This is a book for fans of: the Victorian era, North & South, or Arranged marriage trope.
I went into this book expecting a lot more romance than there happened to be. That being said I did enjoy this story. Isabelle and Alexander were dealt a heavy hand early on into their marriage. Rebecca did a beautiful job of describing all the emotional up and downs of their journey after Alexander’s accident. The one thing I wish we would have had was a dual perspective and we could have seen Alexander’s side of the story. Wonderful and emotional story!
Thanks to Netgalley and Shadow Mountain for sending me a copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

'London, 1850

Isabelle Rackham knows she will not marry for love. Though arranged marriages have fallen out of fashion, hers has been settled for some time to combine the upper-middle-class wealth of her father’s coal mines with Alexander Osgood’s prospering Northern country textile mills. Though not a man prone to romantic gestures, Alexander is well-known as an eligible bachelor. His good looks have turned more than one head, so Isabelle is content to think of herself as Alexander’s wife.

However, her marriage is not what she expected. Northern England is nothing like her home farther west in the lake country. Cold, dreary, and dark, the soot from the textile mills creates a gray hue that seems to cling to everything in the city of Manchester. Alexander is distant and aloof, preferring to spend his time at the mill rather than with her at home. Their few conversations are brief, polite, and lacking any emotion, leaving Isabelle lonely and desperately homesick.

Sensing his wife’s unhappiness, Alexander suggests a trip to his country estate. Isabelle hopes this will be an opportunity to get to know her new husband without the distractions of his business. But the change of scenery doesn’t bring them any closer. While riding together on horses, Alexander is thrown from his and becomes paralyzed. Tragedy or destiny? The help and care that Alexander now needs is Isabelle’s opportunity to forge a connection and create a deep and romantic love where nothing else could.'
______________________________

Isabelle and Alexander is a clean historical romance by Rebecca Anderson.

Brought together by an arranged marriage, Isabelle and Alexander find themselves with a bit of a "North and South"-esque tension between them. Alexander is a reserved and disinclined to make grand gestures. He is feeling a bit insecure in the marriage because he thinks that Isabelle is a touch above his station and feels the need to work as hard as possible at his business to make himself worthy of her. Isabelle is not opposed to the match, he is very handsome and charming, but once  removed to an unfamiliar area and spending her days mostly alone as her husband works she doesn't see any of that charm directed toward her and is feeling lonely and ignored in her marriage.

Their marriage is making tentative steps forward though, beginning to get to know one another more and spending some time together. Unfortunately they aren't able to explore this much before Alexander is involved in a riding accident. A very independent man, upon waking Alexander is horrified to learn that he is now reliant on the care and assistance if his wife and others.

There are natural growing pains as the characters learn new routines and norms and as Alexander copes with the changes to his life and the hardwork of relearning things. Some days are very hard, between pain and a fluctuating mood and mental state. The book covers some tough topics, including asylums, but it doesn't shy away and handles the representation very well.

There were refreshing differences in this book from many other historical romances. For one, it was nice to read a story that takes place in an English city that is not London. Secondly I enjoyed that our characters were not members of the ton. But more than anything it was especially nice to read a book with a main character that is not able-bodied, representation that is very rare in this genre. Further there is a seondary character with special needs that seems to fit the profile of moderate ASD. Both of these representations are handled beautifully by the author.

I really liked this book, I thought it was sweet and I was invested in both main characters. But at the same time I can't give it five stars because the resolution felt a bit rushed to me. Everything prior to that felt paced so naturally with the slow build of trust that when the conflict was finally resolved between them, I guess I expected that there would be a bit more story after that, but it very quickly turned to the epilogue. This could just be me though, I may just not have been ready for the book to end, but I would have liked to see a bit more of them united as a team now that everything was out in the open. I definitely enjoyed it and would recommend Isabelle and Alexander to others. It's been my of my favorite reads of the year so far.

_____

I would like to thank Shadow Mountain Publishing and Rebecca Anderson for sharing an eARC of Isabelle and Alexander with me. This is my honest review.

