I loved this!! I could not put it down!!! This book is a keeper for me. I love Regency Romance and this one was simply fantastic. 6 out of 5 stars.
I just reviewed A Radical Affair by Louise Mayberry. #ARadicalAffair #NetGalley
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I did enjoy this book but it’s definitely a unique one - although all of that is clearly shown in the blurb and it is a different time period. Mayberry showed clear dedication to portraying a true historical fiction story and I can’t fault her writing.

I definitely felt this story built in strength as it went along.

It was also interesting to see how Cybil and Will developed and to explore the pasts that influenced them. A little more effective communication would have been nice but then where would the tension be.

I enjoyed the little mystery storyline weaved in, although not the hardest twist to guess it was still a great addition!

This story may not be for everyone due to some of the subjects covered but if the blurb intrigues you definitely give this one a go!

What I thought I was getting was a sociopolitical romance interrogating unusual (not the standard histrom fare) lives in history. What I actually got was two people who only cared about each other's bodies for three chapters, and I couldn't keep going. Will's life situation was just starting to get interesting, too.

Honestly at first I didn't think this book could get more than 3 stars from me but the more I read the more I liked. The first few chapters were nothing but insta-attraction and lust for me. I didn't like it much. Then suddenly it was after 4 years. I mean that's a huge gap and the thing that nothing at all changed in those years is inconvenient. It could be 2 years or something like that. The story got better after that. The mystery was easy to solve but I enjoyed reading it. About the ending, maybe that's the best ending it could get considering the messed up situation. There was so much positivity at the end. I was relieved to know that Emily too got a much better ending.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the e-book in exchange of an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a free ARC in exchange for a review!

This was an interesting read. I think I enjoyed it but I also had a lot of feelings.

The books opens before Cybil and Will get together, which makes the blurb feel a bit spoiler-y but there is a convenient time jump to where the blurb starts us, so that's good I guess.

Cybil and Will do just jump into insta-lust/love which feels sort of unnecessary since the book takes the time to show us their beginning but it's basically 'they think the other is hot and bang a lot".

Cybil's husband has the least scary name in the world... Ernie. Could he not have at least been Ernest? And Will is a pretty crappy dad, which he admits himself. He seems to sort of be traumatising his own kids even further by constantly leaving to make out with Cybil and his two young children just sort of have to fend for themselves it seems?

That's another thing. They have this massive problem on their hands, and yet, the book is mostly Will showing up, they bang, then Will leaves, and no one actually comes up with a plan, but they constantly lament that they don't know what to do.

I very much guessed the Wilcox and Townend "plot twist", which was so obvious that it was almost sad that Will and Cybil were so shocked. They're also all very okay with letting a man who beat up and abused a kid just run away and get away with it, which ????

And the ending was... very convenient. That's all I'll say on that.

That being said, I was interested enough to finish, and it does capture the time period well I think. Two stars from me.

There was never a dull moment, and it felt so very romantic by the end. I loved it the whole way through, and the story got better with every scene passing. Overall, I simply so loved and adored it

cutesy and fluffy I liked this a lot, the characters and the plot was just amazing. The way everything happened had me hooked like aaaa
thank you netgalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review

A Radical Affair by Louise Mayberry is the third book in The Darnalay Castle series. I admit, I read book one and somehow missed the second book but I don't think I lost anything having not read book two yet. There are references to the characters but to be honest, it's probably more important to have read the first book only so you know who some of the secondary characters are in this one as they are referenced a few times.

Cybil Bythesea our fmc and she is stuck in a marriage to Lord Falstone with no hope of ever getting out. When she fled his home ten years ago due to his cruelty (you'll learn more about it in the book), her father (and now her brother) made a deal to pay him off so she could live her life the way she wants as long as she doesn't bring shame to his family name. Everything is going fine until she meets Will Chisolm, a man who works for her brother. But she has a connection to him she can't deny.

Will Chisolm is haunted by the past, the tragedy of his family’s eviction from their ancestral Highland farm, then his own foolish descent into political radicalism. Even now that he’s gained wealth and respectability as the manager of a set of spinning mills in Glasgow, he’s burdened with more responsibility and guilt than anyone knows. As he gets to know Cybil, and ultimately they start an affair, things become much more complicated than he planned and four years into their relationship, Cybil and Will have to figure out what they are going to do now that a child is on the way.

While this book does have Cybil cheating on her husband, it's actually not the focal point of the story. Cybil is a woman determined to do what is right for her and what she wants vs. what her husband and society allow her to do. Of course, she isn't as brazen as to flaunt it but in a time where women don't get to make their own choices, she is determined she will, especially when she finds out she is pregnant. All of that to say, I didn't love the way she reacted to Will when he was only trying to find the best solution for all knowing the constraints they both have in their lives.

As the story progresses, we learn more about Cybil and Will and the pasts that make them not only who they are today but also create the concerns around how to bring their child into the world. I appreciated Mayberry including the backstory of how these two characters met as most of the story takes place 4 years later and it helped set the stage for their relationship.

If you're looking for a new historical romance to pick up, consider this one. I do recommend picking up the first book in the series if you can before reading this one though...it will help in setting up all the characters for this book.

