A Passion 7 Years of Unrequited Love Can’t Deny

All of the female protagonists in Mimi Matthews’ novels are intelligent, opinionated, and outspoken, while in this series they live in Victorian England. Her latest book, The Lily of Ludgate Hill, third stand alone book in the Belles of London historic romance series, is no exception. I’ve read all three books in this series. Lady Anne Deveril chose to stay and care for her mother after her father’s premature death. The author writes, “It was enough for now that her mother had acknowledged the value of Anne’s presence. That she’d recognized Anne was here for her, an ally in the fight to come. They may only be women in a world governed by men, but there were two of them. And when women banded together, they could make empires tremble.” The fact Anne’s father’s title was passed to someone outside their immediate family, would soon create issues for them, giving eye opening insights to how inheritance laws were at that time for the titled. 

Anne and the man who loves her, “Hart”(Felix Hartford),  seem to do nothing but argue and say hurtful things to each other, although occasional  bouts of passion reveal a connection 7 years of unrequited love can not deny. Anne, in her early twenties, still resents his frustration with her for wanting to support her mother after her father death, but the two have mourned for 7 years, including her wearing only black. This parallels their Queen Victoria’s recent loss of her King Consort Albert at age 47, and Victoria’s wearing of black for her remaining 40 years. Anne and her friend Stella discuss the issues, “Daughters are meant to sacrifice themselves. We give up our own dreams for our families. We stay at home when we’re needed. We marry where we’re told. And we’re supposed to do it all without complaint, and without benefit of acknowledgment. Whereas a man—When a man gives up the smallest thing for his family, he’s hailed as a hero,” Stella said. “It’s unfair. A woman’s life is no less meaningful. And our sacrifices are no less valuable.”

By the time I’d gotten 35% into the book, I said to myself, “I love these books.” Despite my frustration with Anne’s initial pigheadedness, you are compelled to see how it all ends up.  I was struck with the way author Mimi Matthews describes the horses, carriages, commerce and life on the streets of London that make you feel you’re right there with the characters. It’s so easy to visualize what’s taking place, it’s like a movie is happening in your head as you read. 

Hart had his own family problems he learned about from his mother shortly before she died, that deeply affected him, and when Anne couldn’t court him because she was her mother’s grieving caretaker, he felt the last person in his life who cared about him was rejecting him. He hated to see someone as young as Anne wearing only black and curtailing social events, for what seemed like the foreseeable future. Since they had last been together, Hart had taken on a number of family responsibilities no one was aware of, risking his fortune and future to secure himself financially, and almost losing his life at one point when he is mistaken for a less prudent relative. Much of the book is Hart and Anne struggling with their own responsibilities, but taking time for friendship. By page 287, the tipping point hits, and he wants to officially court Anne. Things move pretty fast at that point. 

This time period in England is one of possibilities, energy, invention, and innovation, where social mores are challenged and reaching toward a more modern world. The book has its share of snobby, unscrupulous, calculating villains, as some characters vie for economic and social gain by pushing others down, yet courage, family, and strength formed in bonds of friendship and love give them their due or opportunity for improvement. It is a time of growth and change for many of the main characters.

It’s enjoyable to follow a series about a group of friends who are connected by a passion for riding, and to see some of them turn up in each book which focuses on a different main character. You see how each character develops and matures in their life, while keeping up with all the others when they take subordinate roles but still appear or are mentioned in the narratives of each new book.  A fourth book in the series is planned, and recently a cover reveal for it, so you may want to follow author Mimi Matthews on her social media accounts, particularly her two accounts on Facebook.