A unique, fulfilling story from Rebecca Anderson! Isabelle and Alexander is not your typical romance, but it is still enjoyable and enlightening. I do think the story would have benefitted from the inclusion of Alexander’s point of view. Anderson is talented, and I’m excited to see what she does next. 3/5 stars

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Reviewed for www.compassbookratings.com

Author Rebecca Anderson pens a heartfelt story about finding love against all odds in Isabelle and Alexander. This Victorian romance begins with an unusual premise: Alexander and Isabelle have wed in an arranged marriage but aren't yet on a first-name basis. Told entirely from Isabelle's point of view, this well-paced story conveys the many emotions of a woman trying to make a marriage work. Anderson captures the couple at their lowest in her realistic portrayal of Alexander's accident and treatment, but the novel is not all doom and gloom. Isabelle and Alexander's secondary characters --Doctor Kelley, Glory and her parents, the house staff -- help bring sunshine and cheer. The incorporation of the textile mill and its workers brought a depth to Alexander's character and helped make him a more likeable guy! Fans of the Proper Romance series will not want to miss this book.

Review of an Advance Electronic Copy

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“You can’t judge a book by its cover.” This is the lasting impression I walked away with after having read this novel. The cover won me over with an air of mystery when paired with the synopsis of the book provided by the author. Indeed, however, you cannot judge a book by its cover alone. I found that the two main characters (Isabelle and Alexander/Alec) frustrated and confused me for almost half of the book. Perhaps part of the issue revolved around the author telling the story from Isabelle’s first-person point of view only. This left me constantly wondering what Alec was truly thinking. He came across so different immediately after the marriage than his proposal of marriage to Isabelle’s father would have implied. Their marriage was arranged and at Alec’s request. He was of no social standing, but of strong business standing, with no living family to speak of. And yet, he reached out to Isabelle’s father with a request for marriage. Isabelle went into the arrangement with the handsome Alexander with high hope of developing love. Alas, much of the story revolved around feelings of neglect and disinterest on Alec’s part (for almost half of the novel), along with lack of connection both physically and mentally between the pair. A life changing tragedy came and added to the abundance of sadness in my heart for these two characters. The writing at times was seemed conflicting (did he like her, did he not) and at other times unbelievable. I wanted to love this book as I loved the cover. It was what drew me to the book, but though much improved for them as a couple, it was a bit too slow in coming for my taste with an ending not meeting my expectations based on the beautiful cover of the book. I do strongly believe there are readers who will glean much from this book if they have lived a life challenged by deep tragedy as this couple did.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me a copy of Isabelle and Alexander to read. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I could not put this book down! Thank you Shadow Mountain Publishing for this advanced readers copy.

At the beginning I thought that because this was an arranged “love-less” marriage (I’m guessing late 1800’s to early 1900’s) to Alexander Osgood, Isabella would get together with her Cousin Edwin, as she always spoke so fondly about him.

I could feel her sadness and frustration with Alexander. When an unfortunate accident happens, she wishes for them to come closer but the struggles of healing and his grumpiness seem to make it harder.

As the months pass, she gets glimpses of a wonderful husband that start to outweigh the angry one. Another accident finally brings them together and the ending is perfect.

All thoughts are my own in this review.

An sweet arranged marriage trope, where the wife has to care for the husband after a fall.
This is perfect for fans of North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell.

This one is a “proper” romance so there is no sex, but the chemistry between the characters is so sweet. It’s all from Isabelle’s perspective, I would have like to get a glimpse of Alexander’s perspective but I did enjoy Isabelle.

Thanks to Shadow Mountain Publishing and Netgalley for providing me with an eARC, all opinions expressed are my own.

I enjoyed this book and it's characters, however, I felt that is lagged a bit and at times I caught my mind wandering. It's not one that made me feel it was hard to put down and had to see what happened next. I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to NetGalley and Shadow Mountain.

This is a lovely story about a newlywed couple in an arranged marriage learning to communicate and to love and trust each other. This is complicated by an unfortunate accident that leaves one of them in need of long-term medical care. I love how realistically this is portrayed. These situations really bring out both the worst and best in a person, and you get to see these characters different struggles and tenacity through their distinctive personalities. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with this novel and think it is a wonderful, engaging addition to the Proper Romance line.

Alexander and Isabelle have an arranged marriage which are not very common at this time. A few months after they are wed, Alexander is in an accident and this story is about how they deal with this huge obstacle in their lives and relationship.

