Seeking Perseophone (The Lancaster Family #1) by Sarah M. Eden
Summary (from the publisher): When Persephone Lancaster receives a marriage proposal from the ill-tempered Duke of Kielder, she refuses, and then reconsiders. The obscene sum of money he's offering Persephone would save her family from ruin. With her characteristic optimism, she travels to the far reaches of Northumberland to wed a greatly feared stranger. Lodged deep in a thick forest infested with wild dogs, the Duke's castle is as cold and forbidding as the Duke himself, a man with terrible scars on his body and his soul. But the Duke's steely determination to protect his heart at all costs is challenged by his growing attachment to his lovely and gentle bride. With caring persistence, Persephone attempts to pierce the Duke's armor and reach the man beneath. Yet he cannot tolerate such exposure, and his repeated rejections take their toll. But when grave danger arises, the Duke realizes he must face the risk of revealing his true feelings or lose the woman he cannot live without.
Review: Persephone Lancaster is the eldest daughter of her family and when she unexpectedly receives a marriage proposal by mail from the wealthy Duke of Kielder, she accepts to save her family from ruin. She travels to Northumberland and marries the Duke sight unseen. The Duke is terribly insecure because of unsightly scars on one side of his face and is cold and distant from his wife. But with kind persistence, Persephone attempts to break through his detachment and form a connection with the man she married.
I have to preface my review by saying I listened to this on audio and did not enjoy the narration at all. It was jarring for a patently British story to be read by an American who did a feeble attempt at British accents for the dialogue. It was also just not the best narration style overall and it hampered my enjoyment.
This was a sweet story overall. Despite finding it difficult to believe that the marriage would have been carried out exactly the way it was - sight unseen until the altar - I did enjoy the marriage of convenience tale. Persephone was so earnestly kind and sincere and it was sweet to see it slowly force the Duke to open up. On the other hand, the Duke was relatively horrible. I know he has suffered in his past in multiple ways, but he is largely wholly unfeeling and so cold to his wife. I just spent most of the book feeling bad for her. It was such a brief book, and I didn't feel that it gave sufficient time to fully flesh everything out.
This is written as a Hades/Persephone retelling, but I have to be honest - this book was straight Beauty and Beast retelling for me. Daughter of a single father, stuck in a castle surrounded by wolves with a disfigured and grumpy man. It just all screamed Belle and the Beast to me. Either way, I love myth and fairy tale retellings and really enjoyed this aspect of the book.
Stars: 3
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