I’m a sucker for Shadow Mountain’s Proper Romance line, so I jumped at the chance to read this newest addition, I’ve read several books by the author before (but not under this pen name). This genre is new for her (as far as I know), and I thought she did a nice job.

This was a “stay up way too late reading” kind of book for me. I felt so bad for Isabelle, but admired her determination to make the best of a situation that had many challenges. I liked Alexander too, but it did take awhile to get to that point with him being so closed off at the beginning,

I can see myself reading this again and look forward to more in this genre by the author.

This book was a fairly quick read, but I didn't enjoy it as much as I hoped I would.

I'm not sure if I've just gotten used to reading strong female characters, but Isabelle fell a little bit short. I know part of that is just the time period and how women were expected to behave, but I felt like there wasn't much substance to her and I didn't feel like I learned much about her at all.

Alexander was very disappointing, and his relationship with Isabelle was more than a little bit frustrating. There wasn't really much explanation as to why he was so aloof with his wife in the first place, and I didn't feel like there was much redemption for him.

Isabelle working through her husband's injury was the most interesting part of this book and overall it just felt a bit unsatisfying.

I was really disappointed in this book. The story had a lot of potential, but it just fell flat for me. I think adding chapters from different viewpoints would have given the story more depth. As written, it is really just a first person narrative, and that makes the story really one sided, I also didn’t find the characters relatable or likeable. Overall, not my favorite book, but if you’re looking to read a historical fiction novel, you might still enjoy this one!

I'd like to thank Shadow Mountain for allowing me a proper read and NetGalley being the platform in which provided me the read.

I love clean romances, which come from chemistry, dialogue, and good writing. Arranged marriage stories always are a bit of a hit and miss with me. Mainly because you have to feel that the journey that lead the two characters to get to that level of 'trust' has to be earned.

In this book, while I do think it was earned, I feel though it came through rather poorly. Which is why I could only rate this three stars. It is not a bad book, do not get me wrong! I feel this book will have people either rating it high or rating it somewhere in the middle like I did.

Isabelle was too good for Alexander, and throughout the book I feel that I could empathize with her on her caring and constant hope that her husband cared for her. The author didn't seem to really give purpose of why he was so aloof and uncaring towards her? Was it the mill? Was it a constant battle that he had to put duty over loving someone? It didn't feel very clear to me. We are treated to a paragraph about his childhood, but from what I seemed to gleam is he did not seem to have an unhappy one, but a good one based on the type of class he was born into. So that's where a lot of the confusion lied. Why was he treating her like he wanted nothing to do with her? Throughout the book you're treated to Alexander constantly belittling his wife or going two steps forward to go two steps back. It just was oddly written and as a literal person and or someone who picks up on empathy, I found it a bit of a murky recovery for someone to have a poorly written gradual change. SO, we're just going to go with 'maybe his father instilled some desire to focus on the mill and nothing else'.

Since the plot was pretty bare bones and focused entirely on the communication/love/resolve between the husband and wife, for me to not get a very clear or well written 'struggle' is what caused me to knock it down two stars. I will say that, again, it is a good book but not once that I personally felt deserved a 4 - 5 star review.

Perfect for fans of Elizabeth Gaskell’s NORTH AND SOUTH.

Isabelle is an authentic Victorian heroine who does what she’s expected to do. When her parents arrange her a marriage, she happily complies. She tries to make the best of her new home in Manchester, but something happens that isn’t expected. Her husband, Alexander, has a riding accident and loses his mobility. Together they must navigate his changing health, their marriage, and his mills.

I loved Glory, a girl with special needs, but the biggest heart. I liked that Alexander’s accident, nor partial recovery, aren’t skimmed over. He doesn’t magically get better, but love shows them both that it has a power all of its own.

A sweet, slow-burning romance in one of my favorite tropes (arranged marriage).

Isabelle knows it is her duty as her parent's only child to marry to advance her family's standing. Alexander Osgood is a successful businessman, and it only makes sense to combine their coal mining with their textile mills.
Isabelle is frustrated to realize that marriage to Alexander is not what she thought it would be. They barely talk, and they know little of one another. Isabelle's only solace is in the friendship she discovers in Alexander's manager's wife and daughter.
Alexander surprises Isabelle by inviting her to his country estate, while they are enjoying a horseback ride Alexander is thrown and badly injured. Isabelle stays with him and vows to help him heal. Their struggles only continue as Alexander deals with depression and idleness and Isabelle works through her loneliness and feelings of inadequacy.
They learn to work together and trust one another and create a happy marriage out of their arranged marriage. This is a heartwarming story of trust, love, family, and looking past the physical appearance.

I have a lot of thoughts about this book but am having a hard time wrestling them down and lining the up into anything coherent. Did I like the book? Yes. And more so, I have a feeling the story will stick with me and I’ll be thinking about it even after I’ve read dozens more books since. I really appreciated the uniqueness of the story and having a hero who suffered an accident and became paralyzed and then the further struggle of practical strangers trying to find footing among such uneveb ground to find their way to love. The plot is slower than I usually prefer and yet I found myself saying “one more chapter.” And while the romance is sweet and slow, it is also a little thin. My romance-loving heart could have done with a bit more in that department. While I thought the hero a great character, I’m not collective him as a book boyfriend mainly because we didn’t get to connect with him enough as readers (in my opinion). So. I liked the book. It’s going to stick with me. But....I’m not sure what exactly the but is, I just know there is a but....