This book is not a typical read for me and it was a little slow to start but eventually it was so adorable. It was a slooooow burn romance that ends so well. I felt like I was wrapped up in a fuzzy blanket when I finished it. The character growth in it is a dream for me. I especially loved the housekeeper, Mrs Burns and Doctor Kelley. They were a light in the novel. I enjoyed how sweet Isabelle is and how we got to know and understand Alexander.
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It is released May 4th and is part of the Proper Romance series from Shadow Mountain. And I think it's a pretty great addition. Thank you to @netgalley for an ARC copy.
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Tropes: HEA ending, arranged marriage, male love interests expresses love after female protagonist gets hurt, moody male love interest
Rating: 3 Stars

The book begins with Isabelle being married out of convenience. The marriage suits the business ventures of her father, but Isabelle isn’t put off at all. This is because the man she marries, Alexander, is renowned as one of the most handsome men in the area. She quickly finds that marriage is not all that she thought it to be and faces day after lonely day in near isolation. This only truly changes when Alexander has an accident and is forced to become a homebody himself.

The story has some problematic areas, seeming to incessantly emphasize the traditional female homemaking role, through Isabelle’s thoughts and actions. When she finally does pluck up the courage to say what she wants to say, it’s not exactly a shock that it’s to profess undying devotion towards this traditional female homemaking role. As some other reviewers point out, Isabelle’s character feels flat, as she internally expresses the depth of feeling, but behaves as a choir mouse in her interactions.

The relationship that develops between Isabella and Alexander feels like it has such potential through the novel, and yet when the moments occur that should bring them together, they fizzle out to be unmemorable side stories. Alexander’s personal character development seems rather slow and nonexistent, with no real reasoning for his actions ever being communicated to Isabella. While I am all for a brooding, angry male lead character arcs where one develops introspection, confidence, and self-awareness, Alexander’s plight missed the bill for me.

One of the background characters, Glory, is hands down the saving grace of this book. She has all of the wit and spunk of an interesting character, and a personal battle to overcome that I was interested in throughout the entire book. The parallels that Rebecca Anderson created for Glory and Alexander were clear, but Glory was the far more likable character in contrast to both the hot and cold behavior of the male lead, and the female protagonist who never quite reaches the pinnacle of her possibility.

I would cautiously recommend this book to readers of incredibly slow-burn romances, who are seeking a slow-paced, very clean read.

Thank you Shadow Mountain Publishing for the ARC read!

Such a moving story of finding love after a tragedy. Isabelle and Alexander find themselves in a marriage of convenience. Both struggle to adapt to their new situation. After Alexander suffers a tragic accident, their relationship becomes even more strained as it was before. This story navigates the hardships Isabelle And Alexander face as they attempt to adjust to their new life and his road to recovery.

This was a wonderful story. The author chose a great theme to write. I personally like stories about injuries and recovery especially in this era. Recovery from such an accident takes time and growth for the person and their family. I like how she showcased the other characters that were effected by his accident and how everyone was adjusting to the changes.

Though the plot and storyline were on target, I feel the writing could have improved a bit. I think this story would have been better with an "Alexander" and "Isabelle" perspective. This way you could get both sides of their feelings. I found there was a lot of repetitive lines as well. Isabelle would feel sad often and Alexander would have good and bad days. Though that would be the case in the accident, I found it hard to follow as a reader when her same feelings kept repeating. Also, both characters seem to have strong personalities and frustrations throughout, I would have loved to see more banter......

Emotional, moving story. I found myself emotionally attached to Alexander's recovery- hoping for improvements each chapter!

Isabelle and Alexander started me off thinking that Isabelle and her cousin would end up falling in love because of the closeness of their relationship but it couldn't be more different. As Isabelle and Alexander are married after barely making an acquaintance with each other, their romance has a slow start until a tragedy befalls Alexander. Life as Isabelle knew it was gone- not just the silly, light-hearted life from girlhood but the lonely life she had lead since their marriage. Her character develop is deep and moving as she grows into a woman with depth, willing to do whatever it takes to help her husband-physically and emotionally/spiritually. I relate well to her hardships and growth. Isabelle inspires me to do as she did and take charge of her situation. Nothing would get in her way and she was able to find her happily ever after- nothing, even a disgruntled husband would get in her way.

While Isabelle goes through a great deal of growth, she always showed a great deal of kindness. Those she worked with, the neighbor with mental disabilities that lived next door, and her disgruntled husband who was coming back from a life-altering injury. Her character never changed, just deepened. While Rebecca Anderson's contemporary romances are some of my favorites- I enjoyed this heavier story.

A Victorian Era arranged marriage romance, Isabelle and Alexander is a sweet, slow paced story. The two have an arranged marriage but are living almost separate lives until an accident occurs, driving them together while Alexander recovers. Isabelle has a quiet & capable demeanor while Alexander is a hard working businessman who is very aloof towards her at first. They have many obstacles to overcome as a couple and as Alexander attempts to heal and regain his movement. They are a sweet couple who grow together and Alexander ends up having a sweet side to him.
The story had a lot of interesting tidbits about mills and how they are laid out and work. I would have liked to have some of the chapters from Alexanders perspective, see what was going on in his head.

