This was this author's first published book? WOW, what an excellent debut! Really, I liked the premise of the story at first, then worried after starting it if they were going to make any progress. Unfortunately, but actually fortunately the accident was the very unusual catalyst for drawing them to true companionship. As they began to understand one another and make sacrifices for each other, they recognized how their weaknesses and responses weren't helpful and gradually learned how to change - and that's the making of a worthwhile book in my eyes. They had to discover and accept a new normal for themselves, and in the process find it was MUCH preferable to the old normal because of who they had become. This was a sweet story that tells the truth about marriage. Nice job, Rebecca Anderson! I received a prerelease version from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

#IsabelleandAlexander #NetGalley

I was drawn to this book because of the gorgeous cover and I usually love arranged marriage stories.
Things I loved:
-Isabelle becoming more confident in stating her wants and needs.
-Isabelle's friendship with Glory and the Henworthy's.
-when Alexander finally opens up and talks to Isabelle.

Things I didn't love:
-The beginning of this book is super, super slow.
-I wanted Alexander to open up a little more earlier on so we could get more romance in the story.
-This story is much sadder than I thought it would be.

That being said, it does end well!

I was given a copy of this book by the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

This was a quicker read. A good, interesting story that kept you invested. I liked the characters and appreciated how the story brought us closer to the two even as they were being brought closer to each other.

I was a trifle bothered by the fact that the whole story seemed centralized on the very fact that they simply wouldn’t communicate with each other. I know that Alexander was hurt and recovering physically and mentally, but his brusque and blunt behavior on a number of occasions make his hidden growth in love a little difficult to believe.

A sweet, simple story all the same. I enjoyed reading it and would suggest it to others.

*I received this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are most definitely my own.*

Isabelle and Alexander is the first novel by Rebecca Anderson, a nom de plume for Becca Wilhite. I received this as an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this book - previous reviews said that it had a very North and South feel, which I agree with. However, many of the books written around the industrial revolution focus on the upper class in London - I'm thinking Secrets of a Summer Night by Lisa Kleypas where the heroine was of the Ton and married "below" her by marrying an industrialist. It was very refreshing to read about a lateral marriage (two upper middle class characters), and a romance that didn't start off right away. Many times, these marriage of convenience/arranged marriage tropes have insta-love connections, but this one was realistic, with the heroine Isabelle reacting appropriately to living with her parents to living with a man she had barely met who barely gave her time of day.

I liked the community of support that Isabelle had around her. It was both very realistic and also very heartwarming. I was a little bit confused about how this arrangement between them came about - little bits were revealed throughout the story but perhaps it could have been expanded a bit more. I wish we had more from Alec's perspective as he was a black box for most of the novel. I also wanted to know more about Isabelle as a person - what were her hobbies besides talking to her cousin and playing piano? Where did her inner reserve of strength come from & why did she have no hesitation when it came to taking care of Alec?

Overall though, this book was a sweet gentle slow burn romance. It has a unique plot, discusses how disability was managed - both cognitive and physical - back in that era, and feels extremely realistic in its depiction of an arranged marriage between two upper-middle-class characters. I wish there was more to read or even a sequel :)

****SPOILERS*****

It was such a lovely book, with accurate historical medical details re: paralysis. I wasn't sure what was going on in Alec's head, and had to rely on Isabelle's interpretation of his moods, but she was a bit of an unreliable narrator in that regard as she had no idea what his baseline was. It would have been useful to have the letters that he gave her on Christmas actually written out so that we could tell how he felt. He showed it off and on - the pianoforte, the pears - but I was wondering about his thoughts and emotionally where he was at. I also found the epilogue to have jumped quite a bit in narration - he could barely embrace her, and then next thing we know, she was pregnant a few months later? Some more build up from his perspective and more consistent romance would have helped set that up a bit better. For these reasons, I deducted a star.

**ARC kindly provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**


Where to begin with this?! I adored this book! I thought it handled both the topic of traumatic injury and special needs in such a real and positive way, which i greatly appreciated ❤ i loved the characters, thoroughly enjoyed watching them grow as people and in their relationship. The ending was just perfect ❤😍 i cannot wait to buy this when it releases!

Rebecca Anderson's newest novel is a pure romance called Isabelle and Alexander. I enjoyed this novel even though there were a couple of things that would have made it better. The setting was well described and I enjoyed most of the characters. The whole story was told from Isabelle's point of view, which could and likely did read Alexander wrong sometimes. Granted Alexander wasn't known for sharing his feelings until the end of the story. There were a few places that could have used a little more fleshing out but overall was a delightful story with a happy ending which most of us that read these type of stories appreciate. I will definitely read another book by this author.
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book for my honest opinion.

This was a mixed bag for me. The historical details were interesting and well done – the city of Manchester, the work in the mills, the treatment Alexander received.

