Publication Date: 15th Oct 2023
Genre: Historical Sapphic Drama
3.7 Stars
One Liner: A nice read but more drama than romance
Louisa Silverton is the daughter of an American businessman whose idea of happiness is through profit and money. Her business expertise and love for numbers keep her going. When Louisa’s father takes too many risks with his ventures, he ships her to England to find a wealthy husband.
Sarah Davenport is single-handedly running her family estate in Kenilborough. Her father is weak. Her stepmother and her son love money, and they are in debt. Sarah is shocked to see that talented Louisa is more than willing to settle for money. Louisa is intrigued by Sarah’s complexity, grit, and strength of character.
The duo realizes their feelings for each other are more intense than expected. But with neither of them in a position to do what their hearts want, can Sarah and Louisa find their HEA, or will they sacrifice themselves for their families?
The story comes in the third-person POV of Louisa and Sarah.
My Thoughts:
I quite enjoyed The Secret of Matterdale Hall by the author and was looking forward to this latest book. As an #ownvoices author, she effortlessly presents Sapphic romance and interesting main leads.
Louisa and Sarah are different yet similar. They both bear the burden of their family responsibilities and finances, even if they choose different methods to handle these. I like how the characters feel real and vulnerable and make some annoying decisions.
The interactions between Louisa and Sarah kind of give P&P vibes (but without the delightful banter). Even the writing style is formal and suits the period. In fact, it fits so well that the already slow-burn romance feels even slower and distant than I prefer. There’s some progress in the last quarter, which I do appreciate. I had to wait too long already!
While the book is supposed to be a historical Sapphic romance, it reads more like a family drama. This makes sense as the core plot revolves around families. However, there’s a lot of drama. I was reminded of daily soaps on the telly more than once. Combined with almost no humor or lighthearted scenes, the content becomes quite heavy. The saving grace is the moderate-to-fast pacing.
Of course, the social customs, attitudes, and general conditions of the period come across clearly. These have a dominant role in the plot, making the book seem more believable. Be it the ‘responsibility of a daughter to find a rich husband to save the family business or a weak (and rather spineless) father ignoring realities and being unconcerned for his daughters, every aspect aligns with the setting.
However, this eats into the time required by the main couple to establish a stronger relationship. I wanted them to spend more time together when they aren’t snapping or pushing each other away, et al.
The side characters, Ann and Eleanor, are nice and sweet. I like that the book also has a disability rep. Furthermore, the second half of the book is stronger and more interesting. We have HEA and an epilogue, too.
To summarize, A Lady to Treasure is an engaging historical drama with a super slow-burn Sapphic romance. The writing is classy and nice to read.
My thanks to the author for the electronic ARC.
***
TW: Attempted sexual assault (not graphic), implied physical assault, mention of suicide (off-page)
No comments:
Post a Comment