Isabelle and Alexander is such a unique storyline. I enjoyed reading a romance that asked for a deeper sacrifice. I did think the book would have been more suitable for a novella, as it was a bit repetitive.

A well written novel about an arranged marriage to a handsome mill owner. It definitely reminded me of North and South but it was different enough to be well enjoyed. I did enjoy the slow buildup of their relationship and the characters were pretty likable. The best part of this book was definitely the setting.

4 stars

A tender, clean romance between a couple who gradually transition from the awkwardness of an arranged marriage to finding peace & love in each other. A main focus of the story is one MC’s paralysis & recovery, & how it affects & complicates the relationship.

[What I liked:]

•The historical setting is well done, especially the descriptions of what it was like to be inside a cotton mill. There was nothing about health concerns or workers’ rights, & the workers were all portrayed to absolutely adore the mill owner (because he was handsome 🙈) which I find unrealistic, but I did sincerely appreciate the attention to historical detail.

•Isabelle, Alexander, Mrs. Burns, the Kenworthys, and Dr. Kelley were all wonderful characters I grew to like & care for. The character development arcs have depth & are paced well.

•Isabelle & Alexander’s relationship was touching. The communication difficulties & learning to adjust to one another were the opposite of insta-love, and I enjoyed the slow & tender progression.

•I’m not an expert so I may be missing issues, but I think Alexander’s disability was portrayed respectfully. He wasn’t shown as weak or without agency. This is also not an “inspiration p*rn” story, but rather focuses on I & A’s budding relationship.


[What I didn’t like as much:]

•Dr. Fredericks & the nurse are kinda one dimensional villains, without much explanation for why they acted so harshly.

•Very minor quibble, but the description of making a quilt wasn’t very accurate in terminology or process. Embroidery was called “decoration”, quilting was called “stitching”, the quilt itself was called a “blanket, etc. (I only care so much because I’m a quilter.)

CW: portrayals of ableism, descriptions of physical injuries

[I received an ARC ebook copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Thank you for the book!]

There is a lot to like in this historical romance, foremost being the unique take on a marriage of convenience story. Isabelle, after recently being wed to Manchester cotton mill owner Alexander, is still trying to find her place and her confidence as a wife, when her husband is gravely injured in a riding accident. Now she must strive to care for and understand a paralyzed man she barely knows, and who is now coping with all the emotions that come with his disability.

The author does an excellent job with scene building, well-written dialogue, and interesting side characters.

However, my personal preference would have been to spend less time having Isabelle’s uncertainties and internal reactions being repeatedly described, and more time detailing her deepening relationship with Alexander. I never could quite get a handle on his personality, especially regarding his behavior to Isabelle prior to the accident.

Despite the aspects that didn’t appeal to me, this was still a nice read and I would consider reading more by the author.

I adored this book! The characters were so wonderful and well written. The story was engaging and hooked my interest right from the beginning.

I literally devoured the whole book. From social standards and arranged marriage to falling in love. This book was beautiful, I have immensely enjoyed reading it. Two different people of two not so different worlds trying to learn and understand each other. To earn and deserve each other´s love. In this story, the wedding vows "in sickness and in health" due to an accident apply to 100%. This book with all its wonderful characters takes you on a journey you have never been before, one with lots of questions, ups, and downs, suffering but also hope for the better. 

If you are a fan of historical fiction you would adore this one.

I would also like to thank NetGalley and Shadow Mountain Publishing for the opportunity of an early review.

This story had so much potential, but unfortunately, it fell flat for me. I was so intrigued by the blurb and it was definitely different from anything I’ve read, but it was executed poorly. This story is a lot of tell and no show. A really good writer is able to make you feel the other character’s feelings through one POV and I just didn’t get that between Isabelle and Alexander. There was actually more chemistry between Isabelle and Glory. And how about those letters at the end? Could we have read a few of them to see how Alec felt about Isabelle? I just wanted to much more from this story that I didn’t get.

This was a tough one for me. I thought it was right up my alley based on the synopsis, because I like historical fiction and romance. However, I like my fiction to have a bit more plot and faster pacing, and my romance to have a little more steam. This was a slow one and I nearly gave up on it a third of the way through. It's character-driven, yet halfway through the book, I still feel like I didn't know a whole lot about the characters and their motivations, nor did I feel invested in them. But I pushed through, and while I can't say I would re-read this book, I am glad I finished. Maybe this niche of the historical fiction + romance genres just isn't my jam...it might be someone else's. Like I tell my kids, don't yuck someone else's yum.

But I pushed through, and while I can't say I would re-read or enthusiastically recommend this book, I am glad I finished.