Bentley draws you in with the opening scene, and keeps pulling you deeper. The premise intrigued me, and I loved seeing the differences and parallels in the characters. My biggest complaint is there are times when the story goes into too much of a lull. Then there were times I wish things had been fleshed out a little more, but felt glossed over to keep things moving. That out of the way, the characters are believable, and Edward is absolutely swoon-worthy! Part fantasy, part romance, part family secrets and mysteries, this is a great leisurely read!

loved the concept of the book. first off, the cover is amazing. being removed from present day and being trapped in the 1800s is a wild experience. i appreciate the touch of similar issues from then and today.

I love historical fiction and this novel and this novel was very good. Well written and I loved that plot twist!
Many thanks to Leifman Books and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book was ok, but I think I wasn't in the right space to read it. I have to say though Tessa's instagram is very fun to follow and the hype was built for me. I will definitely go back and give this another try.

Beautifully atmospheric and brooding, Vale embodies an unassuming and searching voice from a bygone era. As a modern woman, Vale struggles with the same forces that have subdued women for centuries, her second chance at life in Victorian England offers an apt and deeply emotional reflection of female experience.

As a lover of historical fiction, this book was so interesting to me! I've rarely dove into the time-travel subgenre for fear of not liking the transition between the present and the past, but VALE eased that and managed to be an enjoyable read! I loved how very authentic Vale's experiences were, she felt like a character and not a caricature. Both her abusive marriage and her trouble adjusting to her historical experience added color to the book. The plot was strong, as was the writing, and I thoroughly enjoyed the romantic elements! Overall, I ver much enjoyed this book, and it was a great change of pace from the standard histfic romance. I can't wait to see what Bentley writes in the future! Thank you so much to the publisher for the ARC!

The book was one of the most beautiful stories in recent years. Bentley's prose is a tapestry, meticulously stitched with rich descriptions and characters that feel like whispered confidences. You'll walk cobbled streets with Eleanor, a heroine whose strength lies in her vulnerability, and find yourself entangled in the enigmatic charm of Mr. Emberley. Their dance around unspoken truths builds a tension that simmers, not explodes, leaving you yearning for the next stolen glance, the next shared secret.
It's a reminder that magic doesn't always need roaring fireballs; it can spark in stolen moments, shared laughter, and the quiet courage of everyday choices. This book leaves you with a lingering smile, a gentle warmth that lingers long after you turn the final page.

Unfortunately this book didn't land for me. The setting in 1840s England didn't quite feel realistic to me and there were changes in style and addressing the reader that threw me off.

Thanks to Netgalley, Leifman Books and Tess Bently for the chance to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed Vale, it was full of intrigue, magic, romance and mystery.

I liked the time travel element and the atmosphere was beautiful.
The characters were interesting and mysterious and the storyline was compelling.
Vale was an interesting main character. Sometimes she seemed determined and strong, then she changed to timid and weak, which I guess tied in with the transition she went through in the story, it was just a bit annoying to read at times.

Overall, I recommend Vale and look forward to reading more from Tess in the future.

4 stars from me. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A massive thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!! I really enjoyed this book; definitely something I will tell my friends about!

Not a ghost story for Christmas Eve, but romance, time travel, and a touch of Gothic… book review: ‘Vale’ by @tessbentleyauthor

Vale is a Californian millennial trapped in a loveless marriage that saps her self-worth but which she endures the sake of her children. When she is transported back in time to northern England in the 1840s, she finds herself faced with an old curse, feuding families, and several broken hearts, not least her own. As she comes to terms with what she’s lost, she realises what she’s found, in spite of a few bumps in the road.

I found the portrayal of a loveless marriage and loss-of-self particularly poignant, and also loved the exploration of how life in the 19th century might feel to someone used to 21st- century comfort and convenience and I now have serious historical house envy. It’s cleverly plotted, with elements of magic and folklore to embellish the central romance and self-discovery, plus a tangible love of 19th-century atmosphere. There are also some moving, tender depictions of friendship, and some moments of delightful warmth and humour, including an 1840s take on the bachelorette party.