Isabelle and Alexander
Rebecca Anderson


Anderson’s debut historical romance comes with a great deal of challenges that would put any modern couple on thin ice and some very important societal injustices that she handles with spunk and compassion.

Isabelle Rackham was raised to be a good daughter and didn’t even blink when her parents proposed an arranged marriage to Alexander Osgood, a handsome Manchester textile mill owner that would benefit her father’s coal mine operations. So while silently hoping the marriage could become a love match, Isabelle does her duty and becomes Mrs. Alexander Osgood. Then very early in their marriage during a trip to Alexander’s country estate disaster strikes and Isabelle and Alexander’s lives are turned upside down when Alexander is paralyzed in a tragic accident leaving Isabelle feeling ill prepared for how to help Alexander and Alexander ill prepared on how to survive his new reality and putting how to be a newly married couple in limbo.

Readers meet the happy couple on their wedding day and only enjoy Isabelle’s POV via a flowing period perfect narrative. They will occasionally want to beat Alexander over the head even knowing he’s Victorian and English and they will enjoy many exceptional characters all throughout this phenomenal story. Take Glory a very talented special needs young woman who her parents decide to keep at home and not institutionalize and the remarkable Osgood textile mill employees and household staff and the author even throws in a nurse Ratchet to be terrorized by. Then there are the two absolutely unforgettable stars who will both grow in character and personal strength because and in-spite of the many obstacles thrown at them, Alexander from aloof to damaged both psychically and emotionally and Isabelle from a naïve society daughter to a capable and courageous woman and wife.
Fans of historical fiction, of proper romance and arranged marriage novels will love this book and look forward to Rebecca Anderson’s next endeavor.

Isabelle Rackham is a new bride in Manchester England in 1850. She barely knows her new husband, but knows he is a handsome successful mill owner. Marriage does not go as Isabelle has expected. She knows they didn’t marry for love, but she had hoped they would be able to form a relationship. That seems unlikely as Alexander spends all of his time at the mill and barely talks when he is at home. Alexander makes an effort to spend more time with his wife by bringing her to his beloved country estate. While there, an unfortunate accident occurs that changes their entire world. Will they be able to recover and have a more loving union?

Isabelle and Alexander is a heartwarming love story. It’s about two people learning to understand one another and open themselves up for love. Isabelle and Alexander both work towards understanding more about each other. It’s a slow burn novel that starts from the two of them as silent strangers to learning to love. I greatly enjoyed this novel.

I was also fascinated as the novel is set during Victorian times and deals with disability. This is not something I have read about much. I do know that during this time, it was common to send away family members who did have a disability. Besides weathering Alexander’s disability, Isabelle befriends the Kenworthy family who have a very special daughter, Glory. Although she goes through manic phases, the family cares for her at home and she is a very special young woman. I love how Alexander dismisses her at first, but then over time, realizes he has underestimated Glory.

I also loved learning about mills in this novel. Isabelle opens herself up to learning about Alexander’s business and getting to know how it works and the people who work there. I thought it was fascinating.

I enjoyed Isabelle’s development as a character. She gathered strength throughout the novel and the courage to speak out for what she believed in. I love that she was open to learning new things and to go beyond the training as a lady that her mother provided.

Favorite Quotes:

“You are a great deal more than well enough. You have offered your strength when I had none, your patience as I pushed you away again and again.”

“No decision you make affects you alone; therefore, you cannot decide crucial things in isolation. All choices made about our family should be made by us together.”

Overall, Isabelle and Alexander is an inspirational Victorian nontraditional romance. I read this one quickly and enjoyed every minute of it!

