This is an interesting story with intriguing characters, I enjoyed the setting, however, I would have liked to see more than just one point of view.

I do not agree with the publisher's beliefs (which I did not know before I picked up this book) and so only recommend this book to those that have a mature faith.

I voluntarily received and reviewed a complimentary e/copy of this book which I received from the author/publisher. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

This book was a cute book about endurance and living thru struggles. I was expecting a little more romance or at least to like Alexander a little. It wasn't til the last 5% of the book that he finally showed his true colors and a hint at possibly liking the character. I wish we were able to get to know his personality more after it is started being shown. I can't imagine how frustrating he is for Isabelle, but she has incredible patience and endurance. I did enjoy Glory and the beautiful light shown on her with her disability. Such beautiful souls.
Overall I did love the authors writing style and she tells a story well. I wish it were either longer so could end up liking Alexander or add at least a few cute scenes throughout the book. This book is great for readers who enjoy reading about endurance and life struggles being overcome.

Rounded up from 3.5 stars

I loved the setting and premiss, however I was able to put this book down for several days and not want to rush back to it.. Which necessitates a lower rating than I would have liked to give the book. The theme of dealing with what life throws at you whether it is a marriage to a handsome yet distant man, a child of different abilities, or an accident. The moral of the story overshadowed the romance, which is not necessarily bad as it showed that love can be a choice not just chemistry

I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and the slow burn romance between Isabelle and Alexander. The romance between Alexander and Isabelle felt natural, and I appreciated Isabelle's personal growth. The inclusion of disabilities and a romance novel where the characters do not come from the upper crust, but more of the business class during the industrial revolution was also refreshing. Very similar to North and South.
While the book focused on Isabelle's journey of being a caretaker and the frustrations that go with that, I was always wanting to know what was going on with Alexander. I wished there was an equal POV from Alexander.
While the beginning and middle were written well, although somewhat dragging in places, the ending seemed too rushed.

I received a NetGalley ARC and this is my unbiased review

This book wasn't my favorite. It was really hard to get into and there wasn't enough to keep me interested in reading, it was really hard for me to push through.

When the summery said a mill owner and Victorian era of course every one thinks of North and South .. one of my favorite book ever.

But the similarity stops here. I like it, and want to read it again.. sometimes while reading it I wanted more from the characters, to talk more or behave in different way, but I think the author wanted the characters to behave or talk like real person would do.

I received an advance reader copy (ARC) via NetGalley and Shadow Mountain Publishing in exchange for a fair review.

I love how this is an arranged marriage romance. I love even more that it’s not your typical arranged romance. One being, the hero becomes paralyzed and is just plain mean to the heroine! Isabelle and Alexander were so lovely to read about. Its amazing how the author made me, as a reader, feel so much anxiety while reading. I just couldn’t see how Alexander would ever come around. The characters were charming, amazing, and romantic. I didn’t want the story to end.

#IsabelleandAlexander #NetGalley

Isabelle marrys a stranger, Alexander Osgood, a man who will barely speak to her. Isabelle wonders what kind of marriage she will have, when Alexander can barely tolerate being in her company. When a freak accident happens, Isabelle finds out how strong she needs to be, not only for herself but for her husband. This book reminded me of one of my favorite movies and books, North and South. A little slower moving but still a good book.

Beautifully written. This novel lets you feel and grow with the main character, Isabelle, and be a witness as she tries even though the world is stacked against her. I love how Alexander also grows in this book. So enjoyable and well written. Such a diamond in the rough, full of circumstances that are not normally mentioned in others making it more real.

I received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review. There opinions are my own.

Isabelle and Alexander by Rebecca Anderson, 368 pages. Shadow Mountain, 2021. $16.
Language: G (0 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: PG; Violence: PG
BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL
AUDIENCE APPEAL: LOW
Isabelle is excited for the good match her parents have made but nervous about marrying Alexander since he is still practically a stranger. Despite her reservations, Isabelle goes into her marriage hopeful and chooses to nourish that hope despite the disappointments and hardships that abound. Will this new life ever fill with the happiness she imagines?
Anderson has written a different kind of love story in that it seems somewhat backwards. Isabelle and Alexander are married by chapter two and slowly get to know each other and hope for love as the book, and their marriage, progresses. I did not like Alexander for at least two-thirds of the book because his changes of emotion from one scene to the next hurt Isabelle. However, one day, without warning, I picked up the book looking forward to reading about the couple; I guess Alexander charmed me as he charmed Isabelle. In the end, I enjoyed the read, though I don’t think it is anything spectacular.
Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

