Portia and the Merchant of London

I do love to power my way thru a romance novel on occasion and this hit the spot surprisingly well. Surprising because this book is fairly light on the romance, which is what I usually go into these things for; nevertheless, it kept me engaged throughout. I liked both main characters, which is always helpful in these situations, and they felt well-suited to each other. Even though the book was light on romantic content, I understood why the characters were attracted to each other and how they had come to feel that way, which is surely a good sign. The heroine's relationship with her family - particularly her younger brother - was sweet, and the two villains were both treated sympathetically enough that I hesitated to label them villains, and only did so eventually because I couldn't think of a better word.

The setting felt like the strongest point of the novel: great attention is paid to the social mores of the time, and there was a strong emphasis on the perception of respectability - everyone was aware all the time of what things looked like, of how something might be received by one's compatriots, which I really liked. I also enjoyed reading about a Jewish main character & romantic hero in a historical setting, and appreciated the purposeful subversion of the Shylock/greedy moneylender trope. I will temper this praise by mentioning that I am nonreligous and certainly not an authority on the subject.

I picked this book up unaware that it was part of a series/extended universe, and it does technically stand alone but I certainly felt I was missing some context around the halfway mark. For a good while everyone in Solomon's point of view is talking about the villain in huge Oh No terms but we do not find out what happened in Vauxhall Gardens to cause this, presumably because it happened in a past book. It's not awfully important but it did affect my reading experience; still, these are minor quibbles. I liked this book and enjoyed reading it, ultimately! Many thanks to NetGalley and to Wild Rose Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a book that l enjoyed reading. The two main characters were interesting especially Portia who had to rescue the family after her father's stroke. Then Solomon who helped her all through the book. There was a good storyline and I learned about the Jewish faith and how moneylenders operated. I was pleased at how the book ended. I recommend that you read this book.

Bravo! Ms. Buckley takes Regency Romance in a direction other than the norm. Our heroine is singlehandedly keeping her family afloat after her father suddenly becomes ill. Having to turn to a moneylender to pay her brother's tuition, she comes in contact with Solomon. Solomon is a rarity in himself. A helpful and honest moneylender, unheard of, of the Jewish faith. I will definitely be recommending this book.
Thank you Kathleen Buckley, The Wild Rose Press and NetGalley for allowing me an advance copy for my honest feedback.

I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the ebook. What a beautiful cover. Great historical fiction romance.