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is not your average arranged marriage book. It delves into hard subjects, especially for the time period. I loved watching the relationship between Isabelle and Alexander ebb and flow and finally grow as they came to understand and help each other. The mill works and the medical history of the time period was fascinating to me. I would highly recommend this book. It is a romance with depth.

Sweet historical novel about a marriage of convenience. When Isabelle’s father suggests a marriage between her and mill owner Alexander Osgood, she is willing to make the commitment for the betterment of her family’s and Alec’s businesses. Alec, however, seems to feel he has married out of his league. He keeps his emotions to himself, making Isabelle feel their marriage will never be loving. A riding accident could cement her feelings. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to be an early reader in exchange for my review.

This is my first Rebecca Anderson book, and I must say, it is absolutely stunning. Rebecca's style of writing is smooth and lyrical, making it so easy to fall into the plot and never want to come out.

Isabelle Rackham is engaged to a man she hardly knows. It is a business arrangement between Alexander Osgood and her father that benefits both men. Alexander gets a worthy woman to squire around and Isabelle's father gets a needed business contact. All is well and good, although the new Osgoods relationship is rather distant. When Alexander takes Isabelle for a horseback ride, bliss turns to tragedy when Alexander's horse throws him and he lands against a boulder, setting in motion a series of events where Isabelle commits herself to Alexander's care and Alexander rebuffs her efforts, at first.

The characters who populate this book are mostly likable people. There is a Nurse Ratchet (apologies to Ken Kesey) type woman in the book as well as the most unfeeling doctor in the world. But the rest of the characters are quite likable, even a girl who by modern diagnoses would be considered either developmentally delayed or autistic. Rebecca has built a gentle characterization of her so that she is a truly empathetic individual deserving of the respect of the other main characters in the book.

This is a five star book with two thumbs up and a love that grows like the melody of a beautiful song.

Shadow Mountain Publishing and NetGalley.com provided the copy I read for this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

I really liked that this was not your normal regency romance. I liked Isabelle. She was so patient with what was thrown at her and she always tried to do her best. Alexander was a bit of a mystery to me. I wish the letters he wrote to Isabelle were in the story because you never got his point of view and he said very little. I loved all the other characters in this story. It is a very uplifting tale.

I’m pleasantly surprised at the direction this novel took. I have to confess, the begging was vanilla, kind of boring. It was slow-moving, and had lots of waiting by characters and just mentions of things that happened.

But as the story progressed, and I saw the interactions between Isabelle and Alexander, I began to appreciate their characters and how they handled their circumstances.

I’m not a fan of marriage of convenience tropes, or stories that begin with the couple getting married (or mentioned getting married). And add to the fact that the beginning of this novel was boring, I struggled getting into the story. But as I read, I saw how it was necessary for them to be married for certain plot points to happen, which wouldn’t happen if she wasn’t married to him.

I particularly loved seeing how Anderson she’s light on disabilities. The struggles and frustration it brings, but also the strength and hope people have when they believe they can overcome any hardship.

I loved the descriptions of Alexander. His features and disposition reminded me of Mr. Darcy. Isabelle was a very kind, gracious person. I really enjoyed seeing her friendship with Grace, a young woman who has a disorder of her own to deal with.

In the end, this was a pretty enjoyable novel. I recommend it to lovers of regency romance and those wishing for more disability rep in books.

Thank you so much to Shadow Mountain and NetGalley for an e-arc to read and review!

3.5 ⭐️
Wow. I just want to start by saying that this book was actually surprisingly sweet. Thank you NetGalley for a copy of this book🤍 This past year I have decided to put aside my prejudices towards books and accepted that books with low ratings or only a few reviews can actually turn out to be amazing. I don’t mean this in a bad way at all but Isabelle & Alexander wouldn’t have been a book I would choose to pick up and read, so thank you dear author for proving me wrong.
First thing I really liked about this book was the "realisticness" of the situation and Isabelle’s character. She is a young lady with a decent family name in Victorian era, and while I LOVE historical fiction books with badass characters that try to change the ideas and beliefs of the society, I also believe that it is sometimes not realistic to have these characters? Women were taught to be silent and be ready to start and carry their families and all that stuff. And it is OK for Isabelle to accept that she will marry for profit to her family. Also I don’t mean that she was a weak-minded girl at all. It is the total opposite actually. She is sweet and passionate, sometimes a little bit clueless and insecure(but aren’t we all???) but above all she is very strong. She deals with her husband’s situation with absolute maturity and knows when to share her thoughts. I overall loved her character.
Hmmm. I really don’t want to talk about Alexander because while what he goes through can’t and shouldn’t be a reason for him to act cold towards his wife, I also couldn’t blame him when I learned why he really didn’t get too close to her. I just couldn’t stand the fact that something bad happened to Isabelle for him to understand her value.
Anyway, this book was very sweet and warm and had an amazing character, Glory, who shone like a star and made me smile in every chapter she is in. Isabelle & Alex is an amazing read!!!
MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!🎄🎄🎄

Despite the fact that this is about a marriage, I would say it's a Historical novel, rather than Historical Romance. I think if you are looking for the typical regency romance, you will be disappointed; this is not a light and fluffy story and there is not much typical romance.

