Friday, May 7, 2021

7th May 2021 Isabelle and Alexander (Proper Romance Victorian) By Rebecca Anderson @Austenprose @Beccawilhite @shadowmountn

 


·         Title: Isabelle and Alexander (Proper Romance Victorian)

·         Author: Rebecca Anderson

·         Genre: Historical Fiction, Inspirational Fiction, Victorian Romance

·         Publisher: Shadow Mountain Publishing (May 4, 2021)

·         Format: Trade paperback, eBook, & audiobook (368) pages

·         Tour Dates: May 3-16. 2021


BOOK DESCRIPTION

Isabelle Rackham knows she will not marry for love. Though arranged marriages have fallen out of fashion, hers has been settled for some time to combine the upper-middle-class wealth of her father's coal mines with Alexander Osgood's prospering Northern country textile mills. Though not a man prone to romantic gestures, Alexander is well-known as an eligible bachelor. His good looks have turned more than one head, so Isabelle is content to think of herself as Alexander's wife.

However, her marriage is not what she expected. Northern England is nothing like her home farther west in the lake country. Cold, dreary, and dark, the soot from the textile mills creates a gray hue that seems to cling to everything in the city of Manchester. Alexander is distant and aloof, preferring to spend his time at the mill rather than with her at home. Their few conversations are brief, polite, and lacking any emotion, leaving Isabelle lonely and desperately homesick.

Sensing his wife's unhappiness, Alexander suggests a trip to his country estate. Isabelle hopes this will be an opportunity to get to know her new husband without the distractions of his business. But the change of scenery doesn't bring them any closer. While riding together on horses, Alexander is thrown from his and becomes paralyzed. Tragedy or destiny? The help and care that Alexander now needs is Isabelle's opportunity to forge a connection and create a deep and romantic love where nothing else could.

 


 

 MY REVIEW:

Isabelle and Alexander by Rebecca Anderson was quite the unique historical fiction read that had such a great concept and intriguing story line that I really enjoyed reading about. This was fantastic!

Isabelle Rackham's life had been planned long ago when her father decided to join upper middle class forces, and combine the wealth of their coal mines in the south, with Alexander Osgood's textile mills of the north. Through an arranged marriage, Isabelle's life in Manchester was certainly not what she had dreamed of. Alexander trying to make amends and forge a better relationship with his wife plans an escape to the country. As fate would have it, their lives takes a turn when Alexander fell of his horse and suffers a spinal cord injury leaving him disabled.

As I read the book, the story just kept getting better and better. I loved how much research went through in the medical world of the Victorian era and how injuries like this were handled then. It was amazing to read about it as a nurse myself. I followed closely what happened to our beloved Christopher Reeve, and to think with all the modern day advancement, there were still a lot to learn about spinal cord injuries. 

I have not read anything like this in the historical fiction books, and this was a great change of pace and topic, where the love developed after the marriage and after such a tragic accident. The story arc was well written and beautifully told. I highly recommend this book. 


ADVANCE PRAISE

 

·         "Anderson’s first foray into historical romance is an atypical, yet satisfying story set in Victorian Manchester’s upper middle class. Hand this to readers looking for a book that navigates the peaks and valleys of two strangers attempting to make a life together despite the hardships life throws at them."— Library Journal

 

·         "Isabelle transitions from an unaware, leisure-class woman to a more enlightened spouse and supporter of the working class. Intimacy and romance develop between Isabelle and Alexander because of simple gestures, like a long look or a thoughtful gift, and their conversations. Their slow, stately courting is reader appropriate for any age or audience. Manchester also gets its due as a place of grit and incredible production. Descriptions of bustling mills reveal their impact on the couple’s family and its fortunes. Isabelle and Alexander is an intimate and touching romance novel that focuses on women’s lives in the business class of industrial England."— Foreword Reviews

 

·         "Isabelle must use her quiet spunk, busy mind, and compassionate spirit to woo her husband in a wholly new way. Anderson's debut is a lovely northern England Victorian romance about confronting the seemingly impossible and the power of empathy. Anderson also addresses the time period’s treatment of physical and intellectual disabilities. Most of all, she beautifully depicts love in its many forms beyond romance, such as compassion, patience, and vulnerability; and her characters illustrate the ways that these expressions of love carry us through even the darkest hours. Isabelle’s loving and persevering fervor and devotion will resonate with any caregiver’s heart."— Booklist

 

 

AUTHOR BIO




Rebecca Anderson is the nom de plume of contemporary romance novelist Becca Wilhite, author of Wedding Belles: A Novel in Four Parts, Check Me Out, and My Ridiculous Romantic Obsessions. Isabelle and Alexander is her debut historical romance novel.

High school English teacher by day, writer by night (or very early morning), she loves hiking, Broadway shows, food, books, and movies. She is happily married and a mom to four above-average kids.

 

WEBSITE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM  | GOODREADS

 

BLOG TOUR SCHEDULE

 

May 03           Lu Reviews Books (Review)       

May 03           Timeless Novels (Review)           

May 03           Our Book Confessions (Review)           

May 04           Literary Time Out (Review)         

May 04           My Bookish Bliss (Review)         

May 04           The Book Diva's Reads (Excerpt)         

May 05           Heidi Reads (Review)       

May 05           Laura's Reviews (Review)           

May 05           Wishful Endings (Review)           

May 05           Gwendalyn's Reviews (Review)

May 06           Margie's Must Reads (Review)  

May 06           Encouraging Words from the Tea Queen (Excerpt)

May 06           Relz Reviewz (Review)     

May 07           Randi Loves 2 Read (Spotlight) 

May 07           The Reading Frenzy (Review)    

May 07           Nurse Bookie (Review)    

May 08           The Christian Fiction Girl (Review)      

May 08           The Bibliophile Files (Review)   

May 09           Reading with Emily (Review)     

May 09           Fire and Ice (Spotlight)     

May 10           My Jane Austen Book Club (Excerpt)  

May 10           The Caffeinated Bibliophile (Review)  

May 10           Booked Solid (Review)    

May 10           From Pemberley to Milton (Spotlight)  

May 11           Greenish Bookshelf (Review)    

May 11           Captivated Reading (Review)     

May 11           The Green Mockingbird (Review)         

May 12           For Where Your Treasure Is (Excerpt)

May 12           Bookworm Lisa (Review)

May 13           Books, Teacups & Reviews (Spotlight)

May 13           Library of Clean Reads (Review)          

May 13           Robin Loves Reading (Review)

May 13           So Little Time (Excerpt)   

May 14           Eli's Novel Reviews (Review)     

May 14           The Lit Bitch (Review)      

May 14           The Bluestocking (Review)         

May 15           Reading Is My Superpower (Review)   

May 15           Christian Chick's Thoughts (Review)  

May 15           A Darn Good Read (Review)      

May 16           The Silver Petticoat Review (Excerpt)  

May 16           CozyNookBooks (Review)          

 

 

PURCHASE LINKS

 

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE BOOK DEPOSITORY | BOOKSHOP

| DESERET BOOK | GOODREADS

 

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