Book Source: Review Copy from Shadow Mountain Publishing as part of the Blog Tour put together by Laurel Ann Nattress from Austenprose. Thank-you

I absolutely loved the moody North and South vibe in this book! Isabelle struggles with the realities of her new circumstances, especially the landscape and the loneliness. I liked seeing the character growth in her as she handles obstacle after obstacle, and I wished to be able to know the thoughts of Alexander as he faces his own unexpected trials. I found it beautiful the way they were able to finally connect as they traveled their new road together. Their roles of caretaker and "invalid" made their relationship more difficult, but also gave them the opportunity to breach their defenses and come to really know each other and deepen their love. I liked the friends Isabelle made along the way and felt that they rounded out the story and added even more depth. Although I didn't feel the emotional connection to the characters like I had hoped, I enjoyed the story and the details.

Disclosure statement: A complimentary copy of this book was provided from a tour group, publisher, publicist, or author, including NetGalley, OR was borrowed from the library, including OverDrive, OR borrowed from Kindle Unlimited, OR purchased. A review was not required and all views and opinions expressed are unbiased and my own.

When I first asked to read this book I had no idea what I was getting into. I was thinking sweet historical romance set in England. Well first off I have to say WOW! Within the first three chapters I was in love with Isabelle and heartbroken for her life that has been given over to an arranged marriage to benefit her father's business and her future husband. Within a few more chapters, which I could not stop reading, I found myself cheering for the budding love between Isabelle and Alexander. This is one of the better romances I have read in quite a while. Not only does the author bring you along for the ride as these two fall in love in spite of an arranged marriage, but you learn about their resiliency in trying times and times of hardship. I absolutely could not put this book down until the very end because I needed to know how the author would bring these two together. It did not disappoint. I highly recommend taking a chance on this book.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book. All opinions are my own.

An engaging romance that had me hoping that the main characters would work out their differences, and continuing to read to find out if/how they would.

This isn't your typical romance. Generally, the romances I read showcase the story of how a couple falls in love and gets married, but Isabelle and Alexander were married early in the story without knowing much about each other at all, since it was almost more of a business move than anything. Don't discount that. Although slow, yet steady, this story gives a big nod to the textile movement of the Victorian era and delivered a very slow burn type of love.

Marriage is hard and I couldn't believe what this couple had to endure while navigating a backwards courtship of sorts. In spite of hoping for a bit more romance from a Proper Romance book, this sweet story is one that left me closing the book with a feel-good feeling.

While the characters are individually interesting, side character Glory stole the show for me. I did enjoy these characters, but wanted a little more connection with the mysterious enigma of a man. Told in first person, the reader is intimately shown Isabelle's thoughts and feelings and it would have been a richer experience getting inside of Alexander's head as well.

All in all, this is a story to cherish and ponder.

Content: very mild romance; mild moments of injury/peril

*I received a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are my own and were voluntarily given*

This book was really an emotional one for me. It is told from the point of view of Isabelle, and you are able to feel connected to her right away. However, it was Alexander that really drew me in.

Alexander and Isabelle have just had an arranged marriage and barely know each other when Alexander suffers from a tragic accident. Isabelle is trying to find where she fits in with this new situation, and we see her many struggles. Alexander is very quiet and can come off as moody and cold. It was finding out who the real Alexander was that I really loved.

I also loved how raw and realistic this book was. Everything wasn’t daisies and sunshine. Bad things happened and people’s lives changed because of it. However, there were also tender moments that helped bring them together as a couple and everything they went through made them stronger.

I look forward to reading more from Rebecca Anderson.

Happy release day! The Proper Romance series has done it again with a feel good, heart warming book, Isabelle and Alexander by @beccawilhite.
.
I adored this story! I felt I had stepped inside a version of North and South, but with a twist and so much more! The arranged marriage between Isabelle and Alexander was slow going but that made their relationship feel authentic and real. I would love to see this as a movie, it would be fantastic! I always know a book is good when I start telling my husband parts....and this book was just that! He heard all about it! I highly recommend it!
.
Like I mentioned...it was just released today, so make sure you look it up, it would make a fantastic Mother’s Day gift if your mom loves reading 😉

This storyline is unique from others I've read. It was interesting to have such a seriously life changing accident be the catalyst for their romance. The romance is definitely a slow burn. Really nothing moves fast in this book. The pacing is pretty slow moving.