That said, the book was excellent. It is told from entirely one perspective (hurrah!) which makes Isabelle's confusion, frustration, and insecurity a lot more relatable. There is a lot that is presented from a historical point of view (marital roles, communication, medical treatments, social dictates, mental illness, etc.) which was so interesting. It's a bit slow at times, but that is to be expected given the circumstances. Every success is hard won, but there is personal change as well as relationship growth that give this story a lot of depth.

Would definitely recommend.

Isabelle and Alexander by Rebecca Anderson takes a marriage of convenience for an intriguing turn when young groom and successful mill owner Alexander Osgood is seriously injured in a fall from his horse shortly after his marriage. His new bride, Isabelle, is lonely and unsure of herself in her new home in the industrial town of Manchester, but suddenly finds herself responsible not only for the care of her new husband, but also with responsibility to oversee the mill. Isabelle finds encouragement in a new friendship with the wife and daughter of the mill manager, and begins a journey of growth in her marriage and as a young woman finding her place in the world.

I knew from the moment I read the synopsis of Isabelle and Alexander that I would love it.

This book is a delight. So many women found themselves in arranged marriages in past times. I truly loved this authors take on an arranged marriage. It isn’t the typical marriage, they spend most of their days apart, hardly speaking, essentially strangers in the same home.

Isabelle makes efforts to draw Alexander out in conversation, and Alexander tries to lift her spirits with trips to the country. My take on that? Conversation is what brings Isabelle joy, the country is what brings Alexander joy. They are trying to make each other happy the only way they know how. It is quiet and subtle but they are both making an effort.

And then Alexander has an accident. Leaving him wholly reliant on others care. Upending the quiet and slow relationship they were building.

In difficult times, when we are in pain, we are grouchy and needy and a pain to be around. And the people that stand by us and love and care for us despite our behaviour are to be cherished. That is a love that should never be let go of. The strength and depth of a relationship that endures the worst of trials can come out on the other side being all the more strong.

Isabelle and Alexander, is a truly beautiful story about a very real hardship. Two near strangers with big hearts and strong wills to be happy against all odds.

Just like many others, I have endured plenty of loss and heartache in life. And while I love reading a light and fluffy book now and then, I also love stories like this one. It is real; life is full of good and bad. But books like this serve as a reminder that despite the bad there is joy and happiness to be had.

There are not enough words to say how much I enjoyed this book. I would strongly recommend you give it a read. It has everything, humor and romance and heartache and joy. Be prepared to read it from cover to cover in one sitting.

Thank you NetGalley, Shadow Mountain and Rebecca Anderson for this free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Content: Clean.
Some kissing. No language. A few injuries occur throughout the story. Nothing is graphic.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It transported me back to a time where propriety governed often at the expense of spontaneity. A charming love story beautifully written and a joy to read.

Isabelle and Alexander was a compelling love story with a lot of depth. It really tugs at your emotions. I would definitely recommend this read to those looking for a story of love found through trying situations.

This story introduces us to newlyweds, Isabelle and Alexander on the day of their wedding after having limited time together. This marriage starts as a business arrangement and little is expected of the couple. Set during the mid 1800’s, we see the dirty, grimy side of Manchester, England with its coal powered cotton mill industry. For most of the novel, Isabelle works to win over her handsome husband who is somewhat cantankerous. They appear to have little in common. But on a weekend trip to their country home, the two seem to be turning a positive corner as Alexander takes Isabelle on a tour of their estate on horseback. Sadly, there is a tragic accident that forces the couple to bond, talk, and learn more about each other. With sadness comes hope. This book is billed as a romance novel and it does have that. But, I also think it was part historical fiction and I enjoyed learning about this period of time in England. Well done, I look forward to more novels by Rebecca Anderson. 3.5 solid stars rounded up to 4.

Isabelle and Alexander is a marriage of convenience story about a couple just getting to know each other in the early days of their marriage. It is a story about endurance and doing your best to live thru the struggles and disappointments of life.

I appreciated that the author addressed what it might have been like living with someone with disabilities during this time period and how they were perceived by society. It also showed how hard it would be suddenly find yourself married to someone you hardly know, and the struggles to try to build a life together.

What was missing for me in the story was the romance. While the main characters eventually come to respect and love each other there is very little feelings or chemistry between them. I also had a hard time liking Alexander. I think it would have helped if some of the book had been written from his point of view and not just from Isabelle's. He might have been more likeable if you had an idea of what he was thinking or feeling that would cause him to behave the way he did and not just be left to assume it was because he was mean and standoffish.

Overall I enjoyed reading this book. I liked the story and watching the characters overcome their trials. I just wished for more romance and to feel a little more connected to the characters.