The romance was underwhelming. It might have worked better if we switched viewpoints back and forth. Alexander was just a blank slate –everything we learned about him was Isabelle’s impressions. And then they went from living in the same home and feeling their way to boom! In love! The slow burn was too slow and then I never really felt the burn. The author did not convince me of any chemistry or that these two would live happily ever after.

Also big <spoiler>he is still paralyzed from the waist down at the end but she is pregnant. Every romance <i>does not</i> have to include a baby, and in this case it definitely didn’t work for me. Hardly any kissing or touching then sex and a baby!</spoiler>

It wasn’t a terrible book, but it wasn’t great. I am willing to give the author another try though.

I read an advance reader copy from Netgalley.

This was a very sweet little romance. It is extremely quiet, not a lot happens, but that suits me just fine. If you aren't a fan of character (vs. plot) driven books then this is not the book for you.

In a strange way this reminds me of one of my all-time favorite books: Rebecca, by Daphne du Maurier. In both books a newly-married woman tries to figure out her place in her new household, and the feelings of her husband are mostly a mystery to both her and the reader. This is definitely a much happier book than Rebecca, though!

I was very interested to see disability rep (and ASD rep) in a historical romance like this. It's certainly my first experience with it, but it was a welcome one.

The only thing that disappointed me was the final line of the epilogue, which I won't divulge because of spoilers. I felt it was unnecessary and very out of place considering the entire tone of the book. It almost felt like it was included out of obligation -- out of what the author thought the audience wanted.

I would like to first thank Shadow Mountain Publishing and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book and give an honest review. I was intrigued by the cover and the subject and decided to take a leap. The first two chapters went slowly. Isabelle is subject to an arranged marriage to a handsome man named Alexander who owns a cotton/clothes mill. Alexander is handsome but standoffish. Isabelle also is moved away from her family, especially from her cousin who she was raised with. Alexander takes Isabelle off to the country house and a bad accident happens. The local doctor was Alexander's family doctor who fills Isabelle in with Alexander's history. Isabelle decides that she was going to fight hard to save her husband and her marriage. Isabelle starts wearing him down and its truly a love story.

Arranged marriage books are not my typical go-to when I’m looking for a fun read, but I really enjoyed this one! I love that even though both characters were forced to get to know each other in less-than-ideal circumstances, they made the most of their situation and ultimately became closer because of their hardships. I read a lot of historical fiction romances, and I liked that this one had a plot different from so many others. Also, beautiful cover! This is my first read from Rebecca Anderson, and I’m excited to try out her other books.

This a proper romance from Shadow Mountain Press.  Proper romance means that there are no sex scenes.  No hot and bothered kissing scenes.  It’s all about relationship building.

Isabelle was fully aware of the arranged marriage thing before she entered into the agreement.  What she expected was not what she thought she’d get.  Her marriage was a fairly distant one.  I’m not sure what drove Alexander to such lengths to not take the offered friendship and support of his new wife.  I guess that’s the answer maybe found in the history of the time.

Just because this is a proper romance doesn’t mean that there is no emotion.  There’s plenty of emotion and growth.  A woman learning to navigate in a world that she is not used to, with a whole army of people she doesn’t know.  At that time, there wasn’t much respect for women and their thoughts.  I could understand Isabelle’s reaction when Alexander started to warm up.  It was nice but when tragedy struck, it struck hard.

I got to hand it to Isabelle.  She was far stronger than she gave herself credit for - fighting for her husband and trying to build an impossible relationship.

I give this book a solid 4 stars.

This is the first novel I have read from this author and did not know what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised. This is not the usual time period story, it is a story of growth during extreme trial. The characters learn so much about themselves and each other as this novel plays out. It also illustrates how little young women understood about marriage in the 1800s, perhaps even today. I will look forward to reading more from this author.

I immediately loved this novel because it reminds me so much of North and South, which I LOVE. It is set in 1850 amid the textile industry. Isabelle and Alexander enter an arranged marriage. Isabelle is so sweet and hopeful for her marriage but Alexander is so cold to her. It was pretty sad seeing her continuously try and get shut down. Alexander decides to take her to his country estate where he suffers a horrible accident. The story takes a turn here, where Alexander finally tries to get to know Isabelle and their relationship gets a chance to grow. I really loved this story, it shows tremendous growth in both characters!

