Cover Image: Isabelle and Alexander

Isabelle and Alexander

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Member Reviews

This was a cute story! It was a little slower paced than I expected but I liked the arranged marriage trope with the twist of Alexander's accident. The development of their relationship and Isabelle's growing appreciation and admiration for her new home was very well done.

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Regency romance is not my typical genre, but I enjoyed reading about Isabelle and Alexander's story of finding love. We start off at their wedding and eventually end up at their country cottage, where a devastating accident leaves Isabelle caring for her new husband, whom she does not know all that well. While caring for him, Isabelle learns more about her husband, and soon love begins to bloom. We see a couple, pushed together by society, overcome health struggles and other issues that arise in marriage in such a beautiful way that eventually leads to love. I felt that this book shows that couples can still find love during tough times by working together.

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This was beautifully written that kept my interest form start to finish! I really enjoyed the arranged marriage plot, but one set at the industrial age is not one that I"m used to!

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This is a clean historical romance. While the characters were okay, the plot of the story was slow-moving. I cheered for Isabelle and Alexander at the end but it was still only a so-so read.

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In 1850 London Isabelle know that she will only marry for love. The only problem is, though they have fallen out of fashion, she is promised to Alexander. She marries him despite her misgivings. When he learns she is unhappy he take them on a trip to his country estate so they can get closer together. After a terrible tragedy that leaves Alexander paralyzed. Now will the constant car he needs bring them together or draw them further apart? I would recommend this book and give it a solid 4 stars!

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Beautiful story of overcoming major challenges. Isabelle and Alexander began as an arranged marriage trope and I figured the story would be similar to all other marriage of arrangement type stories but I was blown away with how the story captured the beauty and humanity involved in lifestyles with disabilities. I was drawn deeply into the story and was invested in the outcomes I myself am permanently disabled with limited mobility.
I felt deeply for both characters even though it was a single point of view in third person (Isabelle's viewpoint). I hated the doctor and nurse in Manchester but loved the main characters as well as those closest to them. I saw how shallow Edwin seemed to Isabelle after time apart from her dear cousin. I disliked Charlotte (Edwin's wife) and loved Glory, Mr and Mrs Kenworth, Yeardly, Mrs Burns, Mae, and Mr Connor. I loved the deep relationship Alexander had with his millworkers and the subtle caring he showed as the story progressed.
I felt this book ran similar to the story North and South. Overall I adore this book and am glad to have both a physical copy as well as an eBook copy for my personal library.

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Isabelle and Alexander isn’t your typical romance book.

Set during the 1850’s theirs is an arranged marriage. Once wed they settle in for quiet dinners and sparse communication. Isabelle feels quite lonely and unsure of her new role to a husband who seems disinterested in her.

Just as she thinks they’re turning a corner Alexander is thrown from his horse and becomes paralyzed. Now Isabelle and Alexander must learn if they can love each other while giving up the dreams either of them had for their futures.

I thought the book was very well done. It was great to see Isabelle come into herself and gain confidence in herself as she cared for Alexander.

My favorite relationship in the book is between her and Glori- she was such a great character that always brought a smile to my face.

Being in physical therapy I also loved the therapy aspect to this book- physical therapy was not common back then so to get a glimpse of how they treated these kids of injuries was very interesting to me!

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This book was so. good. I couldn’t put it down! I found the characters charming! They also had great chemistry!

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I apologize for my delayed review. This was an interesting historical romance with situations that are not often found in romance stories. But the story itself was a beautiful one of heartache and love. Alexander's situation in a wheelchair added a twist I've never seen in a historical romance and it was interesting to learn how that was handled back in Victorian times. I also enjoyed the aspects of the mill. And I loved how Isabelle went from someone prim and proper, to someone who wanted to spend time in the mill and wanted to help her husband. There were some really terrible characters in the story, like Nurse Margaret, that I honestly could have done without. I didn't feel like they added to the story. But overall this was an enjoyable book!

Thank you NetGalley and Shadow Mountain Publishing for the eARC! All reviews are my own.

