Book Review #thecountess #sophiejordan #netgalley #avonbooks #happilyeveravon #readavon #thescandalousladiesoflondon
I loved this book! Sophie Jordan brings a raw and fresh new take to the historical romance genre with the first book in her The Scandalous Ladies of London series! Jordan's writing is smart, accessible, well paced, and richly embellished. I found this story to have a level of uniqueness that felt real and relatable, especially when it comes to a historical romance. I love that Jordan takes the idea of a group of women who are close to each other and builds this series around them, they might not always get along with each other, they might sometimes challenge each other, but they all have an understanding of each other that is built around an understanding of the societal circles they all have to navigate.
This first novel is The Countess, and the central focus is between Tru, a married woman, and Jasper, a rich hotel owner who is suppose to court her marriageable daughter. This novel highlights the solicitous relationships the exist behind closed doors of the aristocracy. Please be aware, this novel features cheating, and domestic abuse. Jordan has crafted this world, inspired by the real house wives, and beautifully weaves themes of drama, money, and jealousy beautifully into a regency world. I love that this novel has the driving forces of a forbidden romance and an age gap. I love that Jasper is so taken with Tru he will do anything to have her. I love that Tru learns her value and choses to fight for her happiness. I really enjoyed seeing Tru be the strong mother bear when it comes to her daughter, and I love that Jasper sees this and his respect of true grows so strong. I love that we see women learning to help each other out in this novel and not just trying to tear them down. This novel is romance at times, sensual at times, the chemistry between Tru and Jasper is rich an evocative, and when it comes to super explicit interactions it is on the light side (only really one), but I don't feel like I was missing anything. Jordan does a really wonderful job of building their intimacy and trust with each other through stolen touches and passionate kisses that I was able to fully embrace their romance and was constantly guessing how things would eventually play out in their favor.
I just really adored this novel, I found it to be so interesting, I loved all of the characters and I am left so excited to see where this series grows! If you love Sophie Jordan, I think you will find a rich and unique novel that suits her voice so beautifully. If you have never read Jordan before, do yourself a favor and pick this one up, I don't think you will be disappointed!
Thank you to Avon Books and NetGalley for an eARC, all thoughts and opinions are my own.
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