Compromised into a Scandalous Marriage

Content Notes: [violence; attempted murder; death; controlling/emotionally abusive brother (hide spoiler)]

This hits a lot of classic Harlequin tropes — forced marriage of convenience, childhood friends, rich girl/former poor boy — in a Caribbean island in the early 1900s. I don't know what it says about me, but I am weak for "hero is furious/indifferent to heroine when he mistakenly thinks that she trapped him into marriage.” A classic! This misunderstanding only lasts a short time before he wises up, but the angst is delicious.

I am even weaker for “hero spoils heroine with luxuries that she lacked from her evil family.” I am a simple woman. 😅 On a more serious note, I was touched when Sebastian saw that Paulina had been deprived of agency over "simple" decisions like choosing her own clothes, recognizing that the lack wasn't unimportant/frivolous. Tears were shed during a certain shopping scene.

Regarding the sugar mill: I really appreciated the explicit reassurance that its history did not include enslaved labor. The author didn't gloss over unfair/difficult conditions for laborers, making the worldbuilding feel thoughtful and fully-realized. In other words: the opposite of a wallpaper historical.

Overall impressions: an enjoyable, tropey Harlequin Historical with some dark elements (see content notes). Fingers crossed for a sequel about Dilia.

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Note about Spanish language italics: I'm not blaming the author because this decision was likely a Harlequin in-house editorial standard. But it is absolutely ridiculous that every single Spanish word in the text is italicized. In a scene where the MCs eat empanadas, it's ludicrous to see that term italicized ten times over two pages. This editorial standard didn't affect my rating but it annoyed me enough to complain in my review.

Disclaimer: I received a free e-ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.