The Very Definition of Love by Sophia Benoit
1816– Harriet Barrington may be on her fifth season with no marriage prospects, but she’s fine with that. It gives her more time to write her dictionary of modern slang. Words are her passion, especially the exciting, filthy ones men have kept hidden from women for far too long.
While researching late in the library during a party, Harriet accidentally finds herself in a compromising situation with notorious rake, Lord Alexander. To save her reputation and her younger sisters from ruin, Harriet has no choice but to slightly kidnap Alexander and strong arm him into an elopement. This arranged marriage has a very particular condition—it will be in name-only, leaving each of them to follow their own interests. For Harriet that’s her work, for Alexander, that’s women.
But soon Alexander’s rakish existence is not nearly as fun as spending time with Harriet, and Harriet’s beginning to worry about how much she actually likes her husband. Behind the closed doors of their respectable home, things become a little… complicated. After all, who better to teach her the very thorough meaning of these indecent words than the renowned lover, Lord Alexander Stirling?
Perhaps this marriage will teach them both a little more about that word they’ve been avoiding—love.
If Carrie Bradshaw wrote a Regency romance…. Meet an irresistible new voice in sex and relationships columnist and lifelong romance fan, Sophia Benoit.
Tropes
Enemies-to-lovers / Marriage of convenience / There’s only one bed / Yearning / A misunderstanding / He teaches her / Regency era / Rake x wallflower
Review: Thank you to Slowburn, Zando, and NetGalley for an ARC of this book, which is out on June 23rd.
It's 1816, and after several seasons out, Harriet Barrington has given up on finding a husband but is content on her work on a dictionary of modern slang. However, while researching during a party, Harriet finds herself in a compromising situation with notorious rake, Lord Alexander. Desperate to maintain her reputation for the sake of her younger sisters' own marriage prospects, Harriet tracks Alexander down and forces him into eloping with him. They agree that the marriage will be in name only but soon realize that this agreement may have been a bit hasty.
I love a historical romance, especially when there is a marriage of a convenience and a rake who begins to amend his ways once he meets the right woman. I also always have a sweet spot for stories where the smart, overlooked women are finally noticed by the handsome and eligible man. I absolutely devoured this, which is always a good sign that I'm having a good time.
Harriet was killing me with her obsession with and dedication to tracking down slang words, especially the dirty ones!! At heart, she is a nerd with a thing for dirty words. She was giving me secondhand embarrassment asking the meaning of various bawdy terms. The author did an excellent job of making the terms discussed historically accurate and painstakingly made sure all the slang were relevant to the period. I especially appreciated the slang glossary in the back of the book. I don't know how likely a virgin lady would be to boldly ask about these words, but I admired her pluck and interest in her dictionary work.
Another big component of this book was Harriet's sex education. I have to say Lord Alexander was up for the task: "He could tell she wanted to know. Harriet always wanted to know things. And he wanted to be the one to teach her." It was a little hard to believe that she would know absolutely NOTHING about sexual relationships. Likely very little, but given her proclivity for dirty language, I have to assume she would pick up a good deal from that hobby.
This was a sexy little romp and lovely watching Harriet and Alexander get to know each other and fall for each other. I did feel like he fell a bit fast. A bit insta-lust if you will Also, while I felt like the language was extremely historically accurate, I'm not sure the plot was. I don't think the marriage would have played out the way it did, that Harriet would feel at ease asking him the things she does or interacting with his mistress. I know Harriet is supposed to be unlike much of society, but it felt very untoward and beyond the pale of what an eligible lady would have even thought to do at the time. The whole character of Alexander's mistress seemed a bit unbelievable to me. She would NOT have encouraged him to marry or risked her position/benefactor. BUT, it was all for LOVE and it was a fun story.
Tropes: One bed, reformed bad boy, marriage of convenience, wallflower/virgin FMC.
Stars: 4
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