I'm a historian by profession, so historical fiction, especially fiction that really digs into questions of gender and class, is my jam. There was so much to like about this book:

We got a really good look at what marriages of convenience really meant, on the ground, for women in the mid-19th C. Isabelle was young, naive, a little shallow, which was exactly what her class expected of women. She married well, in terms of financial security, which is all she could really hope for. That her husband was handsome and seemed kind was a bonus, and she thought love (not passion, necessarily, but fondness and friendship) would grow. Isabelle (the story is 1st person) didn't expect much in terms of intellectual fulfillment (though she certainly expected an easy life). She also didn't expect much to be asked of her, and she believed she was prepared for marriage. And then Alexander was paralyzed after a riding accident.

Isabelle was tested in ways she didn't expect... and she didn't always rise to the challenge. But she and Alexander were able to move beyond their easy, surface life and grapple with pain, illness, uncleanliness, and their own emotional limits. Alexander became a much more interesting person--not because he'd changed, but because Isabelle had to deal with him on a more visceral level.

For the most part, I enjoyed and appreciated Isabelle's story. The book was well-researched and offered a relatively authentic look at disability in the 19th C. Fortunately, I'd read reviews like this one before reading. If I'd been expecting a swoony romance (with or without steamy scenes, and this one definitely has ZERO steam) or a story of love, I'd have hated the book. But the cover really tells us what it is--a decorous couple holding each other at arm's length until their marriage of convenience becomes a true partnership.

Thank you NetGalley and Shadow Mountain Publishing for this ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I have newly delved into the historical fiction genre and found this title unique and refreshing. Unlike most romances I've read this one doesn't have a meet cute and neither of them are lusting our hating each other at first sight. This starts as I imagine many arranged marriages do in this era, one of either business or lineal advantage.

Within the first several chapters Isabelle life is derailed with a cold and lonely marriage and a tragic accident rendering Alexander paralyzed. Through this story we watch the characters struggle with each of their emotional battles and develop true love towards one another.

I throughroughly enjoyed this book and finished in one sitting at 3am.


#IsabelleandAlexander #NetGalley

"Isabelle and Alexander" is an unusual marriage of convenience story. Gentle, gritty, somber or joyful by turns, this emotional and heartfelt tale explores the weighty subjects of a serious paralyzing accident and mental disability. Taking place in 1850, it also has the distinction of focusing on Victorian Manchester, with its burgeoning textile industry, rather than the social whirl of London, with its requisite superficial nobility and silly debutantes.

Complete strangers, Isabelle Rackham of England's Lake District, and Alexander Osgood, a benevolent Manchester mill owner, marry at the beginning of the story. Alexander's paralyzing accident tests the characters of both.

This is a beautifully written novel. The portrayal of Alexander's struggle with his incapacitating condition is raw and vivid. This hit me on a personal level; although my situation is different, I've been in a wheelchair for years. While he is understandably depressed and aggravated, devoted Isabelle never lets him give up. The result is a deep, enduring love between these two very deserving people.

Secondary characters are also well-developed. The sweet, mentally challenged Glory Kenworthy is a delight. The actions of her parents, who reject the current practice of institutionalizing the disabled, do them great credit. Isabelle's cousin Edwin is a charming and loyal friend. Anderson's imagery is evocative, from the details of mill operations to Alec's painful treatments, much of it due to an insensitive, unfeeling nurse, whose rough ministrations have been ordered by an unsympathetic doctor.

Rebecca Anderson is a new author for me, although this is the nom de plume of Becca Wilhite. As I love clean, well-written historical romance, I look forward to reading more from Anderson.

Thanks to NetGalley and Shadow Mountain Publishing for an ARC of this wonderful novel.

Initially my sympathies were fully with Isabelle. Trapped in a loveless marriage in order to improve her parents business situation, she is completely unprepared for the cold way her husband treats her.
As time goes on however, it becomes apparent that Alexander might be as misunderstood as Mr. Darcy initially was, and it is easier to see him as a sympathetic character also.

Dr Kelley is wonderfully written and a stark contrast to the other medical professionals we meet in the story.