First and foremost, I want to thank Netgalley, the publishers at Shadow Mountain, and author Rebecca Anderson for allowing me to read an advanced copy of the Book Isabelle and Alexander. This story takes place during London's Victorian era. Isabelle is to marry Alexander in an arranged marriage to help further along both Alexander's business and Isabelle's father's business. As it was with arranged marriages at the time, Alexander and Isabelle had barely spoken a word to each other before they were wed, so they knew very little of each other. Once they returned to Manchester, England, after the wedding, Isabelle soon realized how alone she was. She knew no one in Manchester and her husband was working throughout the day and frequently at night. Alexander wasn't overly warm and compassionate with Isabelle, so getting to know each other took a lot of time. After a rough trip to Alexander's cottage in the country, things slowly seemed to be thawing between the two. They returned to the cottage and the two seemed to be getting along, then tragedy strikes. Now both Alexander and Isabelle must reimagine their life together in a way that they never thought possible. Alexander's attitude is at times lovely and he shows Isabelle that he is becoming accustomed to being married, but at other time, he is extremely distant and doesn't show Isabelle any emotion, other than anger. Isabelle, herself, needs to figure out her spot in Alexander's life and has a lot of trouble finding ways to make herself feel accomplished, especially when she is berated by others in Alexander's life. Her saving graces are their friends the Kenworthy family, their staff, especially Mae and Mrs. Burns, and Dr. Kelly, the doctor that they attribute to saving Alexander's life. The breaking point for the two newlyweds is when tragedy strikes again, only this time Isabelle's life is in endangered. After that, both Isabelle and Alexander realize how good they are together and how to live life as a married couple.

This story was a lovely periodic love story. I loved the friendships that Isabelle had Mrs. Burns and Mrs. Kenworthy. Both women never seemed to lack any confidence in Isabelle and Alexander's marriage or their love for each other. Glory and Isabelle's friendship was such a lovely part of the story. Isabelle's patience with Glory was refreshing, especially in a time when most would have just left Glory alone. Mrs. Kenworthy's love and patience for Glory knew no end. I had a bit of a love/hate relationship with Alexander. I understood that he felt like he was beneath Isabelle, so that attributed to his feelings of aloofness, but at other times, I just wished that he would show her some love and compassion. Isabelle's strength, at a time when women's strength was generally not one that was taken seriously, was at times heroic. I appreciated when she finally spoke up for herself and for Alexander. If you are a fan of period pieces like this, you will definitely enjoy this story. Thank you again to Netgalley, Shadow Mountain, and Rebecca Anderson for letting me read this early copy.

This book takes place after Isabelle and Alexander are married. It was an arranged marriage, and Alexander is not emotionally or physically connected to Isabelle now that they are married. His devotion is to his mill. Isabelle desires their connection to grow, but Alexander remains aloof; he seems to be extremely shy and unsure how how to interact with Isabelle. During a trip to their country home (an attempt on Alexander's part to deepen their relationship), Alexander falls from his horse and is paralyzed from the neck down. The rest of the book details Alexander's healing and the growth of their marriage through the challenges.

I liked that this book was different than most other books in this "Proper Romance" genre. It was real with the challenges and "good and bad" days one has when going through a trying time. What I felt it was missing was character development on Alexander's side. Everything was from Isabelle's perspective, so it was often hard to understand Alexander's feeling or motivations. I wish the author would have hashed out more of his feelings or thoughts as the book developed. I also wish the author would have shown us <spoiler> the contents of the letters he's written/dictated to Isabelle. Or at least the first one. I was really confused on why Alexander was SO withdrawn and unwilling to have conversations or physical interaction with Isabelle in the beginning. I want to know more of his personality and motivations for his actions in the beginning. </spoiler>

Overall, I enjoyed this read. I loved that it depicted several people with disabilities and made them focal points in the novel. I think Isabelle had a lot of growth as a character, and while I wanted more from Alexander's character, I'd still recommend it to friends who like this genre of book.

I really struggled to enjoy the story and characters. Isabelle was very one dimensional and not having anything from Alexander’s viewpoint was a huge detriment to the story. There was absolutely no chemistry between them at all and no chance for anything to develop until far into the book (even then it was very forced). About the only thing I enjoyed was having it set in the business class, though the author did handle the disability issue for the time period well.

I was provided with an ARC of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed reading this book. The characters, setting, and plot were all very well developed. Anderson’s description of the time and place of this novel was authentic and spot on and the story kept me engaged and interested through the end. I will definitely be reading more from this author.

I love the Proper Romance Series by Shadow Mountain Publishing, and this book does not disappoint. It is a beautifully written story about love and overcoming tragedy. This book shows that love can overcome any obstacle. I could not put this book down. The saddest part was when it was over.

I’m a sucker for Shadow Mountain’s Proper Romance line, so I jumped at the chance to read this newest addition, I’ve read several books by the author before (but not under this pen name). This genre is new for her (as far as I know), and I thought she did a nice job.

This was a “stay up way too late reading” kind of book for me. I felt so bad for Isabelle, but admired her determination to make the best of a situation that had many challenges. I liked Alexander too, but it did take awhile to get to that point with him being so closed off at the beginning,

I can see myself reading this again and look forward to more in this genre by the author.

I was really disappointed in this book. The story had a lot of potential, but it just fell flat for me. I think adding chapters from different viewpoints would have given the story more depth. As written, it is really just a first person narrative, and that makes the story really one sided, I also didn’t find the characters relatable or likeable. Overall, not my favorite book, but if you’re looking to read a historical fiction novel, you might still enjoy this one!