I really enjoyed this journey. I love a buttoned up man who gets his comeuppance! Of course Robert was different in that he actually wanted love in his marriage. Sarah held her own as well. I liked that there was no evil family waiting in the wings. Both Robert and Sarah's families were warm and accepting. I could have done without the third act mistress drama but realize the author had to do something.

Yawn, throw in a miscommunication trope, lots and lots of it, an OW + OM drama, a stuffy duke, a wannabe heroine and some sex and that describes this book. It was okay, I found myself skipping a lot of the pages, part of it may be due to the authors writing style. I still feel her writing lacks finesse that you find with more established writers.

#netgalley #AnInconvinientMarraige

An Inconvenient Marriage by Wren St. Claire is a Regency romance centered on a marriage of convenience between Sarah, a vicar’s daughter turned heiress, and Robert, an impoverished Duke and fortune hunter. The London season setting offers a familiar, charming backdrop, and the premise teases potential for fans of the trope.
Yet, the execution falters. Robert is an unlikable MMC—arrogant and entitled—while Sarah’s habit of boosting his ego grates. Her fortune and suitors hint at untapped independence, but the story clings to patriarchal vibes, leaving her choices underexplored. Pacing is sluggish, with enjoyable Regency moments overshadowed by drag. The mistress subplot is a jarring misfire, derailing the romance.
Strengths like the classic setting and trope are dimmed by weak character development and an uneven narrative. Avid Regency readers might appreciate glimpses of London season flair, but the douchey MMC, annoying FMC dynamics, and disappointing conclusion make it a letdown.

Thank you NetGalley for ARC, all opinions are my own.

This was a book I could not put down. I’ve read Wren St. Claire short stories before and was reminded of how much I like her style and the characters she writes.

Sarah is a strong-willed intelligent woman, who is hurt by the fact that the man she has feelings for only notices her after she comes into her fortune. Meanwhile Robert is a noble but ultimately clueless, and unable to recognize Sarah’s (or his own) feelings and he charges into what he believes to be a marriage of convenience, while in fact they both want much more from it. The pace here is fantastic, the characters stay true to themselves and, though they do take a while to work through all misunderstandings, I felt like it very much added to the core of the story. And wow, this one was deliciously and scorching hot! Wren St. Claire writes amazing steamy scenes.

I can’t not mention the plethora of supporting characters, each of which was developed so well. It’s hard to pick whose story I want to read next. Duke’s friend Ashford was a wonderful addition, as was the unfortunate Lannister, who turned out to be quite the honorable character in the end. The dowager duchess and all the siblings - both Robert’s and Sarah’s added such a delightful color! I wholeheartedly recommend this story.

Thanks to NetGalley and Dragonblade Publishing for the chance to read this ARC.

“An Inconvenient Marriage” is the first book in Wren St. Claire’s series All for Love. This is a Dragonblade Flame line publication which means plenty of spice and passion with the door wide open. If you are looking for a wonderfully romantic historical romance with a strong, outspoken heroine and a handsome brooding arrogant duke along with plenty of heat and scorching passion then look no further. This is the first novel I have read by this author, it definitely will not be the last. I thoroughly enjoyed the story of Robert Layne, an impoverished duke who must marry a fortune. Robert wants to marry for love, not money but has reconciled himself to the task to save his family, the title, and the vast holdings. Fortunately he is a gentleman, but he has his flaws. Robert feels a connection with Sarah Watson, a vicar’s daughter who was willed a considerable fortune. I liked that Sarah was no shrinking violet, she was smart, outspoken, and passionate. This story follows the couple’s introduction at Almack’s and their bumpy courtship to their happy ever after. The plot is well done, the story keeps moving forward and doesn’t lag. Several other characters are peppered throughout the tale which added more richness to the story, including Robert’s circle of male friends, his family, Sarah’s family, the rouge Lannister and the ex-mistress Madeleine. An honorable mention goes to Emerald, whose nickname is Em. I love a story that features a pet as a member of the household. I definitely recommend this novel about love, passion, self-discovery (the duke learns a lot about himself along the way), family, friendship, and forgiveness. I’m looking forward to the next book in the series, since this was such a great start.

