I received an ARC in exchange for a review.
This was a beautifully written story, with great characters in an enjoyable location.
I was completely engrossed, thinking about what would happen next.
I fell in love with her story and characters.

The Portrait by Cassandra Austen

One woman, two men who love her, secrets and potential scandal are the basis of this book. In a time when titles were passed down to the males a daughter would not do and a daughter with a limp...well...that daughter was exiled by her father. I enjoyed this somewhat predictable book but really did not warm to any of the characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and Apollo Grannus Books for the ARC – This is my honest review.

3 Stars

A very poorly plotted romance that was far longer than it needed to be. While I am aware that this genre of books often relies on characters withholding information from other characters, it is simply lazy writing to withhold information from the reader for the majority of the book in order to create tension - telling us there is a problem but not revealing what it is, just continually pointing out that SOMETHING IS UP, is the quickest way to show that there is no depth to the story. For example, the portrait of the title is mentioned several times as being reputation-threatening, but not explained until well over halfway through, and the hero's identity is drawn out into a huge mystery that is resolved, unsatisfactorily, in one paragraph and turns out to really not have been a big deal after all. The final line tries to introduce a mystery but it falls laughably flat after the previous attempts to deceive the reader.

I saw no romance between the two main characters, and I really disliked both of them as they were selfish and self-centred throughout. There was little to no character development, just a series of events that befell them and they dodged. I also found the way that Catherine's disability was referred to more unpleasant than the period called for - be prepared for plenty of self-hatred, prejudice, and repeated use of the word 'cripple'. Catherine was so prickly and selfish that I could not understand why all three of the men in the book were wildly, consumingly in love with her. I was hoping this would be a story about her finding her independence and having someone fall for her because she began to love herself, but nope, everyone loves her just as she is - mean-spirited, vengeful, and completely lacking in interpersonal skills.

So, with not one character I liked and a repetitive, boring and overly contrived plot, this book was a really bad read for me.

3.5 -A terrific step back in time and how men manipulated all the rules of a woman's life. When the tables are turned, this woman has to rise to the occasion pick the right man to marry her. She wishes to have her independence and holds secret which shall be discovered at some moment.

I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to review ‘The Portrait’. This was such a beautifully written story, capturing the intense emotions of each of the characters against the dramatic backdrop of Wales and the English countryside. I was captivated from the start of the story to the very end and even myself sneaking in a few extra pages, as I found myself thinking about what would happen next.
The book begins with Lady Catherine Claverton awaiting the death of her father who has tormented her for as long as she can remember for her misfortune of being handicapped. Despite her abandonment by her father, she has found peace within herself. However, she hides a secret that she is desperate to resolve. It is during this time, that she meets Captain Avebury, recently returned from service for the Royal Navy, and then Sir Lyle, a smuggler who has known Catherine for many years. It is Catherine’s relationship with these two men and their inability to see her handicap and only find her captivating, that makes this story so fascinating.
Whilst I could reveal much of the story in my rush to praise the amazing storyline, I think this is a book to be savoured. Each character, even those that are secondary to the story, have their own hidden secrets, and there are so many secrets! It is in the revealing of these secrets that I found myself hanging on every word written. I also loved each and every character despite their many flaws as this made them so very realistic. I so look forward to reading the sequel to The Portrait and will definitely save this book as one of my favourites.

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

This was a lovely novel, filled with gorgeous settings and romantic characters. I enjoyed following the trials and tribulations of the heroine and her leading men. She was extremely moving and I found myself rooting for her. I highly recommend this novel.

I spent an enjoyable day reading this novel in which a handicapped English lady and a navy captain befriend each other. Both have some serious secrets from their past they try to hide and had a horrible childhood. And they have to cope with a lot of mystery trying to destroy their lives.

Although the writer wants to be a Jane Austen that she is not. Captain Avebury is depicted as a honourable, loving and gregarious man but I sometimes do not understand what drives Catherine. Maybe the writer wants us to realise it is not parentage or history that defines us but our own actions.

Nevertheless it is a Regency novel with a lot of action and mystery and not a "steamy" one nor a "clean" one. Just a good one :)

4 stars out of 5. I was published on the 31rd of December 2018 and I received an ARC copy but was not obliged to write a review.