Cybil Bythesea has fled the cruelty of her husband, Lord Falstone, and found passion with her writing and her clandestine liaisons with Will. Will Chisolm is haunted by the past, the tragedy of his family’s eviction from their ancestral Highland farm, then his own foolish descent into political radicalism. He has now gained wealth and respectability as the manager of a set of spinning mills in Glasgow. However, his life is one full of responsibility and guilt for his past. Yet with Cybil, his troubles fade away until after four years together, Cybil confronts him with the news that she is pregnant, a fact that will tear their worlds apart.
As with book one, I was hooked from the first page. The attraction between Will and Cybil is instantaneous and yet, it is the news of Cybil’s pregnancy that changes the tone of the book from one of romance to a drama. With Cybil still married, I was curious as to how this story would have a happy ending. Yet despite this, I found myself swept away by the writing of Mayberry. She manages to intersperse within Will and Cybil’s story, a book that Cybil is writing. I loved seeing characters from past books, but this is still a standalone story, with the stories of secondary characters succinctly explained. I thoroughly enjoyed this beautiful romance, that has plenty of tension and drama. I can’t wait to read more by this talented author.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Louise Mayberry’s A Radical Affair, a highly original and compelling book is the third in the Darnalay Castle Series. The story, set in 1820s Scotland, follows Cybil Bythesea, who for the past 10 years has been estranged from Baron Falstone (her abusive husband), and Will Chisolm, a widower with two children who manages Cybil’s brother’s factories in Glasgow and is haunted by his own traumatic past. The Prologue introduces us to the characters, their intriguing first meeting, and their agreement to have one night of harmless passion. What grows from there, is a clandestine four-year affair that goes along seamlessly, except for the longing each feels while away from the other, and their guilt over the lies they must tell to maintain their affair. Unexpectedly, especially after so many years of believing herself to be barren, Cybil becomes pregnant. This is where the main story picks up and takes the reader to an achingly beautiful world of love, desperation, intrigue, a reckoning with the past, and a twisty, emotional journey to the final HEA. I loved it from start to finish and continue to think about it days later in the best possible ways.

What I loved most about this book was the masterful way Mayberry builds the characters and the story. Her attention to detail and commitment to historical fact take us to a place that is grossly unfair to women and the lower classes. She doesn’t shy away from the harsh reality that both Cybil, Will, and some of the secondary characters must face; but she’s not preachy, and she provides relief, sometimes through clever humour, a tender moment, or through the sizzling sex scenes between Cybil and Will (who get up to some very interesting role-play that allows them to explore their darker sides). I love that so much of the novel is dedicated to showing us the building love between Will and Cybil during some exceptionally difficult circumstances. The scenes between Will and his children are so poignant, endearing, and lovely. Mayberry weaves a rich story, and every character is so deftly drawn that the world of the novel comes to life and makes the novel hard to put down. The complex details of the plot, seamlessly woven, come together for a dramatic climax that is brilliant in its execution. As a bonus, Mayberry gives us glimpses into Cybil’s writing incorporating gothic storytelling styles of actual writers of the period (which Mayberry explains in the excellent historical notes that are well worth reading at the end). These story snippets are so well done and entertaining!

The historical setting of Scotland, in the early industrial age of the mid-1820s, provides a backdrop that helps develop the main plot in a realistic way. I’m not a big fan of a political intrigue sub-plot, but Mayberry does it so well, making it integral to the main story and romance, that it won me over. I appreciated learning about the Clearances, the Six Acts that the British parliament imposed to stamp out any vestiges of reform and dissent, and the nefarious actions to which key political figures stooped to maintain control of the people. The impossible challenges that Cybil must face as the “legal property” of a cruel husband, shed light on the era, and her actions are both believable and heart-wrenching. I admired her immensely, especially the choices she makes when she’s finally given the freedom to make them. I love that Will accepts her for who she really is; his willingness to suffer for her, and truly respect her wishes, is a testament to his deep and abiding love for her.

I highly recommend this book to readers who appreciate masterful writing, clever plots, deeply emotional and sizzling romance, compelling characters, and meticulously researched novels that are impossible to put down. Although this is the third book in her Darnalay Castle Series, it can be read as a standalone, but I highly recommend the first two books, Roses in Red Wax, and Swept into the Storm, both amazing 5-star reads. I can’t say enough about Mayberry’s exquisite writing and her originality in telling stories that are captivating and emotional. I really can’t wait to see where she takes us next!

"A Radical Affair" indeed. Absolutely a mind-twister. Love has so many bumps in the road and at the end of the drive, was that love worth everything? It is an absolutely fantastic book and this was my first from author Louise Mayberry I am definitely a dedicated fan. This book had me wanting more from the first chapter to the last. Amazing!

10/10

Wow a complicated love story between Will and Cybil.

Cybil: a writer, a wife, a sister, a friend. Abused and separated from her husband Ernie, Cybil spends her days at her brother Percy's house. Until she meets Will. Her passion is awakened and for the next 4 years she meets with Will and has an affair of the body. The situation becomes complicated when she becomes pregnant with Wills child.

Will: hardworking, widow, father of 2 children, manager of Percy's mills, and a political radical. When will learns of their child, he starts realizing that his feelings for Cybil run way deeper. He comes up with solutions to keep Cybil and the baby in his life.

Ernie, the husband, with his lackey is truly horrible and separates the lovers with intent to keep the child and harm the adults. Through some twists and turns, it works out in the end for hea.

Emotional content was high. Steam level high too. A good read overall