you to go through with this wedding and to even jump through that window. Your reasons for saying yes matter less to me, only that you did say it.”
She hooked her hand about his neck and draped her head against his bum shoulder. “What does matter to you, Bex?”
“You. You do, Ester.”


Ester’s other character flaw – and one I found easier to understand – was that she struggles with forgiveness, expecting everyone to forgive her but being unwilling to forgive others. Recently, she found evidence that her father had been unfaithful to her mother, and ever since, she’s been cold to him. Even more so, she looks down on her mother as weak for forgiving him. Her father’s actions since – acting genuinely contrite – she views as her mother being bought off with expensive gifts and parties. She calls her mother a “couch woman” – someone who’s just willing to wait around for her husband to come home. With Arthur, she wants him to give up his abolitionist rallies as too dangerous – she doesn’t want to sit at home worrying about him and wondering if he’ll come home at all. She fails to recognize how important that work is to Arthur, and struggles to forgive him when he continues the work after their marriage. Eloping with Arthur gets her pretty much disowned by her family (she left during her mother’s party without leaving a note or anything, so her family feared she was dead or kidnapped), and it takes nearly 3/4s of the book before she starts understanding exactly how much she’s wronged her family and Arthur.

As for things I liked, I was fascinated by Bex’s work with the abolition movement, as it’s something I haven’t read much about before, and horrified by his family secrets. When they ignored their doubts about their relationship, I liked Bex and Ester’s attempts to build a marriage based on the affection they felt for each other, and I liked their banter.

Overall, I think this would be more of a 3.5 star read for me, but I’m rounding up to 4 just because I did truly enjoy it. I’m looking forward to Frederica’s story!

I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

The Bashful Bride (Advertisements for Love #2) by Vanessa Riley is an interesting and unique story of secrets, abolitionist, romance and so much more. While, 2nd book in the ADVERTISEMENT FOR LOVE, it can be read as a stand alone. See THE BITTERSWEET BRIDE, book 1.
Well written in Ms. Riley's uniquely thought-out writing style. Based on factual historical events, THE BASHFUL BRIDE, will swept you away into another world. I enjoyed Arthur Bex, a famed actor in London and Ester Croome, a shy heiress' story. Ester and Bex's story is harrowing, dangerous, romantic and challenging. The storyline is unpredictable, intriguing and challenging. Ms. Riley did an amazing job with this incredible, sweet romance.
I received a complimentary copy, however, all opinions are my own.

I was so excited to read this book – a shy black heroine, a white abolitionist hero, an interracial marriage of convenience – everything was in place, and I was primed and ready to enjoy it. But do you what I don’t like? Immature heroines and heroes with secrets. And so, sadly, when this book wasn’t irritating me, I found myself rather disappointed.

I tried to make allowances for Ester, because she is young and sheltered. Although part of me did think it took a lot of effort on her part to be quite so naive when she’d lived above her father’s warehouse until she was fifteen, and frequently stole her mother’s scandal sheets to read. She’s spoiled and rather self-absorbed, but she is only twenty. She’s also incredibly strident and self-righteous in her opinions and always convinced that she knows exactly what’s going on as she passes judgement on everyone around her.

Her father had an affair five years ago? Clearly he’s a lying monster who is beyond all realms of trust. Her mother forgave him? Then she’s weak. Ester will never be that weak. She is shy, but she is strong and she’ll never marry a philanderer like the man her father has lined up for her (which is fair enough, actually). Besides, she’s in love with Arthur Bex, the actor about whom she knows nothing but decides to run off with on the spur of the moment because he’s Arthur Bex! Swoon, sigh. Deep, deep sigh.

It was actually the first meeting between the two of them that made me realise Ester might not be the heroine for me. Up until then I was growing to like her, but I cringed through their whole conversation. I know she has a crush, but the way she reacted to everything he said by saying things like, “Arthur Bex is speaking to me!” was beyond awful. Thinking it is one thing, but she was saying these things aloud and Bex thought she was being witty – half-witted, maybe – it made him seem like a raging egomaniac.

