What an interesting idea! A young woman, Helen Grey, who is unjustly locked in the mental asylum for 10 years, is gonna try everything to get out. Even seducing a new doctor starting to work in the facility and destroying his career. The new doctor, William Carter, is not as naive as Helen imagines, seeing her manipulations immediately. Still, he sees her, knows she’s not mentally ill and does everything in his powers to help her get out of the private hospital that became her prison.
The story of Helen was really interesting, but it felt a bit overwhelming with the amount of hardships she went through. Like poor woman couldn’t catch a break! Trauma after trauma are not the best way to show character development, as well the progress of their feelings towards each other. They grow tiresome by the end of the novel, where one could feel the happy ending within the arm’s reach, yet it doesn’t happen there because of more trauma and villains.
Characters are written well though, they feel relatable and interesting.
The language of the novel is also quite nice, feels era appropriate, but not overwhelming and difficult to understand.
3,5/5 rounded down.

"The Madness of Miss Grey" is a delightful, dark romance story that truly entertains the reader.

Miss Grey has spent the last ten years in an asylum under false pretenses and no one, except the new doctor on staff, believes her innocence.

Determined to help her gain her freedom, Dr. Carter and Helen become an electric and unified team, all the while sparks fly as they learn more about one another's past and fall in love with each other's personalities.

Set against a bleak backdrop of an asylum with dark themes throughout, there is an element of hope and light through the connection of these two characters.

I would recommend this historical romance novel to anyone who enjoys a twist on a 'boy meets girl' theme.

Here's the deal with The Madness of Miss Grey: Helen Grey has been institutionalized in an asylum for over ten years. She's willing to do practically anything to get out. Luckily her new doctor, Will, believes she's not mad, and he wants to help her escape, too.⁠
⁠
If you're going to write a romance where one member of the couple has total and complete power over the other (as Will does as Helen's doctor), you've got to do it right. We think Julia Bennet does, and if we had any issues with the book, they do not lie with the relationship. This is a major triumph and we applaud the author! That said, the book is pretty dark (as you might expect from the setting), and if you're not in the best headspace you might want to put this on your TBR list for when you're surrounded by friends and family.⁠

Was this a well-written, affecting exploration of an incredibly difficult situation? Yes! Is it a love story? Also yes! Is it a feel-good read? ....Maybe not. But it's worth checking out for sure!

This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.