Forgotten & Remembered

I struggled somewhat in this review. On one hand, I adored the heroine, even if she was a bit of a wilting flower at times, and the hero was appropriately noble and handsome, but I wanted to take a switch to his ass (and not in a fun way). The story was torturous and full of angst, a bit too much if you ask me, but they got there in the end, so I have given in a 4/5 all in all.

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Love me an emotionally devastating romance novel

Some reviewers described Graham as too infuriating and horrible and Rosabel too much of a wilting flower. Frankly, I have to disagree. I mean, Graham was so broken and constrantly misstepping, yes, he was infuriating. And Rosabel's low self-esteem presented her with frequent challenges in isserting herself...Yes she was equally frustrating. But really, woman don't have to be spitfires to be interesting or complex. I never disliked either character, their flaws made them and the contentiousness of their relationship so great. It is a classic HR trope: the sad widower troubling over moving on with his new young wife, which he married out of convenience. But where HR Heroes are usually an alpha male, Graham struggled rather uniquely with not believing himself worthy or capable ot being loved. He is reserved and shy and also struggling with self-esteem. Rosabel deals with the same thing. And where HR heroines are so often independent and fiery, Rosabel was gentle and shy and dutiful. Additionally, these things made our main characters feel real. I liked that Rosabel behaved in a way that I think many women would have in the past when they entered arranged marriages. To me, this was what made this story unique.

I thought Wolf wrote very well, as she presented us with characters mired by human imperfection, making mistakes and not always live up to the potential we think they have... She plots out an arc and sticks to it. Where women were agentless and secondary to the men in their life, I thought Wolf depicted Rosabel superbly. The H/h have a very hard battle to wage within themselves and with eachtoher, and by the end succeed. That is good writing to me, not lazy and not unwilling to paint her mains in unfriendly lights. While this book is incredibly emotionally fraught and for a goodly portion of the novel we don't see our couple together but living apart, it was crafted in a way so that, still, they get to know eachother through letters or the word of friends (Edmond and Helen). And while we have to watch Rosabel and Georgiana left behind again and again.... then again, and again, and again.....I think Wolf does this intentionally because when the peak finally comes (twice, I think) I was so wound up and sad I just ended up crying. I love it when a writer can do that to me. Then when they finally start to understand eachother in truth, it is so much the sweeter.

Ugh, I just adored this. It's not an easy listen, as Rosabel starts being genuinely terrified of her husband and Graham starts out in crippling despair and having hallucinations about his dead wife.. somehow they end up in a true, pure love together. It isn't sudden and listeners are carefully and clearly lead to the happy end. Wish the epilogue had been an hour long.

If you are like me and you like that a lack of external conflict, or outlandishness. Or if you don't always want to read a book that requires complete suspension of disbelief... Listen to this. This story very much reflected, to me, an exploration of real-life situations in the past.

Anna Parker-Naples is definitely not my favourite narrator because her male voices really blow, but she does a good job here I think.


Highly recommend this one.

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1 person found this helpful

Thank You Bree Wolf

Anna Parker-Naples is a good narrator. Love the plot (marriage of convenience). The plot was meaty (Dukes late wife) And how the couple got their happily ever after. Would like to continue reading all the books in this series.

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Takes a long time to get to the end!!

very little story he said she said he felt she felt! historic discrepancies no nanny, no dressmaker arrives without luggage to stay with a prince

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monotony of sound.

so trudgingly boring that I could not go on to find how the heroine gains her happiness.

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weak heroine overdramatic narration

Struggled to finish, irritating story and narration. Writing was also over sentimental and needed editing.

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