Thankfully that half-wit phase passed quite swiftly, but it was followed by the trip to Gretna, which was interminable. She was miserable, he was miserable, I was miserable. They have the same conversation over and over and over again about whether they should get married, whether she’s ready for the climb down in comfort, whether they should turn back, but what about her reputation, what about her parents, they hardly know each other, they shouldn’t marry, oh, but they want to marry, maybe, perhaps, oh, but her reputation… and so on. That’s the trouble with a long road trip between two strangers – they had nothing else to talk about. And when they weren’t talking, they were rehashing the same thoughts – Ester about her parents, Bex about that secret he was keeping.

I was pretty annoyed with him for keeping his secrets, especially after Ester explicitly told him that the one thing she can’t bear is dishonesty and secrets. However, as the book progressed, I didn’t blame him as much since she couldn’t be trusted to understand the nuances of the truth and instead always jumped to the worst possible conclusion, because Ester knows best!

The thing is, I actually appreciated the fact that they don’t fall madly in love immediately and that there were second thoughts about what they were doing. It’s just the way it was rehashed over and over with no real progress. And then when they were married, neither of them seemed willing to bend. Ester claimed to have loved Bex for years, yet she immediately wanted to change the most important things about him, while he still wasn’t on board with the whole honesty thing. They’re a terrible match, and to be honest by the end I couldn’t see how they would work in the long term.

Which is a massive shame, because away from their romance, this is a really good book. The inclusion of the abolitionist movement, the hardships of travelling beyond London for anyone who wasn’t white, the plight of young Jonesy with his harelip, the way black people weren’t allowed to move into certain areas of the city, the horror of the slave trade and the way it still continued even after the Slave Trade Act of 1807, the strength of Ester’s mother – the research is all there and woven in well. True, the historical tone wasn’t always particularly accurate (Not today, Satan!), but on the whole it does a really good job of conjuring up the time without too many anachronisms.

So even though this book sadly didn’t live up to my expectations, I’ll still be on the lookout for more from this author. I just wish I could have liked this one and it's romance more.

Well written historical romance. I enjoyed the plot and the author’s writing. I recommend to fans of historical fiction.

This is the first book by Vanessa Riley that I've read and I can see why she has won awards. She is most definitely a unique voice in historical romance, one that we need because nobody else tells the stories she does.

It's a learning experience for me reading a Blackamoor heroine and witnessing via the written word the prejudices they encountered (and still continue to do so). I am not a stranger to multicultural relationships as I am in one and I also write about the subject, but I still felt for Bex and Ester.

The characters were drawn clearly and I love the themes of family and friendship alongside romantic love. I also love being educated on the part of history that I am not aware of, that we were not taught in school in my country, but which is important to form a complete picture of the world.

If I have a complaint, it's that I find the push and pull a bit too much, but I can attribute it to the fact that Ester is quite young and sheltered. I also had to adjust to the language, especially the way the characters address each other in full names. Again, something that is probably cultural. Apart from those, The Bashful Bride is an engrossing read.

*Note: I requested and received this book from Entangled Publishing via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and reflect my personal opinions.

3.25 Stars
A friend's newspaper advertisement for a groom nets the most famous actor in London, Arthur Bex,. Shy heiress Ester Croome proposes to elope with the handsome man, who she's secretly loved for two years, in order to escape an impending engagement arranged by her overbearing family.
Trying to outlive the shadow of his villainous uncle, Bex needs to marry quickly—to a woman of good character.
This is the second book in the series but could very easily be read on it’s own. I have mixed feelings about the book, I enjoyed reading it but didn’t love it. The characters were well portrayed & had plenty of depth, the story was well paced but everything just didn’t gel for me & what could have been so very very good just fell a bit flat. I think it was because I found the chemistry between Bex & Ester lacking.

My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

My review is 3.6 stars.