I found myself frustrated to not get any of Alec's perspective in the story. I didn't know if he just didn't care, didn't really like her, resented her, was just too selfish to see her needs, was just too dense, was really an awful person, too shy to have a discussion, or what. What was his problem? And the only real excuse we get later on for his behavior didn't really resonate for me. I couldn't read any of his personality from her perspective. And maybe that is the point. She doesn't understand either.

As far as Isabelle goes, I really wanted her to be a consistently, stronger female. She had her moments but she really did make herself invisible so much of the time. She was very kind toward Glory and that showed her true colors.

I did enjoy the story overall. The later part of the book housed a sweet romance that shows the potential for having a wonderful happily ever after whether he walks again or not. They do need to hire another person in a leadership position at the mill though. The mill and the busy working town reminded me much of North and South. I could envision the "snow" falling as the workers worked so hard. I liked that Isabelle gained an understanding and appreciation of the workers and the lives they led.

No sex, language or violence
*I received a complimentary ARC through NetGalley and voluntarily chose to review it.

Let's see...what do I want to say about Isabelle and Alexander ? I read this book in about 24 hours. I didn't want to put it down. And thankfully I didn't have to put it down often since I had a chunk of time to read.

Isabelle and Alexander get married as typical couples often did in that time....as a business arrangement. He would provide for her and she would be socially acceptable for him. However, the two struggle to find themselves in their marriage in the beginning. Isabelle often feels alone and neglected. Alexander apparently has a hard time opening up to new people. The two finally seem to be making some incremental progress when Alexander has a horse accident that causes a spinal injury.

Alexander and Isabelle both go through the typical emotions you might expect of someone who has suffered a traumatic injury and someone else who has become a caregiver. Alexander is struggling with his new reality. He feels weak and humiliated. He's unable to move about in his mill like he once did. He feels like he's a burden. And he knows his new wife didn't exactly sign up for this kind of life. Isabelle just wants to help. She wants to ease Alexander's burdens however she can. She rejoices in even the smallest amount of sensation and movement that returns to him even if he can't always appreciate those small victories. She struggles though because she's in a new place with very few friends. Her husband is distant. I give her major props for working so incredibly hard. She wasn't just working to help Alexander recover, she was also working and fighting for their marriage--unable to be satisfied with the impersonal relationship they began with.

Favorite quote:
-"I simply wish so regularly, so constantly that I could do anything correctly. I thank you for thinking I am doing well."

Isabelle and Alexander isn't your typical historical romance. There wasn't some swooping, swooning relationship. This was a story about hard work and a slow build. And even when we did arrive at the conclusion, I was still left wanting more. I wanted to know a bit more about Alexander's letters. I wanted to see the progression of their relationship. I was happy with where things ended while still wanting more. I guess that's not a terrible place to be. Isabelle and Alexander get 3.5 Stars. Have you read Isabelle and Alexander? What did you think? Let me know!

Yes - read it!

This was a lovely little story. If you have ever had a "lovely" afternoon tea (nothing fancy, nothing complex, nothing immense) just the right flavors, right variety and right amount; you can appreciate the term lovely and certainly this story.

I got it read in one night, granted that was 7-10pm so not a late night or all night read.

You were invested in the story from the start because you like the characters. And the story just kept moving right along.

The publishers summary told you what was going to happen but it didn't leave you a weeping mess.

I received an ARC from Netgalley and Shadow Mountain Publishing to prepare for my honest review.

Isabelle and Alexander is, hands down, the best romance I have ever read. Rebecca Anderson tells a flawless tale of what it means to love someone. The tenderness is what affected me the most. This novel got into my soul and hasn’t let go yet.

Isabelle lived all her life loved and cherished by her family. She knew no other way. But, when she marries Alexander, she finds herself in a foreign situation. Alexander is cold and indifferent to his wife. Of course, Isabelle doesn’t understand why. But, what she doesn’t understand is that Alexander feels beneath her and not worthy of her.

