Red-Haired Ash Reads

Lady Christina Barclay has arrived in New York from London to secure herself a wealthy husband. When her parents settle on an intolerable suitor, Christina seeks out her recluse neighbor for help. Oliver Hawkes agrees to the marriage with the stipulation that it only lasts a year. He is a deaf inventor who doesn’t have time for or want a wife but he knows this is Christina’s only chance away from being married off. He quickly learns there is more to his wife and as days pass he rethinks the one year stipulation. 

I really enjoyed this book. The romance was sweet and slow, the characters were charming, and the setting was perfect. Oliver lost his hearing as a teenager and is working on an invention to help with hearing loss. He is a recluse from society because he got tired of being treated differently because he couldn’t hear. I really liked him. He was charming, sweet, and a little full of himself. Christina was just the woman he needed. 

Christina is a painfully shy wallflower who has been basically verbally abused by her parents, mainly her mother, to do whatever they want. They don’t care about her feelings or fears, they just want the profit. I loved watching her come out of her shell and be the person she was always meant to be. Her constant self-doubt did get a little tiresome but I still really liked her. 

This historical marriage of convenience romance was just what I didn’t know I needed. I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more of Shupe’s books in the future.

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