This was an enjoyable read although it is not my preferred one of the Regency romance style.
The two main characters are brought together for wrong reasons: Robert is a duke and needs money to keep his family going. Sarah needs to get married to a titled man by the end of the year if she wishes to obtain the significant amount of money her great aunt left for her, which would be of great help for her family. Then they realise little by little that there could be more than material interest in their marriage but there are many misunderstandings between them, the duke seems to always say things in a way that hurts his fiancee/wife.
I loved some of the secondary characters, in particular I would have been happy to have the dowager duchess as my mother-in-law!!!
The two families of siblings are both refreshing and bring very nice moments.
Something which surprised me was that the rhythm was relatively slow up to 80% whereas the last 20% became very similar to a vaudeville, not fully in line with the proper duke - at last he proved he was a sensitive and even passionate man!

Miss Sarah Watson, an heiress in her own right thanks to her godmother, returns to London for another season to find a husband. Robert Layne, the Duke of Troubridge, is currently seeking a wife but due to the financial mismanagement of his father, he needs to marry a lady who will bring money to the match. Unbeknownst to Robert, he and Sarah have met on several occasions before and she has formed an attraction to him. As Robert is being introduced to potential matches, Sarah isn’t his first choice for a duchess. After his first choice falls through, Robert is once again forced to pursue Sarah. Sarah has to work through her own struggles as she believes Robert only wants her for her fortune. This is the first novel I have read from Wren St. Clare. I enjoyed the plot and the characters and I love how they each had to work together to get to their HEA. I am looking forward to reading more from Wren.
I received an ARC from NetGalley and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

I adore a good marriage of convenience trope and historical romance is my jam, so I was looking forward to Wren St. Claire's "An Inconvenient Marriage." Unfortunately, the book fell short of my expectations. It opened with the MMC's former mistress' POV - um, why? - which turned me off immediately. From there, we meet the MMC, who is shopping for an heiress to marry in the same way you might shop for a new appliance to buy (another reviewer said it was like he was car shopping, and I totally agree). Which is just ick. And I just didn't connect with the FMC. Add in the fact that no one in this book just talked to each other (some miscommunication I can live with, but this is like 90% of the story) and I ended up skimming/skipping large chunks of the book.

1.5 stars rounded to 2 since I did not actually DNF. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a complimentary copy of this book. These opinions are my own.

I love a good marriage of convenience book. The first quarter of the book was very slow but once I got past the beginning the story really picked up and became very interesting. The plot became fast paced and I was enthralled. I love how clear it was that Sarah and Robert cared about each other but they needed to learn how to be together. Would not recommend this book if you don’t like the miscommunication trope as this book heavily relied on it.

An Inconvenient Marriage
By Wren St. Claire

A lovely romance. I have a special place in my heart for a trope with hero and heroine coming from a different class. This one is a duke and a mere vicar’s daughter. She’s very sheltered and innocent, yet she has the courage, determination and strength and confidence to hold her own with the duke, the duke’s friends and even the duke’s mother, the dowager duchess. The Duke and new duchess grow into their titles but also and more importantly grow as human beings. I had a hard time liking the Duke at first but he ended up worming his way into my heart. I enjoyed the characters and their journey into an enduring love. I wish there were a lot more modern couples with comparable stories. This author is one of my favorites storytellers.

3.5 stars
If ever a couple needed to talk to each other, it was Sarah and Robert. Sarah was a vicar’s daughter and an heiress and Robert was the Duke of Troubridge. Robert needed to marry for money due to his father’s mismanagement of their estates. There are a number of misunderstandings that cause trouble for both of them. Robert also found it difficult to get out of ‘duke’ mode and be himself. He did have a number of good friends who tried to help both him and Sarah. This was an enjoyable read with an eventual happy ending. I received a copy hand have voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Robert is a new duke with money issues. Sarah is a vicar's daughter about to inherit a fortune. He's arrogant and generally a jerk. I had a hard time liking him. Sarah, I very much liked. An interesting mix of class differences, finding commonality and believing that love can exist when a man marries for money. A bit steamy and enjoyable.

I enjoyed reading this book of Robert and Sarah’s love story.

Their relationship is difficult and rocky from the beginning as Sarah is more outspoken than most women Robert has been around. They have grown up in very different environments. His family are titled and she is the daughter of a modest vicar with many siblings. She is due to inherit a fortune from a titled great aunt but only if she marries a titled gentleman.

Robert is a newly titled duke who quickly needs to find a wife who has money to repay the debts his father left him with. Although he finds Sarah intriguing because he never knows what she is going to say and she has been in love with Robert for years, I did find their frequent misunderstandings a bit frustrating. I can see that through these misunderstandings and further contemplation that both characters became more aware of their own faults due to their very different upbringings and try to change their views and become better people, especially Robert. Sarah is quite prickly with him even though she wants to be with him she can’t help herself and her tongue. Her values are different from Robert’s due to her upbringing but I thought Robert was a lovely person. He has a lot of patience but Sarah’s attitude towards others are more compassionate and respectful to others especially those of lower class status.