From that, you may have the assumption that this novel is much like any other romance. But, there is so much more to the story. Plagued by trauma, the path to everlasting love isn't easy. What makes this book remarkable is the dedication, respect, and caring shown by Isabelle. Even at Alexander’s worst, she commits herself to learn to be the best wife she can be.

There are points in the novel that had me yelling at Isabelle for not standing up for herself. She wrestles with a yearning to be assertive, but she doesn’t want to upset Alexander. So, she sits on her hands and is meek. But, when she gets the chance to voice her opinion openly, she is a force.

Watching Isabelle and Alexander’s relationship grow was such a pleasure to be a part of. There need be no sweeping declarations between these two. When it finally comes, the feelings are raw and laid bare for everyone to see. I’ve not cried so many happy tears in a long time.

It is with great joy that I award Isabelle and Alexander a full 5 out of 5 stars. If you are a fan of romance, historical or otherwise, you should read this book. I hope it moves you, as I have been. The book hangover will last a good long time.

Isabelle and Alexander is a love story of endurance. An arranged marriage between two people who knew little of each other. Despite tragic circumstances they never give up but fight even harder to find enduring love.

Isabelle and Alexander is an immersive and atmospheric story with a bit of a North and South (by Elizabeth Gaskell) vibe due to its industrial setting amidst the Victorian-era cotton mills in Manchester. It also has a similar feel to Sarah M. Eden's Ashes on the Moor, another Proper Romance published by Shadow Mountain. As I often find with Proper Romance books, the romance in this book is quite understated in comparison to the historical elements and the quietly desperate reality of the situation the protagonists find themselves in. The moving prose beautifully conveys the palpable tension, uncertainty, and yearning in this marriage of convenience story, and then chaos greatly complicates matters with misunderstandings and miscommunication. Isabelle and Alexander is a poignant yet relatable and realistic portrayal of a young couple learning to love and trust each other as they struggle to build a life together.

Isabelle Rackham knows she will not marry for love. Though arranged marriages have fallen out of fashion, hers has been settled for some time to combine the upper-middle-class wealth of her father's coal mines with Alexander Osgood's prospering Northern country textile mills. Though not a man prone to romantic gestures, Alexander is well-known as an eligible bachelor. His good looks have turned more than one head, so Isabelle is content to think of herself as Alexander's wife.
However, her marriage is not what she expected. Lancashire is nothing like her home in the Lake District. Their few conversations are brief, polite, and lacking any emotion, leaving Isabelle lonely and desperately homesick. Alexander suggests a trip to his country estate. Isabelle hopes this will be an opportunity to get to know her new husband without the distractions of his business. But the change of scenery doesn't bring them any closer. While riding together on horses, Alexander is thrown from his and becomes paralysed.
A new author to me & I thoroughly enjoyed it, a well written book with strong characters & a good pace. I really liked both Alexander & Isabelle, I also enjoyed the setting a change to get out of London & visit the industrial North. There were strong likeable secondary characters. I loved how their relationship changed & developed especially after Alexander’s accident. I look forward to reading more from the author
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

Isabelle and Alexander is a historical romance that is sure to sweep you off your feet and take you away to another time. A well-written story with intriguing characters that are sure to stay with you long after reading.

A very different kind of historical romance to be sure. It had a north and south feel because of their social/financial status. It started with an arranged marriage with all the hopes and disappointments that one finds in a new marriage.
The plot involves a series of misfortunes and setbacks. As the story progresses the h and H find their voices and are forced to grow. I had hoped for a little more romance but having said that, I loved both the main characters. They were sweet and well suited to each other. If you love a clean, historical romance then I’m sure you’ll love this.
Thanks to Shadow Mountain via Netgalley. I’ve voluntarily given my review.

The two leads have soooo much to overcome to reach their HEA, I wasn’t entirely sure they’d make it. But the journey from start to finish was definitely worth it, and Isabelle’s courage and determination is really something to admire. Another beautiful Proper Romance.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.