The author, Tess, is one of the fabulous people I met on @nataliestendallwrites’s read along of Clarissa this year. She’s always full of enthusiasm, and genuine and thoughtful in her interactions and posts, so I’ve been meaning to read Vale for a while. Happy to report the story is as thoughtful and from the heart as its author.

Lyrical fun! VALE by Tess Bentley was beautifully written and the prose was so good I found myself highliting whole paragraphs. However, the characters' actions and developments were messy and contrived to move the plot along. I will still pick up Bentley for her prose in the future in hopes of more developed characters.

"My love for my children was infinite, and to be their mother was the delight of my life, but I was emotionally exhausted, not because I was a mother, but because I was a wife."

"For the first time in my life, depression was beginning to surface. The seeds were planted on my wedding day— tiny shoots of loneliness, sadness, infidelity, dismissiveness— and all had been watered, often with my own tears, over the last decade.

"that I had swallowed all my feelings, ignored my own hurt, and given so much of myself to my husband that I had nothing left for me?"

The author did such a great job on portraying the mentality of the character. The plot was interesting and original. I really enjoyed how she portrayed the atmosphere of victorian era, she captured the scenery quite well. The book was upsetting yet also beautiful.

I wish I could give this 10 more stars. The concept is absolutely fascinating. I would love to go back to the 1800's and experience life at that time, knowing what I know now of the current times. The characters are well-developed, interesting, and likeable. The story is rich in detail of both the ways of the prior times and the intricate story. So well done. Excellent.

Vale is a first-person POV novel about time travel, curses, fate, 1840's England, depression/grief, romance, and finding yourself and place in life through all of the turmoil.

The book follows Vale, a 36 year old married mother of 2, who lives in 2021 and gets taken back in time to the 1840's. Vale get's reverted back to her 18 year old body, but keeps all of her memories of her life - meaning she still remembers the children she left behind.

The cover and the synopsis had me really thinking I was going to love this book. It has all the markers for me for a good time reading, but it fell flat and confusing for me personally.

The atmosphere of the book and the setting are the book’s strongest points. I think the author spend a lot of time researching the differences and similarities of the time periods and that really shined in Vale. The writing/prose is also well done and Bentley paints a great picture of her world. I enjoyed the world building a lot.

I feel that this book really could have used an extra chapter or two of exposition before the time traveling aspect came into play because I found I didn’t care at all about Vale’s former life and the little mentioned about her family didn’t create any ties for me as a reader to invest in them. It took 23% of the book to even learn of the children’s ages. Even though she has been mourning the loss of them the whole time, we know little to nothing about them. I feel like we could have had a shining moment of learning more about them to get the reader really emotionally attached to them but we didn't.

One of my biggest gripes is the constant breaking of the fourth wall where the main character will address "the reader" for no reason at all. It happens at least 7 times in the book and the first one is on page 3. It's so jarring and takes you right out of the world Bentley built. There is no reasoning for it as there is never a mentioning that Vale knows she is in a book or that she is writing a journal/letter/etc. about her life.

The thing I really could not get over was the cousin incest. Now - I understand and acknowledge that in the 1800's things were very different than they are now in regards to marriage. Marrying cousins was normal as you needed to keep assets in the family, etc. However, having your protagonist being a 21st century woman who time travels back in time and then have her be blood related to her love interest, without a SINGLE thought about it from the protagonist is off-putting to say the least. I was close to DNF'ing at several points because of these choices. I kept pushing through it because I really wanted an explanation, and I eventually got one, and it did not make me feel that much better.

Another hit to my enjoyment of the book is that I found I was really in search of more information on the magic in the book. The way it ended up being explained turned more offensive to the community she drew it from rather than a satisfying or fleshed out magic.

The pacing was also a really big problem for me in the book, it starts medium-paced, then hits slow-paced 20% in and stays slow until the last portion of the book. Then in the last 20% of the book its just fast-paced out of left field. The ending felt rushed and honestly un-satisfying for me personally.