It's both fascinating and heartrending to meet Glory, and know the typical fate of children like her in the era this book is set in. Alexander's attitude towards her, and towards his own struggles is fairly typical for the time. It would be interesting to know his thoughts as Isabelle shows him that there is another perspective.

Well worth the read.

Such a heartfelt, moving story about a couple who are just getting to know each other in the early days of their marriage when they face significant challenges. This book started off slowly for me but the end more than made up for it. Finding purpose, learning to be a spouse and caretaker, and respecting the independence of a physically disabled adult were themes that were handled in this book with grace and vulnerability. This tackles the physical and mental impact that disability has on the entire household, not just the disabled person. This is the first regency era story I have ever read that includes a character with paralysis and mentions the use of a wheelchair. For a long time throughout the reading of this book I wasn't sure what I wanted to rate this book, but the last few chapters, particularly the growth of the two main characters, the development of the romance and the conclusion of the story bumped this up to 4 1/2 stars. Definitely recommend if you're looking for great clean historical romance and/or fiction with characters who have disabilities. There is also a side character featured throughout this story who is disabled. So appreciative of that representation of disability in literature! Thanks to negalley for an advanced copy of this book!

I read this book because of the setting and how it reminded me of North and South.
But I ended up really enjoying it

We read from the POV of Isabelle about her arranged marriage to a handsome Mill owner who is quite and aloof and is too busy to have any real conversation or relationship with his young wife.
Although Isabelle tries hard it is when Alexander tries to connect with Isabelle that things start to change.
He has an accident and is paralyzed and through his recovery that they come to know each other and their feelings.

A few issues I had with the book is that we don’t really get to know Alexander, and I’m not sure I really like Isabelle, I mean why was the nurse and Charlotte mean to her? She just seemed to be a bit clueless at times.

A lot is left unsaid and you had to understand it yourself.

I absolutely love the character of Glory, she was a delight to read about, having children with issues at that time was difficult and not understood and I loved how it was handled, she had her bad days, but more good ones.

I did enjoy the book, it is quite slow and clean.

I loved that this book was different and showed how marriages around this time were not love matches. Isabelle is a woman who is so relatable and it is fun to see her grow and develop. The writing was well done so we really understood what she was thinking and feeling. At times I found the story was a little slow and I was hoping for a little more of an ending then we were given. #netgalley #isabelleandalexander

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely devoured this book! It was SO good. It was very character driven instead of plot driven, which was a refreshing change of pace from the books I normally find myself reading. I really felt like I got to see both Isabelle and Alexander grow, both as a couple and as individuals. Because of Alexander's injury, I also felt like it was a fresh perspective on the whole arranged marriage romance trope. It showed a softer, more domestic side that you don't often see.

Overall, a fantastic read! While it was definitely a romance, the romance wasn't overbearing. I felt like historical fiction readers in general would enjoy it.

There's a lot of catnip for me here in another lovely Shadow Mountain publication.

I loved the slow burn romance, the typical Victorian first person narrative and the deep research into the textile industries of the Industrial Age.

if reading this makes you think all North and South, you won't be far off. It definitely has the cadence: a withdrawn hero, angst and the clash of Northern England and its dreary industry and commerce with the heroine's sun-lit past.

This was my first read by this author and I quite enjoyed it. There were times when the romance seemed a little detached but I definitely want to see where she takes us next.


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I wish there was a way to give this book two separate reviews. One would be for the overall story and the other would be for the romance.

Advertised as a Proper Romance this book fell a little flat for me in the romance department. Alec didn't even have a personality until halfway through the book. So if you are looking for a romance that makes you swoon and feel the happy flutters of love this isn't the book for you.

As far as the overall story goes it was well written and interesting. It's always nice to read something that is a new idea instead of the SOT (same old thing) as my husband's family calls it. It's impossible for me to imagine what it would be like to be paralyzed or a caretaker for someone who is paralyzed but surely there must be a lot of compassion and empathy and trust. All great building blocks for love.

It felt a little reminiscent of North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell with the cotton mills and taking place in 1850 instead of the early 1800's Regency period. I liked that.

Glory might have been my favorite character. How lucky she was to have parents who wanted to care for her themselves rather than put her in an institution like most people did back in those days.

Certainly this story had a lot of good points and people who like squeaky clean romances will likely love it. I personally need more connection and romance between the H&h. Still well written for an author I've never heard of before.