Another potential suitor for Sarah makes Robert jealous and he starts to get feelings he hadn’t felt before. Both are unable to share their feelings for each other but there is definitely a chemistry between them. There’s a lot for the couple to work through before they get their happiness but it was an enjoyable read with a bit of angst included. Secondary characters added a lot of extra depth to the story.

It definitely wasn’t as steamy as previous books I have read by the author which I must admit I missed but the plot was interesting and kept me interested. I would love the next book to be steamier earlier in the storyline and throughout rather than nearer the end but I have always enjoyed books by Wren St Claire.

The premise of this book is terrific -- a duke who wants to marry for love needs to marry for money. Plus he's got a group of male friends who have actual conversations. And there's a vicar's daughter with a fortune ... who has a crush on him. The duke is a little starchy, and I love a duke undone, so I had high hopes.

I'm sorry to say that the book doesn't hang together. Some of the problems are pace, and some of the problems are character development.

It never quite makes sense why the vicar's daughter has a fortune and no one else in the family does, and the character development is stop-and-start, with more telling than showing. Many of the conflicts in this book could be solved if the characters had a short, honest conversation with each other. It's never clear why the vicar's daughter continues to believe in the chaperone who has not acted in her best interests, and it's also unclear why the duke continues to doubt the vicar's daughter, even once they are married and seem to be making a go of it.

There's also an adorable cat at the front of the book who disappears. The cat's purpose seemed to be to show the duke as someone with emotions and less starchy when not in public, but like most of this book, it isn't developed enough to matter. I never felt like I knew any of these characters -- and I wanted to.

I enjoyed this story from beginning to the end..

I wasn't too sure about this book as this is a new to me author but I was blown away with it!

Both characters prove that love can overcome all obstacles and help heal wounds.

I can't wait to read the next book in this series.

5 stars

A realistic take on a romance where the hero needs to marry an heiress and the heroine realises that what's made the hero see her is the money she's inherited. Our hero comes in two parts the man and the duke. I enjoyed the prologue which gave a brilliant insight into how the inefficient father had created the controlled little boy. The author did a great job of making the other characters likeable and relatable.

It looks like the start of the series so I shall look for the others. A new author for me, such fun :)


I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

I loved this! It's Robert & Sarah's story & it was awesome! He's looking for a rich wife & she's hoping for a love match. Unbeknownst to him, she's seen him a few times & has a crush on him. He doesn't really notice her until much later. When he finally decides to marry, he's got a few to choose from, but he has an undeniable attraction to her. There's a lot happening here, neither are great at communicating with each other & they both have a lot to learn about marriage in general. Loved the story & the spice was fantastic! Highly recommend this book & author!

If he is looking for a love match....

Why has he kept an expensive mistress for years and only cuts her loose right before he needs to marry an heiress, as he is in want of her fortune? We are introduced to his mistress in the second chapter.
Robert Layne is a duke, hell bent on marrying for love, but arrogant hypocrite that he is has kept a mistress for years. No. Just no. He's arrogant and had an ass, having met Sarah, a mere vicars daughter on several occasions. She, of course, has a crush on him but Robert only notices her when she is in possession of fifty thousand pound, plus six thousand a year and must marry a peer. Robert shops his five choices of heiress' like he's buying a car. I wanted to like him but the author definitely makes major missteps with his character. If the author wants him to marry for love, quit making him his own worst enemy. Also, Robert fails to communicate with Sarah and the whole book is misunderstanding, lack of communication and Robert getting his way.

This book started out really well. Sarah is a spinster who has recently come into an inheritance. She is a bluestocking and she loves to read. Robert is a Duke who has to marry for money. He's looking for love and he's kind to animals. All good so far.

But then they meet and they start arguing. I feel like they argued up until the end of the book. He was even demanding during sex. They weren't happy with each other until late into the story.

Thank you to Dragonblade for the copy of this book. Opinions are my own.

Robert the Duke of Thornbridge was in need of a rich heiress. Sarah, a vicar’s daughter just happened to be the heiress he wanted. Their courtship and later the marriage became one big misunderstanding after another. The “big misunderstanding” is usually one of my least favorite romance genres, but this one worked pretty well.