The side characters are shining stars of the book, Anne and Margot are my favorite characters in the book. Anne feels like a real person and you really understand all of her motivations and reasonings. Anne's friendship with Vale felt pure and real, and her personality was a joy to read. I loved all the Anne scenes. If Anne has no fans, then I am dead.

Trigger Warnings: Kidnapping, Assault, Sexual Assault, 1800's Treatment of Women/General Misogyny, Emotional Abuse, Mentioned Suicide.

3 stars Vale - Tessa Bentley

I am soooooooo torn with whether I like this book or not - but it has so many positives so I’ve decided to focus on that within the review. Put simply, I am giving Vale 3 stars because the plot is incredible - and for the most part, extremely well executed but the TOV is confusing and takes away from one of the most interesting premises of a book I’ve seen lately.

The characters and their backstories are set up really well - sometimes I find this lacking due to narrator bias but Bentley did a really really good job here at making all the characters, and their relationships with other character really three dimensional.

The TOV throughout the book just did not sit right with me. From the offset, it is made clear that Vale is a modern-day Californian women - so I’m just really confused why the novel reads as though the main character was born-and-raised in Victorian England?

Looking back - I’m not sure if the book was meant to be Vale reflecting back on her life? But if so, that means that the tenses sometimes simply do not add up, which is also frustrating so either way the book has left me a bit frustrated :(

That being said - the curse family & the second chance at love tropes are executed super well and if you’re looking for a cute fantasy romance set in Victorian England, you probably will enjoy this!! Just maybe don’t deep the tone of voice as much as I did 😪

#review #reading #booksbooksbooks #arcreader #arc #reader #fantasy #netgalley #victorianfantasy #vale #tessbentley #booksofinstagram #bookstagram #readingnow #currentread #whatiread

This read is definitely outside of my normal wheelhouse but I was pulled in by the GORGEOUS cover. It took me a little bit to get into, but I did enjoy it. It started off really modern, as Vale is from the current time and then brought into the 1800s. There are twists, turns, and betrayals, and a lot of emotions as Vale mourns the centuries of separation she now has from her kids. But there is hope as she assimilates to her current life in the 1800s— a time where she actually belongs— and a much better husband than the emotionally abusive one she left behind in the 2000s. Sometimes your perfect man is just in the wrong century.

Thank you NetGalley for the arc!

When I first saw this available on NetGalley, the cover pulled me in. I’m a sucker for a nice cover. I read the description and thought maybe I can give it a try. Im typically not a historical fiction kind of person but I really did enjoy this book while I read it. It kept drawing me back in to keep reading. The writing in this book was wonderful.

Vale is a story about a woman who has been stolen from her modern life in 2021 and is brought back to the 1800's because of a curse. She was forced to leave her husband who she despises, her children who she loved dearly and everything she had ever know with no hope of getting back.
The premise of this book really had me hooked but I felt that the story was just lacking in a lot of areas. The exciting bits were just not that exciting, the naughty bits really not that naughty, and all around it was boring. The writing was well done, except I found the parts where the main character Vale directly addressed the reader which really just pulled me out of moment. Found that very jarring and hard to get back in once it happened.
I didn't not feel that there was any great danger for main character, nor a real struggle for the her as she would eventually one day get what she wanted which was her children. I found that whole explanation quite convenient, lazy and kind of icky, diminishing the role of the father to purely a sperm donor. I didn't not like how that was handled.
It was a sweet book but just didn't pack the punch I was hoping for. It was just not for me.

A beautifully written fantasy that navigates the past, the present, abuse, family and relationships, Vale is a book that makes you walk in to the pages and take a seat, taking in everything this book has to offer.

A lovely romance with that takes you on a journey, this book gives to the very last page a sense of cosiness and a sense of magic that won't leave you for a while. The past and present stories are told brilliantly and make for incredible reading but also in moments heartbreaking too (check trigger warnings for this).

A gem of a book, if you want a little fantasy romance that brings you something different to the usual this is perfect for you.