I'm very fond of reading books from this genre, 'Historical Romance' because this genre feels like a classics. There were sections in the book that I didn't like and there were sections in the book that I liked so I have some mixed reactions about the book. The book is set in the 18th century, in the moment of the anti-slavery. So as per the plot, I would like to say that author chose a very strong one. But I'm little, a bit disappointed to say that author didn't do complete justice to that strong plot.

The knowledge author showed regarding that era & the movement and all the little details were good and I like that. But there were scenes that I don't like. I would definitely say that the author took the risk to choose this kind of plot & in a way she tried to achieve her goals on portraying the love story in the background of that anti-slavery moment. On a level, she did that but I'm not fully satisfied.

Apart from that, I liked the way the author wrote and the scenes she wrote, the dialogues she wrote was nice and intriguing. Both the main characters 'Bex' & 'Ester', were engaging.

I liked the book but I would definitely be feeling pleased if I could say that I loved the book.

The Bashful Bride tells the fictional story of Ester and Bex who resided in London at the turn of the 19th century. While the couple and their story are fictional, many aspects of the story resemble society at that time. Bex is a well-known white actor and Ester is the daughter of a well-to-do black tradesman. They are both looking for marriage for different reasons. This story addresses the many challenges of mixed marriages during that time and also addresses the many horrors of slavery and the slave trade itself. Despite the serious topics discussed throughout, Ester and Bex find happiness together in the end.

Unfortunately I never got into the story or care for the characters. This book was just not for me.
ARC received from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I can't wait to read the next book in the series by Vanessa Riley. I must admit I am a sucker for multicultural romance. It is refreshing to read an author who incorporates that with an actual depiction of historical fiction. Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to find such great content.

England in the time where be a black is to be put in a dark corner even if they are rich. Croome's family is rich and Ester has to marry but why cant she choose her own love?
There a lot of good things about this time and be a voice to stop the slavery was not that in 1800's.
Ester is a shy lady who goes after her love and she finda in her famous actor Arthur Bex.
They decide to Marty and suddendly they are making promises to each other. But this act of her was more a rebelious act than actually being married to Bex which they did. And she believe that her parents will forgive her and when this does not happen she is furious cause she is sorry is not enough?!
50% of the book Arthur is saying to her that she should be back and of course she did not because she is making her own decision and no more lies.
And when they finally are married she does not want anymore and wants to comeback to her warmth bath and pretty clothes and my home's parents. And Arthur has lied to her because she is a abolitionist and be will die and she wants be away of him.
Ester wants a secure place and if her husband did not agree with her he does not deserve her.

Arthur was too good, too comprehensible. Bex was true to his cause and because of his upbring I could understand him more. I cant understand why the woman who lives him for 2 years could not. Maybe he discover that she was in love with a illusion not with the true him which that's why she could not stand his cause.

The heroine was a spoiled onde that did not de serve the heroe's love.
Ester's mother was more forgiven and wise to understand that Arthur was a good man and did not lie.

The Bashful Bride was a decent read but I didn't love it. There were some issues that just felt contrived and kept me from getting as fully engrossed in the story as I would've liked.

On the whole, I enjoyed reading this book but there were some things that felt too forced, too coincidental to feel right and natural. I really liked the characters though, female characters with an inner strength and confidence, strong flawed male characters that are essentially good and trustworthy despite their faults and weaknesses. The heroine's fixation on someone she had never really met but just, well, fan-girled over Regency style was a bit irritating though, all circumstances considered.

This book is set in 1820, at a time when the British anti-slavery movement had led to the passing of a Bill for the abolition of the slave trade 15 years prior but the fight to abolish the slave trade in other countries as well was still underway. The so-called blackamoors had been a part of the English society for ages then but even those with money and power still weren't fully accepted by society.

This is a subject not often mentioned in historical romances so this was as unexpected as the hero's involvement with the abolitionists and the dangers he faces due to this involvement. No change ever came without sacrifices and people willing to fight for it. I loved that this book draws attention to this time and the people of color in those times and their struggles to be accepted.

All in all, this is a book that kept me entertained and interested, made me look up and google things so I enjoyed reading it despite the fact that some things weren't completely convincing.