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This romance was very different from others in this genre. The arranged marriage wasn't successful at first. After an accident, Isabelle and Alexander grow close as they deal with the aftermath of Alexander's accident. In this novel, you have two people that handle trials differently but in the end, learn to love each other. They weren't my favorite characters I've ever read, but they both worked in the context of the story and plotline.

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Isabelle has high hopes for her arranged marriage with one of the most eligible bachelors of new money, but her dreams are dashed by her husband's cold demeanor and working long hours at his textile mill.

Not your typical sweet period romance, this book follows Isabelle as she goes from a naïve bride, to a woman of grace and determination. There was so much to love about this book, I loved the friendships that Isabelle formed with the staff, the Kenworthys, as well as their devotion to Alec. I admired Isabelle for going all in and doing her best to support and love her husband despite her situation, as well as learning to stand up for herself.

Overall, this was a well written read, with excellent characters, and a strong admirable heroine. I especially loved dear Glory, with her innocent exuberance for life and open heartedness, yet not immune to her own struggles. I think that the choice not to show Alec's point of view helped me to understand what Isabelle was going through better. Though not what I expected, this was a worthy read, with a strong heroine, that I really enjoyed.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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This is a sweet historical fiction about a couple learning to get along after they say I do. An arranged marriage can be tricky and both Isabelle and Alex are unsure of how to proceed. It has good character development and a sweet ending.

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I struggled with this one, something just felt a little disjointed and jarring in the writing. I have read other Victorian era books lately that did this genre better.

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The perfect regency romance, Isabelle and Alexander ticked all the boxes for me in this genre. It has well developed, lovable characters that I enjoyed getting to know over the course of the story and didn’t want to part with. It was a beautifully executed, intriguing story with a slow-burn, realistic romance thread that kept me turning pages. Hello, arranged marriage! I really enjoyed the look into the medical world during the Victorian era with this storyline. The author clearly did her research!

This really was just such a delight to read. I turned the last page and wanted to start the book over again right then and there. The author knocked it out of the park here. This is definitely a new favorite regency romance that I will be highly recommending.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Shadow Mountain for the gifted e-copy!

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I loved this book. It was sweet and it felt natural. Of course I want to scream at the characters to just speak to each other, but that's because I really love my happily every afters, and so much can be cleared up with a little communication. Fortunately for this book, real people rarely communicate so quickly or clearly so the story was genuine and moved at a comfortable and believable pace.

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A big thank you to the author Rebecca Anderson, the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my candid review.

This was an interesting romance novel. It begins with a young woman who is the daughter of wealthy manufacturer who is married off to an upcoming young business man for the business advantage that this will provide for the father. The couple barely know each other on their wedding day.

It is about an ambitious young man who takes pride in his factory and a young woman who is learning how to be a wife. The couple have many misstarts and misunderstandings and are just starting to form a relationship when tragedy strikes and makes their lives more complicated.

It was an enjoyable romantic interlude with a little more meat on its bones.

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I liked this book, although it was a slow build. The character development was good, you felt what they went through with their trying circumstances. I personally like more romance, with the flirty banter, but anyone that likes the slow, sweet relationship growth would enjoy this.

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A great story about a cotton mill owner and his arranged bride. A feel good story, I will be telling my friends about this book.

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One of my favorite tropes is marriage of convenience so when I read the blurb for Isabelle and Alexander, I was really excited to read it, especially as this one sounded different from the norm! I really wished for a point of view from both Isabelle and Alexander. I think it would’ve helped to know how Alexander was feeling and what he was thinking. I also would have liked more connection between them and more romance.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

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I thought this book was fantastic! I’ve never read a regency like this- it was so unique and interesting.
The characters were flawed and imperfect which to me felt more realistic than most “fluffy” regencies I’ve read.
The book dealt with a lot of deep issues that I’m sure people had to deal with back then, but you never hear about.
I thought this book was very well written and it held my interest from start to end. It’s not as lighthearted as most regency books, but I really enjoyed it.

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